Sunday, June 26, 2011

Backyard Pool Diva!








Friday afternoon I decided it would be a pool day in the backyard...Tyler asked Olivia what simming suit she wanted to wear and after going through all of her suits about 10 times I went in there to "help" her make the decision. No, I didn't make it for her, we just held everything up and let her pick to avoid what happens when I choose the WRONG outfit...a very unhappy little girl!. Apparently it's much easier for her to pick the suit when they're all out at one time for her to see...THIS is the WHOLE outfit she decided to wear swimming!




Please notice the bangle bracelets in each hand



Upclose with the bracelets...



Whoops...I dropped one!


Cookie Monster!





Yes, I have a cookie eating machine on my hands! Sorry to say, she comes by it naturally!!!

Disney Day 2 -- Animal Kingdom and Epcot















We started the day with Animal Kingdom...how great is this place? We were there about 4 ours and only made it through Africa...I don't even know if we made is all the way through Africa.



The safari ride was fantastic! Olivia loved riding and seeing all of the animals...needless to say so did John and Cash!







The train to the petting zoo area (affection area as Disney so nicely puts it!) was great and Olivia was really into it...I can't wait to take her to the zoo in St. Louis so she can enjoy the children's area...last year she still wasn't quite into it, but this year is going to be different...she LOVES animals.




Walking around and seeing all the other animals was wonderful and Disney does such an amazing job with anything that I didn't expect anything less than the best at Animal Kingdom, but I was still a little apprehensive about what it would be like.

That afternoon the kids took naps at the condo while the adults took a little break as well....by 5pm we were back on the road, heading to Epcot. Note to anyone wanting to go to Epcot...there are pluses and minuses to go after 5pm...plus...no one is there...minus, most of the rides close between 7-7:30...plus, the line to see all the characters is less than 20 minutes...this was HUGE!



Speaking of characters...look at how proud John is to be with all the characters...he loved it and it was worth waiting to see him with them. Olivia is a little shy/scared when it comes to characters...she didn't want to get too close, but was so excited to see them that she couldn't stop blowing them kisses. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is her favorite show on TV and to see them in person was something else for her!































Pool Time With The Crockers



I have my love with Florida for many reasons...Naples and friends being the main two. While most of my friends live in Naples, the Crockers live on the east coast and are from Lebanon (Chad's hometown) and we love spending time with them...when we're all together we hope that we can one day all live closer so we can spend more time together!

I love this picture of Olivia and Chad









Saturday evening by the pool with the kids and Mexican night couldn't have been better!



Disney World Day 1!










Yes, Olivia is only 18 months but I insisted we make a visit to see "The Mouse"...Mickey that is!The whole idea started when Chad's national sales meeting was scheduled for Orlando this year...things changed, but we both were able to still work that date in June into our schedules...what could make the trip even better...the Crockers joining us!



The first place we hit up was the Winnie the Pooh ride. The ride itself was a little darker in parts for Olivia, so it ride itself wasn't a hit with her...BUT the activities they had for the kids while waiting were great!


Olivia and Cash played with the little Mickey's on the tracks...John pulled the ground hog out of the ground...it kept them occupied while we waited in line.









Next was Dumbo, where Olivia had was a little upset with me...should have mentioned that I forgot Olivia's milk at the condo this day...milk is Olivia's favorite go to staple and I forgot it! I'm not sure how she felt about the ride, but she seemed to enjoy the wind blowing through her hair as Chad steered us up and down on the ride.






Next was the 3-D Show followed by Peter Pan and the train ride! John LOVES trains so this was the highlight for his day...the Peter Pan ride was a hit with all three kids, would definitely put this one on the list of rides to ride.






After a lunch break we headed to It's a Small World After All...I think this was Olivia's absolute favorite! She could not get enough of all of the music, lights, moving parts, etc...she loved it! Chad said that he remembered this being his favorite ride as well...I think he loved that she liked it so much! :)

While John and Cash napped we walked around, but quickly decided to head out of the park once we couldn't find anything to get Olivia to go to sleep...she was so tired but couldn't stop looking at everything. She enjoyed watching the parade, although it was quite hot and she just was not having it any more! It was 4pm and we hadn't had a nap...we decided it was best to pack it up and head back to the condo in hopes of letting her catch a nap and then it would be pool time!