24 Month Old Sleeping Beauty Toddler Photos

She is a gorgeous 2 year old Sleeping Beauty!

She like the fountain!

Wanted to touch all of the roses, but we were at a public rose garden so I tried to keep her from grabbing them.

One of the gardeners cut a rose just for her to match her dress and brought it over to give to her. She is watching him walk away here!

My Sleeping Beauty!

Below she is Sleeping Beauty 1 year apart in each photo…

Storm (X-Men) Party -2

Storm (X-Men) party this year. With rainbows, lightning bolts, and tornados added!

Storm Dress

They all wore their “Storm X-Men” Shirts.

Birthday Girl’s shirt says “TWO NADO”, and mine says “STORM CHASER”.

I tried my very best to give her a zigzag lightning bolt part in her pigtails! She is also wearing her lightning bolt earrings that we got for our X-Men Family Halloween Dress up.

Storm Decorations

I used pool noodles to make a rainbow. White pom-poms for the clouds, then I cut out lightning bolts for the clouds. A cloud table cloth for the background. Then I used a black umbrella with paper rain drops hung with fishing wire.

I used the “Xavier’s School” that I made for our X-men Family dress up last Halloween. Then I printed out X-Men Storm posters and made some “X” symbols with paper.

Crepe paper rainbow with white pom pom clouds. I put in the extra lightning bolts and rain drops that I had.

Cloud and lightning bold balloons.

TWO nado… I hung gray crepe paper from the ceiling fan and then turned it on medium.

Storm Food

We had lots of Storm themed foods!

We had “Rain Water”, “Mini Marshmallow Hailstones”, “Nacho Bugle Tornados”, “Cheetos Lightning Bolts”, and “Cotton Candy Sunset Clouds”!

Rainbow Flavored Drinks

Fruit dip is made with cream cheese and marshmallow cream.

Pizza is made with pepperoni, olives, and cheddar to create and “X” symbol.

Storm Cake

I followed the directions on the white cake box then covered it in my buttercream and then marshmallow fondant. Last I used black buttercream to spell her name and make cracks with the lightning bolt.

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (2 lbs)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk (if thick)

Directions:

  1. Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
  2. Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
  3. Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
  • 3 TBSP water
  • 2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
  • Crisco

Directions:

  1. Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
  2. Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
  3. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the rest of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
  4. Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
  5. Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
  6. Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all the loose bits. Grease your hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
  7. Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
  8. Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
  9. When you have your colors finished coat the fondant in a light layer or Crisco; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
  10. Store at room temperature for several months. To us it, dust the surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/8 of an inch.

Water Play

Rainbow sprinkler and bubbles.

Happy Birthday my Sweet Perfect Storm!

Insect Tot School

Color: Black

Shape: Oval

Number: 6

Letter: I for Insect

Day 1:  Insects                         

Read:  

Music: Bug Instruments

Experiment: Bug Hunt

Play:  Bug Sensory Tub

Day 2:  Ants                            

Read:  

Music: sing the ants go marching

Experiment: Ant Farm

Play:  Counting Ants

Day 3:  Ladybugs                         

Read:  

Music: sing Ladybug Ladybug fly away home

Experiment: Ladybug Habitat

Day 4:  Bees                      

Read:  

Music:

Day 5:  Inchworms                       

Read:  

Play:  Make Playdough Inchworms

Music: Itchy Inchworm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coW1OJnbut8&list=PLtcVDUfj-tZytwkA64XHNSi0PwA0TMrJM&index=9

Day 6:  Butterflies                        

Read:  

Music: sing bullfrogs and butterflies

Experiment: Raise Butterflies

Play: Butterfly Life Cycle Toys

Butterfly Sticker

I ordered a couple toddler age books from Abeka.com. Following are some of the specific books with links that are used in this Insect Tot School Unit:

Movie List:

Book List:

Music/ Poems:

Gross Motor: 

  • Move like an insect cards

Fine Motor:

Trips:

  • Butterfly House

Mouse Cookie Baking Week

I got to teach a “Baking Week” at our Summer Camp. I had about 20 kids Kindergarten-5th grade. I had 4 groups of kids in the kitchen, each with 1 older child to help the younger ones. Each day we made a food from one of the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” books.

Daily Activity Schedule:

  1. Read Story/ Circle Time
  2. Recess
  3. Divide Teams
  4. Review Kits and Safety Rules
  5. Kitchen Cooking
  6. Activity Time
  7. Lunch
  8. Recess
  9. Quiet Time (Kids Baking Championship – Food Network)
  10. Color/ Activity Sheets from the MouseCookieBooks.com activities page
  11. Snack

Day 1:  If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Jello Cookies

Board Game

Jello Cookies

(24 cookies)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cream of tarter
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp butter at room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 tea. Vanilla
  • 3 tbsp flavored Jello
  • 1 cup of Extra sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Add the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar to a large bowl and cream together until fluffy about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs and mix
  5. Add the vanilla and mix
  6. Add the medium bowl ingredients to the large bowl and mix together.
  7. Knead in the Jello with your hands.
  8. Place the extra cup of sugar into a small bowl.
  9. Scoop 2 Tablespoons of cooties and roll them into balls, then roll them in the sugar until completely covered.
  10. Place the balls on a prepared sheet pan with 2 inches between each cookies.
  11. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes until the tops of the cookies are golden.
  12. Cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes.

Day 2:  If you Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff

Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

(12 muffins)

Ingredients:

  • 1 eggs
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 overripe bananas
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¾  tea. Baking soda
  • ¼  tea salt
  • ½  tea. Vanilla
  • 12  Muffin Cups

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix the eggs, butter, and brown sugar.
  3. Mash in the bananas.
  4. Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
  5. Place muffin cups in 12  muffin holders. And fill ¾ full with batter.
  6. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Day 3:  If you Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff

Donuts

Make Your Own Donut

Glazed Baked Donuts

(6 donuts)

Ingredients for Donuts:

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp butter melted
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ Cup Milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla

Ingredients for Glaze:

  • ½ cup Powder sugar
  • ½ tsp Vanilla
  • ¼ stp Salt
  • 2  tbsp milk
  • Sprinkles

Directions for Donuts:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray donut pans
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together the melted butter, egg, milk, vanilla.
  4. Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined (do not over mix)
  5. Pour the mixture evenly into the donut pans filling each about halfway full.
  6. Bake for 10-13 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

Directions for Donuts:

  1. Whisk together powder sugar and salt.
  2. Then stir in the vanilla and gradually add the milk.
  3. Dip the cool donuts in the icing covering about half of the donuts. Then top with sprinkles.
  4. Let the donuts cool about 30 minutes.

Day 4:  If you Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff

Cupcakes

The Art of the Cupcake

Chocolate Cupcakes

(12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Cup granulated white sugar
  • ¼  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 12 Cupcake Liners

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking power,  and salt.
  3. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla into the same bowl.
  4. Mix for five minutes.
  5. Stir in the boiling water last.
  6. Place 12 cupcake liners in the pan, filling each tin or liner about 2/3 full.
  7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Day 5:  If you Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff

Brownies

Brownies Recipe

(9 brownies)

Ingredients:

  • ½  cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 eggs
  • ½  cup flour
  • ½  cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a bowl, mix the margarine, sugar and cocoa.
  3. Add the eggs and mix well.
  4. Stir in flour; mix well.
  5. Grease a 8×8 inch pan and pour the batter into the pan.
  6. Bake . for 30 minutes or until the brownies test done with a wooden pick. Cool in pan.

Other Baking Ideas:

  • Pizza
  • Fruit Pizza
  • Pretzels with cheese sauce
  • Pancakes

Kids Baking Shows:

  • Kids Baking Championship – Food Network

Book List:

23 Months Old Ariel Toddler Photos

She is turning into such a beautiful young lady! The Little Mermaid was one of my favorites as a child.

She is smiling with bribes of M&M’s.

Ariel is a spirited and curious girl.

One of the songs that I sing to her is to the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”…

“Storm is a curious girl
Curious girl, curious girl
Storm is a curious girl
She’s my curious girl”

1 year apart…

11 month old
23 months old

Ariel 11 months old & 23 months old!

11 months old
23 months old

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