Quarantine Halloween

It has been a challenging year and Alice has missed A LOT. We planned to avoid all group Halloween things this year since we're still in the middle of a Pandemic and it felt like the smart thing to do. In an effort to give her a special day, I decided to plan a Halloween fun day. 

We always intended to go to Huntsville for the weekend. I wanted Alice out of the way of crowds. If she couldn't see it, she wouldn't miss it. We haven't been up for a visit since February and all parties involved felt it would be safe for a visit. I had intentions of shopping for games and crafts but by the time I was well enough to go, everything was Christmas. Boooo! I was able to order a few things from Amazon though. 

She and I dressed the part. I was a witch and she was my black cat. She got to wear eyeliner on her face - she was THRILLED!

These were our activities:

Mask craft - I found these on Amazon. They were so much fun! They're a scratch set so they did make a mess but it was easy to clean up. The package came with a lot so we'll have some for the next several Halloweens. :)  It came with everything needed and the masks fit both the kid and the adults.

Hotel Transylvania Movie Marathon - We packed up our movies and shared them with Mawmaw and Papa. These are super cute and not at all scary.

Brownie Mummies - we baked brownies and she iced them to look like mummies! This was a fun two part project so it kept her busy twice! 

Pumpkin Ring toss - I bought several packages of cheap glow necklaces and three Gizmo pumpkins from HEB. We played variations of this all day! And at the end of the night, she made a big giant rope out of all the necklaces. When in doubt - it's always worth the dollar for a package of anything glowing. Walmart always has amazing options.

Build a Monster - I found these on Amazon as well. They are SUPER cute and made of heavy felt. The problem was, we couldn't get them to stick together. We tried all the sticking things and nothing worked. They are cute though! And Alice enjoyed building a monster family.

Spider Races - I bought a package of plastic spiders off the internet and a package of smoothie straws from HEB. We lined up a spider and blew it across the table with a straw. It was hilarious. Alice didn't like playing against Dada - he has a much better lung capacity. 

S'mores - we ended our day with s'mores by the fire while we howled at the moon. And by 'we' I mean Alice. Howled and howled! 

I know I over planned. I know I overscheduled. And I don't care. Alice had a beautiful day. She laughed and played and smiled. It was such a much needed weekend of fun and being away. We were safe and isolated but she didn't know it. All she knew was she was having fun.

It was really great to be away and the moon was SUPER COOL!!!! 

Until next time.....

And just like that....she's 2

So....we attempted a Sheep picture for month 24 (that's 2 years, folks!). They ALL look like this.....

Yep. This year might be a little exhausting.

Today, we celebrated. We decided to keep things very small. We had dinner and cupcakes and some family. And it was perfect. We splashed in the pool. We LAUGHED. We played. We opened presents. We ate cupcakes.

And we loved on a little girl who brings us so much joy. A little girl who lights up a room with her little grin. A little girl who waves bye bye when she leaves a room. A little girl who LOVES animals and marshmallows and books and colors.

She had our complete attention for the entire day. And that's what it should be about.

Two was a little bittersweet. One was exciting! It's the FIRST! But two means she's growing! And while I am SO proud of that, I miss the tiny little thing we brought home. However, I am SO excited to see what this next year holds for our girl. And it's an honor to call her ours.

Can you believe she's 2?! Yeesh.

Until next time....

Sticks and Stools

A few weekends ago, we spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's. Her Uncle David has a few magic dogs. They LOVE to fetch. They will bring you stick after stick and fetch every one until they pass out. The grown ups are on to them so we can ignore their attempts to engage. 

But now there's Alice. 

And she LOVES dogs. And while she can't throw very far - they didn't seem to care. Bud would pick it up and move it to her feet again. 

Her giggle is so precious.

We were back up there for Father's day and she got to play again.

This girl.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to my father in law that I would like a kitchen stool for Alice so while I'm cooking, she can be entertained while not standing on my feet. I sent him a few DIY posts I found on pinterest and he got to work. 

He had it finished when we arrived and it's perfect. He brought it to the house the next day and we've used it every night since then. She's still unsure on how to get in by herself and she still needs help getting out - but it's great! It's adjustable so it will grow with her and she's safe and out of the way. Simply wonderful!

Until next time.....

Fun at Grandma & Grandpa's!

We had a sleep over at Grandma & Grandpa's!

We read with Grandma.

Danced with Grandpa.

And played with Uncle David. 

And for breakfast, Grandpa made Mickey pancakes!!

The weather was beautiful and the visit was fantastic.

Until next time.....