Brooke's and Morganne's birthday party at the Discovery Gateway!

Last month we celebrated our nieces, Brooke's and Morganne's birthdays at the Discovery Gateway. It was my first time ever being there. Kurt had taken Ayla once before while I was at girl's camp. We had such a great time! I loved it!

I made Brooke's and Morganne's cakes. Morganne had been asking for a Super Mario cake since October. So of course that is what I made her.

I thought the cake turned out awesome even before I put the figurines on!

This was definitely one of my favorites cakes, I have done!

Brooke wanted an ocean seen with a Pokemon coming out of the water.

Brooke said it was exactly what she wanted. I was happy because her cake was so simple to make and she loved it!

We had the party in the birthday room at the Discovery Gateway.

Kurt and Morganne in their pirate costumes!

It was a pirate themed party.

Brooke with her cake!

Discovery Gateway had activities suited for a pirate party. We made pirate hats.

I also made one for me. I really was blind while taking this picture because I had my glasses off and could only see out of one eye.

This is me and Lana!

Me and Traci!

Lana and Traci are in Kurt's parent's ward. Kurt and I lived with his parents when we were first married so we were in that ward. It was so nice to see Lana and Traci!

The kids got to go on a Treasure Hunt that the Discovery Gateway put together. This is a picture of Brooke reading the next clue.

After the Treasure Hunt we all ate pizza!

What a cute little pirate!

Morganne with her friend, Brooke. What cute pirates they are! I was impressed that my sister-in-law, Krista was able to get Morganne a wheat free pizza. Morganne is allergic to wheat.

After we ate we had cake!

I love that one of the staff was dressed as a pirate!

Brooke making her wish!

Morganne, while we were all singing "Happy Birthday."

Happy birthday girl with her cake! This is what makes all the time making a cake worth it!

I also made some wheat free cupcakes for Morganne so she could still have cake.

Ayla enjoying her cake!

Morganne still got a piece of her cake, of course she only ate the frosting. I love the look on her face in this picture!

Then they opened gifts!
This was the only picture I got of them with their gifts. I had to get one of Morganne with all the Mario stuffed animals she got.

And I had to get a picture of the little pirate with Jack Sparrow!

After the party in the birthday room we all went out to play in the Discovery Gateway. I couldn't believe how many things were there for children to play with. I am only going to share a few.

This is Ayla in the ball area. They have a whole area for just balls. You can put them down holes and watch them travel through tubes. They even have a tube that sucks up the balls like a bank drive up.

Ayla playing the huge xylophone!

I think that is what you would call it.

The have a playhouse that kids could play in. This is the living room. Notice the little mouse hole?

This is what is in the mouse hole. I thought it was cute!

Ayla at the kitchen table in the playhouse.

They had a whole section where kids could play in water.

But Ayla's favorite was...

shopping at the little supermarket they had.

Ayla would go shopping and then Kurt would check her out.

Then she would put the groceries in the back of this jeep and act like she is driving away.

Kurt in the jeep.

Notice the food in the back! LOL!

Ayla had so much fun shopping that when we left, she threw the biggest fit I have ever seen her throw. I am a little afraid to take her back there.

So now guess what Ayla loves to play?

You guess it! Shopping!

We set up the living room like a store for her and check her out in the kitchen with a keyboard.

I adore the Discovery Gateway now! I think the next time we go there, we will leave before Ayla is at her breaking point!

Fun with Ayla! #4 (The last of the Christmas posts)

This should be the last of the Christmas posts!

This post is going to be mainly pictures. I will try and keep the reading part short.

To start off this last Christmas post, we had our yearly tradition with the nieces and nephews. This year we decided to go to the Zoo Lights!

Of course we had our cookies and hot chocolate before we left!

Here is my sister, Marion with her niece, Alissa!

Our nephew, Lane!

Ayla frosting her cookie!

I got smart and put a bib on her!

My niece, Brooke! I can't believe how big she is getting! She just turned 10! She was barely 4 when I met Kurt's side of the family.

Suzanne, Brooke's mom with her brother, Kurt! Kurt didn't join us at the Zoo but Suzanne came!

Before we entered the Zoo, there was a man holding a puppy. He let us hold and pet it!

Ayla was in heaven!

A picture before we entered the main part of the Zoo! This picture cracks me up, I am not sure what Lane is doing and Ayla looks like she is going to scream!

They had 2 of Santa's Reindeer! Ayla loved the deer! She kept asking to seem them again all night.

They did a fabulous job with all the lights in the trees!

This was taken next to the carousel but you can't see it too well in this picture, it is too dark.

We all rode the carousel. Ayla had to have the snake of course! She rode the snake all summer.

Cute one of Alissa!

Lane being a monkey again! LOL!

We all had a good time looking at the animals and it was nice to get out of the cold every once in a while.

A picture of us entering the cat exhibit!

The tigers were very active!
If you look closely you can see them in them in the back ground.

After the Zoo Lights, we went over to Suzanne's and Brooke's place.

Ayla had a fun time with their snowman! He was just her size!

She kept dancing with him. It was the cutest thing!

We all had such a wonderful time at the Zoo Lights, we all agreed to try and go there every year now as part of our tradition.

On the Saturday before Christmas, we went to 2 Christmas parties in one night.

The first one we went to was in my home town. There was this wonderful couple putting a Christmas party on for the people of the town. They were feeding the town for free and giving out free stuff to help others out with Christmas. It was a humbling experience.

My brother, Robert and his wife Carolyn.

My parents have always been an example of service. In this picture if you look at the two men in line to get food, there is a women it a blue shirt, right in the middle of them, serving them their food. Ya, that is my awesome mother! She just went up and started helping, not even being asked to. I love my Mom!

I was so excited that my cousin won a free turkey dinner! It was such a blessing for them. Also do you notice the little girl's hand in the picture touching the bag? This was a little girl my brother and his wife were watching that night. They were there for her in hopes to win her a Christmas tree.

And they did!! It was so wonderful!

I really enjoyed that party, watching all the people in need receive gifts of love for Christmas from this couple who put it together. After all, that is what Christmas is all about!

After that party we went to our Ward Christmas party.

I loved how the primary was a Nativity for our entertainment! It was so special!

I didn't get very many pictures of our ward party but we had a great time!

And last but not least, Ayla kept asking to see Santa again and so for one last time we took her.

Here she is waiting patiently!

She sat on his lap no problem!

And this time she hugged him!

I guess she finally warmed up to him after standing by him the first time. Then sitting on his lap the second time. And also seeing him on "The North Pole Express."

All I can say is the month of December was a wonderful one!