Day 2: Epcot

Tuesday morning we headed to Epcot early and were greeted just inside the entrance by some of the lovely character sculptures, all created using shrubbery and plants, that were a special part of their annual Spring flower and garden event.

The girls and me with Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty


Cinderella and the Prince dancing in front of Spaceship Earth


Nana and SJ with Snow White and the seven dwarves (dwarfs?)


We rode Spaceship Earth, hit lots of rides and shows in the Land and the Seas (Soarin' and Turtle Talk with Crush were favorites!), and then went back to our rooms for some afternoon rest. We returned later and made a loop around the World Showcase, stopping to pose with Captain Hook and the TickTock Crocodile,


Lady and the Tramp in Italy,


then had a great dinner in Morocco. It was delicious, but we won't try to feed SJ couscous again soon! (We finally found something she won't just gobble right up!)


Finishing our loop, the girls saw Bambi and friends,


and then we found a good spot to watch Illuminations, Epcot's laser/fireworks show. Nana kept a wary SJ happy by talking her through the noise and teaching her to narrate the show for herself..."POP POP, BANG BANG, lights, pretty!"

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Just a few quick stories about our drive to Orlando before jumping into the photos:

At the last minute we decided to leave on Saturday and spend a night on the way rather than drive straight through the whole way, as we'd originally planned. We made a stop at the Florida welcome center for a break on the way, telling the girls, "We're in Florida now!" As soon as we got out of the van to walk inside, LL said, "There will be lots of characters here!" (Thankfully she said this with excitement rather than fear. Can you tell we'd been trying to prep her for the parks since she is usually wary, or worse, of costumed characters?)

After our night en route, the girls knew we were headed to Disney World. First, however, we got in the van and drove around the hotel to the lobby for a quick breakfast before hitting the road. We'd driven no more than one minute, but as soon as we stopped, LL said, "Is this Disney World?!?" Clearly we could not get there fast enough!

So, finally, after arriving Sunday and a chilly evening swim, we started out big on Monday morning at Magic Kingdom. Here are some highlights:

The girls got a good look at the castle on the way in.


Meeting Cinderella's fairy godmother beside the castle (we didn't know we'd coordinated our outfits perfectly with hers!:)


Spinning in the teacups!


This is how SJ entertained herself (and us) while we waited to see Alice!


Everyone was excited to meet "the real" Alice!


Meeting Mickey and Minnie! SJ was fascinated, but kept her distance. In keeping with her other recent statements about gender issues, LL announced afterwards (with her hands on her hips), "I don't like boy Mickeys...I only like girl Minnies!" What a stage 3.5 is!


Riding the train with Nana and Grandpa before the afternoon parade


Another character encounter: Daisy Duck!


Following the parade, we went to storytime with Belle and got to meet her afterwards! LL's question was, "Where is your yellow dress?" Belle said the yellow dress was a very nice dress and she didn't want to get it dirty. All the "cast members" had the answer to everything...I guess you have to if you encounter very many 3-6 year olds!

Our "Magical" Vacation

We got home late Sunday night from a week at Disney World, and we've spent the last three days getting back into our real-world routine and chipping away at the mountain of laundry. We had a wonderful time, and I am looking forward to posting a few photos from each day in hopes that it will help me sort out the whirlwind of activity into some reasonable sections, as well as give those of you who are interested a little view into the fun.

The day we got there and checked into our hotel, we met Nana and Grandpa and took the girls to check out the pirate-themed kids' pool. They loved the water playscape with all the slides, fountains, and surprise "waterfall"!

All three girls enjoyed their first swim of the season! Can you tell that AG was cold in this one? The sun was going down and it got surprisingly cool before we left!


AG finding a way to warm up a little!


LL loved the waterslides!


SJ was a great splasher.


Day 1 in Magic Kingdom coming soon!

Our Big News!

It's about time to make an official blog announcement: We are expecting! Now at about 14.5 weeks, the baby is due on October 27 and all seems to be going well. I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago (at about 11 weeks) and it was great to see that little person, even the tiny fingers! It was a bit too early at that point to tell if we were seeing a little sister or brother, but we hope to find that out in June. T and I will be thrilled either way, though AG says she hopes for a boy and LL, a girl. (LL said, "AG, why do you like boys?") We feel so blessed and are thankful for this new life in our family. We appreciate your prayers and care for us, too!

April Scenes

The girls in their Spring/Easter pajamas...



AG riding the bike she got for her birthday...


LL and T before going on her 1/2 birthday date last week. She turned 3.5 on Thursday and he took her to celebrate at Chick-Fil-A. She was so excited and had been talking about it the whole day, and once she told me, "I'm going on a Daddy with my date!"


SJ looking at a book on the patio. She is growing up so fast! Last week at supper on night she gave me her cup and said, "Cup...walla...gont!" Pretty good way to tell me she needed more water, and we'll count that as her first sentence!

AG's 5th Birthday Party

Saturday we had a party at the park to celebrate AG turning 5!

The birthday girl!


Blowing out the candle on her quickly collapsing cake...


Playing on the slide with her friends...


SJ, the clover princess


Nana and Grandpa with the girls


Gran and PopPop with the girls


Pinata pick-up!

Happy Easter!

We hope you've had a wonderful day celebrating our risen Savior!

Here are the girls before church this morning:


Last week we all went to LL's preschool egg hunt. LL and AG romped around the yard and found some eggs, but don't let the photo fool you: SJ's favorite activity of the morning was playing in the cooler full of ice and drinks!

Eggs!

The girls had fun dying eggs last week. AG and LL did the coloring, dying, and stickering...





and SJ helped out with the breaking!

Our new friends, Clifford and Chuck E. Cheese

Week before last, we all were sick. By that Friday we felt better but had been home most of the week, so when our friend told us about an Easter "eggstravaganza" at Barnes and Noble, we jumped on a chance to get out and have some fun. The girls had fun hearing a story, watching a movie in a portable tentlike planetarium, and picking out custom-made spring cupcakes, but the biggest impression that evening was made by the guests of honor: the Easter bunny and Clifford, the big red dog. After standing in line for a while, we got to go up with our friends to meet Clifford. AG and SJ were OK with this, but as you can see our little friend in the red pants was less than thrilled to be so close to Clifford, even though she was previously a fan! At the last second, LL also got scared and wouldn't even get close enough to be in the photo. So all in all it was a fun event, but I think we have a little more prep to do before making smooth and happy introductions to the Disney characters later this month!


Then last Saturday I took LL to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's...her first time to go there. It was such fun to watch her run around, totally loving all the rides, games, and dancing in front of the camera on the big screens. She had a great time, and I am sure it won't be long until we all go back. She cracked me up on these rides because she hugged Bob the builder and "Chucky and Cheese" the whole time!

Five!

AG turned 5 yesterday! We had a fun day, sort of unusual and low-key since we are all (the girls and me) getting over a yucky virus, but she got to celebrate in little ways all day long. She received 5 calls from family members to personally wish her a happy birthday, had fun opening her cards and gifts, went to the park, picked out a bike helmet to go along with her other "surprise" gift, played hopscotch on the porch, had a visit from a gift-bearing buddy from across the street, enjoyed a pizza she chose and ice cream pie for her birthday supper, and finally, got to try our her new set of wheels...a real bike (with training wheels)! She jumped right on and took off last night, and this morning she rode around and around on the patio while she counted to 139 (then decided to stop because she thought that was as long as a walk would take, and that was her goal...to see if she could ride long enough to accompany us on a walk!:)

We're thankful to have this sweetie as our "biggest sister"...with her freckles, sweet smile, eagerness to learn, helpful and thoughtful ways, and care for her sisters and friends. She has learned and grown so much since her 4th birthday, and we are excited to see what the next year has in store for her!

School Days, Shared

This month LL's had a few events at school that we all got to tag along for. A few weeks ago we went to the zoo for her class's field trip. I think it was the first time we've been since AG's zoo field trip last year...too long!

Riding the train after our zoo tour


The school had their annual "Western Day" and we were there to see LL brush a goat (the very same one that was a newborn last year on AG's Western Day!) and pan for gold!

18 Months!

A few weeks late to mark this event, but SJ is now an experienced 18 month old! Here she is on the actual "half-birthday" just before bed.


We see her personality more each day and she is so much fun! She loads her arms with purses and dolls/stuffed animals all the time. A few days ago she was outside raking in the dirt with a purse in the other hand...


SJ is so playful and loves to laugh and get us into little games by running away and giggling. Here's a blurry shot of a fun moment with T (the tiger) and LL...


Happy to share the swing with her favorite things

Our weekend trip

Last weekend we went to visit Mimi and PawPaw and the rest of the family to celebrate Mimi's birthday. There was lots of playing for the girls at their house but we also went to a park to feed the ducks and play on the playground. Fun!

PawPaw and SJ playing


LL loved rocking with Nana.


"DuckaDuckaDuckaDucka!!!!"


AG feeding the ducks. She and LL tore up lots of bread but apparently these ducks were well-fed! They were in no hurry to eat it and used good duck manners, unlike the "snappy" ducks the girls remember trying to feed with Nana once before.


The girls and grandparents after park playtime