Gingerbread House

We made our first ever gingerbread house on Christmas Eve. I've always wanted to do this, and thought this year was a great time to start the tradition because Audrey is old enough to help. Since we were staying  in a condo, we didn't have an electric mixer so the icing ended up too runny which allowed for lots of licking.

so much candy

Most of the pictures look like this

Notice the little finger tracks? Hmmm....

She was even dragging Daddy into her icing swiping. Of course he preferred the more direct tube-to-mouth technique.

Ta-Da! The finished product. Like my icicles?

Braxton Christmas

Since we were leaving the day after Christmas, we had Christmas with Grammy and Poppy early so they could see Audrey play with her toys for a few days.

Audrey's big gift from Grammy and Poppy was a princess piano vanity. Let me quickly explain how awesome this toy is. At first glance, it is a vanity complete with a pretend hairbrush, nail polish, eye shadow, etc. Lift the edge of the tabletop and it's now a piano with extra songs and sounds. You can also record your own playing. So neat. Plus, the hairbrush is now a microphone, nail polish a bell, eye shadow a harmonica, etc. It was a huge hit!

Audrey's blowing the polish dry on Poppy's nails.

Disney!

Back in April, we were able to purchase 5 day park hoppers to Disney for a really great price. We went for 2 nights with Summer's family, but left Audrey with Grammy and Poppy (Braxton). Since we still had more visits to burn and since Audrey now loves princesses, we decided to take a no-pressure trip to Disney yesterday with Nana and Papa. By "no-pressure" I mean that we were only going to do as much as Audrey could handle, and only those things she would "get." She's not really ready for a full day at Disney, but she was certainly ready to meet the princesses.
When we first arrived, Audrey noticed Cinderella's castle right away. And a show had just begun.

This is her expression when 3 princesses came on stage.

This is the kiddie roller coaster in ToonTown called Barn Stormers. It was more aggressive than I imagined a child's roller coaster would be, but of course my little thrill seeker loved it.

Next up: Meet the princesses!! We didn't know what to expect from our Shy Girl. She was still shy, but walked up to each princess on her own. And even spoke a few times.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) was by far the best princess we met. She was so sweet to Audrey and stayed in perfect royal character the whole time.

Audrey wanted to see Aurora's kiss on her face.

Another ride Audrey wanted to do again. There was no repeating anything. We have never seen Disney so crowded in the dozens of times that we have been.

Christmas Program

Audrey's Christmas program was this morning. As you'll see, she does not have a desire for stardom at this point in her life. Notice how she planted herself as soon as she got on stage as if she were told to pick her spot and stay there. And she's not picking her nose. She's shushing. The kids are singing, "tip toe around the baby." Also notice that as soon as it's over, she is ready to get off stage. Oh, and please excuse the poor filming. I couldn't stop giggling.
Regardless of her performance, she was certainly the best dressed kid in the whole school. (And no comments about her bangs. We are growing them out.... deal with it.)

Snow Bunny

Look at my Snow Bunny!!! She seems to have changed from a baby to a kid right before my eyes. She asked to wear this skirt instead of jeans, and to try out her new snow boots (even though there was no snow). Of course, we had to complete the outfit with her new puffer vest from "Aunt" Cindy. I giggled at how cute (and grown) she looked.

Our First Snow

It has snowed most of the day today, and we've all been so giddy. We now have a long shopping list of water-resistant outwear and a snow shovel to get. We didn't keep the cameras out too long because they were getting pretty wet, but we captured a few memories. One of the memories I hope to forget is when I hit Audrey smack in the face with a snowball. Andy started the fight and I missed on one of my retaliations. It hit Audrey square in the face. Poor thing bawled until we got all the ice out of her jacket and dried her face off.

Look What Aunt Jenn found for $3!!!

She kind of likes it.

And everyone knows princesses help those in need.

Kara fell and Audrey said, "I help her up." She walked over to Kara and said, "Hold out your hand." Kara did, and Audrey (sorta) pulled her up. Kara thought that was a hoot, so she walked ten steps, plopped down on her butt with a smile, and held her arm up. So cute!!

Isn't my youngest niece adorable? My siblings and I make some wonderful and cute kids.

Disney Pajama Party

The Disney Store had a Pajama Party a couple weekends ago. We knew it would be fun for Audrey to put her princess PJs and slippers on and head to her favorite store. They had coloring pages for the kids when we first got there. Then they played a pictionary type game, passed out snacks, and had storytime. Audrey loved it!! Andy expected more from DISNEY, but I reminded him it was the store, not the park. LOL!

School Feast

Audrey had a Thanksgiving feast at school yesterday. Before they ate, the kids sang a turkey song. I am so proud of my girl!!! She was the only one in her class to do the dance moves, and she beamed the whole time. I just wish I had the video camera instead. I had no idea what to expect.

Not for Halloween

Audrey had a wonderful surprise when she woke up from nap today! Aunt Jenn and Nanny sent her a Princess Belle dress complete with crown and light up shoes. Audrey has really gotten into dress-up (thanks to her new friend Noelle), so Santa has planned to bring her lots of dress-up clothes for Christmas this year.... especially princess dresses. This is not her Halloween costume. You'll get to see that on Saturday night.

The Pumpkin Patch

My oldest niece and nephew, my sister and my mom are all here visiting, so we took the kids to the pumpkin patch at Cox Farms. Included in your admission were fresh apples and cider, and a free pumpkin. I think this was the first time Audrey ate from a whole apple.

School Picture Day

Tuesday was Picture Day at Audrey's school, so of course we searched long and hard for the perfect outfit. In fact, I spotted this dress while shopping with my mother-in-law before school even started. I originally wanted it to be her first day of school outfit, but I'm glad we couldn't find it in her size then because it was perfect for picture day. After I searched about 5 stores that sell Carter's clothing in my area, my friend Cindy found it while vacationing in Williamsburg. (Yes, I had a few people on the lookout.) Audrey's teachers said he wasn't happy to have her picture taken, but that they did get her to smile and that there were some sweet ones without smiles. I can't wait to see what they look like, but the ones I took are AMAZING!!

This one with Nana is silly, but I wanted you to see the whole outfit.