Disney Magic

Finally!! We were counting the days and the excitement had been building for our Spring Break trip to Disney World and then it arrived.  We took off very early on Friday 4/1 and drove down, stopping once in TN and once in FL.  We arrived on Sunday, 4/3 (which also happened to be my 32nd Birthday.

  We were able to enjoy the pool during the afternoon and the girls had a great time going down the waterslide!

 Later that night we went to the Grand Floridian for Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare.  We were able to meet Cinderella, Prince Charming, the step-mother and the step-sisters.  Allison loved having her picture taken with all the characters but Maddie was a little hesitant.  She did enjoy dressing up and waving to them from afar! 

On Monday 4/4 we woke early and headed to the Magic Kingdom.  There we went to breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle!! This was a lot of fun and we met Cinderella again as well as Belle, Ariel, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.  This time Maddie got into the act a little more since she loves the princesses!

After breakfast we went on the rides in Fantasyland.  We went back to the hotel for lunch and naps and then returned in the evening and did a few activities in Tomorrowland.  We submitted a joke for the Laugh Floor- Monsters, Inc. and Allison's joke was read live on stage!!

"Where do cows go on their first date?"
"To the moooovies!"

Allison's favorite thing of the day: "Everything except the Haunted Mansion."

Maddie: "Dumbo and Small World."






On  Tuesday we woke to thunderstorms moving in. We decided to take our chances and head to Hollywood Studios since we knew most activities would be indoors.  Luckily we didn't get TOO wet and were still able to enjoy the park and lunch at Hollywood and Vine. There we dined with Oso, Handy Manny and Leo from Little Einsteins!

Allison's favorites: Beauty and the Beast and Toy Story Mania


 Maddie's favorite: Voyage of the Little Mermaid









On Wednesday we went back to the Magic Kingdom!! We rode Dumbo again first thing since both girls
loved it so much and then moved on to Frontierland and Adventureland. 

 After lunch, naps and swimming we went back for dinner at the Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.  After dinner we scoped out a spot and watched the Electrical Parade, which we all loved!

Allison's favorite: Jungle Cruise

Maddie's favorite: Electrical Parade and the ice cream! :-)






Thursday was out last day.  We went to Animal Kingdom and had breakfast at Tusker House with Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.  Everyone enjoyed the safari and the Lion King show was wonderful as well!! 

Is this not a classic picture?

I can't tell you how many times she went down this slide

 Allison's favorite: Lion King

Maddie's favorite: The Boneyard...hands down!

  

We stopped 2 nights on the way back as well and made it home on Saturday.  Today has been spent catching up on grocery shopping, laundry and organization before we head back into the last couple of months of the school year.  We had a fantastic time and can't wait to go again!! Well, the girls and I that is- Phil said he is more than happy to let next time be a "girls only" trip.  So what do you think SILs and nieces...are you in? :-)

Happy Spring everyone- enjoy the beautiful weather!

Cousins!

Last weekend Adam and Kim's little Olivia was in town from Florida.  My Mom and I decided to take the girls in to have some photos taken of them all together- all 3 Granddaughters!  Here are a few of the images.   Olivia was a little wary of the studio and strange situation so we didn't get a lot of smiles.  She is still as adorable as ever and her cousins LOVE her!! 

The Countdown is on!!

It is almost that time....SPRING BREAK!! I don't know who is more excited, me or the girls !?! :-) We are heading to Disney where we will be visiting Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Since we are driving we are leaving 2 days ahead of our reservation so we can break up the drive and make it somewhat fun!  We made a "chain" like the ones you make at Christmas time and the girls look forward to pulling off a link every day.  Can't wait for that Florida sunshine....especially since more snow is in the forecast this week. :-(

Pallie the Wonder Fish

This post is written in honor of Pallie the Wonder Fish.  Pallie was a Betta Fish picked out at Petco by Allison.  She named him Pallie, we assume, because it rhymed with Allie. :-)  Pallie was a Wonder Fish because the first time I changed his water, I didn't know the water needed to sit out for 24 hours before putting it in the bowl and that it was to be warm.  Poor Pallie floated to the bottom and top of the bowl, on his side and upside down, and did not respond to prods by the net. I assumed he had died but after I did some googling I ended up putting in some warmer water.  Miraculously he came back to life!  This time however, Pallie used up his last life. He hadn't been eating well the past week or so and had been pretty inactive.  Phil and I spent a couple of nights in Chicago while I was at a conference for work (the girls stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's) and when we came home he was at the bottom of the tank, lifeless.  I broke the news to Allison first.  It went like this. "Allison, I'm sorry but I have some really bad news. Pallie died."  She looked at me, considering what she had just been told, and then said, "can we get a new pet, like a puppy?"  She then broke the news to her sister. "Maddie, I have some bad news, Pallie died."  Maddie's response? "Oh."  Glad to know they are resilient!

RIP Pallie
DOB unknown-3/13/11

Yes, we're still here

Wow...I can not believe it has been so long since I last blogged! I kept thinking I needed to write and share but really things have been pretty uneventful.  It's been a long winter and we all have been dealing with the congestion and cough that everyone seems to be dealing with! 

We celebrated Phil's Birthday and the girls enjoyed eating his cake for about a week afterward....I am sharing a picture of Maddie who chose to treat the frosting like lotion. :-) 

Sunday my Mom and I went to see The King's Speech (loved it) so Daddy was on duty and baked brownies with the girls.  Here is a picture of them eating the results! (Yes, Maddie is wearing a bathing suit.  I just got it and she insisted on wearing it- she's a goof.)

We are also counting down to our vacation to Disney World. We'll be leaving in just over 3 weeks and the kids are already picking out which princess dresses they want to bring! Until next time....