Friday, June 24, 2011

A little night golf

There were a few golf courses at the resort we stayed at in Kissimmee, FL. The one right outside our screened porches was the lit executive course. We went out there almost every night for the kids to play and the men to practice. Everyone had so much fun.
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I know it looks like it's day time but it was dark already. The lights were awesome!
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Watching Daddy and Grandpa with the kids was so sweet.
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Riley has actually been doing pretty well with his swing lately. He practices in the front yard with the clubs Grandma and Grandpa got him on his 3rd birthday.
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Grandpa has the patience of a saint. He got Brock. He is less than disciplined with his golf and his golf etiquette.
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But everyone had so much fun doing it each night. And it was a great way to wind the kids down before putting them in the same bedroom for sleep!

Magic Kingdom Continued

We're over halfway through our day at this point. The kids haven't napped and we're all starting to get a bit cranky from the heat. But we had a special treat waiting for us that we'd fast passed earlier.
Mickey and Minnie meet and greet!

Riley was in awe. It was adorable.
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Brock, not quite so much.
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Mickey was very sweet but Brock just wasn't feeling it. Riley really loved it though.
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We passed the castle again and they had a show going with Goofy and Donald.
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But there was not a lick of shade available around the castle so we decided to skip it.
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More line waiting for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It was in a cave like thing and wasn't too hot so we liked this line!
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Grandma and Grandpa were such troupers. They took the kids into the Swiss Family Robinson tree house while The Guy and I just sat on our butts.
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Then we found another sit down ride into the jungle on a boat. Our guide was hilarious so we were kept well entertained.
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Massive butterflies grow in this jungle.
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There was a family of lions and a group of elephants--though not right together!
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Finally, one kid(Brock) passes out just as we hit the truly kid section of Magic Kingdom. This is the one with Dumbo and the teacups and inside stuff for Peter Pan and other toddler favorites. The waits were HOURS long so we just hit the teacups and got ready to go.
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Brock wasn't too interested in riding. He was completely worn out.
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But Riley had a great time with Grandma and Daddy!
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One last ride was a rocket ship way up high in Tomorrow Land. I thought this could be the one ride I could stand. It didn't look to crazy. Right?
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Yea, this thing went way up high and very fast and had some crazy velocity as we were swung around in a tight circle. It is a miracle I didn't throw up. I really really wanted to. But the fact that I was crushing Josh's leg kept me from adding insult to injury but puking on him.

It was a fun but exhausting day. Next time we go we'll have a much better strategy than wandering aimlessly!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Disney: First days

It's been a long time coming--since it's been over a month since we went to Disney World in Orlando, but I'm finally ready to start blogging our trip!

We left Saturday afternoon and the trip was going pretty well. Kids were watching movies and snacking. Josh and I were doing fine. But we noticed on one of our stops that Brock was really hot so I got out the thermometer. Yea, 102. We decided we'd better stop for the night in Tallahassee, FL. We must have gone to 6 different hotels looking for the best deal. We finally decided to just stay at the last one we visited because Brock was getting very cranky. We checked in and got him in a cold bath and then kept wiping him down with a cold cloth as he whimpered. The kids slept fitfully and Josh and I didn't sleep at all. But we made it.

We set off Sunday morning-Mother's Day-and made it down in record time. As soon as the boys saw Grandma and Grandpa they went running! It was precious.

Riley went swimming with his grandparents and Brock went to Target with Josh and me since he was still feverish.

We made plans to visit Magic Kingdom the next day. We found that Monday is NOT the best day to go to MK but, live and learn!
Here we go!

Tram from the massive parking lot, which they have down to a science for the parking and filling and filing. Truly amazing.
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Gotta slather on the sun screen.
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The line to get on the train was LONG. If you look closely, you'll see Riley's head through the cover on the stroller.
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More waiting...
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We made it!
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We're in!
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There was a street show going on. Super cute but it was so crowded on main street we were just trying to get through.
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We had been telling the boys for months that they were going to get to see the castle in person soon. They see it so often on their movies. And we finally made it! Now anytime we watch a Disney movie Riley tells us that he saw that castle at Disney.
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Time for Adventureland.
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Daddy and Grandpa took the boys on their first ride. It was an Aladdin ride on his magic carpet.
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I spotted Aladdin and Jasmine before they took their break.
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It was very very hot. I cannot imagine going in true summer! Next trip will be in the Fall I think. We took a break from the heat to watch the bear show. It has a name but I can't remember! It was cute. Plenty for the kids to enjoy and lots of slyness for the adults to giggle at.
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More to come on Magic Kingdom!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

The Royal Wedding!

My parent's trip to England missed the wedding by just 2 days! They didn't get to see a few of the sites because they were being prepared for the big day. They did get to go to the Canterbury Easter service with the Arch Bishop that performed the ceremony for William and Katherine.

And they brought me souvenirs!
My magnet:
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And my tea towel!
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And check it out--straight from Harrods!
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I didn't manage to watch it live but I caught up on it later. The wedding was beautiful and fairy tale and I loved it! And I have my tacky keepsakes to prove it.