“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” -Scott Hamilton

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude." - Scott Hamilton

Monday, April 30, 2012

Vacation: Part 4

YES!  We went to Disney!  Daddy stayed with Raymond and Lily so Isabella and I could have a special day.
Right after finding out about our special day.
As we got closer, the excitement grew.  Isabella was more excited then I've ever seen her.  After I parked the car, Isabella was trying to open the car door before the car was even in park.  We bought our tickets and got our first visit pins, and headed to the tram.  Isabella thought it was neat to ride the tram to the park.  The tram actually drives through a hotel.  It was pretty neat!

I wonder if Daddy can prune a Minnie Mouse bush?
After we entered the park, I saw a sign to meet Rapunzel.  We got in line right away and anxiously awaited her arrival.  While in line, we met another little girl named Lily.  She was there with her mother too.  The girls had fun with each other while we waited.
One of the things I love most about Isabella is her attention to detail.  She sees and remembers everything.  When Rapunzel came out everyone clapped and cheered.  Isabella and I did the same.  Once Isabella had Rapunzel in her view, she looked puzzled.  Then she looked up at me and asked why Rapunzel's hair wasn't short and brown.  For those who haven't seen the movie, at the very end Rapunzel's hair gets cut short, turns brown and looses all of it's magical powers.
I hadn't even considered this.  Caught off guard, I told her it must have grown back.

Isabella kept looking over at me thrilled!



After we met Rapunzel, I spotted Snow White walking through the town square.  We followed her and got to say hi.


Then we met Mary Poppins.

I think Isabella had the best interaction with her.  Mary Poppins conversation with Isabella was great.  She asked Isabella for a favor.  She wanted Isabella to keep an eye out for her penguin friends (from the movie) because they were going to have tea.  "They seem to have wondered off" she told Isabella.  The ENTIRE day, Isabella looked for those penguins.

I love this picture.

Ariel and Prince Eric.  She gave Ariel a big hug too.  You might notice Ariel looking over her dress in this picture.  Right before Isabella went over to see them, Prince Eric noticed marker on Ariel's arm.  Then he noticed she had black marker all over the side and back of her dress.  I guess one of the two little girls in line before us had a marker in her hand.  I honestly wasn't sure if they were going to let Isabella go see her.  Out of nowhere there were several Disney employee's there trying to asses the situation.  They did let Isabella have her turn but I'm pretty sure immediately after they had Ariel and Eric take a break to try and remove the marker.  I heard the one employee say nothing like that had ever happened before.  I'm sure that her dress is a very expensive costume.



We didn't wait in line to see Jasmin and Aladdin.  They were about to go on a break and Isabella wanted to keep going.
In front of Splash Mountain

Before we went on Splash Mountain, we met Woody and Jessie.

Isabella loved splash mountain.  She told me it was her favorite ride.  I was surprised she didn't think it was scary.  I took a picture of the picture that is snapped when you are on the ride. 
Her face is so cute!!!

We went on splash mountain more than once!


We should have gone on It's a Small World before Splash Mountain.  Isabella found it a little boring.


We got in line to go on Snow White's ride.  While in line, four men came over and were playing music.  When I went to take a picture of Isabella in front of them they all leaned in.  I thought it was funny - right on cue.

The cars for the ride were all named after the seven dwarfs.  We rod in Grumpy.

We both thought the tea-cup ride was fun.




Isabella couldn't get enough of the castle!

Isabella tried to pull the sword out of the stone.  She was so funny.  After I told her to let someone else have a turn, she told me she wanted to go back later and try again because she "really loosened it".
3-D Movie
Mickey Ice Cream Snack
LOVE HER!

While we were in line for Space Mountain the lights flickered and flashed.  Then over the intercom system we were told that the ride was no longer in service.  It stayed closed the rest of the day so we didn't get to go on.  I was just glad we weren't on it when it decided not to work!

The Speedway was fun.  I laughed so hard the entire ride.  Isabella was steering while I pushed the gas peddle.  If this is any indication of how she will drive when she's older - we are in trouble! 



She sure did look cute behind the wheel!

We danced with Stitch...

And Goofy...

And Pluto!


My favorite part of the park was the Monsters Inc. show.  It was interactive and so funny!  Isabella was Boo!  They put her up on the big screen and she froze.  The monster was trying to get her to play Peek-a-Boo.  Get it?  The jokes and improve made everyone laugh and laugh.  I would highly recommend the show to anyone planning to visit Magic Kingdom. 




Isabella picked out this hat.  (Yes, we had a wardrobe change)  She did such a good job of not asking for things.  Almost every ride/show let out into a gift shop.  We did stop and look but that's about it.  I wanted to buy her something practical.  The hat was practical and so cute.
Dumbo Ride

The other thing Isabella asked for was to have her hair wrapped.  It seemed to be a good price (even though I have nothing to reference it to) and there was only one teenager waiting to have it done.  It was late and most people were waiting to see the parade.  

The girl who did Isabella's hair told us to go up the hill just a little because that's were the parade ended. So when she was finished we headed over and there was hardly anyone there. It was great. We sat down on the ground and waited for the parade to come.
Cinderella was a big highlight!

After the parade we headed over to the castle for the fireworks.  It was a great way to end our special day.  It was definitely a magical place.  We got to the park at 8:30 and I pulled out of the parking lot at 10:50.  It was a long and exciting day.  I helped Isabella into the car, walked around, got in, put the key in the ignition and turned to ask Isabella something, and she was already asleep.  I wonder if she was dreaming about princesses?

Thank you to our "fairy godmother" for making this magical day possible! ; )

Check back for more vacation pictures.

Until Next Time!
Lots of Love,

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Vacation: Part 3

Mommy and Isabella Day...


Exciting!!!  Check back for LOTS of pictures!!!

Until Next Time!
Lots of Love,

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Vacation: Part 2

~Part 1 published on 04/24~

On Sunday we arrived in Florida at Aunt Shirley and Uncle Bo's house.  Despite hitting very little traffic, it was a long ride and everyone was happy to get out of the car.  Chris and I unpacked the car after dinner while the kids settled in.  Isabella brought a wooden car kit to put together with Uncle Bo.  She told me before we left that she thought he would like to build it with her.  She was right!

Uncle Bo has a workshop in his garage.  He enjoys doing wood working and leather work.  Isabella was excited to work in the garage with him.


Uncle Bo made these side bags for his motorcycle.  It's hard to see the detail on them, but it's beautiful.


Aunt Shirley and Lily
Isabella took plenty of crafts to do on vacation.

Raymond makes a mess where ever he goes.

Isabella had such an exciting day that she fell asleep at the table with a marker in her hand.
On Tuesday we went to Highlands Hammock State Park.  Chris found the park online and saw that they offer tram tours.  We thought the kids would enjoy seeing the wildlife up close.  As we headed out, we saw a crane on the side of the road.

Once there, we hopped on the tram and off we went!





Isabella liked seeing all the alligators.  There were about 10 other people on the tour besides us.  Everyone was so nice to the kids.  They made sure Isabella saw everything before we continued. 


Later that same night we went to Leitsy's for dinner.  It is my favorite place to eat!  Chris had all the local fare - frog legs, catfish, alligator and turtle.  No, I didn't try any of it (I do like catfish though).  I had scallops and Isabella had shrimp.  Lily had a little of everything! 




The restaurant is right off of Lake Okeechobee.  We walked around and looked at the water a while after dinner.  Everything was very low.  The area is in desperate need of rain.

On the way home, we drove with the car windows open. 

This is Lily wind-blown and squealing in joy.  She loved having the air blow on her!


Keep checking back for more vacation pictures!

Until Next Time!
Lots of Love,