Disney World (M&P Visit Part V)

After a 6:30 wake-up call from Mickey Mouse we were ready to visit the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. To summarize what a great trip we ALL had, I will say this: The weather was PERFECT, the crowd was minimal and the lines were NOTHING. It had been almost 20 years since Mimi and Papa had been to Disney World, 9 years since Rico and I had been to Disney World and this was Avery's 1st trip to Disney. We arrived at the park right when it opened and stayed until 7:00 at night. We each had a map of the park and knew exactly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. At the end of the day we all agreed that we felt like we saw EVERYTHING we wanted to see and definately got our moneys worth. I will do my best to recap what photos are what, based on my memory.


We have arrived at Disney World and are waiting to take the ferry across the water to the Magic Kingdom.
On the ferry............Magic Kingdom, here we come!!!

Still seated, but as we got closer we were all standing up and anxious to get the party started.

We can see Cinderella's castle.....we are getting closer!!!

Inside the Magic Kingdom. Mimi, Rico, Avery and I pose before we hit the ground running.

There it is, Cinderella's Castle. Rylie, this picture's for you. Oh, to be a kid again!!!

The first ride of the day: Dumbo, the flying elephant. Avery LOVED this one!!!

Watching a Dancing Show that took place right in front of Cinderella's Castle

What a great show it was!!! I just wonder how many times a week they do this SAME dance?

All the characters are out for the finale.

Mimi and Avery take a snack break while Papa and Daddy visit the Hall of Presidents.

Mimi, Avery and I watch the Singing Country Bear Show.

Waiting in line at the Pirates of the Carribean Ride

Um, can't remember what ride this was......

Same ride, different pose.

Riding the rollercoaster at Goofy's wiseacre farm. This rollercoaster was too fast for mommy. As for Avery and Daddy......they LOVED it!!!

I sat in the rollercoaster car right behind Avery and Daddy, so I got some action shots.

Riding the train around the Magic Kingdom. Such a nice way to relax and take it all in.

Another ride that was very similar to the train, but a bit faster.

This picture deserves an entire blog post of its own. In fact, I will work on that soon. In the meantime, I will just say "Avery is sharing Kiki with Mimi."

This next one was a very cool ride....perhaps one of our favorites.....as for the name of the ride....Ill get back to you on that......

The end of the day, finishing our souvenier shopping, potty break, then it's time to head home. While Avery waits on us he is entertained by a lady with rings on Main Street.

Whew, what a great day. Time to head back to the resort. We had an awesome time and these will be memories we always remember. Thanks for such a good time Mickey Mouse.

Downtown Disney (M&P Visit Part IV)

After a nice, relaxing day at the pool we were all STARVING. We were ready to eat and explore Dowtown Disney. There is PLENTY to do in the Orlando area and tons of different places to check out.

In front of T-Rex.....Avery LOVED the waterfalls.

"Fishy, fishy," Avery is CONVINCED that EVERY body of water has "fishies" in it.

Disclaimer: you had to be there to think it was funny. However, Ill share the story. We were standing by a bush waiting on our table for dinner and I told Avery to "strike a pose". He jumped in front of the bush and this is what we got......... (reread disclaimer if necessary)

Checkin out one of the gift shops. (as Avery pokes Daddy in the eye)

Finally got our table at the Rainforest Cafe. This place is HUGE and has soooo much "stuff" to look at. (Almost TOO MUCH stuff)

After dinner we look for.........you guessed it........more fishies in the tank.

Downtown Disney is a child's HEAVEN.

Group shot of all of us before dinner.

The better side of the guys...... these were the FEW minutes that Avery was actually in his stroller.

Mike Ditca's Runaway Beach Resort (M&P Visit Part III)

Monday night while Mimi and Papa were here Mickey Mouse called and said he wanted to see us. So, we packed a small suitcase and went to Orlando for a few days. Ok, Mickey Mouse didn't really call us, we had the whole trip planned out from start to finish. Anyhow, our first day was spent at Mike Ditca's Runaway Beach resort (comes highly recommended by our dear friend Carol who has stayed there several times.) So, we made reservations to stay there and were SUPER impressed. Beautiful resort, great pool(s), tiki bar at the poolside, HUGE suites and only a 3 minute drive to Disney. The weather was beautiful on Tuesday. It was a perfect day to lounge by the heated pool, eat lunch at the poolside and of course enjoy a beer or two.

Daddy and Avery snackin on some sandwiches and chips.....and yes, cookies, too!!!

Brief history: Last summer + Avery + Po0l = NO INTEREST
This year + Avery + Pool = We COULD NOT get him OUT of the pool.

Tough life: Somebody has to do it........Mimi and Papa relax in the hot tub.

"Mom, I'll give you 60 seconds to get a swim diaper on me, then my a** is gettin' in the pool."

"Ready or not, I'm comin in." He literally has NO FEAR of the water.

Needless to say, we followed him VERY CLOSELY.

..............still following..................

"Whew, swimming all day is tiresome. Mimi, will you hold me?"

The New Sandbox!!! (M&P Visit Part II)

Every kid needs a sandbox, right? Well, that's what we thought. But then we also thought "we have the biggest sandbox in the world if we just drive 10 miles West (to the beach)." However, we don't have time to go to the beach EVERYDAY. Who better to build a sandbox for Triple A then Papa, himself. We went to home depot, bought the supplies, 200lbs of sand and off to build a sandbox we were. (More like, Papa built the sandbox while we all "supervised")



The finished product, already in action. Not sure who likes it more, Avery or Becca and Brianna?


This is sooo much fun. I think I'm gonna have to drag him away at night time.

Pouring the last 50lbs of sand in.

This is where all the construction began.

Mimi and Papa's Visit Part I

As I mentioned earlier in a previous post, Mimi and Papa flew to Florida for 10 days for a much needed visit. We always do as much or as little as we want while they are here, but most of all, we ALWAYS have fun. Our family motto has always been "As long as YOU are doing what YOU want to be doing." Some days we will be on the go from sun-up to sun-down and some days we just lay low. Anyhow, below are some "miscellaneous" pictures that were taken while they were here. I'll call them "miscellaneous" because they really have no certain order and are snaps from different days.


Rebecca, Brianna and Avery snuggle on the couch while Mimi prepares breakfast for everyone.
Our neighbors (yes, the girls I always mention on the blog) are homeschooled. While we try our best NOT to disturb them, sometimes we just can't help it and of course, they welcome the disturbance. So, while we were playing outside they came over and schooled in our garage. Avery stands by trying to explain the intricacies of chemistry. "Listen up girls, Im only gonna tell you this once."

Avery draws on his dry-erase board the formula for hydrogen peroxide. The girls take very detailed notes of what he is teaching.

Teaching is a hard and tiresome job. "I must rest with Papa while I drink my milk. Whew, long day."

"Ok, no more rest needed. I wanna go ride my bike." Its about 9:00 and Avery has us all outside playing. Why not? Mimi and Papa are here!!!

I said that some days we are "on the go from sun-up to sun-down." This was one of those days, literally.

Middle of the day beer break!!! It's 5:00 somewhere.