Disney Trip

Okay, I have procrastinated long enough and I am going to make time to write about our Disney World trip. Not so much for your benefit as for mine. I want to make sure that our family remembers this trip for a very long time! We had a great time and kept very busy making sure that everybody did everything that they wanted to do.


The night we got into Orlando, we were in a rush to make a dinner reservation at the Grand Floridian Resort with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Drusella, Anastasia, and Lady Tremaine. Sierra had a new Cinderella dress that she was more than happy to wear. Ashtyn wore her Princess Aurora dress for just a little while because it was too hot and itchy. We were all excited as we drove through the gates of Disney World. The little girls were thrilled to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse pictures all over. The dinner was so fun! The characters were great and each one came over and signed the girls' autograph books, posed for pictures, and talked to the girls in true character. We watched Cinderella and Prince Charming dance, Drusella and Anastasia sing "Sing Sweet Nightingale" terribly, and Lady Tremaine never cracked a smile! What a great way to start our vacation! After dinner we rode the monorail around all of the parks hoping to give Sierra and Ashtyn their first glimpse of the castle. Unfortunately, it was already dark and they didn't see much. We returned to the house we had rented and put some tired girls to bed, got unpacked, went grocery shopping and prepared for a very busy week.

The next day was our first day at Magic Kingdom. The girls didn't have any trouble getting up early and we were out the door by about 8:00 so we could be there when they opened. We took the ferry across the lake to Magic Kingdom so that the girls could see where we were going. We took Lauren and Mackenzie about 6 1/2 years ago and they remember a little bit, but the little girls have never been. The squeals as the castle came into view were so great. I think they finally understood what we were doing and they were so very excited! The little girls and I made our way to the Dumbo ride while Mark and the big girls hurried off to Space Mountain. We rode several times before we met up again. The little girls loved the parade around the castle and were able to see so many characters. We spent the day playing and seeing all there was to see, but the girls were anxious to get back to the house and swim for a little bit. My girls love summer and swimming and hadn't been to the pool yet, so I think this was almost as exciting as being at Disney World. And the house was just down the road from "Outback", so after the girls were in bed for the night I got my bloomin' onion!

Day 2 was spent at Hollywood Studios. This park wasn't as fun for the little girls, but the big girls had a blast. We loved the Little Mermaid and High School Musical shows. Lauren and Mackenzie rode the Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror several times throughout the day. Sierra loved Playhouse Disney Live and seeing all of those TV characters come to life. We took a break in the middle of the day and went back to the house for a rest time. There was a new Toy Story ride that was just opening and we loved that. But the highlight of the day was the Fantasmic show with all of it's fireworks and lights. The girls were all mesmerized! What a great show!

The third day we were back at Magic Kingdom. The park was a little bit busier and it was a little bit warmer, but we still had a great time. We saw more characters and got more autographs. The big girls stayed cool on Splash Mountain and the little girls enjoyed the splash area and Minnie Mouse's house in Toon Town. As we were getting off one of the rides, we were all given Dream Fastpasses as part of the "Year of a Million Dreams". That was a fun surprise! We again took an afternoon break at the house and let the little girls nap. We returned to Magic Kingdom to ride some more and stayed late to watch the parade and then the fireworks over the castle. It was fun to see Tinkerbell fly down from the castle, but it sure took a long time to get out of the park and people are not kind the later it gets! We had to wait a while to catch the ferry out to the parking lot and the kids were completely worn out.

Day 4 we got a bit of a slower start because of the two late nights, but we were at Animal Kingdom for the day. I was looking forward to the safari ride and the big girls were anxious to ride Expedition Everest. Niether was a disappointment, and in fact I think that ride was my favorite. I love roller coasters! The girls got soaked on the water ride and the little girls finally got to meet Donald Duck in his safari clothes. We watched a parade and cut our day short. The girls were ready for dinner and a swim...and an earlier bedtime!

Friday we were at Epcot. We were looking forward to riding Soarin' and Test Track. We were a little disappointed that Sierra wasn't tall enough to ride either of them and wished we had put her church sandals on her! She was a good sport and was happy with the Kidcot stops to keep her busy. I think our favorite for the day would have to be the Finding Nemo ride and talking to Crush. Largely because we could all do this, but it was fun for the big girls too. We loved Soarin' and as we were waiting for our turn the girls were all given "Year of a Million Dreams" Mickey Mouse ears. Ashtyn and Sierra were very excited about these! We met more characters, got more autographs and pictures, did a little souvenier shopping, and walked through all of the countries before calling it a day.

Our last day found us back at Magic Kingdom. We were torn between several of the parks, but Magic Kingdom was the best place to entertain everyone. We were there when they opened and made our way to a shop called Tinkerbell's Treasures. Mark had read somewhere that if you were the first to ask, you would have the opportunity to "wake up" Tinkerbell for the day. This involves waving a wand at her treasure chest and yelling "Wake up, Tinkerbell!". Then there are some chimes and a little flash of light and The Fairy Godmother takes you over to the chest at the front of the store. If you look in the keyhole long enough you will hear the chimes and see the lights again. That was fun, although Ashtyn was a little nervous of the process. Sierra was great! We then headed to Toon Town hoping to get autographs from some of the princesses. Getting autographs and meeting characters was probably the greatest part for Ashtyn and Sierra. Sierra especially would get so excited and would jump up and down and then run to and almost tackle the characters! We rode some more (especially the Buzz Lightyear ride and Space Mountain!) and called it a day in the early afternoon. Nap time and some swimming and then we headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping. There were some great shops! The older girls really got into the pin trading and Mackenzie loved approaching the cast members and seeing what they had to trade. They ended up with some really fun pins that are great souveniers.

The next day was the worst day of our vacation...time to go home! The day was long, but the girls were worn out and pretty agreeable for most of the 12 hour trip. We had a fabulous time and pretty good weather. I hope we won't wait another 7 years before we do it again!

Disney Magic

Hey everyone! We are still here at Disney World and having the BEST time! What an amazing week! We had a character dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Drusella, Anastasia and Lady Tremaine the first night. Sierra was so funny--all of those movies finally came to life. She has loved meeting and seeing all of the characters! I think her favorite part has been the parades. Lauren and Mackenzie have had a blast on all of the rides. I think that Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom have been their favorites. Ashtyn has been a little shy of some of the rides, but loved Fantasmic at Animal Kingdom. What a great show with great fireworks. Twice now we have been part of Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams". One of our days at Magic Kingdom we received Dream fastpasses for the whole family and today at Epcot the girls got Mickey Mouse ears as we were waiting to get on "Soaring". The girls have been real troopers and we have done it all. We have one day left, with a lot planned for it. My girls will probably sleep for a week, but they will remember this vacation for a very long time. We have taken a lot of pictures and I will post them later. We can't get them to download to the computer. There will be lots, so stay tuned!
And for the icing on the cake, Mark has a new job and will start on June 9th. That means we still have a week of vacation when we get home!

We're Going to Disney World!

Good news--the BEST news! Mark had an interview yesterday afternoon and has been told there will be a job offer. We are so relieved and I think he is ready to get out of the house and back to work! So, our trip is on! I have today to get everything together, washed, and packed and we will leave in the morning. Thanks everyone for all of your prayers. We are very grateful and know we have fabulous friends!

Spring Break 2008

Quite sadly, spring break has come and gone at our house. We have had a great time and we love the slower pace of vacation. The older girls struggled to get up and going for school today. They have missed their friends, but are not quite ready to get back into the groove of homework and studying. 9 weeks to go girls! You can do it! Summer vacation is just around the corner and will be a well earned break this year!
My parents have been visiting for the past couple of weeks and we have had a good time. They planned their trip perfectly and were able to spend time with Lauren and Mackenzie. Usually when they visit, the big girls are in school and don't get more than the weekends to enjoy Grandma and Papa, so this has been nice. Of course, this all would have been more fun if the weather had cooperated a bit more. We have had some good weather and the girls have all enjoyed being outside, but it's rained a few days and been kind of cool. Ashtyn got a new bike and she and Sierra have enjoyed riding bikes together. Our trampoline has been worth it's weight in gold this week! While the grass may have been a little soggy, the trampoline was the perfect place for some outdoor time. The girls' soccer games were all cancelled due to rain last Saturday and Grandma and Papa won't have a chance to watch them play on this trip.
We did take a trip to the zoo, which was great fun. My kids love the zoo and seeing all of the animals. They loved feeding the lorakeets and being able to have them land on their arms. We had great timing in that the birds were all hungry and very cooperative. Even Sierra enjoyed the close ups, although she wasn't interested in holding the cup of nectar herself. She did want to cross the fence and climb in the trees with them! Our zoo also has an awesome playground, but we didn't get to check it out because it was so busy by the time we had made our rounds of all the animals! We have a season pass and I have promised the girls a trip just to do the playground the first chance we get!

For Sierra's birthday we made a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. Another big hit! Sierra had a great time and enjoyed the freedom to run around and do what she wanted to do. We love that place! Mark decorated her cake, which she loved! Good job, honey!! She actually blew out her own candles too and was so excited to have her birthday cake for breakfast the next morning!
I have had strep for the last few days, which put a little bit of a damper on Easter activities. I didn't feel up to Easter egg hunts or dying eggs. Thank goodness Mark, Grandma, and Papa stepped up to fill in. (And yes, I would like to think that it took all 3 of them to fill my shoes!) The little girls had a great time hunting eggs and they all loved their new dresses. Unfortunately, it was a little bit cold for the summer sandals and short sleeves, so they were covered by sweaters for most of the day. Of course, Sierra is a little bit stubborn (she gets it from her father) and refused to wear her sweater or warmer shoes. The Easter Bunny found our house and left way too much candy, but what fun is Easter without a lot of chocolate?! So much for losing a few pounds before it's time to squeeze into my swimsuit! But I'll have to start worrying about that next week!

Mark won tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. He loves to play those radio call-in games! Carrie Underwood was awesome and we had such great seats on the floor! We only wish that we had thought to take our camera! We did call the girls at home during one of her songs so that they could hear. During the show that we saw, Randy Travis joined her on stage and asked her to become the newest member of the Opry. Then he sang a couple of songs too. A very fun night! For those of you who have visited us in Tennessee, I apologize for not suggesting such a fun outing. In the 12 years that we have lived here we had never been! We need some visitors so that we have an excuse to go again!