A Fairy Tale Evening

Tuesday evening Joey and Cassidy shared their first ever Daddy/Daughter Date Night. Joey took her to see the high school's production of "Cinderella." The evening was unforgettable for them both. Cassidy floated into the house after the show and spent the next 20 minutes squealing, giggling, and hugging us, eyes sparkling, face glowing, as she told us all about the show and meeting the cast. Joey snuck backstage after the show so that Cassidy could meet some of the characters. Cinderella and Prince Charming had already taken off their costumes, but when they heard Cassidy wanted to meet them, they put their entire costume back on and spent time talking with her and taking pictures with her. She said it was "the BEST night ever!" I cannot thank the students enough for taking the time to talk with her and for being so kind to her!

Getting ready to go...Lily was more than a little ticked when she realized she was being left behind! :)

Cinderella and her Prince Charming

L-O-V-E

Snacking on graham crackers in the theater

Apparently Cassidy spent a good portion of intermission sticking out her tongue and then cracking up at herself! :)

Cassidy was a little shy when she first met Prince Charming (who is actually one of Joey's tennis players). She told everyone, "No, my Daddy is Prince Charming!"

She finally warmed up to him...and I think she has her first crush. When I asked about him, she blushed and wouldn't talk about meeting him!

She had no problem, however, talking to Cinderella! Here's how the beginning of their conversation went:

Cassidy: Oh, you have a beautiful blue dress!

Cinderella: Thank you. You have a beautiful blue dress, too!

Cassidy: I KNOW!!!

Cassidy told me, "I love Cinderella. She is so beautiful and nice!"

Cassidy with Cinderella and Prince Charming

What an unforgettable evening!

Cassidy with the Fairy Godmother.

Cassidy: Oh! You have beautiful sparkles all over your eyes! How did you get those?

Fairy Godmother: They're magic!

A Birthday Ball

Sydney Benjamin celebrated her 3rd birthday on Sunday with a Birthday Ball. All the guests were asked to dress as their favorite character. The girls chose Belle - Cassidy because, according to her, she IS Belle and Lily because it was the only princess dress we have that fits her. They looked adorable and they had a blast playing with all the other kids!

The Belles of the Ball

It was completely necessary that their costumes include purses (or "pocket purses" as Cassidy calls them), shoes, crowns, rings, necklaces, and bracelets. We actually had to limit the number of accessories or they would have worn everything we have! :)

Cassidy could not have been more thrilled to have an excuse to wear her Belle dress in public!

Lily is ready to party!

Cassidy Grace and Sydney Grace - The Best of Friends

Lily made a friend, too. Her name was Sophia. :)

Happy Birthday, Sydney! We love you!!!

Valentine's Lunch at Imperial Garden

As is our tradition, Sunday we had lunch at Imperial Garden for Valentine's Day. SO YUMMY!

Fun with Fondue!

Joey surprised us with a special Valentine's Day Dinner. We had delicious chicken and steak with asparagus, roasted red pepper and gouda cheese. There were mashed potatoes, corn and butter beans, and spinach with almonds. YUM! After dinner, we had chocolate fondue for dessert. We had so much fun...and all the sugar made us more than a little silly! :)

Bring on the chocolate!

The Melting Pot's got nuttin' on us!

Lily was literally twitching with excitement...or maybe it was a sugar high! :)

Cassidy was ALL about the strawberries!

Do I have something on my face?

Marbles

Saturday we held our family's Kindness Jar Celebration at Marbles Kids Museum. The Kindness Jar is a giant plastic jar. When someone in our family is caught being kind they get to add a golf ball to the Kindness Jar. (No fair doing something nice and then asking if you can get a kindness ball!) When the jar is full we do something fun as a family. This was our first Kindness Jar Celebration and we had a blast! :)

Lily running around the lobby of the museum.

They really do LOVE each other!

Cassidy was SOOOOOOOOOO excited!

Checking out all the "marbles" on the walls and floor.

Cassidy playing a giant game of chess.

Cassidy driving the bus that led into the miniature city!

Daddy, this is the car I want for my 16th birthday!

In the ambulance, Doctor Lily gives Cassidy a check-up.

Fishing - Uncle Bailey would have been proud!

This one's for Grandma!

Picking vegetables on the farm.

Our pretty princess dressing up to put on a performance.

Lily looked SO cute...but she REALLY wanted to play with the glue!

Daddy playing the part of the dragon!

Lily in the "Crews Quarter" of the pirate ship.

In the pirate ship, Cassidy surveys the waters from the Crow's Nest.

Lily steering the ship

Safety First! (This picture cracks me up!)

Cassidy sawing a piece of wood

The girls in the Lego castle Joey and I built.

Cassidy trying out for the Carolina Hurricanes.

She scored a goal...Joey was so proud!

Playing in the "Peas & Carrots" ball pit.

Lily was wallowing in the balls!

A picture in the Observation Tower overlooking the street. We had a FUN day!

This is Cassidy and Lily's performance on the stage in the mini-city.