Disney Day 1: Hollywood Studios

We arrived in Orlando on Sunday afternoon, checked into the Polynesian Resort, unloaded the car, and headed to Hollywood Studios. I wasn't sure the girls would have much to see there, but since it was a free ticket we thought we'd give it a try. I am so glad we did. The first thing we did was to go see the Beauty and the Beast show. Fabulous! Macy was completely mesmerized and didn't really move from this position for the entire 30 minute show.The set, costumes, and choreography were exquisite.

The rain started while we were watching the show. We searched around town before we left and finally found the smallest ponchos we could for the girls. Unfortunately we left them in the hotel in our rush to get to the park so we ended up having to buy some there. Guess we'll just be returning the unopened packages. It was supposed to rain every day while we were there, but we only got stuck in it 2 times and one time we were under cover at the train depot.

After the Beauty and the Beast show we went to the Playhouse Disney dance party. During the day there is a show, but in the evening it is a dance party. The girls had the BEST time dancing around. They danced with Mickey, Minnie, Handy Manny, and all of the Little Einsteins. There were quite a few kids in there and it wasn't brightly lit, so the pictures didn't turn out so well.

Macy is a monkey. We have always known that. Now the Little Einsteins know it too. This is one of several pictures we have of her climbing on someone or sitting on their big shoes while gripping their legs. Think she was a little excited?

We didn't think we'd be at Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic show, but we were glad to find out we'd be there for it. We had heard wonderful reviews and it surely did not disappoint. We got there about 40 minutes in advance and still ended up with a seat in the outer section.

The coolest thing is that part of the show is projected onto water that is sprayed up in the air. This picture doesn't do it justice. It was really neat how they did it.

Yes, you can have fire on top of water, and yes it still gets hot.

We headed back to our room after this with 2 tired little girls, but we are so glad that we decided to give Hollywood Studios a try.

Macy's 3rd Birthday

We enjoyed a relaxing day celebrating Macy's birthday. We got home from Disney late the night before, so we slept in. No, just kidding. Macy doesn't sleep in. It doesn't matter what time she goes to bed. I'm sure there was a little excitement for her as well. She has been waiting for her birthday ever since Kayla had her day 6 weeks ago.

Opening presents from the family. The Barbie was a selfish gift on my part. It is meant to reduce the number of fights they have over the sparkly doll. Looks like she was pretty excited about it.

Tradition continues. The girls got their nails done for Macy's birthday. She did a better job this time of staying still and now has purple toenails and pink fingernails both of which have flowers on them.

Watching the lady paint her toenails.

We went to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner - Five Guys. She loves cheeseburgers and fries. Ok, not really. She loves the peanuts, but she did eat some cheeseburger too. My mom surprised her with a cookie cake for dessert.

Happy Birthday sweet Macy! We love you so much and can't believe that you are 3 years old already!

Happy Birthday Macy!

Three years ago I became a mother for the second time. I was scheduled for an induction so this experience was quite different from the first time around. Ten hours later we met our precious Macy Kate and a new chapter in our lives began.

Macy,
You are such a blessing to your daddy and me. You have grown up so much in the last few months, and yet it is still hard to believe that you are 3 years old. You have such a wonderful sense of humor and you keep us laughing. I am so thankful that God blessed us by giving us such a spirited little girl. I love you my precious Macy Kate. Happy Birthday!
Love,
Mommy

Kayla's Dance Recital

Kayla's dance recital was so cute. She is really enjoying dance and did a great job performing in front of an audience. She always remembers to smile too! The pictures aren't too great because of the lighting in the building. Oh well. The recital theme was "Bon Voyage" and the tap dance was "Down in New Orleans" from Princess and the Frog.

I'm not sure what the ballet song was, but it had a Hawaiian feel to it.

Right after the recital we grabbed a quick lunch of her choice (Chick-fil-A of course) and then hit the road for Disney World!

No Shoes

This is what happened when I didn't come home with the shoes she thought I was bringing home. This girl loves her some shoes!

Mother's Day and Dedication

I had a special Mother's Day this year. We also had Brooke's dedication. We stood before the church and made a covenant with God to raise Brooke in a godly home and raise her in a way pleasing to our Lord. We have made this same commitment with Kayla and Macy, but this time it was on Mother's Day. When we walked across the stage there was a lot of talking from the choir and congregation. Thankfully it was more of the "oh how cute" noises rather than the "she has toilet paper on her shoe." From what we were told later everyone was talking about how adorable Kayla and Macy were in their outfits. We always get so many compliments on them when they wear them. And no, I didn't make them.

All the gals in my family.

We took a picture with Marc's parents too, but they didn't turn out too well. Maybe someone will send me a good copy - hint, hint. :)

Oh, and I can't forget the massage gift certificate at a local spa. Can't wait to cash in on that one!

Pool Fun in NC

I didn't take a lot of pictures on our trip. Other than visiting with family the girls and I just hung out, we went to the pool, and we actually ran a couple of errands for our upcoming vacation. I didn't make it in the pool this time. Marc said it was a little chilly so that means I'll watch from the sidelines. The girls had so much fun. I did end up in the hot tub a couple of times. While trying to be super-mom in the rain I pulled a muscle (or a few!) in my neck/back. It was really bad and I could barely move later that day. After a much needed nap I actually had to roll out of bed. I'm still sore 4 days later, but only having to take advil in the morning. Thank goodness for the hot tub that I could soak it in. I'm sure I would be worse off if I wasn't able to do that.

Brooke's first time in the pool. She tolerated it for about 15 minutes and then she sat and watched Kayla and Macy jumping in.

Aren't itty-bitty swimsuits so cute!?!

A Visit With Family

Marc had a business trip to Charlotte, NC and we were able to join him. It was a great little get-away for all of us. On Sunday we drove a couple of hours to see my aunt and uncle and had a great day with them. We started off going to the same gardens that our engagement pictures and my bridal pictures were taken. My uncle is a professional photographer so we are always ready for a photo shoot. As soon as we arrived we headed out, which was probably not the best time of the day with the heat and sunshine. Brooke was pretty tired too so that didn't help things. We did get several great shots. We were sent home with over 100 pictures on a disk and these are the raw images. Once I pick my favorites he'll work some more magic on them.

This was probably the best we got of Brooke.

When we arrived at the gardens one of the grounds keepers told us that he killed a copperhead snake earlier in the day. That was a little unnerving, but I moved on. It's a large garden and snake bites always happen to someone else. Later when heading to the bench above my uncle told us not to tip-toe because he saw a black snake just a few minutes earlier. Of course I did more than not tip-toe - I stomped. I told the girls to act like dinosaurs. When crossing over these bridges we stomped some more. I don't think I really allowed myself to think about it. I know you aren't supposed to kill a black snake because they can be helpful, but it's still a snake and it will bite. Only after we were gone did Marc inform me that POISONOUS copperheads can swim. I knew that, but I think God closed my mind to that fact. I probably would have freaked out and scared the girls. And I wouldn't have some great pictures. Of course if something had happened I'm not sure I would have ever forgiven myself.

I was able to let go of my type-A personality for a while. I let them play in the fountain in their Easter dresses. I figured the bottom might get a little wet. Well immediately I saw it would be a couple inches of Macy's dress. Kayla is obviously my daughter because she was very unsure about it when Marc put her in. She held her dress up and I had to convince her it was okay to let it go. Then I walked away to get Brooke out of the sun. Next thing I know they were soaked, and having a ball I might add. There was only one choice for me at this point. Enjoy every moment of them playing and forget about the dresses. It's not like they were playing in the mud.