Fantastic Florida: Our Stay

We were able to stay at the Gaylord Resort in Orlando for this amazing vacation. They upgraded us to an atrium view, which meant that from our room we could see all through the atrium. There were indoor rainforests, aligators, koi ponds, resturants, and much more! Outside, there was this amazing pool area for the kids. It was complete with water slides and movie theater. Since we were all exhausted from the great day at Disney, we decided to spend our second day at the resort. The girls were able to relax and play at the pool. After dinner, they got back into the pool so that they could watch that evening's movie! It was awesome!

Fantastic Florida: Disney

Well, we pulled it off! I still don't know how, but we were able to take our little family on an amazing Florida vacation this summer. First stop, Orlando! In Orlando, we went to Disney's Magic Kingdom for the day. This was the first time that the girls had ever been there. It was amazing! We found out that Allie loves roller coasters, while Brianna does not enjoy them at all! This was quickly determined after riding Thunder Mountain Railroad with Brianna. She refused to ride any more rides with me for the rest of the day! Allie, on the other hand, was overjoyed to ride Space Mountain multiple times with both Mommy and Daddy. That was a blast! We ended the day with a "snack" for the road. Allie had cotton candy while Bri had a lollipop. It was a day to remember!

Camp Mommy Rocks!

Yep, tooting my own horn - but I don't do this often! Bri and I have had a blast this week while Heath and Allie were away at camp. We went shopping, painted nails, went to the library (our favorite place for movies and music), had dinner at Sweetfrogs, went swimming, and crafted a lot! I think that my favorite was the crafting part. I am always up for a challenge, and I found one this week. I wanted to create the "Saige" look on a budget. (For those of you who don't know, Saige is the American Girl of the Year who just happens to look just like Allie!) I found her dress at our local consignment shop and her belt in Allie's things at home. The accessories were a bit more tricky . . . her purse was from a thrift store and the jewelry was hand-crafted by Brianna and myself. We were exhausted but very pleased with the finished products! Tomorrow we will make another Saige set for Bri. Allie will get the first set because it is part of her birthday presents.

Camp Time

Heath and Allie left for Camp Kids Jam today. They were so excited to be going back for a second year. Brianna doesn't feel left out because she knows that we can do all of the "fun" things at home while they are gone. Really fun things like go to breakfast at Waffle House, find projects at Michaels, go to the movies, and have ice cream for dinner! Let the fun begin!!

Off to an Adventure!

The girls never know where the summer will take them. So, yesterday I asked them to put on shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. I packed a picnic lunch and we were off! We walked to our local park for a picnic and playground time! I told them that we would stay as long as they wanted to stay. The hardest part was the walking back home! At least we got freezer-pops upon arriving home!

Dance Competition

The girls always have fun at Nana and Papa's house. This year, they spent each evening practicing for a dance competition. There were three categories: Individual Dance, Group Dance, and Individual with Doll Dance. They had to rock-paper-scissors to see who would go first. Allie was the first to go and she was followed by Brianna. They did the group dance together and ended their program by dancing with their new American Girl Dolls. They got to wear costumes that Mary Beth and I wore as kids, so they were very excited!! The results were: Allie won the individual dance. Brianna won the group dance (I am not sure how this happened, but I was not a judge). The tied for the individual with doll dance! Great dancing everyone!

American Girl Summer

The girls have been saving their money since December so that they both could get another American Girl Doll. Well, they have more than they needed, so off to Atlanta we went. The timing was great because it was also Allie's birthday! The first stop we had was at the Varsity. After that, we went to the American Girl Store. Brianna was so worried that we would leave before she had time to pick the perfect doll! After going around and around the store for an hour, dolls were in hands, and we were ready to pay. At the end of the day, Allie came home with Saige and Brianna came home with Caroline.