More Magic in Disney... and Universal!

We have just returned from kicking off the summer with a Disney bang! and it was terrific!

 Seven years ago we began bringing Simone to Disney as just barely a toddler.  Mickey has watched her grow from a sleeping baby in a stroller to a singing, bouncing, little mousketeer.  We have fully transitioned from characters and kiddie rides to full-fledged thrill rides and lots of clowning around. Each and every visit has brought some new magic and many cherished memories, and this time was no different.  We stayed up late, woke up early, and squeezed every possible drop of fun out of the week.

We stayed again at Shades of Green, our Disney home, and of course took the obligatory pose with Mickey.  Simone barely came to Mickey's waist when we first brought her, and soon she'll be as tall as the statue.

For the most part, Simone wasn't very interested in meeting characters, but that doesn't mean we didn't have some fun with a few.  This one was during lunch in EPCOT.

We vacationed with a new crew this year and all the parents loved watching our three little ladies have as much fun as we did.

For a new twist, we added a couple of days at Universal Studios to our week.  Harry Potter world was amazing and Simone got a huge dose of thrill rides.  

We rode the Hogwart's Express both ways between parks -- very cool!

We loved Seussland in Islands of Adventure! Simone instantly fell in love with the baby THING ONE she is holding here. He, of course, is now home with us and has gained a prized position in her bed next to her bunny.  Simone also scored a super cute tee shirt that says "Only Thing" --lol!

Minions in the house!

The rest of the week we spent in the Disney parks which had lots of new things to offer to us.  A few highlights: Animal Kingdom is now open at night, Soarin' --which we rode a whopping THREE times-- is all new, and the California Grill began offering a Sunday brunch which was awesome!!

We were greeted with mimosas and a grand view of the Magic Kingdom, followed by a scrumptious array of brunch foods.

The girls' --ok, maybe everyone's-- favorite part of brunch was the finishing pastry tray.  YUMM!! the salted caramel chocolate bark was out of this world!  Still dreaming about it.

This pic... a total teenage Simone preview!

Couldn't resist meeting one of Disney's newest characters --BAYMAX!

Here in line with Rylee at the ToyStory ride.  They are holding up 12 fingers because only 11 people we in front of us in line!  We got to ride twice--once on the brand new third track.  For the first time EVER mommy won both rounds on ToyStory --can I get a *woot woot*!!?!?

Three beauties!

And a rare shot with mommy!

 Ahhhh, such a fun week. We were so sad for it to be over.  Now time for us to recover before our next great adventure!

Late Spring Update

It's another rainy day in northern Virginia, so I thought I'd update everyone on a little bit of what we've been up to for the past six weeks.  Lots of ordinary weeks have gone by waiting for this seemingly-eternal rain to stop so that we can get into some real summer.  So far, no luck on that front.  The month of May has been the wettest on record, and is seeing Simone's iceskating lessons phase out and swimming lesson phase in for the season -- she's making great progress in both.  Beyond that she's still growing up too fast. Here's a random sampling of what's been keeping us busy beyond our indoor house repairs and projects.  

Simone and daddy taking a hike along the Potomac River on Saturday. 

Another Saturday morning we spent doing some charity work at church, packing food for the poor in Central America.

Simone brought along a close friend to help pack. 

Before the monsoon season set in, we were trying to take regular long walks together.  Our favorite ones were on Saturday mornings to the town center to get coffee.  Here's a shot of Simone walking back from Saturday coffee.

Simone was also the recipient of another Citizenship Award at school last month.  Here she is at the ceremony.

Simone is also turning into quite a sushi-monster lately.  Her vote is always for sushi dinner.  Here's one of them:

On 6 May, Simone participated in her variety show at school.  She was a Wildcat Dancer.

Simone and two of her besties.

It's hard to see her in this clip, but she was concentrating hard on all of her moves.  LOL!

And finally, just today we had her spring piano recital.  She played the piano AND sang at this recital.  Her friend came along to watch and provide moral support.

The proud performer and her piano teacher.

Memorial Day brings the unofficial start of summer next weekend, hopefully it will also bring back the sunshine.  Until then, we'll try to keep dry and be patient for summertime!

Easter Blossoms

Happy Easter family and friends!  As you've probably noticed, we haven't been terribly active the last several weeks, as is usually the case in our final throws of winter.  Year after year, this blog spends most of January through March pretty stagnate as we wait for winter to pass.  But now, it has begun!...

We officially launched spring this weekend with not only a flurry of our annual Easter traditions, but the peak cherry blossom bloom in DC.  Simone's cousin, joined us for the weekend and for the most part, the weather cooperated and allowed us to enjoy some fantastic outdoor time.  The highlight was definitely a day at the Tidal Basin taking in the gorgeous weather and amazing blossoms.

So pretty!

We also enjoyed our traditional seafood dinner on Good Friday, had our Easter basked blessed on Saturday, and had brunch with friends after church on Sunday.

Simone enjoyed the flashlight egg hunt with Madalyn this year.

All in all, a great weekend.  And now we can get down to the business of spring yard work and summer planning!  We've got lots to look forward to again this year, and as always, we'll keep everyone posted on our adventures.