Last night, we had a Princess Party at our house. We saw the idea in a Princess magazine Madison got from her cousins for her birthday. We started after dinner last night by getting princess dresses on. 
"Mom, you have to wear a dress-a fancy dress. And Dad, boys aren't allowed. You'll have to stay in your room with Aliya." The first thing we did was hair and make-up. I have to admit, it was kinda fun to put make-up on the girls and do their hair all fancy. 
(You can see that Breanne got her haircut again...it's so stinkin' cute!) 
Madison did her hair like Cinderella and Breanne did hers like Snow White (even with a red bow.)
"Mom, you have to wear a dress-a fancy dress. And Dad, boys aren't allowed. You'll have to stay in your room with Aliya." The first thing we did was hair and make-up. I have to admit, it was kinda fun to put make-up on the girls and do their hair all fancy. (You can see that Breanne got her haircut again...it's so stinkin' cute!) Madison did her hair like Cinderella and Breanne did hers like Snow White (even with a red bow.)Next, we had a pillow fight. I wasn't even sure if the girls knew what a pillow fight was. But they thought it was fun to hit each others' pillows and turn the music on. Then we danced a little. It was time to start some crafts. We started making crowns and couldn't actually finish them until today on account of the glue needed to dry. 
We also made princess baskets. We acted out a story with their stuffed animals. It's hilarious to hear the names Breanne comes up with for her animals. We had a crowning ceremony and I let Madison and Breanne wear my tiara from my wedding since their crowns weren't finished.
We also made princess baskets. We acted out a story with their stuffed animals. It's hilarious to hear the names Breanne comes up with for her animals. We had a crowning ceremony and I let Madison and Breanne wear my tiara from my wedding since their crowns weren't finished. Next we got into our pjs and popped some popcorn. We ate popcorn while I painted their toenails and fingernails. By now, Derrick had already gone to bed. We brushed teeth and retired to their room where we read most of the princess magazine and took princess quizes that tell you what kind of tiara you might want to wear. (Both of the girls need tiaras with lots of sparkle!! Don't I feel sorry for their future husbands...or Derrick & I who will need to pay for their weddings...) At 10pm, it was lights out. They had the sleeping bag and pillow all set up for me on the floor next to Breanne's bed. Their prayers were so cute, "Thank you God that Mommy gets to sleep in our room." My original intent was to crawl into my own bed after they fell asleep, but I didn't want to break their hearts in case they woke up in the middle of the night to find me gone. The floor actually wasn't too bad. I probably fell asleep before Madison. I would almost be asleep and then Madison would start talking again.
On a smaller princess note, Aliya started to crawl today with a couple little shuffles. It's so cute to watch!
Then they did a little candy hunt. We played hot potato, danced (it was a princess ball) 
and played "musical chairs." I think they really enjoyed the tea party! Each little princess got a tea cup and saucer and got to pour their own tea (or strawberry lemonade.) Derrick quickly got sick of filling up the little tea pots, but the princesses had fun. 
I lit the Cinderella princess cake (this is Madi's first reaction to seeing her cake)
and we sang "Happy Birthday." 
Madi was excited to get all the candles blown out with just two puffs. All the little girls played so well and I enjoyed having them over.
Right now, as I type, Derrick, Madison & Breanne are reading a book (Super Completely and Totally the Messiest) in our new room.
Here you can see Madison gently applying pressure to the end of the piece as soon as it snapped together, her arms would pop up in a stop signal.
Aliya mostly watched the process and offered moral support. 
Today at church, Hutch (small group pastor) said she might have a jump on a bowling career with her finger sucking stance. We'll see about that.
She got a softball mitt, and immediately wanted to go outside and play with dad. Can't believe our little girl is almost 5!
Madison & Breanne enjoyed reading bedtime stories with grandma. They even got to play dominos with grandpa & grandma. On Saturday, we all went to the Easter Egg "Hunt" (or "gathering" as we called it) our church puts on. Thousands of eggs in a grassy field and they were all picked up in about one minute. Before the air horn signaled the start, we asked the girls if they remembered what to do. Madison said, "I think I remember, we need to run." Indeed you do or you wouldn't get any eggs!
Derrick asked, "Is Jesus still dead?" "No, he's alive," she quickly answered, "that's just what we learned!" How exciting it is to watch our children learn about how amazing and powerful our God is. I had the awesome opportunity to tell the Bible story to 1st through 4th graders at church this weekend. It gives me goosebumps to think about how real the Holy Spirit is. He worked in the hearts of kids this weekend and many prayed to receieve Jesus as their boss and savior! Go God! What a privledge to be a part of what He does down here on earth!
Today, we did a real hunt in the backyard after lunch. It's always fun to see the girls search for eggs and baskets with their names on it (thanks Easter Bunny Grandma!) 
At one point, Madison's hands were so full of baskets of eggs and goodies she couldn't even slide down the slide after gathering eggs in the fort. Thankfully, mom came to rescue and held her baskets until she got down the slide safely.
But I did get her to pose for the camera and she was truly excited about the toy in her basket. It didn't take long for that excitement to fade as she dove toward the grass. She would rather eat and play with it.
Tonight, grandpa and grandma are celebrating the soon to be 5-year old in our house. It should be a fun night! I'm sure some pictures are soon to follow!
She was so brave to get four shots! She got snoopy band-aids, a sucker and stickers from the nurse. Then she got Dairy Queen for icecream with mom and Breanne. She didn't cry until the last one. 
The remodeling project is a continuous work in progress. The drywall was finished Saturday morning. We were able to get primer and the ceiling painted before the basketball games yesterday afternoon.