Spring Break 2012

Last week was the girls' Spring Break, although it felt more like summer vacation because the weather was perfect!  For as much as Avery loves school, she also loves these little breaks because we get to go to all of her old stomping grounds from before she was in school all day and do activities at home that we don't have as much time for anymore.  Avery started her vaction with a sleepover at Gracie's, which is always a good time.  After she got home, the first thing she wanted to do was her Mind-Blowing Science Kit, so she and Sierra made some cool color-changing volcanoes.  The beginning of the week was downright hot, so between the sprinklers, the water balloons, and just general hose spraying, we got cooled off!

 We love to make volcanoes!

 One of our favorite things to do...jumping on water balloons in the trampoline!

 One thing we had to do was go shopping!  Lately, Avery has been going through a growth spurt and eating like crazy!  And as a result almost every pair of pants she has put on recently have been total floods!  So we took a trip to her favorite store, Justice, to buy some new pants.  Afterwards we went to a nearby playground for a picnic and some fun!

 Playing on a snow pile at the Playground! (There's an indoor ice rink at the playground, they must have just cleaned the ice off)

 Of course, a week off from school would not be complete without going to gymnastics.  The girls had a blast!  And afterwards, we went to the library because we just found out that once you are in kindergarten you can get a library card.  Avery is so excited to have her very own card!

The girls also had swimming lessons.  Avery has been going off and on for a while, but this week was Sierra's first class.  She was absolutely beside herself with excitement and she did so awesome!

 At the end of the week, Gracie came to our house for a sleepover.  We went to the Spencer Playground and had some fun at our house, even our friend Molly came over for a little while, too.  It was such a fun  week!

   Avery, Gracie, & Sierra at The Playground

Sierra playing some computer games, you can never be too careful when playing Dora Saves the Mermaids!

Easter 2012

Usually, we try to spread out our Easter activities a little, but since we were in Florida until the weekend before Easter, we had to do everything (except for putting up our decorations), Easter weekend.

The girls showing off their Easter Tree a few weeks ago

Getting ready to dye Easter Eggs

Good concentration, Sierra!

Avery trying to do some fancy eggs with different colors on either end.

On Saturday, we had a neighborhood Egg hunt. It was so much fun! This is all of the kids before the hunt. I had intended on taking pictures during the hunt, but it spanned 3 yards, so once we said the word "Go" the kids all scattered like bugs!

The Girls coming downstairs on Easter Morning

Every year, the first thing they eat is...Peeps!

Our beautiful Easter Bunny Cake!

We also had our own little egg hunt in the yard. Avery was excited about this one, it was a hard one to find!

Sierra was looking very hard too!

Showing off our finds!

What a Magical Week!

We had such a wonderful trip to Florida with Gramma and Grampa, and Aunt Jacey and Uncle Paul! It was very difficult for me to choose from the more than 850 pictures that we took, but I think I picked out some of the best ones to share so everyone can see what a great time we had!

Our first day was spent at the Magic Kingdom. Gramma, Grampa and Cory did some research beforehand, so we knew which rides we wanted to make sure to go on and shows we wanted to see so we could make the most out of our days. So, on Day one, we went on The Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride, Splash Mountain (which was a favorite!), we walked through Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse and The Haunted Mansion, and we saw the Country Bear Jamboree. We watched a parade down Main Street where we saw all of the characters and we, even got to meet Tigger and Pooh and Peter Pan in person! Just to name a few things!

Sierra with Aunt Jacey & Uncle Paul on the The Jungle Cruise

Avery, Sierra and me on Aladddin's Magic Carpet Ride

Going up Splash Mountain!

Meeting Tigger and Pooh

Peter Pan took a nap with Sierra and then signed some autographs for Avery

On our second day, we went to Animal Kingdom. In the middle of everything is the Tree of Life which is just so awesome to see. We also went to Dinoland USA. We went on a few little carnival type rides and played some games. We also went on a Safari ride where we saw so many different kinds of animals, some we had never even heard of before! We saw a show called It's a Bug's Life, which we just kind of went to to kill some time, but I think we would all say it was one of our favorites. We also saw the Finding Nemo show which was great! We went on a Roaring Rapids ride which was so fun and Avery, Sierra and I got absolutely soaked!!! And then Avery, Cory, Gramma, and I went on Expedition Everest, the big roller coaster, which was a little scary but lots of fun!

The Tree of Life

The Girls with Gramma and Grampa at Dinoland USA

Waiting to see "It's a Bug's Life" (it was a 3D show)

The next day, we were back in The Magic Kingdom. We started the day with The Princess Breakfast in Cinderella's Castle. And due to the timing, we were able to get into the park before it officially opened, so we walked in with our cameras ready to get some good pictures without all of the crowds in them. And the breakfast was great. We got to meet all of the princesses, the food was delicious and it was so neat to be inside of the castle! After breakfast, it was time for some rides! We went on Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Goofy's Roller Coaster (where Avery & Sierra sat together in the first car!), and Splash Mountain, again. We also saw Mickey's PhilharMagic 3D Show and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. Then we had an early dinner at Chef Mickey's Restaurant where we met Mickey and all of his friends. After dinner, the girls took a little nap so we could go back to the park at night to see the Electrical Parade and the Fireworks Show. It was a little difficult to wake them up, but it was worth it, the parade and the fireworks were great!

Posing with our Little Princesses

The Girls meeting Cinderella

And Snow White

Avery & Sierra at Winnie the Pooh's House

Avery & Sierra in the front of Goofy's Roller Coaster

Posing with Chef Mickey at dinner

Our last day in Disney was at Epcot Center. We started out on Soarin', where you feel like you are hang gliding all across the United States, so cool! Then we did Test Track, which simulates testing cars. The girls loved it so much, we did it a second time at the end of the day. We also went through the Seas with Nemo & Friends and did Turtle Talk with Crush, which was hilarious! Avery, Cory and I also did Mission: Space twice. It was a spaceship simulator with a moderate version and a more advanced version. They were both really fun, but the more advanced version was defintely more advanced! The girls also got to meet Duffy the Bear (Micket Mouse's teddy Bear) and we did some interactive stuff in Innoventions and Imagination. Then we went to Norway for a great dinner with the princesses, after which we went on a Viking Ship Ride. It was a great final day in Disney!

All of us on Nemo's ride

Avery, Sierra & Duffy

Avery, Sierra, and Belle

Having some fun in the gift shop in Norway!

Avery & Sierra on Test Track (one of their favorites!)

Epcot at night

We did a little photo shoot before we left The Grand Floridian. It was so beautiful!

After checking out of The Grand Floridian and leaving Disney, we went to the Nickelodeon Suites Resort for a little change of pace. It was a fun resort with cool swimming pools with lots of water slides and splash areas. The girls had a blast! Avery got "slimed" twice, the girls both got cute hair wraps, they did an arts and crafts project, which was make your own stuffed animal, they met all of the Nickelodeon characters and they got to sleep in bunk beds!

The big water slide area

Avery getting her hair wrap

And Sierra's turn

Avery is under that slime somewhere!

Meeting Dora & Diego...Sierra's dream come true!

We were able stay one extra day so we could see my friend Jackie and her husband, Bobby and their son, Alex, who live in Orlando. It was so great to see them and Jackie's parents and Grandparents. It was a nice relaxing day just hanging out with some friends. It was a great way to end our wonderful trip!