We are off to see the Wizard

We went all out for the Santa Clause Parade last Friday. We decided to go as Wizard of OZ (changing it to the Wizard of Muntz-to fit our store better) I have been busy sewing, stuffing, taping and fluffing. It was a great team effort, the costumes were my department so I have been working on them for the last three weeks. My laundry room looked like a backstage production of the Wizard! I had an offer of borrowing a full Dorothy costume so I didnt have to worry about that one.... until three days before the parade and the lender could not find her costume! Then it was a bit of a scramble to find a dorothy apron! There was nothing at the fabric store, I was stuck until I remembered that I had two pillowcases that would work perfectly; Im now out a set of pillowcases.

We had such a grat turn out, five Lollypop Kids and three Lullabye Leage girls (who we put in the tutus that I made this summer for the girls-see earlier post)

We have some great staff, friends and family that all participated in the parade for us, it sure was fun to have that many people all dressed up.

Our float worked out pretty well (until the fuse in the truck blew and the lights went out, the music stopped and out hotair balloon delfated) but the start of the parade went really well! It was too bad about our power, but hopefully all the characters skipping and jumping around the truck distracted everyone from it! The black boxes were our flying monkeys, we got these huge boxes for our first parade and painted them up to look like DVD cases, we put the lastest movie posters on them... since then they have been our signature costume, when we did the superhero theme we painted them up to look like the sound effects (Kapow) in comic strips. So for this parade I had the girls cut out wings so they could be the flying monkeys.

We have more picutres on our facebook group for Muntz Movies and Games.

Summer Fairies

Here are some of my little Fairy pictures from the summer. Yolanda got a box of dress up clothes last Christmas and she has pretty much loved them to death... it was a sad day when the little shirt and skirt were ripped beyond repair! But it has inspired me to get out my sewing machine and make some new ones. Now to just find the time to do it!

SO my latest craft has been making little tutus for the girls. My goal is to one day have a whole box of dress up things, but we will start with this. I made a pink and purple one for Yolanda and a smaller teal and blue one for Charlotte.... the one Yolanda is wearing in all the pictures. What a simple and fun craft, since then I have had 4 different friends want to make on for their girls! We are going to be ready for a fairy princess ball by the time everyones are made.

And here is the picture that made the decision that we needed a new camera. My friend Jenn and I were sitting side by side taking pictures of the girls. Jenn took this picture, here she captured Yolanda and her cousin midair... meanwhile my camera was so slow that by the time the shutter snapped the girls were both out of the shot, but I got a really nice fence picture! Needless to say I LOVE my new Rebel, it was a bit of a learing curve but well worth it!

Spring and Summer Picutres

Time for a couple of new pictures!

Here are my favourite ones from the spring.

These next ones are from Charlotte birthday in July...

Some of her first steps that we caught on camera. Now, just a month later she is pretty much walking full time. And better at it than her sister... poor Yolanda has her mothers balance, Charlotte definatly is taking after her daddy! Yesterday Yolanda went running down the hall, tripped on the rug, tumbled and rolled and ended up in a crying heap...then Charlotte calmly walks past (the entire length of the hall) and turns around as if to say "Ive only been walking for a week, whats your problem!" Then she walked all the way back while I was still kissing Yolandas knees better.

Opening presents, all Charlotte was really interested in were the hangers...Yolanda swooped in and got started on all the new books! Another cue that Yolanda takes after me, she could read her books all day long, (and often does) she curls up on her stuffed elephant in the closet and reads for hours. Charlotte on the other hand literly can not sit still for even the 4 page baby cardboard books. She just has no interest, I try to make a point to read with her each day but she squirms off by the 2nd page and leaves me reading Piggies (by Don and Audry Wood) for the upteenth time with Yolanda. BTW this is a great book, the artwork is AMAZING.

Cooking Lessons

The girls really enjoy the little kitchen set they got for Christmas... What a great investment, keeps them entertained for hours!

My Turn Next!

Just a cute picture to share... Charlotte is peeking at Yolanda in the tub, waiting for her turn.