Easter Bunny Lane

We kicked off our Easter celebrations with a trip to Easter Bunny Lane, at Kraynak's Garden Center. Great Grandma & Grandpa Paul Shellhammer took us for a fun afternoon.

Clifford's birthday party

"That's a peacock, Great Grandma!"

Hello Kitty bedroom!

The Sesame Street Farm

One scene showned Charlie Brown and friends on a school bus, backed by the song "The Wheels on the Bus." Being one of Ainsley's favorite songs, she immediately began to dance.

Mommy & Ainsley with some beautiful Spring trees

Lots of bunnies!

Back at Great Grandma & Grandpa Paul's house, we had a sing-along! Instead of playing the organ like he usually does, Grandpa Paul got out a new instrument this time. I asked Ainsley what kind of instrument he had, and she told us, "That's a violin."  Great Grandma's jaw almost hit the floor.  So proud of my little musician!

Ainsley yelled out requests - "Mary Had a Little Lamb! London Bridge!" - and Grandpa Paul knew them all!

Grandpa Paul played...

...while Ainsley and Great Grandma sang along.

Big Kids & Kitties

Ainsley sure loves her kitties - both her stuffed toy, Kitty, and our real cat, Clio. She's very gentle with Clio and has figured out how to play with her: Ainsley swings ribbons back and forth through the air, while Clio swats at them and catches them between her paws, leaving Ainsley in a fit of giggles.

Clio is also very tolerant and protective of Ainsley. She spends most of the night sleeping in Ainsley's room. If Ainsley starts to cry in the middle of the night, it's not long until I hear the "click-click" of claws across the bedroom floor and a little meow, as Clio comes to my bedside to let me know there's something wrong.

Best friends...

Awww....look at Clio!

I love my kitty!

Last weekend, we visited my friend Julie and her little boy, Cooper. (Cooper's baby brother, Coby, is only about three months old, so he didn't join in the fun just yet.)  It's been almost a year since Ainsley and Cooper played together, so it was fun to watch them interact, now that they're both "big kids"! 

I can't believe how big they're getting!

Ainsley took this picture of Cooper - she instructed, "Say cheese!"

Silly kids!

Ice Skating

Ever since we saw the ice-skating princesses, Ainsley has been talking about ice skating. A few weekends ago, Nathan and Ainsley went to the Cleveland Museum of Art, and seeing the nearby Rink at Wade Oval, Ainsley decided that she wanted to ice skate, too. So last weekend, we headed to the rink for her first ice skating adventure!

All bundled up

Lacing up the tiny, tiny skates

Out with Daddy for her first lap

It was nice to get outside for some winter fun and enjoy the sunshine. Every time Mommy or Daddy needed to sit down for a break, Ainsley announced, "I want to go ice skating again!" 

Mommy takes a spin

Go, Ainsley!

Warming up by the fire

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!