This summer we decided to spice up our disney vacation with a short sail on the Disney Dream. It was nothing short of awesome, and all of us loved it. Simone reports that her favorite parts were the kids club and building a sand castle on the beach in Castaway Cay.
This was our stateroom. The virtual port hole was pretty neat -- it let us see everything and entertained us with surprise character appearances.
OK, I lied. Simone's real favorite was riding the Aqua Duck water coaster on board. It was one of the first things we did before the line got really really long.
Here's a peek inside the kids' club. Simone spent the better part of one full day here all by herself. She LOVED it-- we had to coax her to come out. Mommy and daddy barely knew what to do on our own.
The Animator's Palate dining room, where we ate on the first night, was super cool. Crush from Finding Nemo made a special appearance at our table to talk to the girls.
Tony in the main atrium, styled on Beauty and the Beast Castle. Very impressive.
All dressed up for pirate night. The evening ended with a fireworks display at sea. Way cool.
Mommy and daddy took the opportunity to dine in the adult only Palo restaurant. It was scrumptious, relaxing, and had a KILLER view of the sea as we sailed.
On Castaway Cay, posing with Donald...
...and of course, Mickey was there too.
Simone's masterpiece castle. She built it all by herself and even added the flower.
We took a great bike ride around the island.
We then followed up the cruise with four days at Disney World. In addition to all the usual rides and events, this time we checked out the Fantasmic show at Disney Studios; explored the new Fantasyland; ate at the new Be Our Guest Restaurant (which I do not recommend); and enjoyed a very nice tea party at the Grand Floridian during an afternoon thunderstorm.
So there you have it in a nutshell. We got back to home sweet home on Friday to this crazy heat wave. Who knew the week was actually cooler in Orlando! We spent the day at a local waterpark which was a nice way to unwind from vacation. We can't wait to have some more summer adventures.
Well, there is simply no way to be ready for this.... Simone is on her way to FIRST GRADE!!! Today we went to her kindergarten graduation-- a truly bitter sweet event. As daddy puts it, it was the biggest thing to happen to Simone since she was born, and the biggest reminder yet that she's not a baby anymore. She was ecstatic about performing all of her songs, accepting her diploma, and of course eating the graduation cake!
The ceremony was so sweet. They processed in, pledged allegiance to the flag, sat quietly while the Director gave some remarks, performed a whopping seven songs (impressive), received their diplomas, and posed for what seemed like endless pictures. Simone felt so special, and we were so proud to watch our little angel reach this milestone.
Some of the artwork in Simone's classroom....
After the graduation, we drove over to Simone's new elementary school and registered for first grade. She got to see the big new building, and peek into the classrooms and the library. She says her favorite parts of first grade will be the cafeteria and recess! For now, we'll enjoy the summer break before we all start adjusting to elementary school. WOW, what a day!!!
Simone's grandparent's brought her great grandmother down to visit us this weekend and we headed in to DC to show her the monuments for the very first time. We all enjoyed the FANTASTIC weather, absolutely ideal for seeing all the sights.
Simone wasn't sure she was going to have much fun looking at monuments until she discovered that she could do a "photography adventure". She brought her ipad and captured her own memories in her own pictures. She had a blast taking shots of everything from monuments to ducks to plants and people. She's actually quite a little photographer!
This shot is one of my favorites...
She can't wait to go back to school on Monday and tell all her friends about her Memorial Day adventure. She is already planning to make it one of her daily journal entries. So much fun!!
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