Living where we do, we see zero snow in the winter. Frost yes, snow no. Last winter we went to Tahoe for a weekend and that was the only snow we saw. Holly was very excited to see snow on our trip to Calgary. Everytime we facetime with grandparents, she requests to see the snow. The best was when my Mom and Alanna made a snowman for her. Holly was thrilled about the snow in Calgary! She loved it! She walked through it every chance she got. The girl was in snow heaven. The second day we were in Calgary, we went sledding with the cousins (or as Holly called them her "brothers and sisters"). Holly couldn't get enough. She especially loved eating the snow. She was one happy cookie until her hands got cold. Greta on the other hand hated the snow and cold. She hated wearing her winter jacket and oh my goodness, when those snow pants had to go on, she was fuming. She hated the snow boots. She didn't want to wear mittens. She spent her time on the slope crying. She giggled a little when she went down the hill on a sled. And that's about it. Poor girl. Clearly California is where Greta belongs! (To Greta's credit, two molars were working their way through while we were in Calgary.) Holly's cousin, Cora, showed her how to make a snow angel and that was about the cutest thing ever. I love seeing my kids with their cousins. Holly latched on to them and each one is her best friend.

For the past two years, I've enjoyed making little Valentines for family. The first one I sent out was the year Greta was born. This year, it didn't happen. You win some, you lose some. It was our last minute trip to Calgary, followed by illness that dashed this year. So the photos and hopeful ideas will just have to be shared on the bloggity-blog.

I wanted to do a "wild thing" theme, so I made the girls some cute felt masks. I wanted to have somewhere the line, "wild thing, you make my heart sing." Or, "wild thing, you make everything groovy." I took these photos of my wild things. Love these two! I like to think I'll still mail these off, but let's be real. I spent all morning in bed today. It ain't happening.

The biggest reason why I wanted to go to Calgary was to see my new nephew, Hudson. And that little guy did not disapoint! He's soooooo cute! I totally wanted to bring him home, but it was pretty obvious that he would miss his Momma who he clearly adores. The girls and I loved on him so much. And I literally could not say goodbye to him. He's the sweetest thing and I'm so glad he's in our family! He was absolutely the best part about going to Calgary. 

As per tradition, I made Greta a birthday dress. I don't put Greta in very much pink. I've always been drawn to the primary colors and green for her. This year's dress is mostly red and I love how it turned out! I used some modern red fabric and some cute cat fabric - Greta loves cats. I used the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress pattern and I made it in size 18-24months since their patterns always run big. It has some room for growth, but doesn't look too big so the sizing turned out just right. The dress came together really well and was easy to sew up.

I managed to squeak in some photographs for her before the party began. Greta is such a beauty!

We threw a real kids party for Greta's birthday. We did a little brunch (pancakes + fruit salad) and played games. I made cat tails for the kids to wear and we painted noses and whiskers onto their faces. We played "pin the tail on the cat" and "find the mouse" and the "hokey pokey." It was fun and cute! 

I made a sugar-free, grain-free almond-raspberry cake using healthy fats. And it tasted healthy. I wasn't totally happy with how it turned out, but oh well. Maybe our taste buds need to adjust more? I dunno! It was a fun little experiment, but I won't lie, a big, chocolate cupcake would've been much tastier! I think we'll likely do sugary birthday cakes in the future unless I find something that's good enough to be healthy and to celebrate birthdays! Always fun to try something new. 

I loved having us all sing Happy Birthday to Greta and watching her as she looked around at all the people singing to her. She looked so happy and so flattered. Greta totally crashed after her party and spent the rest of the day with post-party-blues. Oh that girl! And Holly is ready for her birthday to roll on through!