Pre K

Daddy came to my graduation from pre k. My teachers made me that cool candy necklace. Cayden's loves school, but is very excited for the summer break. Rosbery was Cayden good friend in his pre k class. Cayden talked about all the time.

Pre k graduation for Cayden

Cayden's first of many years of school. We are so proud of him. He did so good and he seems to love school. He had a great teacher, her name was Mrs. Trinks. She always said how quiet Cayden was in class. He must be a very different kid in class, because he never has his mouth closed at home. We call him our little churper. Good Job Cay Cay! We Love You!

Happy Mother's Day!

Isn't that just the cutest Mother's Day present ever!! I am so grateful for my three little monkey's.

Goodbye Disney!!

Sunday Morning had come very quick and our Nine days in Florida was coming to an end. All seemed to sleep a bit late this morning and the breakfast pick nick was in Cort and Mandy’s room. After all the bags were packed, we headed to Wal-Mart to get all the trips digital pictures put onto CD. For the most part the “waiting time” was not bad for the trip, this turned out to be our “Wait”, as it took well over an hour to get them done. We all went in on a Disney picture frame and group photo to send back to Grams and Pa, and learned in the process that Wal-Mart was the place to buy your Disney souvenirs (stuffed animals for $5-$10 instead of $15-$30), but what would be the fun in that, right! Our last lunch in Orlando was a Taco Bell. The kids reminisced over all they had done the last week, and the adults while very tired, could not believe it was over. We sat a bit too long and had to rush back to the Hotel to drop Cort and his family of as they were using Disney Transportation to the airport. After Many Spin around hugs and lots of goodbyes we boarded the car and headed for home. It was raining good again and was going too for most of the next week, so our timing was perfect! We waived to Austin and Livy and Cort and Mandy, and then the thought came to me- did we have enough Cherry Goofy Balls for the trip home? The answer was no, so I ran one last time into the Hotel Gift Shop to get two bags of Goofy Balls and a bag of sour Mickey Heads spending the last of the cash in my pocket. This trip was so much fun! We had such a great time with Cort and Mandy and their family. On a trip like this so many wonderful memories are made and many unique learning experiences the kids could never have otherwise. What a Magical time we all had!

More Seaworld and Downtown Disney!!

The second day at Sea world we enjoyed much more than the first. We left the first day with a bit of disappointment, but Sea world delivered the second time and we really enjoyed it in the end (It is not fair tocompare any other park to Disney, as Disney is truly the best of the best!) One of the first stops was at the Dolphin Encounter, The dolphins where very fun to watch to say the least! It seemed to be mating day in the underwater viewing tank. Brenner- Daddy, what is that hanging on the bottom of those dolphins? Daddy- I think these dolphins have extra fins!?! Brenner- it looks like a piece of pooh! Needless to say all the dolphins that day "got some", the adults were mesmerized, and horrified. Next it was off to the "Search for Atlantis" and the "Kraken", the two big rides in the park. Mia had been practicing her Kraken handclap for over a month! The Search for Atlantis was fun and similar to Splash Mountain. Next the Kraken, and Brenner was ready- until he did not "measure up" and was turned away. Never have you seen such a sad boy, he was very disappointed- but the Adults had fun riding it! It was a great coaster! Brenner resumed looking for lizards and was happy again. The Sea Lion and Otter show was fun, as was the Shark tank and walk through shark tube. After a unique Cirque du Soleli style show and a walk through the Budweiser Clydesdale Stable (amazing horses), we rode some fun rides in the Kid Area. Although Cayden was very brave and rode some rides beyond his age, one of his favorite rides was the Baby Shamu Roller coaster with Mommy in this area. As it rained quite hard in the afternoon and did not look like it would be letting up anytime soon, we decided not to stay for the evening show. We waited out several smaller storms but as we walked towards the front of the park, a really big one hit. We all took shelter in a covered Smoking Area. The rain came down in buckets, and the lightning and thunder, one in particular, was very close and loud! As it let up, everyone seemed to be going home for the day and just before the front gate we had to wade through about 6 inches of standing water to get out of the park, everyone's shoes were wet, much to Brenner's delight! We ate that night at the Olive Garden and had a great last dinner together. After dinner we had a shopping stop at Down Town Disney. Brenner and Cayden spent their last bit of vacation money on... what elt's, "LEGOS". I am sure those will give them fond memories of their trip to Disney World! Mommy and Daddy found a neat Christmas Ornament for the family collection and little "I Shop" Mia got a fun Disney Memories Book to help her remember some of the things she had seen. This was a great ending to a really fun and Magical Family Vacation that built many fun memories for everyone on the trip! It was Awesome!!!

Sea World

It was Friday and we had been going at a good pace for a week, needless to say, feet were tired, faces a bit sun burnt, body's a bit restless, energy a bit spent, and patience hard to find at times. This day turned out to be a comedy of errors! We had a slow start, all needed a little extra sleep. After one very expensive McDonald's breakfast (no dollar menu in Orlando) delivered to the room by Gent, we were off to Sea World. Once in Sea World, extra energy was still hard to find and everyone was a bit irritable, it was a hot day, and lines seemed to be very long. The Adults commented that we were not in Disney anymore. We did some stingray petting and bought refillable(?) drink mugs to help with the heat. We caught two shows this day, the first was a whale and dolphin show that was nice and then the Big Spectacular Shamu Show called "Believe". We all left as partial believers, as it was not that great. The Killer Whales were neat but the show was lacking. The best part was watching Cort get into the Shamu Hand Cheer, it was silly!!! =) We left the park early this day to get a good start on Saturday. We stopped by Bennigan's for dinner on the way back to the hotel as we were all very hungry. Pulling into the Parking lot the Armada began to smell like burnt rubber and as I got out to inspect the car, noticed smoke coming from the hood. We went in and sat down, but I was no longer hungry. All I could think about was being eight hours from home on a Friday night with a broken down car. I thought it might be a belt to the air-conditioning, and halfway through the meal I decided to drive it around the parking lot to see how serious the problem may be. Much to my relief, the smell and smoke were gone and never returned! Some prayers are answered very quick! The meal from then on was great and the kids all had balloon animals made by a storytelling Florida local (Know the number one choking hazard for kids? Balloons, would your kids like one?). Austin got a bear, Livy a pink kitty, Brenner a Florida gator, Cayden a motorcycle and Mia a butterfly that turned back into a caterpillar before the end of the night. Back at the room the Mommies and little ones headed for bed, and the Daddy's and the boys headed for the Pool for a night time swim. The kids truly loved the pool!

Disney Studios

Thursday in Disney Studios- This day we got up early to get ready for Disney Studios and also to change hotels. As the dinning plan was part of the hotel reservation, we did not want it for the days we were going to be at sea world, so we moved from Pop Century to Disney's All Star Movie Resort. It was fun to have a new and different room, although the beds did not get any softer or bigger, they were not very comfortable throughout the trip, but other than that, Disney Hotels are great! They where great with keeping track of our bags, the grounds were immaculate and fun, and the kids loved the nice pool areas. We said good bye to the Bowling Pins, Big Play dough Cans and "BIG" Wheels of Pop, and Hello to Herby the Love Bug, Sorcerer Mickey and Giant Movie Click Boards. Disney Studios was a fun surprise, of all the parks, this one was the least anticipated but turned out to be really fun! Once again the kids found a playground but this time it was "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" themed and very fun. It was as if they were as small as bugs playing in giant blades of grass, with slides and hiding areas and a giant Spider Web in one corner, a giant garden hose squirted water and Brenner once again got very wet! That boy and water are magnets, much to Daddy's frustration at times (His shoes seemed to be wet most of the trip). We had Wraps and Hot dogs for lunch at the Back Lot Catering Co. and headed for the "Stunt Spectacular", a fast pace fire and action filled stunt show that all enjoyed. The look on the boy's faces said it all, they loved it! Mia's turn was next with "The Beauty and the Beast Musical", She was dancing and singing in Mommy's lap, while Brenner looked at the floor and plugged his ears because he thought it was a Girl Thing, he lost out because it was very neat. Before the day was done we had been on the movie sets of Indiana Jones, The Little Mermaid, Star Wars, and the adults went on the Tower of Terror, Brenner decided to sit this one out- Chicken, Bock, Bock, Bock!!! To use up our daily "snack" we got two huge pretzels and two frozen lemonades. Fantasmic was the nighttime entertainment and it was truly "Fantasmic"!!! It was raining again by that time and we all had rain ponchos on in attempts to stay dry, but the rain could not put a damper on the show. The boys liked when the Giant Dragon shot fire from his mouth into the lake and the lake erupted in a gulf of flames, the Girls loved the floating Princess Boats and everyone liked it when Sorcerer Mickey and his dream prevailed in the end. Really a great show! We ran after the show to go get dinner at Down Town Disney and ended up making a show of our own. After sitting down at a very fancy floating seafood restaurant and Cort and I all ready to order up a $45 plate of King Crab, Mandy found out it was not on the meal plan (an embarrassing oops on Gent's part!). We all got up and headed for the door and that was the end of the show! We ended up across the bay at Captain Jacks Seafood, and yes they took the last night of our meal plan, whew! After a ferry ride back to the car, the Mommy's and Kido's left with grand intentions of coming back to Down Town Disney for more much needed shopping, after all- we did pass a Giant Disney Store, a Lego Store and a Disney Christmas Shop. On the way to the room the kids all loved to push the buttons to the elevator, and each had to have their equal turn. "whose turn is it this time?" Oh, oh, it's mine they would all say! Maybe we should have stayed home and just found a random elevator somewhere and pushed the buttons for a week, we could have saved some money! =Þ The boy's also loved to try and race the adults to the room by taking the stairs as the adults took the elevator, trust the kids to find the "Free fun" in Orlando!!!

Sweet Little Mia!!

Through all of the going and going, everyday Mia would take a one to two hour nap in her stroller, something she normally would never do. We did a lot in the eight days we were there and all the kids were so good.

Animal Kingdom

Wednesday in Animal Kingdom- We drove to Animal Kingdom and arrived in good time. Just inside the front gates before you get to the Tree of Life, You find yourself in a rainforest with lush green everywhere and all kinds of orchids growing up the sides of the walls, every inch of this park was truly beautiful. We headed first thing to get fast passes for "Dinosaur" and had high expectations as it was modeled after the Indiana Jones ride in Disney Land that we loved, the line was only 15 min long so we just hoped on. Needless to say, we where disappointed, and found out why everyone was in line for Mt. Everest. Nikki took Mia to get in line for the Lion king Show and we met up with time to catch the Pocahontas Show before it started. Both shows where great! Pocahontas was fun with wild forest animals criss-crossing the stage, and the Lion king had lots of energy with Large floats and “cirque du solei” style acrobats and costumes, the kids were dancing in their seats to the "in the Jungle" song. Just outside the theater, we caught up with Donald Duck and Kenai from Brother Bear and got signatures and photos, Mia started to warm up to them by this time and had a high five and a kiss for Donald. After a fun lunch at Pizzafari it was off to Mount Everest and the "Yeti", would the boys be brave enough? As you can see by the picture, Brenner loved it and Cayden was holding on for dear life! In the end they seemed to like it and Cayden got a hoodie that said I conquered Everest, but when asked if they wanted to ride again the answer was "No" from both boys, so Cort and I rode again by ourselves. There were little lizards all over everywhere and Brenner was determined to catch one, but the only successful catch was with thecamera, quicker next time Brenner! After sitting in on an amazing Bird Show that Pa would have loved we decided to go on Safari! The Kilamanjaro Safari was a neat ride and the kids loved seeing all the African animals and also the splash through the river, driving over the rickety bridge and chasing the elephant poachers. We saw Mickey's Jumping Jungle Parade, and boy was it hot, no shade to be found but a very fun parade. After the parade we went to seek the shelter and air-conditioning of the Tuskers Restaurant, it was a Buffet with an African flair and really quite good. The kids had fun choosing their food and the deserts where the best of the trip, the baklava was Brenner and Daddy's favorite! One of Mommy and Daddy's favorite parts of the trip was next- the Finding Nemo Musical. This show is awesome! It is a puppet show like never before seen, with great music, beautiful staging and just amazing visuals! Go with the flow! Next the kids loved Dino Land, a dinosaur themed carnival area with child size rides and games. This is where we picked up the first bag of Sour Cherry Goofy Balls that we all became addicted to the rest of the trip (we even bought a supply to take home). We rode the Kali River Rapids over and over again until Cayden finally got wet the fourth time, Brenner and Daddy got drenched the first and second time, and Mommy got off after the first ride in fear of getting soaked. This was one of Brenner and Cayden's favorite rides, it was really fun! Our last stop in Animal Kingdom was to the Tree of life and the 4-D movie "It's tough to be a bug" from the movie A Bugs Life. It was a fun bug's in your face, under your seat, crawling on the walls and out of the ceiling sort of fun. On our way out of the park we still had "Snacks" to use up, so we stopped and had Mickey Popcorn and Drinks before leaving the park. This was one of Daddy's favorite days of the vacation. Disney's Animal Kingdom is truly a wild and fun place to spend a day!

More Epcot!!

Tuesday back at Epcot- Most of this day was planned to be spent in the "World Showcase". It is a large lake with countries from around the world all represented by architecture, displays, restaurants and shops in the style of eachcountry. In keeping with the educational theme of Epcot, It is really fun to be able to experience the world's cultures in a day, and it was so big that we did not get to see it all. We had an early dinner reservation at the Japanese Steak House and rode the ferry across the lake to the Japanese Pavilion. The kids were entertained the whole time and the Japanese People are all about special service. The kids loved the warm hand towels at the beginning, the "Kid Friendly Chopsticks" that brought back memories for Cort and I, and the surprise Japanese Toy at the end of the meal. Cayden ordered a meal that came in a monorail train car, and Brenner had his noodles and chicken cooked in front of him with the rest of us. They loved the Smoking Onion Volcano and the rest of the show the Chef put on, he was really great, and funny too, with his Don't Smoke and Sesame Street jokes. After dinner we looked through the shops in Japan and got some rice candy for the kids. The Kids all enjoyed Mickey Mouse suckers as we walked around the "World". In Germany we got a Pickle Ornament for a newfamily tradition, and Mia did her impersonation of a Nutcracker. Germany also had a neat LGB Train and little town display that the kids really loved, and tried to drop coins in the coal cars as they passed through tunnels under the sidewalk. As we passed The United States there was a colonial style band playing that made it fun. It started to rain for the first time of the vacation as we were in Norway so we decided to wait in line for the Viking Boat Ride as it was indoors, and everyone agreed that this was the least enjoyable ride of the trip, very quick and not much to see! China was beautiful with a display of some very old Bonsai Trees by the lake that were fun to see, one was over 75 years old! As it was getting late in the day, Nikki and Mandy took Cayden and Austin to the Imagination gift shop to get a Figment the Dragon stuffed animal that they had both dreamt about from our Sunday visit to Epcot. Cort and I with Mia, Brenner and Livy sat on a bench and had frozen margaritas and waited for the return of the Shoppers outside of Mexico. Everyone loved the Mexico pavilion the best, the boat ride was very kid oriented (like Small World but with Donald Duck) and the atmosphere was fun. We all put on silly hats for a family picture and the kids loved the Glass Making demonstration, especially Cayden as a glass penguin was being made. The last ride that we had not seen in the front of the park was "Test Track" so we decided to get in line as the fireworks were going to start as we had already seen them on Sunday night. It was a great ride that everyone enjoyed, and again Cayden and Brenner rode it twice. Both Brenner and Cayden found a lot of courage this trip, we knew Brenner was ready to ride most of the rides but Little Cay Cay surprised us all with his bravery, although sometimes fleeting once he was on the way up heading for the drop, but overall- very brave. Mount Everest and the Kraken were still to come- would they be brave enough? That night because of the early lunch/late dinner, we stopped by the Hotel Cafe to get a bite to eat before the nightly pirate battle that would ensue in the room before bed. Who knew going around the world in a day could be so much fun!

Tea cups and Princess time

The only Princess Mia got to meet was Snow white and of course Minnie Mouse. As you can see the boys are just thrilled to meet her.

More Magic Kingdom!!!

Monday back at the Magic Kingdom- With everyone feeling much better we got a better start and arrived at Disney World early. Just inside the front gates on main street the Mom's and kids waited to get a picture and signatures from Snow White and Dopey and Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio while the Dad's went to get Mickey ears with the kid's names embroidered on the back, they turned out so cute! There is nothing as cute as a child in Mickey Ears, and we had five kids in hats and their Mickey t-shirts, they where the most adorable kids in all of Disney World! The Magic of walking down Main Street toward Cinderella Castle holding the hand of your child is a feeling I will never forget! Disney World is truly a magical and happy place. After riding Space Ranger Spin and the Stitch Ride we ate sandwiches and Mini corndogs for lunch by the Castle Lake and fed the ducks French fries. Brenner and Cayden had the ducks Jumping to get fries out of their hands. After lunch we caught the Princess and Pirate show on the steps of the Castle and after a ride on the Tea Cups, we headed for Toon Town. After the kids had a lot of fun on a simple run of the mill mall style playground (go figure, you arein Disney World and the kids love the everyday playground), the Moms and the little ones headed back to the room for a mid day nap as this was to be one of our longest days. We were so surprised that Mia did as well as she did, at 22 months we had our doubts about how she would handle such long and tiring days. She would take naps in the stroller almost every day, something we never thought she would do. Mia was such a good and fun filled baby for the whole trip, looking back; we could not have imagined the trip with out her- Thanks Mia!!! While some got some rest, Cort and I and Brenner and Austin Went to ride Space Mountain, Brenner loved it and got two extra fast passes so he and Mommy could ride it again that evening. The Boys rode Thunder Mountain Railroad the Haunted Mansion and several other rides in fantasyland before every one meeting back together at the Contemporary Resort for a Steak Dinner. The Dinner was great, the first one really enjoyed by all. The kids had tie died grill cheese sandwiches and pizza and for desert was a scoop of ice cream with all the fixings tomake their own sundaes at the table. The adults had Filet Minion and crembrule, Yummy!!! Back to the park for Laugh Floor and some souvenir shopping and the fireworks over the castle. Tinker bell flew over our heads and the Fireworks were spectacular as only Disney can do! After the show, Nikki And the boys went through the crowds to do some souvenir shopping, Mia was in Daddy's arms and started to cry, saying Mommy, Mommy. After she realized Mommy was gone she said "I Shop, I Shop". She knew that the boys were going shopping and did not want to be left out! This day Mia Got a Pink Princess Miney Mouse that rode by her side in the stroller the rest of the trip. Before leaving Disney World we caught the late Electric Parade, the floats where amazing and many would change from all white lights to instant full color before the kids eyes. Although very tired, by the looks on their faces, the kids loved it. Many great memories were made in the "Happiest Place On Earth"!

Epcot

Sunday at Epcot- We had the Bought the Disney Meal Plan and had one quick service lunch, a snack and a nice sit down dinner to use each day- it turned out to be a very nice feature that we really enjoyed, we would not have gone to many of the fun and pricey dinners without it! As Breakfast was not included, most mornings we ate donuts, fruit, yogurt and muffins with milk and juice out of a cooler, it made it quick and convenient and the kids liked making in-room breakfast picnics on the floor with hotel towels. With some of us not feeling our best, we got a bit of a late start this day. After a morning dip in the Pop Century Pool, We arrived at Epcot around noon. We rode Spaceship Earth, Sorin and Mission Space. The kids loved Sorin and the three boys went a second time with Daddy. Epcot is a neat park with a focus on educational rides instead of just fun and thrills, but the kids still really enjoyed it. On the ride "living with the Land" the kids were glued to all the interesting things in the greenhouses as the boat passed through, as small as the kids were they still enjoyed these more educational rides. They liked seeing a pumpkin that was made to grow in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head. The Nemo and friends ride they kids loved as well, and in the aquarium at the end of the ride they learned all about Manatees and why they are an endangered species. At Epcot we bought a character autograph book and the kids had fun getting the signatures and their pictures with Many Disney characters like Mickey, Miney, Goofy and Chip and Dale. That night we ate at the Italian House in World Showcase. While we were waiting to get into dinner, we caught a street play; it was a spoof on Romeo and Juliet. I was pulled from the audience to be a cast member (The Jester); the kids thought it was funny! Every time the name Montague was said the audience made a hand gesture followed by a sort of farting noise, this was a favorite noise of all the boys for the rest of the trip, much to the adult’s dismay. This dinner was nice but still a bit on edge as we were all just at the end of the "Bug" and anything could still come up at any time. Brenner and Cayden loved the Round Fried Mozzarella and Noodles. As the Italian Restaurant was very nice and elegant, we were very grateful nothing "came up". Brenner did express that he did not like all the "Fancy Dinners" we were eating, this may have been partly due to the fact he likes junk food and also to daddy's obsession that he be on his best behavior at all times and the need for his napkin to be placed in his lap, he still does not understand the napkin thing. That night we caught the firework and Fire show called Illuminations, it was neat! This day the kids started to complain about all the walking, but for the most part were troopers for the trip! And as for the "Bug", the next day we all felt fine and were glad that it was just a 24-hour thing that did not destroy our vacation.

Magic Kingdom

Saturday at the Magic Kingdom- After a quick breakfast in our room, we were off to the Magic Kingdom. Lots of excitement to say the least! Grams and Pa had sent little coin purses with some money in them for each child to buy something fun, and this money was spent and spent again as the souvenirs piled up over the week, all the kids liked the many fun shops and felt that they needed something from each one they visited, and in the magical sprit of the moment, Mom's and Dad's found it hard to say no allot of the time! The first ride of the day was Pirates of the Caribbean, and the kids loved it. Brenner and Cayden had been to Disney Land two years before and seemed to remember many things, and enjoyed seeing some of the familiar rides, for little Mia on the other hand, everything was new! We did allot that first day, The Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Tree House, the Tiki Room (this time Cayden was not scared of the lightning), Country Bear Jamboree, Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, Tom Sawyers Island, Splash Mountain (Brenner's first Thrill ride of many to come), Small World (Mia's favorite) and many others. After Taco Salads and Quesadillas for lunch in Adventure Land we caught a great parade and had Mickey Ice cream bars on the curb of the parade route. That night we rode the Monorail to the Grand Floridian and had dinner in the Cafe. The meal was good but stressful! Cayden caught a bug late in the day and with the help of Mommy, threw up in a garbage can outside of Small World and again at Dinner but this time all over Nikki. Brenner caught it on the bus ride back to the hotel and threw up in a garbage can on the way back to the room. There was speculation that they got sick from drinking water from a questionable water fountain on Tom Sawyers Island? Nikki and I had sick stomachs the following day and then the bug seemed to pass as quick as it came, thankfully without getting anyone in Cort's Family sick. The boys chose light up pirate guns in the pirate gift shop and had a pirate battle between the adjoining hotel rooms before they went to bed. Yo ho, Yo ho a pirates life for me!

Happiest Place on Earth

Disney Memories 2008 Friday the 28th of March-

Editor's note- The writing entries for the Disney portion of this blog came from Gentry's journal of the trip and it gets a bit wordy and long, but it captures it all!!!

The trip is finally here! Finally the time had come for our trip to Walt Disney World, as a Family we had been looking forward and planning this trip for months. It was going to be extra fun because Cortney and his family where going to join us in Florida. Nikki and I worked 1/2 days and we picked up the kids from school and daycare and left for Disney World around 2:00. The kids were very excited! We only stopped once for food and a potty break and arrived in Orlando about 9:00, Cortney and his family had arrived earlier and where at Disney getting in some rides when we arrived. We checked into the Pop Century Resort and went to get something to eat for dinner. Cort, Mandy Austin and Olivia soon met us at the hotel and the kids had a cousin reunion! Each cousin got a Disney package with a Mickey/Minnie Mouse T-shirt, Disney PJ's and some treats. It was great to see Cort's family again. After several hours of catching up, we made plans for the next day and went to bed. Disney Here We Come!!!