Animal Kingdom

On the second day, we headed to the Animal Kingdom. I had never been there before and was really impressed. The first thing we did was go on a safari ride. We saw lots of animals (that you would see at the zoo) but it was a fun and different way to see them.

Audrey loved sitting in front of the glass watching the fish swim around.

At the far side of the pond, there was a hippo that was sleeping. You can click on the picture to get a better look.

Every couple of minutes, he would lift his head up to breathe. Seems like too much work to me. I would just sleep on the land. :)

We took a train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch...

Audrey met Jiminy Cricket for the first time

and got to brush the goats in the petting zoo.

Each of the characters had their own huts so we went and visited Donald Duck since we didn't see him the day before. Actually, Audrey insisted that we see them ALL (Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy) again.

Eating one of those yummy Mickey Mouse bars.

In DinoLand they had this huge play area that Audrey loved. To get to the top of the slide, she had to climb up all these rope ladders. I was quite impressed with her.
I wasn't sure if she was actually going to slide down this 3 story slide, but she did without any problems. In fact, she went back up several times.
Practicing her gymnastic moves on an "abandoned" jeep.
Such a fun day! We loved the Animal Kingdom!

Disney World

Okay, I think I've neglected the blog for long enough! To be honest, the amount of pictures I took on vacation was so overwhelming that I was exhausted just THINKING about posting them. Of course, a million things have happened in between then and now but we'll start with Disney World and see if I can slowly catch myself up in the next few weeks.

Audrey wasn't quite sure what to think upon entering the Magic Kingdom. I couldn't tell if she was in awe or completely confused (we told her she was going to Mickey's house). The nice lady at the front gate gave her these stickers and a pin that said she was celebrating her first visit.
We had lunch with Pooh and friends and that was a big highlight for Audrey. She is working on her first smile of the day in this picture...


After lunch, we rode Dumbo. My family went to Disney World several times when I was growing up, but I don't ever remember riding Dumbo. Obviously, it looks like Audrey would like to forget riding Dumbo as well.

Oh! There it is! A real, genuine, I'm ready to admit that I'm happy to be here, smile! We should have taken her to the carousel first.
From then on, she was pretty much all smiles. We rode the Winnie the Pooh ride and Audrey got a new Pooh bear. I wasn't sure how well a nap was going to work out, but shortly after this picture was taken, she fell asleep for about an hour.
We took advantage of the nap and headed over to Tomorrowland, which is a favorite of mine. Brett was kind of making fun of me because Tomorrowland is kind of outdated now but I just love it. Brings back lots of good memories of family vacations past when Tomorrowland was a fascinating place that made you wonder if the world was going to really be that "space age" in the year 2000. I really wanted to ride Space Mountain for old times sake but it was closed for renovations. So, we headed to my 2nd favorite, which is the "Carousel of Progress." I'm sure some of you who have been there (and know what I'm talking about) are rolling your eyes, but I. LOVE. IT. I'm a dork. I admit it.

After Audrey's snooze was over (and I devoured a delicious Mickey Mouse ice cream bar), we headed to Mickey's house for a little meet and greet.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Mickey's Toontown letting Audrey play and explore Mickey and Minnie's houses. Audrey was also introduced, for the first time, to the world of princesses. Before Disney, our world was all about Pooh and Mickey. Now, our world is all about Cinderella, Snow White, and Ariel. The "pwincesses."

Before we left, I decided that since Space Mountain was closed, I would ride Splash Mountain (another old favorite). You know, just for old times sake.

The best part was that there was no waiting, I got right on! And then after the 5 story drop, I remembered why I don't do roller coasters anymore. Even for old times sake. I'll just hang on to the memories next time. And now I have new memories to add to the older ones of when I was a kid experiencing Disney World. It felt just as magical as an adult as it did when I was a kid- with one exception. I don't ever remember being so tired-- and so hot! But I still think it is the most magical place on earth!

Thank You, Target

Thank you for clearancing out the $1 section and giving my child hours of entertainment today with her new purchase.
I can't imagine a better day for goggles than a gloomy, rainy day, where you can spend the afternoon swimming in the bathtub.

Botanic Gardens

Before I start this post, I had to share this little girls' cape that I did for a friend last week. I just love it! Betcha can't guess what all the kiddos in my family are getting this year.... ha ha. (Inside of the cape- I didn't make this one reversible, but it could easily be reversible)

So, my mom, sister, and I took Audrey and my nieces to the Botanic Gardens today to check out the new children's section. It's called "My Big Backyard" and it's like the best backyard that a kid could ever imagine. A huge tree house, a wooded area to build forts and play games, little playhouses with different themes, a dress up section, tunnels, sandboxes, and water- what more can a child ask for? The Botanic Gardens are always so beautiful but there hasn't been much for kids to do besides run around and feed the (very large and agressive) fish, so I am really excited about this new section.

The tree house

The slide was a hit with the little girls...

and the little girl at heart.

Luckily, Natalie found something more age appropriate for her. She and my niece built this fort while the younger 2 ran around the tree house.

The dress up station was a big hit.

After Audrey dressed up her doll, she decided to dress up herself while the other girls finished their dolls.

These were 2 of the playhouses for the kids.

The yellow playhouse had chalkboard paint on the inside of it with buckets of chalk as well as the clothes line in the back. I loved the red adirondack chairs. I could have sat there all afternoon!

The blue house was the music house. They should have put the red chairs in front of that house because no sane adult wants to be inside that house when there is more than 1 child banging on all the instruments. Especially with a child like Audrey around who loves to bang AND sing along.

What a great place they have created! There were so many more things for the kids to do that I didn't get pictures of but I look forward to many more trips there.

As for the next 9 days, we are headed to Florida for our annual beach vacation. This year we're adding a stop at Walt Disney World and I'm pretty sure Audrey is going to be in complete and utter heaven. She's definitely ready to go so we'll overload you all with pictures and stories when we get back!

A Week of First's

Last week was an eventful week for Audrey. She started going to a Kids' Day Out program that she'll attend one day a week. My first day without her for 5 hours went by waaaay too fast. Of course, I spent the first 4 hours worrying about her since she's never been left that long in a school-type setting (and she was quite upset that I was leaving her). She loves going to the nursery at church and at the gym but I'm in the building during those times so I've never worried when she was upset. However, we both survived and she seemed to have fun. This week, I find myself counting down the days until she goes again! A fun little project of mine last week was making Audrey a slip cover for her napmat.

There is a slot for a pillow at the top but it is currently in her crib. The bottom side is all pink and the bottom of the mat has a velcro closure so I can take the mat out and wash the cover easily. Love it!

She also started gymnastics last week and she loves it! I almost wish it was more than one day a week because she is such a little monkey! She loves to show off what she has learned and her favorite thing to do is roll. In fact, she's added somersaults to her bedtime routine (much to my annoyance). Bedtime used to be so short and sweet. Brush teeth, read stories, sing a couple of songs, lights out. Now it includes vacuuming her floor (what?) and practicing her somersaults. I try really hard to be a good mom, but bedtime makes me want to scream. Just to give you a visual...
Turns out napmats can double as gymnastics mats. I love the last picture. The teacher has taught her that after she does a skill, she has to put her hands up and says, "Ta Da!" At bedtime she changes the "Ta Da" to"Try Again!" Arrrrg.

Last week was a first for me as well, as I realized how much my little girl has grown up in the past 2 years. I feel so lucky to have such an adorable, funny, talkative little girl to entertain me and bless my life every day.

Super Heroes In The Making

The months of June and July are filled with birthdays of family and friends for us. Several of them being young boys who love anything and everything super hero related. I came across a tutorial for a super hero cape from Puking Pastilles awhile back and knew it would be the perfect gift this year. You know those moments... it's like the heavens opening and angels singing kind of moment. :) You can find her tutorial by clicking HERE.

The best part is that the cape is reversable! So one day you can be Batman...

and the next day, you can be Superman. Genius!

The cape velcro's around the neck.

I just had to throw this picture in. Ever since our little getaway to Nashville, Audrey has been obsessed with taking pictures, so she felt that she needed to get some shots of the cape, too, before I wrapped it up. Notice the dog sitting in the baby carrier? Yea, they were next up for the photo shoot. Wish I had video of her talking to them... "Wook at me, Doggy! Say cheese!" I just love her!