We invited our friends over for breakfast this morning and had so much fun eating, playing and making Valentines.  Tonight, Joe and I are going on a date (without kids)!

I hope you are doing something special today with the ones you love.

Happy Valentines Day!

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When I took the girls out of the bath the other day and put them in their towels, (I just bought the second one)they were so excited to be matching...I yelled for Joe to come up and snap some pics.  I'm so glad I did!  These girls are such special friends as you can see in the pictures.

Mia's friend, Rebekah, had a princess themed party for her 3rd birthday.  The girls looked so cute in the princess clothes and loved being fancy.

 Princess Mia

Princess Naomi

 The next set of pictures makes me laugh so hard...

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We worked on the letter O this week since we were already scheduled to go to the Orchestra. Twice a year the Colorado Orchestra has a Tiny Tots Orchestra for the 6 and under crowd.  It was so fun! Mia really enjoyed seeing all of the instruments, but the conductor was her favorite!  If you are planning on taking your child to the Orchestra, I highly recommend reading books/watching videos about the Orchestra before you go.  Since Mia recognized the instruments, I think she was more interested then if she had not been exposed beforehand.

 The Scholastic movie, How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? includes the video, Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin, which is why it is pictured.

The books about the Orchestra were a little lengthy but great for showing pictures of the instruments.  Mia didn't really care for Little Owls Night, but really enjoyed the others.

O is for Orchestra

Orchestra coloring sheet

This video is a great introduction to the instruments found in an Orchestra.  (Sorry it looks so dirty, but you can tell that it's been checked out quite a bit from the library!)

 Mommy and Mia at the Orchestra (Naomi was with us too but I tried to make this a special event for Mia.)

 Kennedy and Mia watching in awe.

It doesn't have to do with the letter o, but we were able to meet up with daddy for lunch since the Orchestra was right by his work.

O is for O prints

Link to O print printable

This was such a fun activity and so easy. Since the toilet paper holder is so easy to hold on to, this activity is appropriate for young toddlers.

O is for Owl

Mia loved this project and was so proud of it once it was finished.

link to owl craft

O is for oatmeal (sensory bin)

 I just put oatmeal (uncooked) in a baking pan along with some things that start with o.  I also added a spoon, cup and truck.

 Mia played with this for 45 minutes when I first showed it to her!! 45 minutes!! It was amazing!

 She is actually playing with it again as I type this.

Yes, she has brown paint on her face.  I guess I forgot to wipe her down after the owl craft. ; )

Just be sure to explain the rules ahead of time...if you pour oatmeal on the floor, it goes away.

O is for O shaped necklaces

If you want to be healthier, you could also use Cheerios.  We used Froot Loops as a special treat and because they look pretty. : )

This is a great activity for fine motor skills.  Be sure to tape one end of the yarn to the table and put tape around the end that is being threaded through the hole.  

Up next week...the letter Vv.

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I can't get enough of this girl. She is 8 months, which is my favorite baby stage (besides newborn).

Naomi is learning so much everyday.

 She LOVES to explore and now that she can crawl, she is into everything.

 She has recently learned to clap.  Seeing her chubby hands clap together melts my heart.

 She also says mama regularly, especially when she needs me.  This girl needs her mama and loves to be held and touched.  

She is still waking up several times a night...I probably need to break that but I don't really mind my nighttime snuggles since she will be toddler before I know it.

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