Little Anna and Elsa

Today I had the pleasure of seeing a four-year-old boy at the pool play gleefully with Kate's Mermaid Dora the Explorer (huh? I know—that was the same reaction Matt and I had when she opened it at her birthday party a couple years ago. let's just combine random things that girls like...) while he sang, "For the first time in forever...!" He asked Kate, "Have you seen that Frozen movie?" I thought, wow. best pick up line in the kiddie pool. 

Yes, of course my girls love "Frozen." They've been wearing braids (one for Elsa, two for Anna) and blue clothing (yay for anything that combats the "blue is for boys" paradigm) since February, which was when my finally seeing it tipped the scales and brought on full-on Frozen fever to the Kelley household.

Last week, my in-laws took us to an event with the Frozen princesses, which the girls loved, of course. It was held outside by a pool on a 94-degree day, so it felt like anything but an eternal winter, but the heat and sweat didn't bother Kate and Claire.

They had their picture taken with Elsa and Anna.

Don't let Claire's (lack of) expression fool you. She's just got that serious side. The princesses painted faces later, and after Claire stood perfectly stone-faced during her turn, Elsa asked "is she is a heat-induced trance?" Nope, she just feels serious sometimes. 

Kate got Elsa and Claire got Anna. Since that's their birth order (and, I dare say, disposition—the seriousness notwithstanding) Kate has typically been Elsa in their playacting, and Claire Anna, though Claire has been favoring Elsa lately too. Kate only claims Anna when they are singing along to the movie and it's Anna's turn to sing. Typical.

They also got to "build a snowman" with a little craft, and then they closed the party with a brief singalong.

Hearing thirty young girls sing "Let It Go" is something to behold, truly.

When we got home, Kate was troubled by her half-wiped off face paint, and repainted Elsa's skirt with her watercolor set. She also gave Claire an Elsa on her other cheek, so she could have Elsa too. Not bad for a five year old with a watercolor brush!

 

Lest we worry that too much Disney magic has squashed the girls' own creativity, tonight they regaled us with tales of their own magic powers. Kate, donning the red dress-up cape, told us she was the Fire Fairy, who started fires for people, like when they were cold, or needed to cook something, or were camping . . . I was glad to learn she was a benevolent fire-starter. She later added "the power to help people catch stuff" to her repertoire. I can't remember why. It had something to do with catching a fish.

Dressed in the white cape, Claire was the Snow Fairy. She told me her powers were "like Elsa's," but Kate elaborated that after the Snow Fairy makes the ice, they put it in blocks on the back of the sled and deliver it to people who need ice. (So I guess Elsa and Christoph run the business of Arendelle's Official Icemaster and Deliverer together!)

By the time we got these little fairies to sleep tonight, Claire had dropped her magic wand over the balcony twice and Kate tore the ribbon tie off her cape, but before all that, they enjoyed a little dinner of play vegetables that the Fire Fairy had helped them to catch—I mean, grow.