Disney: Day 2 - Updated with Pictures!

So before I posted that I didn't have any pictures of our day at Hollywood Studies but now I do!!!! With a big THANK YOU to my father-in-law, I have some fantastic pictures and here are a few!!!!

The kids in front of the Sorcerer's Hat!

The way the bushes are tended to at Disney World amazed me all week!

The first thing we did was head to the new Toy Story Mania ride! We got there early enough that we were able to get on in about 20 minutes! When we were done with the ride we automatically got FastPasses so that we could come back and ride it again later on! I was wondering if Daniel was going to enjoy it since last year he really did not like the 3D glasses but it turns out that it was his favorite ride the whole week!!!!! :) We even found a toy at a gift shop that is a small version of the "gun" you use during the carnival games on this ride...this ride was definitely a big hit!!!!

Waiting in line...lots of neat things to see while waiting!

Grandma and Daniel waiting for the ride to start! The 3D glasses were fun!

After the ride, we went across the walkway to meet Buzz Lightyear and Woody! Daniel didn't want to go near Buzz and Woody and only got close enough to have them sign his book! :)


After that ride, we headed over to the Star Wars area to watch the Jedi Training Academy. Chris got a seat right in the front row, center but unfortunately wasn't chosen to be a Padawan in Training! He LOVED watching the whole show though! We caught him practicing the moves they showed the kids in the show later on in the day! :)
We ate at lunch at the Playhouse Disney lunch at Hollywood and Vine. The food was fantastic and the kids loved meeting characters from the Disney Channel!

Kate's favorite character was Leo! She got so excited every time he walked by!

Leo from the Little Einsteins...

June from the Little Einsteins...

Goliath from JoJo and Goliath...

JoJo!!!!

We then went to see the Playhouse Disney show which the kids loved....it included all kinds of characters from the Disney Channel shows that the boys still watch...including Handy Manny!
Then it was off to Toy Story Mania AGAIN! :) Daniel also got to ride this ride again on Friday while Chris did his Star Wars stuff!

Meeting the Incredibles....Chris was in heaven!

Kate wasn't too sure about Sorcerer Mickey...she like looking at him from a distance!

After we left Sorcerer Mickey we discovered that Frozone had made an appearance where the Incredibles were....

One of the other neat things we did was to watch the Stunt show...it was warm and crowded when we got there but we had good seats and the show was interesting! Chris and Daniel thought it was really neat watching the cars drive so fast and spin around and catch on fire...they LOVED IT!


What a fun day it was! And looking back at the pictures now just brings a smile to my face!

Hope you are having a great day!

I really don't have a title for this one...

We just got a phone call that Sierra has been adopted...I'm feeling relieved that she has a permanent home now and absolutely sad that her home is not with us anymore...

For those who don't know, Chris and Kate are allergic to dogs. Chris is only slightly allergic but Kate is severely allergic. So much so that it was suggested that we find new homes for our two pups...heartbreaking. Her health is way more important...that goes without saying but it was still a hard blow nonetheless. We soon will be down to fish and hermit crabs since Chris is severely allergic to cats.

Anyway, Dakota found a home quickly with friends of ours who live a little way out of town and have quite a bit of land for him to just run! He is so extremely happy and has fit into their family seamlessly! It has been truly great knowing that he is happy and they are happy!

Sierra proved to be more difficult. She is 7 and people just weren't looking for a dog right now so we gave ourselves the deadline of our Disney trip to find a home for her or we were going to have to put her into a foster home and that is indeed what we ended up doing. We have been in contact with the people she was placed through and the call we got tonight told us that she has been adopted by a very nice man and his 5 children...the perfect place for Sierra to be! :) I'm just very sad that it's not my kids she's with but I know she will be happy and I know they will take care of her.

I'm just thankful for programs like this...I now can rest easier knowing for sure that Sierra is in a good home...

Until next time!

Favorite Summer Things...Wading Pools

I don't have pictures to go along with this post but I must mention one of my family's favorite things here in Kirksville in the summer. It would be the wading pools! :)

Kirksville has several of these small pools that are absolutely free to go to and this year they are starting to fill them at about 2 and then emptying them at 6....perfect time for a swim! :) The kids love them and they can go have a blast getting as wet as they want while I sit myself under the trees in the shade and talk with my friends! Love it! :) Kate is not a fan yet but I'm sure it won't be long before she is in there with her brothers splashing around, etc. The best part? There isn't a pool for me to dump or a muddy mess in my yard!

We were at the wading pool today for THREE HOURS and the kids had TONS of fun as did I! I got to sit and talk with friends while my kids went and played....fantastic!

Now that we have finally been once I'm sure the kids will be asking on a daily basis if we can go back!

Until next time....

Favorite Summer Things...Popsicles!

So I have decided to start a new series of posts...they may or may not be interrupted by other posts about random things but this new series of posts will always be titled...Favorite Summer Things. We have many favorite summer things at our house...almost too many sometimes!

Popsicles are a BIG THING in our house...the minute I said the word "summer" Daniel was asking for popsicles!!!! His favorite kind are the plastic tubes that you can buy like 50 for 5 bucks or something crazy like that! Love it! We have had them on a daily basis almost since summer started! Daniel and Chris love choosing what color they will have each day...fun!
Kate has even tried them...this was her having her very first taste! :) She wasn't too sure at first and once she realized they were cold she ran away and watched her brothers from a distance...it really didn't take too long for her to come back and truly try one!At first she wasn't too sure but once she got past the shock of the coldness she was all over them! :) Another popsicle obsessed kid is in our future I think! :)
Hope you are doing all of your favorite summer things and I will post more later on!

Disney: Day 7

On our last full day at Walt Disney World we spent the day at Magic Kingdom! We started the day out by getting Kate's first haircut!!!! She sat really still (I was worried she would be as hard to get a haircut for as Daniel!) and once she had her binkie and her daddy, she was good to go! :) This was also the day that my camera decided to act up and so I have this horrible black line on all of my pictures...we have yet to figure out what is wrong with the thing!

Anyway, here it is....the first cut!!!! :)

Aren't I beautiful? :)

When Kate was finished, Chris decided he would like a haircut and so he did! They put glitter and confetti in his hair when he was done...a great magical Disney touch! :)

After haircuts, we went TONS of rides and saw some shows like Mickey's PhilharMagic, Enchanted Tiki Rom, Jungle Cruise, It's a Small World, Tea Cups, Snow White, Peter Pan, the Indy Speedway, and the list just goes on and on!!!!! So much fun!

Daniel getting ready for the jungle cruise! He had the chance to sit up by the guide who really liked Daniel and deemed Daniel his new buddy!

Posing with Grandma outside Tony's...where we ate lunch! YUMMY!!!!!

A statue of Walt and Mickey in front of the castle...a very popular place to take pictures!

Riding the carousel!!! Daniel LOVED it!

Chris didn't at first...he was tired and hungry and wasn't sure he was up for high the horse was but once it started going he loved it as well....

Waiting for the parade!

Playing in Ariel's Grotto...great way to cool off! They were soaked when we left....

Kate wanted to make Dumbo go up and down!

Chris driving Grandma around the track! Grandad had already gone around the curve! I will have to find that picture!

Greg on the phone with me telling me that he was coming around the curve but I had already spotted them and was taking this picture!!!! Daniel loved driving!!!!

Daniel and I then went on the Barnstormer...we got to sit in the very first row and we had such fun...Daniel loved the fact that it was an airplane!

Tea Cups again!

Neither of them could pull the sword from the stone...bummer!

Kate on the carousel the second or third time we rode it! :)

Castle at night...

And then the perfect way to end our vacation...the fireworks! We had a great seat in the middle at the end of Main Street. After the fireworks were over we took our time getting to our bus and then we headed back to the resort!

Our whole trip was so much fun. Getting to see Grandma Bailey twice and Greg's cousins was fantastic...we haven't seen them in a very long time and it was great to kind of catch up and see everyone!

Our week at Disney was everything we hoped it would be...the boys got a TON of signatures, visited 11 different countries, saved the world 3 times, danced with a princess, met Star Wars idols, rode a tons of different rides, saw amazing fireworks, watched phenomenal shows, saw Mickey 4 different times, at some delicious food, and had some great family time! The week was fantastic!

Hope you are having a great day!