Sunday, May 19, 2013

Hollywood Studios

The last day, we spent at Hollywood Studios.  This was a great park for our last day.  There were several shows for the kids to sit back and relax.  Adam and I were starting to get tired so this was an easier day on all of us.  Their favorite of the day was the Disney Junior show.  Again, Disney goes above and beyond.  We had bubbles, golden balloons, and snow falling on us at some point during the show.  
There goes that tongue.  She is taking it all in.  
Hunter was shy and didn't want to get a picture with Mickey.  Once again, we were one of the first in line for a picture with him.  This is the only reason we were able to get this picture.  I was more excited about getting a picture with Mickey than Mackenzie was.  She did give him a kiss.  What a great long weekend!!!

Disney Dreams

After a day of staying at the resort, the kids were rested and ready to spend the day at Disney.  I had wanted to have the kids wear special shirts.  Adam and Wendy had discovered that the local Target store had a very large section dedicated to just Disney products.  We were able to get us all tee shirts for under $40 total.  Making note of that in the blog so that I remember that next time around.  

I think the adults were more excited than the kids.  Hunter was excited, but wasn't sure what to expect.  Pulling into the parking lot, they were excited to see a tram.  Adam and I both knew that it was going to be a fun filled day.  After parking and riding the tram, we began the journey around the park.  I couldn't believe how many people were at the park.  It was a random Monday and packed.  This just confirms that Disney is one of the busiest places in the world.  Here are a few of our favorite moments...
Adam picked out this shirt himself..."I'm so Goofy!"  I have to admit it was a perfect pick.
Looking at Hunter's face on the train over to the park was so much fun.  The closer we got to the park, the bigger the smile.
I'm glad that I grabbed this photo opportunity.  It was a great beginning for a great day.
Family fun time!!!
The lines for the characters were all so long.  However, we were the first couple in line to meet Jasmine and Aladdin.  This is now on the movie list for this summer.  We will be raiding Nannie's VHS movies this summer for sure.
The line for Dumbo was ridiculous, but inside the circus tent there was a playground for the kids to play on.  We were given a beeper and called when it was our turn to go on the ride.  The people at Disney don't miss a thing.  
This is my silly willie.  Pigtails and all!
Hunter was proud to be big enough for all of the rides.  Mackenzie was just a little too short for a few of them, but was able to join us in driving the race cars.  
Off we go...
The 3D movies were awesome!!!  Again, Disney doesn't miss the opportunity to shine above the rest.  Later that night, we came back with Hunter and this was one of his requests.  


After meeting up with Annmother and Pops for dinner, Adam and I decided to take Hunter back to the park to try to catch the light parade.  We were hounded with rain immediately after the show and didn't make the fireworks, but had a great time.  I am so glad we were able to go back and make some more memories with him.  
Hunter is now requesting for us to live closer to Disney.  He doesn't realize how close we are in comparison to most everyone else.  He has mentioned that several times over the last few weeks, after we returned home.   We had a blast!!!  

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Just Being Together

Our second day was spent at the resort.  There was plenty for us to enjoy.  Our condo was on the bottom floor overlooking a lake.  The kids loved going with Pops and Annmother to feed the ducks.  
We started the day with a trip to the paddle boats.  I have to be honest, these are not usually my favorite.  They are usually more work than fun.  However, these were really easy to peddle.  Pops enjoyed a stroll around the lake and then hopped out to let Wendy and Hunter take off.  

After the paddle boats, we went to the putt-putt coarse and played a round.  
Hunter did a great job.  He even got a few hole-on-ones.  
There was a cute little train that would take people around the resort.  Hunter was able to talk Annmother and Pops into riding around a few times.  Once, they were thinking the "engineer" was not going to take them home.  Hunter would have loved to have been stuck on a train.  
I think Wendy did most of the paddling, but they both had a blast.

Animal Kingdom

Our Disney trip is now in full action.  We have been so excited for this trip for a while.  I had 2 random days off in April, a Monday and a Tuesday.  It worked out perfectly with everyone's schedules.  Wendy has a time share that we were able to take advantage of.  We left after school on Friday afternoon, and drove up to Orlando.   The kids were excited to meet Annmother, Pops, and Aunt Wendy in Orlando.  Our first day began at Animal Kingdom.  We wanted to save Disney World for Monday.  The kids were so excited.  We were able to get to the park by 10.  
Pops and Mackenzie were trying to stay out of trouble.  
Our first ride ended up being a train.  Can you guess who wanted to do this one?  You got it...Hunter.  He LOVES trains.  We enjoyed getting to view the whole park prior to walking the whole park.  
Our second ride was the Safari.  It amazes me how this is laid out.  We were actually picked up by Safari trucks and taken through something that simulated a safari so much you could easily forget that we were in Animal Kingdom.  We saw a large variety of animals.  
We were all in awe of all of the amazing animals.  

I asked the kids which animals were their favorites and they both said, "all of them".  
The "Tree of Life" looked amazing.  After we left the park, we realized that we had missed that part of the ride.  This gives us more to look forward to next time.  
I was glad that she got a quick nap in.  Pops did a good job rocking her to sleep in her stroller.  
After a change of clothes, due to a water ride, Hunter discovered a play area.  Once Mackenzie woke up, she was right with him.  
We had a great day!!! 

Spring Concert

Mackenzie's spring concert has come upon us.  I remember just a few years ago, Hunter gave his first performance on this stage.  He always did a great job on stage.  He enjoyed watching the kids and even found a few to be really funny.  Here are just a few pics from the big night in the spotlight...
When she is out of her "comfort zone" she tends to have her mouth.  I think the kid next to her thinks she is crazy.  
She even did the moves with her tongue out.  
Finally a picture of her without her tongue.  
It was a great concert.  I love watching all of the kids in these concerts.  You always have one that tends to shine above the rest, several crying, and some doing nothing at all but standing frozen.  However, I don't think there are too many kids that perform with their tongue sticking out.  Yeap, she is one unique chick.  

Paint My Ponytails

These are known as "ponytails" not fingernails around this house.  She loves having her toenails and fingernails painted, but they are always called "ponytails".  She even goes to get the nail bag out of the bathroom for me.  

I'll Do It

After we got home from church one Sunday, I had put the kids in their rooms for some quiet time, aka time for mommy to get lunch done and for them to be separated from each other and enjoy their own toys.  While I was in the kitchen, I heard the toilet flush.  I knew that I hadn't heard Hunter come out of his room so I decided to investigate a little further.  Sure enough, Mackenzie had gone into the bathroom, taken her pull-up off and put it in the trashcan (thank goodness she didn't flush that down the toilet), went back into her room to use the wipes, and then proceed to lift the dress up trying to get a new diaper on.  I grabbed the camera and caught some of the action.  I just had to chuckle, but I will tell you one thing...this girl is in charge!!!

At this point, she decided that she needed my help.

Tea Time


Laura called and asked if Hunter could come over and play for a little while with Trenton.  I asked if Kayla would like to come over and play with Mackenzie.  We had fun just being girls.  We painted our toenails, had a tea party, and painted.  I think the boys had fun, but it was a little louder than our "girl time".  

One Last Stop

I love coming to Nashville and seeing everyone.  I try to get to spend time with most of the family, but this weekend was so filled with "busy-ness" that we didn't get a chance to see Grandmother until Monday.  Our flight didn't leave until later in the afternoon so it worked out perfect.  She has done so well since last August.  After Granddaddy passed away, we weren't really sure how she was going to handle being in that big house by herself.  She has decided to start entertaining and keeping herself busy with little projects around the house.  I'm very proud of her for continuing to enjoy life to the fullest.  
Recently, she has been finding the squirrels creeping into her  attic.  She has had a "squirrel farmer" set a few traps around the house.  She wanted to see if one of them had caught a squirrel in the hopes of letting the kids see one up close and personal.  However, she didn't have one caught that day.  
Her garden was in full bloom.  I do miss the spring blossoms.  Mackenzie was taken with the purple flowers the most.  That does tend to be the color she favors.  
It was a good visit.  I'm looking forward to spending more time over there this summer.