All color day

The last color day of the school year (yes I'm still getting caught up from May) was ALL COLOR day. I am so thankful that my Mom carefully saved quite a few darling outfits from when I was younger. Cupcake was able to fit perfectly into a little rainbow dress that I wore in preschool. She LOVED telling everyone it was Mommy's dress and I loved seeing her so happy to wear it. Thanks Gigi for saving this one!

Of course Cutie Pie likes to dress up too so she wore her all color leggings!

As the school year was wrapping up I decided I had better get my camera out and capture what a Mommy morning with Cutie Pie was like before we had Cupcake back on the scene for summer. 

How I have loved my mornings with Cutie Pie. She has her own personality that is playful, adventurous, fun loving, dramatic, sweet, and caring. She LOVES to cuddle into my neck and give me kisses and yet she loves to run and dance too. She LOVES discovering the world around her and puts things together brilliantly. She doesn't talk with many words yet but she has a way of letting her opinions be known and she understands perfectly well what you are saying to her.  Her laugh is infectious and once she starts giggling she doesn't want to stop. She will ask for more tickles! She loves playing dress up and can walk and dance in high heels with impressive balance!  She loves music and dancing. She loves to do a show! She loves her friends. She big time loves her sister. She wants to be just like sister...even if it means sitting in time out. She is such a joy and as her "baby" slips away and she's more of a toddler I'm torn with bittersweet feelings of letting the tiny baby slip away and loving who she is...full of energy, full of joy....so much fun to be around. We love her soooo much!

Derby Party

We had our 2nd Annual Kentucky Derby party and had a fabulous turn-out of neighbors and friends. We had a full Kentucky spread including hot browns and 1st Saturday in May pie. We all enjoyed the afternoon with friends....so much so that I only got a few pictures:

Someone has a little Derby pie left on her mouth...if you look closely. She also picked out this hat herself at the store and was very certain it was the one she would wear. She did not take it off the entire party!

Butterflies

Cupcake LOVES butterflies! For her birthday Aunt Robyn and Uncle Carl gave her a butterfly kit. We had to mail off for baby caterpillars and over several weeks got to see them transform into butterflies. It was so much fun for all of us.

I didn't do a great job of taking pictures because we'd get so wrapped up in watching that I'd forget! We had a stool parked by the kitchen island and even Cutie Pie wanted to climb up every time we came in the kitchen to take a look.

Here are the 'pillars turning into chrysalis:

And 8 days later, they emerged:  

We fed them oranges and sugar water on flower petals:

Then we had to say goodbye:  

Cupcake was so gentle with her butterflies! They loved her and she loved these precious moments:

We let a few go in the backyard too: 

This picture melts me:

Thanks Aunt Robyn and Uncle Carl! This gift rocked!!!

First hair cut

You might have thought it was Cutie Pie who'd be getting her first hair cut but no....it is Cupcake! We made it 4 years and a couple of weeks without cutting her hair but it was time for a trim. I don't know who was more nervous...even Daddy insisted it would be just a trim because none of us are ready to see those baby girls go away. Cutie Pie, though a bit nervous, was also very very excited. 

About to go in....and NO we are not ear piercing!

Getting a wash: 

Of course she picked the pink car:

Here we go: 

All done: 

A manicure is included with the cut so Cupcake was thrilled for sparklers: 

Cupcake did great! She loved watching a movie while getting a cut and getting her nails done. I, on the other hand was very disappointed. If you are taking your first child for their first hair cut here are some tips that I wish I had thought about: 

1. Visit a few places before you take your child. Yelp reviews can not be counted on as they are as subjective as parenting styles. 

2. If the people cutting hair are wearing all black, do not smile, and do not appear to know how to talk to children....leave and don't get a cut there. 

3. If you are like us and end up at a place that does not do a good job explain to your child, after you get home, what was not "normal" so they don't come to expect it with haircuts. For example: "I'm sorry the lady who cut your hair did not talk to you and instead rudely told me what you needed to do. Next time Mommy will rip her earrings out ask her to treat you with respect."

With that behind us I am at least thankful that Cupcake's hair was not ruined and she, in fact, still has her luscious curls. Maybe in 4 more years we'll have the guts for cut number 2. 

Front facing

Since Cupcake turned 4 we decided to finally turn her around. Actually we wouldn't have except that Cutie Pie was ready to move to a bigger car seat and for everything to fit we needed Cupcake to turn around. People have been shocked that we made her face backwards for so long but the more I read the more I was convicted to choose the safest option. In fact, if it were feasible I'd have all backseat riders face backwards in my car. It's just safer.....anyway, Cupcake was thrilled with the whole new world of seeing out the front. 

Here she is getting so big: 

And Cutie pie in her new seat: 

Science day

I was so thankful that Grandma and Grandpa were still in town when Cupcake had Science day at school. They were willing to stay with Cutie Pie while I went to volunteer. Of course I got to snap lots of pictures of the fun too....

Cupcake and her best school friend feeling the effects of blubber: 

Crisco on your finger and then stick it in cold water

Making a tornado:  

There is goessssss:  

A volcano eruption:  

Homemade lava lamp: 

Static electricity: 

Planting a seed: (update: Mom killed it. awesome.) 

Cleaning a penny: 

Making lemonade: 

All done, back to class: 

I had so much fun helping but especially enjoyed seeing Cupcake experience her very first science day. She LOVES to figure out how things work so this was a super fun day for her.