The reason for our visit to Bonnet Creek was that Jennifer's mom and Jennifer invited us to stay with them at the resort (which is right next to Disney) for the weekend because we decided to do a Brady/Blake/Evan joint birthday celebration. Now, the interesting thing was that it wasn't actually any of their birthdays (Brady's is June 8). But, that didn't stop us. It's just how the dates worked out and we went with it. We drove down after naps on Friday afternoon and 35 minutes later, voila! It's kind of nice to go places that are close. We stayed in a 3-bedroom unit with the Bergherms and Jennifer's mom, Julia, had her own one bedroom unit down the hall. They were kind to give us two of the rooms so Calaubra stayed in one and Colby, Duncan, and I stayed in the other. Colby slept great again. It appears that things work much better when I can just leave him alone in the room to fall asleep rather than being distracted by other people in the room even if they are trying to fall asleep themselves. This does not bode well for upcoming trips since he will NOT be having a room to himself in any of the scenarios. Hmmm.
We all had a great time. The kids enjoyed the pools with their friends and I enjoyed getting to stay up late, probably too late, talking to Jennifer. Sabbath morning we made the trek to church (at our old time since it was a 50-minute drive) and when we got back Jennifer had breakfast-for-lunch all waiting for us. Later in the afternoon, a bunch of friends joined us for a haystack potluck supper to "celebrate" the boys birthdays. It was such a no pressure thing because we were outside so we didn't have to worry about decorations and we didn't do any gifts. Jennifer did make cakes though, of course! We did get a bit of a scare though. This was the first time she tried doing ice cream cakes. She brought them with her and she put them in the freezer in our suite. For some reason on Friday night, she happened to open the freezer to do something and noticed that it wasn't that cold. Sure enough, the cakes had started to melt. Ahhhh!!! Thankfully we were able to run them down to Julia's room and they were saved.
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| I was in charge of supper and I had cut up some cantaloupe as I waited for the pizza to come out of the oven. Someone couldn't wait! |
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| "Wait, this is my future husband you say??" |
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| May not be their Memaw, but we love Julia! |
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| Contemplating putting his feet in the hot tub. |
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| Trying on Addi's Crocs. |
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| And they are in the hot tub. Love my boys! |
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| This one thinks he's a swimmer. |
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| The whole crazy group. Brady was in a mood and took to the stroller to chill out. Meanwhile, everyone joked that Colby ate an entire watermelon by himself. |
The other interesting thing about out supper festivities is that we were basically terrorized by a raccoon. It has been the weirdest thing with raccoons lately. I NEVER see raccoons although I know they're out there but in the last week I have seen raccoons out and about during the day three different times at three different places. One was running around in our next door neighbor's yard, another we saw while at a yard sale, and now this, at a resort teeming with people. I'm thinking that since it's been dry of late, maybe their food source is suffering? I don't know but something must have changed or else it's a big coincidence. This raccoon had no fear. It would come right up within like a foot of people, trying to get into the food. Allen kept trying to spray it with a water gun to keep it away.
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| If you look REALLY closely at the top of the tree, you can see the raccoon. |
Sunday morning we were up and out of there because it was our last theme park...Animal Kingdom. In this case, we saved the worst for last. Apparently I had blocked it out of my memory as to what a "rip off" that park is. Don't get me wrong, there are nice things there and we had a good...ish time but my brain kept thinking to itself over and over again, "People pay $100 to come here?!" First of all, there are barely any rides and when you have a 3-year old who just went on a bunch of rides at Magic Kingdom two weeks ago and then then comes to another park and there aren't any, well, that's disappointing. Sure, we love animals but you can see animals when you go to the zoo...which is much, much cheaper. Brady literally went on three rides the whole day and that is including the safari "ride" which is really a jeep that drives through the "safari." But, at least one of the rides was a big hit. There is a river rapids ride that I wasn't sure he would be big enough for but fortunately he was and it was awesome. The ride holds 10 people and Tangie was kind enough to watch Colby so that the five of us and others could go on together. It was so fun just to watch Brady's face as we went down some falls and water sprayed up. He almost got really, really wet but that honor went to Kohlden and Evan sitting next to Brady. When we got off, all the kids wanted to do it again but alas, it wasn't to be.
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| As soon as we saw Addi coming into the park she went right over and started stroking Colby's hair. So cute! |
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| A picture Duncan took. Not sure what this is about. |
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| Right after the rapids ride. Jennifer's sister made Brady this cute shirt to wear in the park. |
They do have a few other rides there but none that Brady was tall enough for or even Aubree. One other great ride was Everest, a roller coaster which I had never been on. Tangie and I got to take Calleigh and Braelyn and the girls were thrilled when they randomly got the first row. The ride stops at one point and then starts going backwards in the dark. It's quite an adrenaline rush and I was wondering if Calleigh might be a little scared especially being in the front but she was all smiles when the ride was over.
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| Waiting in the front row to get on. |
As you can imagine, it was a very hot day and I realized that the problem with this park as opposed to the other two, is that there aren't many opportunities to cool off because almost everything is outside. We did go to the Lion King show later in the day which helped but then Aubree complained almost the whole time that she couldn't see. For whatever reason, they made the seating barely slanted at all so it is indeed hard for a kid to see when there is an adult sitting in front of them. But I had Colby on my lap so I couldn't really help much there. Then, the other problem was that because there aren't many rides, the rides they do have are very, very busy. When we finished with our three fast passes, we went to get another fast pass, like we did at Magic Kingdom with much success, and were told that there wasn't a single fast pass left for anything for the rest of the day. It was 1:30. I was like "Now what do we do?!!"
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| Colby fell asleep right before the safari ride. I didn't want him to miss it so we woke him up after he been asleep for only 10 minutes. |
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| One other neat thing about the park is they have these passport books that the kids get stamped at different stations around the park after doing an activity or two. This really nice lady was trying to get Calleigh engaged. Calleigh was in a mood for some reason at the moment but the poor lady wouldn't give up. Said she was a teacher! |
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| Look at Calleigh's expression. It was hot! |
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| I'm sure this is a character from a movie but I have no idea what movie or who this is. |
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| "Whose poop?" That's the name of this activity. |
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| The petting zoo area is nice. Colby went crazy for it. |
We did find things here and there and eventually our companions all left. By this time it was about 6:00 and lines were getting a little shorter so we thought maybe we would try one more ride. That is when Brady went on the third ride of the day and what a mistake. Colby had fallen back asleep so Duncan stayed with him while I went on this flying dinosaur kid ride. Brady said he wanted to go with me and he wanted to drive which meant just pulling down on this lever thing. But he wanted to make sure he sat in the front because apparently in his mind, the front lever must be the one to really make it go. As we are getting on, the guy announces "Adults must sit in the back." Oh no. So I put us in the back and Brady completely freaks out. Meanwhile, the girls are in the front already arguing over who is going to control it up there. I tell Aubree to come in the back and I put Brady over the seat and sit him in the front next to Calleigh. Now Aubree is complaining she doesn't want the back and Brady is screaming that he wants to be next to me but I can't come in the front and Calleigh is upset because Brady is grabbing the lever and she wants to control it herself. Arghhhh!! Serenity now! Serenity now!! Meanwhile, the ride attendant comes by to see what all the fuss is about because you know, he wants to start the ride and all that. I grab Brady back and bring him over the seat again next to me but his Crocs get stuck in the front and this gives him another reason to scream. So yeah, he screamed the entire ride like he was dying. When we got off, Duncan said "That's it. We are out of here." That makes Calleigh and Aubree start to cry and I do not lie, they cried all the way out of the park and all the way home. Ah yes, Disney World. What's not to love???
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| Brady covering his ears on the way home. "I hate it when they cry," he says. |
I was so tired when we got home that after supper I sent all the kids to bed without brushing their teeth. I didn't clean up the kitchen and I certainly didn't unpack anything. It was 8:30 - - still light out even - - and I was in bed and sound asleep.
Monday morning the girls had their last gymnastics session until after the summer. They need the gym for all the summer camps. That is good for us since we'll be gone for awhile and I don't like paying when we aren't there (you can go to make up sessions when you miss but we never do).
Tuesday morning we met Amanda Reeves, Noah, and Jake at the Peacock Park for a playdate since they are in town once again for Cory's work. While we were there it occurred to me that Braelyn was out of school for the summer and the twins don't have school on Tuesdays so we invited them over and had an even better time including a picnic lunch.
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| Aubs and Jake |
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| This is why we call it Peacock Park. |
Tuesday afternoon Elaine came over and I went to my one-month post op appointment for my LASIK. My vision tested at 20/15, so yay! The doctor came and looked at my eyes and made a comment like "They look really good, like it's been a month even." I thought it was a joke so I chuckled and then he goes into this monologue about using the antibiotics (which you only use the first week) and I thought, "This guy actually thinks I just had the LASIK done." So yup, turns out the doc was confused. The good news is that my going on the water slide and Splash Mountain did not wreck my LASIK so I can breathe easy.
Thursday morning the girls had their annual well visits. The nurse did her thing and then when the doc came in she says to the girls "So do you girls have any big plans for the summer?" They both stared at her like she has two heads. Finally, Calleigh says "Watching TV!" I'm like, of all the stinking things you could say to your doctor, this is what you go with? Now she probably thinks I just let them sit there and watch TV all the time. Not to mention the fact that we will actually be gone for a MONTH on various vacations including another country. Geesh! Fortunately, they found their voices after that and the doc could see that they weren't just quiet mouses whose voices were muted from too much TV watching. The girls measured exactly on the same curve they've been on since they were two so I was happy.
Calleigh - 8 Years
Weight - 65 pounds (75th)
Height - 52 inches (75th)
BMI - 16.9
BP - 102/66
Shoe Size - 2
Clothing - 10/12
Aubree - 6 Years
Weight - 44 pounds (50th)
Height - 46 inches (50th)
BMI - 16.0
BP - 90/58
Shoe Size - 11
Clothing - 6/6X
Today was a neat day for the girls. Duncan's department at work has what they call a town hall meeting every quarter which means everyone in the department gets together as a unified group. The IT department has 600+ people so they typically meet at the Florida Hospital church. This meeting they asked if the children of the employees would participate in some things and the theme was "service." Duncan had been talking about it for a few weeks and Calleigh said yes. So they sent her a scripture verse to read (or memorize). We had been working on it for a day or two and then yesterday we found out that the girl who was going to do a poem backed out. Calleigh was hence promoted to poem duty! I asked Aubree if she wanted to do the scripture now thinking that she might be too shy but nope, she wanted to do it. Unfortunately this short of a notice didn't give them ample to time to memorize it but they girls practiced last night with Duncan reading them in the proper manner, slowly and with feeling. They were quite excited about it all and as they were going to bed Aubree told me "We have to get to bed. Tomorrow is a BIG day for us." I wasn't sure if they realized how many people they would be "performing" in front of but figured maybe it was better not to bring that up. Then this morning while we were at yard sales, Aubree says "I"m not nervous because I've been up on the stage MANY times at campmeeting." Just a little bit different but I didn't want to point that out either.
We got to the church a little early for them to practice and then had to wait for a bit for it to start. We sat on the front row and the people started filing in, filling the pews. I thought maybe some nerves would kick in but they were still both very excited to get up there. Finally it was time and they both did so great. They didn't stumble over any words, no mumbling, it was all nice and slow. I was so proud!! What they got out of that was worth more than like three weeks of sitting doing school work. Only one other kid did something so they felt pretty special about it all.
This was Aubree's text:
The book of Psalms tells us, “Good will come to the man who is ready to give much, and fair in what he does. He will never be shaken. The man who is right and good will be remembered forever.”
This was Calleigh's poem:
TODAY is a most unusual day. We have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have.TODAY can be a healthy unusual day for you—and for others—if you take the time to:· give someone a smile…
· say a word of kindness…
· lend a helping hand to someone in need...
· write a note of thanks…
· share your treasures with others.
When we generously serve others, every day can be a most unusual day – a triumphant day – a very rewarding day!
I think that catches us up with everything. Before I close with some pictures, here are a few quotes.
I'm upstairs getting ready to brush Brady's teeth.
Me: "Did you put your clothes in the dirty laundry bin?"
Brady: "Yes, because Calleigh told me to. That was very annoying."
What are big sisters for, right?
We are eating breakfast and Duncan is headed out the door to work.
Brady: "Why doesn't Mommy go to work?
Duncan: "Because she works very hard taking care of you. Think about what she does. What does she do in the morning?"
Calleigh: "She makes us breakfast. And we do school."
Duncan: "And what does she do in the afternoons?"
Brady: "We have quiet time upstairs and she goes downstairs and watches adult shows."
Well, at least he didn't throw in the part about my nap!
Some closing pictures...
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| Might be hard to see but a Morning Dove built a nest in our pergola. The eggs have hatched and the babies have already flown out of the nest although they keep coming back to hang out. |
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| The girls found the cracked shell in the planter underneath. |
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| Aubree practicing her hand stand. |
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| Monday night after supper I told Brady he had to throw some corn cobs in the trash to help clean off the table. When he flat out refused, I told him he had to go sit in a time out until he did. Naturally, he fell asleep and I carried him to bed where he stayed for the rest of the night. I saved the corn cobs for the morning which he then cheerfully threw away. Guess he had been tired. |
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| The crew dressing up. |
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| Would a teacher in a regular school get a free hairdo while doing a read-a-loud? I think not. |
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| We went to Winter Garden Pizza on Wednesday night for Noah's birthday and the girls argued about who was going to sit next to Noah and this was what happened when we got there. Only eight and already the girls are fighting to be with you! |
Have a happy Sabbath!
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