Tag: Abby

Play Time and a Nutcracker

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Today we headed out to Simi to play for a while at Rockin Kids. The weather has been windy and chilly so the girls have been stuck inside for a bit. After playtime Abby and Ellie wanted to see the big Christmas Tree and giant Nutcracker. Ellie was pretty unsure of him at first but warmed up long enough to get a picture of the two of them. So cute. Christmas is getting close and you can feel the excitement!

Abby and Ellie’s Christmas Show

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As the girls grow older there are more things that you get to enjoy as a parent. Now that both Abby and Ellie are in dance we get to enjoy even the small things that his has to offer, like Christmas performances  The classes don’t spend too much time working on the Christmas dances and it takes place at the studio as opposed to a performing arts center like recital but its fun to watch! 
I have included both videos below for you to enjoy. They are a little choppy, so I apologize but it was a tight fit and I didn’t have the best seat in the house. They sure looked cute though and made mommy and daddy very proud. Ellie did a great job for her first performance too. She didn’t dance the whole time but she also didn’t burst into tears. Every little step is a good one.
In the end the night was a fun one. The girls had a great time and so did Shaun and I. They are growing up so fast but we are loving every minute of it. Now that I have seen all of this, I cannot wait for the recital!

Dasher and Minnie Mouse

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It looks like Dasher decided to head back to our house and spend the day with Minnie and Rapunzel at Minnie’s house. Abby and Ellie were pretty thrilled to see Dasher spending some time with some of their favorite Disney friends. I hope Minnie was a good host and offered him some maple syrup!

Dasher and the Reindeer

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Dasher came back for another day at our house. This time he rode in on our cute little reindeer that sits in top of the piano. He stayed there all day and Ellie had several long conversations with him. Some of it was about Christmas the rest I couldn’t hear because she whispered it to him.  It certainly put a big smile on my face.

Meet Dasher the Wharton Family Elf!

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This year we started the Elf on the Shelf tradition with Abby and Ellie. We sat down together last night and read a book that explains the elf, why he comes to our house and just how magical he is. Our Elf made it all the way from Santa’s workshop to our house and after thinking long and hard, Abby and Ellie came up with his name. Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to introduce to you… Dasher the Wharton Family Elf. For his first day in the house, Dasher made himself comfortable perched high up on the TV unit. It looks like he tried to get into Minnie’s mouse but I have a feeling she wasn’t home. He has been watching over Abby and Ellie all day and in return they have talked with him and told him a few things they want for Christmas. It was cute to watch. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween Everyone! 
Today was a wonderful day with the girls. We enjoyed some Halloween movies at home (like Spooky Buddies and The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) took naps and then got up and ready for our night of family, friends and Trick Or Treating. Once the girls were dressed and ready they were forced to pose for pictures. Sorry girls, but as long as you love Halloween and dress up to Trick Or Treat there will be an obligatory photo op before festivities commence. 
This year Abby dressed up as Merida from Brave and Ellie was Dorothy. They looked adorable and I think the girls actually enjoyed the photographs a bit. Once we were done it was into the car and on our way over to Grandma Zoe’s house for the first stop of the night. At Grandma Zoe’s the girls took pictures and showed off their beautiful costumes. She gave them cute Halloween baskets with some very yummy (and parent friendly) Halloween treats. After some singing, dancing and parading around in their costumes we had to leave and head out for the big event, Trick Or Treating!

For the Trick Or Treating Festivities we headed to Auntie Jen’s house. I could kick myself for not getting a picture of Bixby and Felicity. They looked adorable! Bixby headed back home with his daddy after a round of Trick or Treating. Felicity and Jen stayed and did another round with us. Abby and Ellie had a wonderful time. This year Abby was noticing a lot of things which made her a bit uneasy. She still enjoyed herself but with a bit of caution. Ellie, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough. After the first few houses she had the idea. “Knock on the door, when the person answers be cute, say Trick Or Treat and they put a handful of candy into my basket.” Before we knew it she was saying “Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat give me something good to eat!” We have no idea where she learned that from but she had everyone laughing. In the end I think she had more in her basket then Abby. Not that its a competition. 🙂

After a trip around Jen’s neighborhood the girls were losing steam and getting hungry. I think they were mad at mommy too because I wouldn’t let them dive into their candy. Oh well… soon enough! Because the night was still early we had enough time to stop by and see Grandpa, Nana, Aunt Brittany and Uncle James. When we arrived we headed straight for Papa Ralph’s house. Ralph and his family have been doing an elaborate setup on Halloween for as long as Shaun can remember. This year was no exception and the girls loved it! They were given an extra helping of candy too! After visiting Papa Ralph we headed back to Grandpa and Nana’s for a bit. The girls received a few goodies and talked about Trick Or Treating. Shaun and I had a moment to relax and enjoy the remainder of the night. When the girls came down from their sudden sugar high we headed home and put the girls and ourselves to bed.

Despite the events in the early hours of the morning, Halloween was very nice this year. I have a feeling it was because there was an extra angel watching over us and she was happy. Happy that we still enjoyed our day with family and friends just as she loved to do. I know she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Pumpkin Carving with the Girls

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Tonight we carved pumpkins with the girls in preparation for Halloween tomorrow! Shaun helped Ellie draw her face and carve the pumpkins and I helped Abby. Each girl had a lot of fun and even helped us choose their face designs. Abby went with a more traditional face on her pumpkin and Ellie did a traditional face but asked daddy to put ears on him as well.
Ellie starts carving her pumpkin. Don’t worry, we didn’t  let her use the knife on her own for too long.

Now that’s true talent.

Abby balanced her spoon with ease and grace.

Scooping “pumpkin guts” never looked so cute!

All done with her pumpkin. Look, he even has ears!

Abby and her pumpkin. So proud!

While Shaun and I did most of the work it was the time spent together and the fun that we had that made it special. The girls loved being silly, balancing their spoons on their nose and having a blast scooping out all of the “pumpkin guts”. When the pumpkins were finished both Abby and Ellie were very proud. We cant wait to put them out on the porch for all of the Trick or Treaters to see!

Dress Up Day at School

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Today was Halloween Dress Up Day at preschool! While Abby is going as Merida for Halloween there was no way she was going to school in that costume. Her teachers are wonderful and Abby always comes home mess free but with my luck she would rip her Merida dress within the first 20 minutes. So, we decided that she would go as a kitty cat and boy did she look adorable. I think that part she liked about the kitty costume the most was having me draw a nose and whiskers on her face. When we arrived at school she was beaming from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to see all of her school friends and their costumes. Id say Halloween Dress Up Day was a success even if mommy was a killjoy!