Disney's Frozen on Ice

WARNING:  Eternally long post.  And not all pictures are perfect because of the lighting and movement.

Last Christmas I looked at all the presents my kids had been given.  It was WAY too much.  Somehow the pile in the attic looked so much smaller than once it was wrapped and under the tree.  So Ben and I agreed that this year we would give them less presents and more experiences.  A few months ago I saw that Disney's Frozen on Ice was coming to Raleigh.  I knew when tickets were going to be on sale so I was able to get great seats.  We sat in the front row of the 2nd level.  We told Lily and Skyler a few days ago that we would be going and they didn't really understand what it meant, but once it started, they were in love!

I halfway wanted to jump in the snow with them until I discovered that it was actually soap bubbles.  Eh, pass.

This is how they smile with Ben....

and I guess this is how they smile with me???

Before Frozen actually started, they had all sorts of famous Disney characters come out and dance.

This was my view for most of the night.  Lily just hung over the wall mesmerized. 

"Elsa, wake up, wake up!"

The Duke danced so fast this was the best picture I could get.  And of course his wig also fell down when he bowed.

The kids really loved that it snowed onto the rink.

"People smell better than reindeers..."

"My own personal flurry!"

Anna punching Prince Hans.

I made movies of all the songs for Ella since we didn't get her a ticket.  There's no way she or Thad could have stayed up until 9.  (Thanks Mom and Dad for babysitting!) Here's the shortest video I had of the night.

We all had a blast.  Skyler kept trying to do ice skating stunts as we walked around during intermission and on the way to the car.  Lily sang and waved to the characters the entire time.  I think it was money well spent.  I think we'll definitely try to include more experiences as Christmas presents in the future.

Ashley's Nutcracker Baby Shower

This is my friend, Ashley.  We are also Visiting Teaching partners.

Ashley and her husband had tried for 7 years to get pregnant without any luck.  I really sympathized with her pain because I've been close to many women who have struggled with infertility.  Then, they decided they needed to go visit family in Arizona.  While they were in AZ they knew of a doctor who apparently has this sixth sense with infertility and has helped many women get pregnant when other doctors have failed before.  He immediately saw what was wrong, and made it so that they could get pregnant!  When she announced her pregnancy I was so excited and I had already told Ben that if they got pregnant I would want to throw their baby shower.  Ashley let me take on the party and I think it turned out great!

We created a secret pinboard on pinterest and I let her choose whatever she wanted for the party.  Basically, Ashley did the planning and I made it happen.  Ashley chose the best theme ever for this shower:  Winter Nutcracker Ballet.  I was in heaven preparing for it even though it took a lot of time.

One of the things that Ashley requested was a hot cocoa bar.  I loved that idea and so I tried out a few recipes on my family before we settled on a good hot chocolate and white hot chocolate recipe.

Lily got to attend her first ever baby shower while Ben took the other 3 out to Chik-fil-a.  When Ben got back home with the kids about a half hour into the shower, Lily was so bored she went upstairs to watch Harry Potter with Ben and Skyler.  :)

I had to post this horrible picture of one of my best friends, Melanie, and me.  I don't think we have any other pictures together so this will have to do.  Melanie is my morning walking buddy and fashion consultant.

The gifts went under the tree and Ashley ended up with so many adorable things to use for baby Madeline!

We played baby registry Price Is Right and we had two people win!

We also made lots of adorable baby bows and headbands.

It was a great party.  Ashley had so many friends come and she left with lots of presents and bows.  Now we just have to wait for Baby Madie to come next month!