All We Need is Pixie Dust

One of our favorite parts of our trip last year was attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! We knew it was a must do for our trip again this year!

Last year’s trip was a surprise for the girls, but this year Sami has been helping me with the planning!!! It is SO fun! She wanted us to have coordinating costumes this year. She will be Wendy, Skylar will be Tinkerbell, Matt will be Captain Hook, and I will be his faithful sidekick Smee!

I recently finished Skylar’s Tinkerbell costume….

With a matching wand….

And I decorated this bag for her to trick-or-treat with…

Last night we bought the material for Sami’s costume, so that is next up on my “to-do” list!

Autograph Book…Bring on the Characters!!!

Last year I made Sami an autograph book to use for character signatures while at Disney World. You can purchase books there, but Sami got SO much attention for having a handmade book, so we had to repeat the fun this year! Skylar was too young for one, but this year I thought she would get into it!

I made her book using my Cricut. The Mickey Font cartridge and The Mickey and Friends cartridge.

Here is the front….

(The front and back covers are made of “chipboard” which is actually just a cereal box. It cuts a lot easier on the Cricut, and it is FREE!)

The inside of the front and back look like this….

And the back cover…

It was really fun to make!!! Tomorrow night I plan to make Sami’s book!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame….

Sami earned a free ticket to go to a minor league baseball game to see The Gary Railcats play. We turned the outing into a fun evening with two of our favorite families! Poor Matt is working tons of hours, and at night…so…boo…no baseball for him!

This was Skylar’s first baseball game. She wasn’t too sure what we were doing, but all of the people around her were pretty exciting!

I tried to get a cute picture of the girls, but Sky was too busy looking around! Oh well…

So I took pictures of everyone else instead!

It was “Christmas in July” night. They had fake snow as you walked in, Christmas music playing, and Santa threw out the first pitch! He also brought along the Mrs…I’m sure she enjoyed the warm weather we have here vs. The North Pole

It was “Dollar Night” so many of the snacks were only $1. Sami had Dippin Dots in a baseball hat, and Skylar enjoyed some cotton candy!

They really make the night fun for the kids! Lots of little cheers and clapping chants. Dancing and yelling. TONS of fun!

They even let the kids run across the field!

(Sami is the yellow blob in the picture on the left…)

All of the kids loved getting up and doing the chicken dance!

Sadly The Railcats lost, but we still had fun! AND…we made it to the end of the game!!! It was a fireworks night, so that was fun as well!

4th of July Fun!!!

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I would even venture to say it’s my favorite!
We woke up bright and early because Sami (and I) were walking in the Hebron parade with IBT. We passed out popsicles along the route, and one of the older tap classes performed in front of the grand stand. Matt and Sklyar met up with Grandma and Grandpa and Malachi to watch us walk by.
As if one parade isn’t enough we also went to the Crown Point parade in the afternoon! Our lovely friends have a party every year right one the parade route. It is the only time we get to see them and visit, so I never want to miss it! Plus…it is a great parade! Lots of candy! Skylar loved the fire trucks and waved to everyone like she was Miss America! Ha!
We did some fireworks at home a few days before the 4th because I knew the actual holiday would be busy! We left the lighting of them to the expert…hehe….

(Yes it was still light outside! Skylar enjoys her sleep, and we didn’t want to make her wait until it was dark!)
Oooo…..aaaahhhhh…..

Skylar really enjoyed it….


Sami was in charge of the order of our show…she put on a pretty good show if I do say so myself!

Sami also enjoyed some sparklers! She sand Happy Birthday to America…so silly!


Every 4th of July we’ve known as a couple has always ended with fireworks in Crown Point. However, this year Matt was excited to help the fire department with the fireworks that one of the local churches puts on. I debated if I should take the girls or not, and I am really glad we went. They got to hang out with Daddy and his buddy Aaron by the fire truck and see where they light off the fireworks. When the show started we moved back though because it was SO loud!!! Luckily my buddy Erica was there, so we sat with her and her adorable little girl.
I hope your 4th of July was full of fun and family!

Celebrating Skylar’s 2nd Birthday

Skylar loves the t.v. show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse-mostly Minnie Mouse. So it only made sense to throw her a Minnie Mouse party to celebrate her 2nd birthday!
I had some troubles finding a bakery that would accommodate her milk allergy. Most use buttercream frosting, so I understood. I decided I would just make the cupcakes myself! I made devil’s food with red frosting to stick with the black and red theme of Minnie Mouse. Sami had come into the kitchen when I was making them…she was VERY upset that I was making chocolate cupcakes because Sky can not have chocolate. So sweet…no fear they were 100% milk free.
My friend Angie let me borrow these fabulous cupcake holders that I decorated with tulle. I made the cupcake toppers with my Cricut.

I also made Mickey head confetti on the Cricut and spread them on the tables. Sami and I made a birthday banner together…I’m not sure how I lived before the Cricut.

I know treat bags are fun, but who wants more bubbles and stickers?? So I thought just a little treat would be fun. I filled the bags with red and black licorice. The smaller kids got “puffs”

Skylar and Sami wore their “Disney” pillowcase dresses that I made for our upcoming trip. Their dolls matched for the day as well.

Sami and Sky played and danced a bit while we waited for the guests to arrive…shortly after that Sami changed into a different outfit, so I’m glad we got a few shots of them both in their dresses.

Skylar wasn’t too sure what to think of everyone looking at her and singing to her, but I think she enjoyed it. Sami helped her blow out her candle, and she enjoyed her cupcake!

We followed this up with a few games. Everyone enjoyed playing musical chairs and freeze dance!

Then she opened her presents. Everyone gave her such thoughtful and fun gifts!

It’s hard to say what her favorite gift was because she plays with them all. Her big gifts were a Bitty Baby wagon, and a set of Bitty Twins. The bottom picture on the left is her saying “Two babies Mommy!!! TWO!!!!”
She named her twins (with the help of her sister) “Charlie” (girl baby) and “Spencer” (boy baby). They go almost everywhere with us! She is slowly catching up to her sister in the American Girl department! Ha!
I can’t believe our little gift from God is two years old. She reminds me everyday just how precious life is. Happy 2nd Birthday Skylar! We love you more than you will ever know!