Adventures from Chez Wills East: January 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Rockin' Ever After

Ainsley loves Disney princesses, so when Disney on Ice came to town with their Rockin' Ever After show, we had to get tickets.

We got there early and checked out the arena. Ainsley was so excited to see the Mickey head on the curtain that she didn't want to go back out to the concourse. We promised her that we'd go back in before the princesses started.

After grabbing a hot dog, we found our seats.

We didn't realize that the show was led by Mickey Mouse and the gang - more of Ainsley's favorites. Her expression was priceless when she saw Mickey & Minnie skate out into the center of the ice.

Pinocchio made a special appearance

Then it was time for the princesses. The plot of each princess movie was condensed into 10 minutes of songs and narration. You could follow the story even if you weren't familiar with the movie. Very cute and well done.

Ariel from The Little Mermaid was first.

The colors in this segment were brilliant.

We really felt like we were "under the sea."

Rapunzel is Ainsley's favorite princess (and maybe Mom's & Dad's, too). Ainsley's eyes lit up like the sun when the "mean guys" from Tangled skated out.

"I've got a dream!"

Mesmerized

And at last, I see the light....

Princess Merida from Brave was next. We hadn't seen the movie yet, but were really impressed by the Scottish music and costumes. They used some sort of pyrotechnics when Merida shot her arrows - very cool!

The last princess was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Ainsley likes this movie, too, so she recognized all of the characters. She kept asking, "What happened to the Beast?" every time he left the ice.

Gaston

The Beast's castle

Ainsley loves this picture of the Beast.

"Be Our Guest" was really elaborate with fabulous costumes and props.
Even a crystal chandelier dropped from the ceiling.

Lumiere, the candlestick

Kill the Beast! With real fire on the torches.

The show ended with all of the princesses & princes, Mickey & friends, and the entire cast skating in a big musical finale. Tons of excitement and high energy on the ice.

We all had a great time and really enjoyed the show. Ainsley keeps saying she wants to see the princesses ice skating again. Hopefully they come back to town soon!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Snow Much Fun!

The first big snowfall of the year started on Christmas Eve, which made for a beautiful white Christmas. Ainsley took advantage and spent several afternoons playing in the snow. Here are a few fun pictures of her icy adventures.

Chez Wills West

Mommy making a snow angel

Ainsley's turn!

Ainsley hit Daddy with a snowball!

Auntie Meg making a snow angel

Auntie Meg pulling Ainsley on the sled

Uncle Nate makes a few laps around the yard

Wheee!

Making a snowman

Mommy & Auntie Meg, warming by the fire

Warm up those hands!

Cleveland Metroparks - Euclid Creek Reservation

A very snowy slide

This chunk is heavy!

Trudging along

More snow angels

Friday, January 11, 2013

Christmas Celebrations

We had a good week's worth of Christmas celebrations by the time we got around to visiting the whole family. Lots of fun, good food, and of course, presents! Ainsley is now a pro at unwrapping presents - "You have to find the bumpy part," she says, which is the spot where the edges of the paper are taped together. That's a good place to start ripping!

It took Ainsley awhile to open her gifts, because she took a bit of time in between to play with each one. No one minded watching her enjoy each and every gift. But eventually she would ask, "Can I have another surprise?"

As Ainsley has been heard to say - Merry Christmas to you and me!