Disneyworld...Day 4 Animal Kingdom & Downtown Disney

These pictures are a little out of order and I am not going to obsess over it. Animal Kingdom is not my favorite park. I like it but of the four parks it is number four. We have less pictures from Animal Kingdom than anywhere else. I'm not sure if that is because they close earlier than the other parks or because it is not Ryan's favorite park either. I love how animated Danica's face is in this picture. Jenna's favorite character is Tinker Bell so she wanted to have her hair styled accordingly this day.Breakfast was at the Roaring Fork on this morning. The Roaring Fork is in the Wilderness Lodge. It is more like a fast food stop.

I am not sure how to describe or introduce these next few pictures so you will have to use your imagination and label then for yourselves.

We rarely stand in line for characters. I thought Pocahontas was very beautiful and she is one of Irelee's favorites. Since we only had to wait about five minutes it was worth it.

Okay I know this is in Dinoland, in Animal Kingdom but I kind of feel like I'm missing Disney.Animal Kingdom closed at 6PM so we went over to Downtown Disney to see some of the new lego art. It was cool.I mean really really cool.Move over Peter. Tink obviously has a thing for the space man.

Disneyworld Day Two... Don't have to be at a water park to get wet

Day two we went back into Epcot but this time we went to the world showcase. We were there during a garden festival of some kind and it was cool. Many characters were made up of plants like mater and lightning. These are two of Derek's favorite so I am not sure why he is hiding off to the side.

We had reservations at Akershus Palace that morning. We had to wait in line but it was not to long. The kids made it easy on us most of the time. I am blessed with really good kids.

It is always easier to wait when you can sit in a nice spot and look at a Disney map.Derek has to stay entertained or be entertaining. He can not sit still.

Our first stop was a picture with Belle before we were seated.The food was really good and it was buffet style so if the kids got something they didn't like I had no problem with them chosing something else. It was nice to see the princesses and not have to stand in line for them.

The rotation started with Sleeping Beauty. I didn't force Derek to be in these pictures. He was looking forward to so with Mickey not Princesses.

Cinderella came out a few minutes after. Derek didn't realize he was in this picture.

When Ariel came out Derek got a big smile on his face and told me she was his favorite. I asked him if he wanted to be in the picture and he was the first one up. So, Grandma Shepherd, Derek likes redheads.

The last one we saw was Snow White. Derek said he liked her also but after we got home and Derek saw the pictures he told me he didn't like her anymore. He still likes Ariel though.

We finished our yummy meal and went on the Maelstorm ride, after the ride we ran into a troll.My kids never pass up a chance to dress up.

Now I know where they get it from.

We saw lots of characters in Epcot and Snow White and the Dwarfs were there too.

I am amazed at all the talent Disney holds. It was hard to get the kids centered in all the pictures especially when it takes me five to ten minutes to just get them all in the shot.

We did a lot in Epcot. One of the nicest things we got to do I have no pictures of. It was Mother's Day while we were in Epcot and Ryan took Vickie and I to Japan and let us Pick a Pearl. You choose an oyster they open it, clean it, size it, and show it to you. Vickie got a gold colored pearl and I got a blue toned pearl. Our pearls seemed to match us pretty well. It was fun and a nice memory to have with my mother-in-law. Later that evening we went back to the Wilderness Lodge because we had a dinner reservation. We had another wait but it was worth it.

The kids got to ride stick ponies and have races around the room.

Richard just couldn't seem to get enough ketchup.

Danica was so tired she feel asleep eating her cookie. I tried to take it from her but she woke up long enough to get a better grip on it and started to doze off again.

We finished dinner and went walking around the resort. It is so beautiful.

So do you think Derek got wet?Or was it Ryan?

I told you it was beatiful. But the answer is....

They both got wet. Derek had a bath that night and Ryan got sprayed while helping the kids bath. What a man. He must have been having a good time, he laughed it off and let me take a picture.

Our 2011 family vacation Disneyworld Day one...

It all began at 4:30 AM on May 7th. Ryan, the kids and I picked grandma and grandpa up and headed to the airport. Grandpa asked Derek if he had packed the rubber sheets (we would hate for Grandpa to get Derek all wet) and Derek got worried because he realized he didn't pack any blankets. As early as it was you could tell everyone was excited to go. We all had big smiles on our faces and typically at 5 Am that is not common.

Derek got to sit between grandma and grandpa on the plane. Thank you. It was much easier for us to have the three older girls together and Danica between Ryan and myself.

The girls had plenty to do between crafts and games and electronics to keep themselves busy.

Danica was very good and it was even better when she feel asleep.

We checked in to Wilderness Lodge Villas. We absolutely loved it. We had plenty of room, a small kitchen, and a washer and dryer. This is the living room and the couch turned into a bed that Irelee and Jenna slept on. We went over to Epcot for the first night. We knew we had limited time so we just stayed in Future World.

I'm not sure where this picture was taken but I think it was in the aquarium. Stay tuned for more. I'm not sure how fast I will get everyday covered but I'll try.

We're back we're healthy and we are all here

Packing for Disneyworld... The day before our trip I was exercising (I planned on eating and enjoying the whole trip). Danica came into my room and saw all of the luggage. She had a calculated look on her face. She was touching each bag and sizing them up. We had six bags in varying sizes. She grabbed the empty tolietry bag and took off. I decided to go check on her and after I saw her I grabbed the camera. Danica had started to pack herself. She was not going to be left behind. She did a good job too. The bag contained one outfit a jacket and an extra shirt. Next trip I may just let her do all of the packing.

Derek's favorite past time

Ryan built us another garden box and let Derek help him.

We thought it was funny that he had to have the same gear on as Dad. The hat is Ryan's, but when Derek saw Ryan put on knee pads Derek ran to get his on also.

The fact that he was this close to power tools made me a little nervous.

He likes to think he is a big help and until he actually is we will just let him go on believing that. Just being around his Dad will teach him so much, and since Ryan learned to control his language around his kids (it's a big wake up when your two year old repeats everything) the things Derek can learn from his Dad will be extremely valuable.

Kids say the darndest things...

I am already starting to forget who said what so I thought I would put some of them down before I forget all of them. Keep in mind they were much smaller (excluding Danica) when these things were said. Irelee: Out of the way grandpa. I help myself. Jenna: Where's my friend I-E. Watch out for the water. Charlie: Mommy where is my uh. ( Jenna). Hue's, I need my hue's (shoes). Derek: Uh oh, daddy home everybody HIDE.

Danica: Want ICE. Dat my butt. Do you want to kiss me?

As you can see there isn't much here and I know they said much more than this . If anyone can help jog my memory and remember something funny or cute that they often said please let me know. I will also update it if I remember any myself. I am feeling like a very poor mom right now. I do have five kids though so as long as I remember their names I guess I am doing pretty good. Don't hold it against me though when you hear me call them by the wrong name next time we see each other!

Jenna's Birthday at "The Beautiful Dove Spa"

I did intend to do a blog for Danica's second birthday but she was not very cooperative with picture taking so hopefully we will get her next year. Jenna will be 9 on the 19th. When asked what she wanted she said she would like a spa day. I thought that sounded fun for a nine year old and then I started to panic. I looked online and spa's were expensive. Jenna bites her nails and has shorter hair I am not sure it would be worth it for her. I had considered asking her if she wanted to do something at home but I worried about how she would feel. Ryan then just came out of nowhere and asked her if she would like to have a spa day at home and it would include a bubble bath. Isn't he great. She was excited over this idea. I was able to stop panicking and started planning. Jenna got to open her birthday present early and she got a nice light green robe and some bubble bath with Tinkerbell on top. I had her come to my bedroom door where she approached a sign that said "The Beautiful Dove Spa" welcome Jenna I was not sure what to call her spa but when I was searching for pictures for her services brochure I found a picture of two doves. She chose to have a facial, bubble bath, makeup and her hair styled of course she chose every service that was offered. She also got a plate of chocolates. It was a lot of fun. She seemed to really enjoy it. The more I look at this picture the more Lund I see in her. I think it is the eyes. A few of Ryan's beautiful cousins come to mind. I am happy she chose this for her birthday and I got to be a part of it. Having four siblings means Jenna doesn't get a lot of individual attention. Isn't she gorgeous. But what am I going to do when she is 16????

Charlie is seven

If you look at the date this picture is Charlie last year. I put this one in to show the dramatic change that happens in one year. Her face has definitely thinned out. I had fun making Charlie's cake. It is half of a cake mix. I cut it into layers and added a raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Danica's birthday is four days after Charlie's and I don't need that much cake around to tempt me. Charlie being the girliest of my girls got makeup and a Princess/Fairy art set. She was so excited. She started doing her sister's make-up right away. Ryan was trying to explain to Derek that boys don't wear make-up. Oh well, what else is a boy with so many sister's supposed to do. I keep getting off track this is supposed to be about Charlie. Yes, this may be corny but I like to take their birthday picture with them showing their age. (I am not always good at doing math by dates but I can still count fingers). I can not believe she is seven. She has changed so much and is growing into such a beautiful girl. Happy Birthday Charlie.