Summer's Winding Down

Well summer is nearly over(unbelievable!), and this week Simone had her end of year party for Pre-K.  It's absolutely amazing to me that in just a couple of weeks she will officially start kindergarten.  Her party's theme was a luau and her class performed two songs in sign language for all the parents --the ABC song and What a Wonderful World.  It was adorable, and we were so proud of her to have worked so hard to learn the songs. We, incidentally, got several solo renditions in the car on the way home. lol!

I took video of the songs, but for some reason can't get it to post,  so here's just a still shot.

Simone will miss her two teachers.

In other news, we also had a visit from Madalyn and her mom and dad this weekend.  The girls played lots of things together but had the most fun swimming laps in the pools.

Their next favorite part was playing bouncing balls in the yard while we bbq'ed.  It was so much fun even daddy joined in.  HILLARIOUS!

Hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in a little more fun before summer is totally over.  When we do, we'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Zippity Doo Da... DISNEY

I always tell Simone that the only bad part of fun things is that they always have to end.  And that couldn't be more true this past week.  We had the most AWESOME Disney vacation!!  Simone did better than we could have imagined, and we all had more fun in one week than we ever thought possible.  We had a big camera glitch and lost more than one pair of sunglasses, but beyond that.... it was practically perfect in every way, as Mary Poppins would say!

 Even though Simone is a Disney veteran, she didn't remember much of her younger visits.  So for her, everything was like the first time.  Going through the gate on the first day was like magic for her, and the magic just kept coming.  We arrived for the opening ceremony, which totally captivated her.

We stayed at Shades of Green again and just loved it.

Simone really loved meeting the characters and collecting their signatures in her autograph book.  She was so committed that she INSISTED we wait nearly 30 minutes in the blazing sun for Daisy Duck despite all kinds of negotiations to abort.

 And naturally Simone took the opportunity to practice her archery while waiting for Merida.  Simone likes her because she has curly hair too.

This year we were lucky enough to score a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle.  They did a great job making the kids feel special with photos, magic wands, a wishing ceremony, and make-your-own sundaes.  Simone picked her own pink crown especially for the occasion.

No trip would be complete without the electrical parade and a visit to downtown Disney -- perfect after dark fun!

playing at the Lego store...

 ...and a Ghiradeli sundae with daddy.  Yes, he does have a Mickey sticker on his head--his favorite place to put stickers.

At EPCOT Simone and her cousin toured the world showcase, festively posing in each country...

 Simone and Madalyn also had a special afternoon at the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party--Madalyn as the spitting image of Alice and Simone as the Cheshire Cat.   Personally, I thought they made the most adorable two guests of them all, of course I'm incredibly biased.

And finally a few random shots... 

at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review.  Don't ask me what Simone's face is all about, she really was having fun.

 Simone thought this humongous Mickey hat was pretty cool.  She actually asked for pictures in front of it.

 On the Toy Story ride -- my vote for best ride at Hollywood Studious.

Geared up for the Star Wars ride, which made me incredibly motion sick.  But Tony and Simone loved it.

And even the rain didn't get us down.  Simone just suited up in her Minnie poncho an pushed on.

Our Chip and Dale campfire sing a long was the only thing to get rained out.  But that didn't stop the girls from getting into the chipmunk spirit.

Well, that does it for this trip.  Until next time ...

A Little Dream Come True

Ok, so as a very girly mom of a very girly little girl, I have long awaited this day.  With so much focus on the house, it's been months since mommy and Simone have hit the mall.   Well, today Simone not only asked to go shopping (be still my heart), but when we got there she shopped like a professional.  It was adorable, and a big dose of just how much she's maturing. She wanted to pay for her own things and carry her own bags -- once again, a reminder that our little girl has grown up.    We hit a couple stores and then met up with daddy for dinner, where she was a perfect little lady and made short work of a whole plate of asparagus.

After dinner Simone wanted daddy to come to a store with us, and he obliged.  But one kids store was his limit before he made a beeline for the Apple store to check out his next iPad.

Simone quickly followed, but had about 2 minutes of interest in the place, and quickly started asking, "Daddy, can we please leave here?"  ....ahhhh.... I just love her.

Can you believe this?  It's like she's 16.  It was so fun -- definitely won't mind many more years of afternoons like this. 

We had a great afternoon, and Simone managed to score some new clothes, which she definitely doesn't need.  But who can resist, right?

Herndon Festival

We had an extra special Thursday night this week.  Mommy and daddy left work a little early to take Simone to the Herndon Festival after school.  This year, Simone was big enough to go on all of the rides without an adult, and she made sure to try them all.  Our brave little girl darted to the very first car of the little roller coaster.  To be honest, I think she was pretty underwhelmed by it's tameness.

 Then a spin on the teacups...

She really liked the sky drop.  It wasn't terribly high, but it made her laugh.  She said it was like an elevator that goes up and down.

 The swings also rated high on her list of favorites.  As she watches me post these pictures, she wants me to note that also tried the fast race cars, the antique cars, the carousel, and the very big slide.

 And finally the helicopters.  By about 7:30 the lines had gotten long -- really long-- and Simone was starting to get a bit wired/tired.  So we grabbed some dinner (which Simone devoured), had an ice cream, and headed home.

All in all, an particularly perfect evening.  Just the right amount of fun family time for a very fine early summer weeknight.  Hopefully, the rest of our summer will include several more of these little adventures.