King Cake

We made a King Cake for Mardi Gras again this year. In the spirit of Mardi Gras, the girls wore funny hats while they made it and we all listened to New Orleans jazz music.

Both girls love working in the kitchen.

Spreading the butter:

Placing the baby:

Mixing frosting:


And spreading it:

Of course, licking the bowl!

The final result! The girls pretty much did all the work!

It was yummy! Jia got the baby this year. She promptly shared it with Willa (so nice)!

A Milestone of the Dental Variety

Jia has a loose tooth! Very loose! I quickly sewed up this little tooth fairy pocket pillow for her. I used fabric we had around the house. I love that the pillow fabric (from too small jammies) says, "Watch me grow!"

Speaking of growing, when Jia showed me her wiggly tooth, I said, "Oh! You're growing up!" Then a little tear slid down my cheek. Jia saw it and said, "Mama, you're crying!" Then she burst into tears! Guess I scared her. My big girl. Sigh.

Our nephew, Han, is turning five shortly so I sewed one for his birthday too.

Now we're just waiting for Jia's big toothless moment!

I drafted this a while ago and now we have an UPDATE:

It's so tiny!

She lost it at school and came home with it in a treasure chest. Do you remember these from when you were a kid? I do.

Attempting the straw trick.

The tooth fairy will be coming tonight!

Princesses Everywhere

In our own home...

with fancy hair...


and on ice!
Yes, I know it's blurry. Thankfully, we had a great view in person! The girls were thrilled to go to the Princesses on Ice show. We enjoyed the dress exhibits and seeing a real Tiana beforehand.



Tiana in front of Tiana.

The show was really well done. It included some amazing skating, a fire-breathing dragon and fireworks.



The girls were enchanted and we had a terrific time.

Writings

This is a post about random writings the girls have made lately. Jia made us the sweetest valentines almost every day last month. What a love! Here are a couple (click to enlarge):

"Baba is a nice dad."

"Mama takes care of me."

Jia has also started writing her name in a very fancy way:

One day I noticed this sign on the fridge:


Reminiscent of the original Fancy Nancy book, it says:

SINE UP FOR NANCY'S CLASS

x_______________
x_______________
x_______________

EVREETHAING FANCY

It also listed two times: 6:10 and 7:50. Of course, we all signed up.

Lastly, I can't find this writing, but I was so amused when I saw it. The girls debate a LOT about whether to play "princesses" or "babies." As a result, Jia drafted a contract that said something like: "For two weeks, we will play babies for 15 minutes and then princesses for 30 minutes each day. For the next two weeks, we will play princesses for 15 minutes and then babies for 30 minutes each day." Then they both signed it. Jia is a corporate lawyer at heart!

Family Reading Night

We missed Jia's Family Reading Night at school, so we decided to host our own. We started by making bookmarks out of beads and colorful wire.

Here Jia is comparing colors of wire:

And pondering her bead selection:

Willa is organizing hers:

Everyone is busy at work:

And having fun:

Our bookmarks!


Here's how they work:

We then ate some bookworms!

Finally, it was bedtime, so we each selected a favorite book to read out loud and piled into our bed. Willa went first. She tried her best to sound out each word, and expertly showed us all the pictures. Jia then read her book to everyone loud and clear. I'd like to say that Joe and I read our books but alas, at that point, things went downhill. Almost simultaneously, Willa started getting overtired and Jia got a bloody nose, so that concluded the evening.

Nevertheless, it was fun while it lasted! We're glad our girls (usually) love reading!

Maple Snow

A bunch more snow dumped on us. It pretty much snowed for two days straight. On Sunday night, we pulled the girls around on a sled in the middle of the blizzard. It was fun! The snow is now higher than their swings and almost higher than their slide (which is already sitting on a bunch of snow).

The girls said this was their snow cone.

We also made maple snow taffy. It was delicious!


Chomping away at the taffy. It was perfect. Soft and slightly chewy.

Yum!

More New Year Fun

Jia and I attended the New Year celebration put on by our local Families with Children from Asia group. Here she is excited and ready to go. When we bought her this outfit in China, I could not imagine her ever being big enough to wear it! That day has arrived.

Here she is making a sock bunny for the Year of the Rabbit.

Freshly face-painted and sporting a new necklace she crafted, along with a beautiful smile.

Working on her balancing skills.

Doing a little ribbon dancing!

And getting a formal lesson.


Attending a show with her friend, "The Other Jia," who was adopted at the same time and place as our Jia.


An exuberant lion.

I found this in my inbox later that evening from my friend Tracy - what a nice surprise!