Disney World (finally)

I have been gone so much this summer that this has taken me forever to start a blog on Disney World. I will start by saying that it was an incredible trip. We had a fantastic time and wouldn't change a thing. We had a blast being together as a family and spending uninterupted time together. The kids were amazing and so much fun to be with. We did just about everything that Disney had to offer during our 10 days in their Magical world, and we hope that we created memories that the kids will remember forever. This may end up taking a few post over a few days because I literally took 500 pictures and choosing my favorites is almost impossible. Anyway, without further delay... Disney

Day 1

Day 1 started bright and early for us much like the day before did. To get to Orlando, we took the 6AM flight out. To save you some time doing the math, we had to get up about 3AM in order to get to the airport, park and check in to make the flight. We arrived in Orlando, boarded our bus to the resort and were there by about 3PM. We were in bed early knowing that the next day was going to be fantastic. Thursday we woke up, got dressed and headed to Chef Mickey. This was the perfect way to start out the trip! The food was amazing and were able to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy as they came to our table. They were the first to sign the kids autograph books (or Yearbook as Brock calls it). We had a great time and it got us off to a fantastic start. After breakfast and a short ride on the monorail we arrived at the Magic Kingdom. We were all so excited to be there! As soon as we entered Chip and Dale were there greeting people so we were able to see more characters which is so exciting. We spent that whole day doing everything there was to do in Magic Kingdom. We rode everything we saw and it was great fun watching the kids take it all in. That night we stayed and watched the electric parade which was amazing only to be followed by the most spectacular fireworks show I have ever seen. Claire loves fireworks so getting to watch her watch the fireworks was a real treat. Here are a "few" of my favorites from Day 1.

These pictures are from Chef Mickey (I highly recommend this Character meal!)

We finally made it to the Magic Kingdom!

Day 2 - We went to Typhoon Lagoon so obviously there are no pictures of this day. I will tell you that our family loves to go to water parks, and this one was amazing. Disney does not scrimp a penny on the extras at their parks and this park was no exception. Our favorite part of this park was the wave pool. Every few minutes a 7 ft Tidal wave would come and it was hilarious! You would think that it would at least intimidate the kids but it didn't, they loved it! We would have to hold on to them for dear lives and we would all come up sputtering and laughing only ready and waiting for the next one to come. That night we went back to Magic Kingdom to eat at the Crystal Palace. The food here was fantastic and the kids were so excited to get to meet Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore or "Sweet Eeyore" as Claire calls him.

Day 3 - On day 1 while we waiting for the electric parade we found out that the weekend was Star Wars weekend at Hollywood Studios. Brock has spent the last few months obsessed over Star Wars so we knew that this was going to be something really special for him. I did my best to find out all that I could about the day and what all it offered so that we wouldn't miss anything he might want to see. We were told that if you got there early that you could get a fast pass to meet people from the movie. I was thinking that we would meet "characters" from the movie, so we got there bright and early only to find out that they were the actual people from the movie dressed as themselves (such a letdown for non-Star Wars junkies). However, we were not disappointed as we were able to witness a whole sub culture of the universe. There were people (grown people) dressed in full Star Wars garb. Mind you it was 100+ temps and they are dressed in all black, robes and boots, WHO DOES THAT? Anyway, other than 1 altercation with one over-zealous man who wanted Anakin's (the Character, not the actor) autograph and thought he would be able to jump in front of Brock after we had been standing in line (IN THE BLAZING SUN!) for over 30 minutes. He quickly found out that he was wrong and proceeded to the end of the line. Anyway, on to the fun stuff.... Brock loved this day! He not only got to see Darth Vader, Anakin, Storm Troopers, Ewoks, and several other characters from Star Wars, but he got to meet 3 of the Power Rangers! They were hilarious to watch as they would go through a range of moves in order to get into their pose for the picture. However, the highlight of the day was the Star Wars parade. We found a great seat and got perched an hour early so that he could have a prime seat for the parade. I am so glad I did because he was absorbed in it. The parade was led by Mickey dressed as a Jedi, along with Minnie as Princess Leah, Goofy as Darth Vader and Donald as a Storm Trooper. It only got better from here as they had Storm Troopers, Darth Maul, Captain Rex and all the people that I have no idea who they are! They even had a working R2-D2 that he really wanted to get a closer look at. It was so fun to watch him see his favorite characters come to life right before his eyes. Then if that wasn't enough, he got to meet the Power Rangers. Unfortunately the blue ranger wasn't out there when we were there, but he met Red, Green and Yellow (not really interested in Pink). I am going to have trouble choosing my favorite pictures for this day! It was a fun day for the mother of a boy!

What is Brock smiling about? ? ?

This guy!

the whole day wasn't about Star Wars, we had time for some rides too!

Whew, what a month!

Okay, so this month has been nuts! The end of the school year, while awesome and fun, was soooooo busy. I can't imagine being a teacher and trying to finish up everything because being PTA President was crazy enough. The month of May started out with Teacher Appreciation Week, which at Baker is a HUGE deal! That took up quite a bit of time, but was amazing thanks to a LOT of AWESOME help. Then I went to spend time with the Kings in Jacksonville. I am so glad that I got to do that because it was an amazing time. It is always so much fun to hang out with good friends and especially when those good friends move too far away. When I got home from there it was time to start getting the year closed out.

2nd Grade ended on a high with Jack and Annie Day. This was so much fun and a day that will always mark the year. They had different rotations throughout the day and played and had a great time outside. I was in charge of High Tide in Hawaii booth which was so fun! We had a limbo stick, grass skirts and lays for everyone. We did some light hula dancing and a good time was had by all. The other booths were wrapping each other up as mummies, a parachute, stick horse racing and several other fun things. Also with Claire she did do the Spring Olympics and I was so proud of her. She was really intimidated at first but ended up having a great time. It was so fun to see her do something like that! I was so overwhelmingly proud of her for overcoming her fear and doing it anyway. This year was a perfect year for Claire. Her teacher was so amazing and the kids in her class were the sweetest kids. I am so thankful for the wonderful year she had. She grew up so much and ended up with great grades and Tim and I could not be more proud of her. She continues to amaze me and I am so thankful to be her Mom! God couldn't have done a better job when he made her.

Kindergarten ended with a bang to say the least. The kids had the annual Splashdown/Luau Day and we had so much fun. It ended up being a cool day, but that didn't spoil the fun for them. They were so cute running around squealing and playing in the mud. I was really sad to see Kindergarten come to an end! It seems so strange that I will never have a kindergartner again. The year went way too fast and it was so much fun. Brock learned so much and has turned into quite the student. He gets very serious when it comes to school. Tim and I hope that we will be able to guide him to great things academically. Baseball went really well. He had so much more fun this year than last year. He worked with my Dad and really learned to hit the ball. It was exciting to watch and he ended the year with only one or two at bats where he didn't hit off of the machine. We really enjoyed seeing him progress this year and hope that next year goes as well.

Field Day was terrific and I would say the best ever! I loved it particularly because it was the first event of the year that I just got to show up for and enjoy. It means so much to have other parents that are committed to making a day fantastic for the kids. We had a great time dancing, going to different booths and just enjoying being with friends. I am already looking forward to next year's event. I love having my kids at such an amazing school!

I promise I will get Disney pictures up as soon as I can. It was the best vacation ever and there are so many things to show and tell. I literally took 500 pictures so you can imagine how much work that is to get ready to blog. Disney was so very fun and magical and everything you can ever hope for in a trip to Orlando. Keep checking back and hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have the pictures posted.

I have a new man in my life....

I need to let you all know that I know that I have a new man in my life. He is about 9 lbs and has fuzzy brown hair and hates to ride in his carseat, but does like to have his tummy rubbed. It isn't a puppy, nope his name is Paxton Dean King!

This past week I took off and went to Florida for a few days to visit the Kings. It was such an amazing week just spending time with one of my dearest friends and her precious family, who I consider part mine anyway. I got to sit and talk and laugh for four glorious days. It has been way way too long since we got to spend that kind of time together. I miss them so much, but am very grateful for the chance to have made the trip. More treasured memories were made with treasured friends!

Bailey and Beckham are growing up so fast so it was so fun for me to get to spend time with them. Bailey let me braid her hair at night while it was wet so that it would have some wave to it in the morning. It was our thing, and I loved it! I meant to show Shannon how to french braid, but we got too caught up watching American Idol and voting for Kris Allen to have a braiding lesson. Maybe next time. Beckham and I were just a team and we enjoyed cooking, breakfast and watching tv together. He is so funny, and I am really missing his chatter. Paxton, well he is just yummy! I loved him before I even met him, but now he and I are bonded at the heart. I figured out that when he was crying really hard that I could rub his belly a certain way and he would calm right down. I love knowing that I had a special touch with him. It helped me know that he and I will have a special relationship like I have with the other too, even if too many miles separate us to suit my liking. It was a great time and I miss them already!

Brock Happenings...

Baseball season is in full swing, and we are swinging away. We are lucky enough to be on the same team as last year which means playing baseball with our best buddies. This year there are 6 boys from PV on our team. It makes playing so much fun. Plus we are with our favorite coaches who make playing fun. I appreciate their patience with a bunch of 6 year old boys! As to date, Brock, who has been working with Coach Pops on batting has had 3 hits in the last 2 games. Of course he got his first 2 while I was in Florida. He scored his first basket when I wasn't there so the only thing left is that one day when he plays football that he will score his first touchdown when I am not there. But, tonight, he got a great hit, and I got to see it! I love watching him play sports and am looking forward to many more years!

This is year 3 of playing together

We have taken a picture of them from behind each year, this year just has a little twist to it, literally!

All the boys love to wear the catchers gear, and it is just too cute not to photograph!

The cutest fan in the stands!

Soccer is winding down and would have been over if there hadn't been so much blasted rain. Brock moved up a level for Spring and has done pretty well. It has been such a broken up season that it hasn't been as easy to tell how much he is improving as it was in the fall. His footwork does impress me, and he truly does love playing the game. It has been a pretty big time stretch getting between two sports plus Claire's activities, but hey, that's my job!

The Friday before Mothers Day, we had Muffins For Mom at school. It was so precious! They had several songs that the five classes sang together for all the Moms, and then we were escorted back to their classrooms for some special treats. They had done a questions list about their Moms and it turns out that I am 20 years old and I weigh 15 lbs! Seeing as how I started a diet today with the goal of losing 20 lbs that is good news. Soon I should be -5 lbs! I will let you know how that feels!

Claire Bear Happenings...

The other day I was taking supper to my Grandpa. Gran has been in the hospital, and I wanted to make sure that he had some good meals to eat. He is 91, and the back and forth has caused even more wear and tear on his aging body. Anyway, it worked out where Claire was with me when I made the food delivery. She and Grandpa have always had a very special relationship that warms the soul to see them together. That day was no exception. He took her out in the front yard and cut her some of his fresh flowers. Fortunately, God whispered in my ear that I had my camera in the car. I got it out and took some precious shots that I know will be cherished for the rest of her life.

The 2nd grade class performed at the last PTA meeting of the year. It was such a great performance, and she really enjoyed it, at least most of it. The funniest part was that during one song I noticed that she wasn't really singing so I leaned over and mentioned it to her teacher. She said "oh yeah, she hates this song, but she loves the next one." Sure enough the next song she was back to her previous animated self. Too funny that girl! She is supposed to have a gymnastics program tomorrow, but she says that she isn't going to do it. I told her that I had already paid for her to be in it and she said, "Well, you better get your money back!" We will see how tomorrow goes. You never know with Claire Bear, it could go either way. I will keep you updated!

This is when she spotted Pops, Heidi and Dan in the crowd.