The Carltons!

Another Epcot Evening

Kendall was really excited about her Alice in Wonderland dress.  I caught her just smiling away in front of the mirror after she got dressed. 

After getting ready we were off to Epcot.......

We went to "The hidden spot" again and saw Rapunzel again!!

Kendall got to touch her magical hair!  he he

Kendall enjoyed chatting with Rapunzel again!!

Then, we saw Marie!! 

THEN, Another wait to see The Beast!  I guess 3rd times a charm!!  Jimmy was the first in line and Luckily we saw him this time.....and NO RAIN!! 

Here comes THE BEAST!!

Kendall was a little overwhelmed with him. 

Jimmy jumped in and showed her that he was nice and that she could pet his paws.  Ha!  She quickly realized that he was a gentle beast!

YAY, Kendall finally got to meet The Beast!!

Hugs for The Beast!  We're glad to finally meet you!!

After that we ran into Aurora....

Kendall was super excited to see Alice in Wonderland!!

Alice was telling her that she wished her name was on her dress too!

Kendall just LOVES Alice!! 

Then, we were off to see Snow White again. 

Kendall leaned over and gave her a kiss.  he he!

Having a great time at Epcot!!

We spotted Donald Duck in Mexico.  Kendall thought she needed a picture of "Donald with the big hat".   Donald wanted to dance! 

Exchanging Kisses!  ha!

What fun!

Since Kendall has this new found love for Alice, we signed up to do the Storybook Princess Dinner again, in hopes that she would be there again. 

We saw Belle first.....

"Hhhhhmmmmmm, what should I order?". 

She's such a cutie!

Kendall joined in on the Princes parade with Aurora.....

Then, Aurora came by to our table....

Then,  Cinderella came by.

......and Ariel

 

Guess who was there INSTEAD of ALICE??  Yep, Mary Poppins.  Total bummer!! 

Kendall was excited to see Mary Poppins.  So, she didn't seem upset by it.  We promised her that she'd see her again, soon.  Plus, she had just seen her an hour earlier.  So, it wasn't a big deal. 

 

Kendall got SO MANY compliments on her dress.  It's rare to see a little girl dressed like Alice and not one of the Princesses.  So, everyone commented on how cute she looked.  So, Mini-Alice was a big hit!!

 

After dinner we headed back to the resort.  Kendall was excited to see what the cleaning ladies left for her!  he he!

Another GREAT night at Epcot!!

Happy Birthday Princess!!

For my sweet little Princess,

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!  4 years ago today you blessed us with your presense and our lives have never been the same.  You've brought us so much joy & love.  It melts my heart to hear you say, "You know what makes me happy?  Spending time with you!".  I am so blessed that I do get to spend my days with you.  I love having a 24 hour a day shopping & lunch buddy!  I praise God that you are such a loving and caring little girl.   You are always concerned with others and have a genuinely sweet heart.  I smile everytime I sneeze because I know you won't be far behind with a Kleenex to hand me.  Your sweet, sweet heart is evident to us all!  You make us all smile constantly with your silly dances and songs & unique little phrases that you come up with out of the blue!   You are our true drama queen that keeps us on our toes at all time.  I love your quirky, sassy, little personality.  You're so much fun to be around.  I love hearing you say, "I love you as more as I love you!".  I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing you say that because I know it's your way of saying you truly love me.  You are a constant reminder  of God's blessings in my life!   You make me enjoy the small things in life, that really matter, and I love you for it!   I'm so honored to be your Mommy!!  You are one loved and adored little girl!!!  I thank God for you daily!! 

 

I love you as more as I love you too!!

Love,

Mommy!

9-28-2011

 

 

Disney Hollywood Studios- Take 2!!

We went to Disney Hollywood Studios again because there were several shows that we didn't get to see the first time around. 

But, our first stop was to see Buzz & Woody again, without having to WAIT! 

 

We were the first in line.  So, we had plenty of time to dink around inside. 

Silly faces....

Kendall was super excited to see them again!  She got to dance around with Woody first......

 

Hugs from Buzz

Funny story:  I took this first picture. 

As I was about to snap my second one, I see this huge head pop over in front of my camera lens.  It was Woody being super silly.  Kendall thought it was hysterical!   Buzz is telling Woody to "cut it out" in this pic.  he he!

Then, the whole gang!

We didn't want Woody to feel left out.  So, Kendall got in a picture with just him, as well.   He's such a clown. 

All of us.....

Then, we were off to watch Playhouse Disney -Live on Stage!

Kendall was really excited because they added Jake & The Neverland Pirates (her favorite cartoon) to the show this year!!

Kendall likes Izzy..

Doing our alligator chop......

At the end of the "Jake" part, confetti golden coins dropped from the sky.  Kendall loved it!

Then, we were off to track down Minnie Mouse.  I had spotted her when we first came in and noticed that she had a pink dress on.  Since Kendall was wearing her black/pink shirt, I thought she NEEDED a picture with her!  he he! 

 

One of the photographers whispered to us where to find her.  So, we waited, patiently, in the heat, alone!  Sure enough, he was right!!

Kendall was really excited to see her in her "party dress"!  I got a ton of cute pictures!! 

 

Donald & Daisy were just around the corner too!!

We were off to ride the Toy Story ride again when we spotted A Green Army Man!!

We rode Toy Story Mania again with our Fast Passes......so nice not to have to wait! Kendall's all ready to go!!!

 

Fun ride!

 Then, we were off to see Beauty & The Beast.  This was my favorite show last year.  So, I was excited to see it again!!

We were on our way out of the park when an employee stopped us.  He said that he had a special treat for Kendall and we needed to follow him.  So, we did and ta-da............All of the characters were waiting for her. 

Hugs & Kisses from Donald!!

It was really a special treat and a total surprise!!

Another fun morning at Disney!!

Epcot, Margaritaville, and MORE rain!

After naps we headed over to Epcot. We used our passes again to see Mickey and The Gang. 

Dancing with Pluto!

Mickey & Pluto

Kendall asked to see Mulan again.  She was super excited to see Kendall!

She gave her a big kiss on the cheek!

Ha Ha!   So sweet!!

We just happend to spot Terence, from Tinkerbell, off to the side.....kinda hidden.  Kendall was SUPER excited since she really likes Terence and he's not a character that you see often. 

 

Who else did we find, hiding off to the side?? Rapunzel!!!! We were shocked to see here since EVERYONE told us that the ONLY place you can find her is The Magic Kingdom. 

Come to find out, this little hidden location has very little traffic and it's where they put the Characters-in-training.  It gives them a chance to interact with the public without being mobbed!  ha!

 

We saw Captain Jack too. But, he was about to go in.  So, no picture with him!! :(

We were on a mission to get to see The Beast from Beauty & The Beast.  We missed him last year.  So, he was a "MUST FIND" this year.   So, we rushed over to see him, stood in line for a good while, and then came THE RAIN!!  Everyone moved inside.  Since it was raining, only Belle came out!  Kendall was happy to see her for the 4,000 time. But, we were all bummed to miss out on seeing The Beast.

We were trying to track down Marie from Aristocats.....and stay dry in the shop we thought she'd be at. 

After that, we decided to not hang out in the rain for the night.  It was POURING down rain!! 

So, we loaded up and drove to Universal Studios.  We were soaked!!

We thought we'd walk around and eat at Margaritaville!! It was raining there too.  But, it was a nice change from Disney and it wasn't raining nearly as hard!!

So, what to do in the rain??  Grab Rita's To Go! ha!

These chairs were DRINCHED!!  ha!

Fun in the rain!!

 

In front of Buffett's jet!

 

Off to dinner!

Kendall jumped up and started dancing around!! 

The girl on stilts thought Kendall was too cute and came over to dance with her.  Kendall wasn't quite sure what to think of her!

It was another eventful but,  fun night out!!

Magic Kingdom Castle Breakfast & Fun

We booked a princess breakfast at The Castle this year since we were so unimpressed with the dinner last year. 

The breakfast turned out to be a flop as well.  None of us are breakfast people.  So, we hardly touched our food, the princesses weren't great, and Kendall always seems to act timid at the castle.  So, we won't be doing The Castle dinners again!!  With that being said, I still took a lot of pictures! 

 

Our little princess!!

Kendall met Cinderella right when we walked in.  The professional photo is so much better as well.  (I'll scan it in later too!).

Then, we were off to our table.

Kendall got a Royal Invitation, Wishing Star, and Princess wand.

Kendall met Snow White first.

Then Aurora.....

Ariel

And then Belle. 

The princess came around so quickly.  They were in and out really quickly.  So, we were too!  After breakfast we went to see Rapunzel again.  There was just a small line.  So, we dedcided to wait.  They have a little coloring area for the kids.  So, Kendall colored for a little while.

Then, she got to see Rapunzel again! Rapunzel was excited to see her again too!

She's just really sweet to the girls and really spends time talking with them.  Kendall LOVED her!!

Rapunzel kissed Kendall's book!

More sweet pictures!!

Then, Kendall got to meet Princess Tiana

Princess Tiana was too funny.  She was fascinated with Kendall's crown.  She kept going on and on about how she's seen the girls with the long hair and headbands.  But, she had never seen the real crown.  She was really funny about it. 

But, Kendall Loved her and thought she was great!

Then,we saw Prince Eric & Ariel

Then we were off to see The Fairies again!  They are always so fun & playful.  Kendall loves getting to see them.  They should do a Fairies Dinner!!  It would be so much fun!! 

 

Kendall got to see Rosetta...........

Then, Tinkerbell!

Then, Kendall & Jimmy rode a ride while I waited in line for Aladdin & Jasmine pics.   Once they got there, Kendall had fun chatting wtih them. 

We managed to time it just right.  We got to see Jesse & Woody again, without having to wait in line!!  Woo Hoo!!

Dancing around with Woody!

A little girl talk

Jesse & Woody!

Then, off to ride a few rides.....

Kendall & I rode The Magic Carpet's of Aladdin

Then, we grabbed some lunch and were heading back to the resort when we ran across this super cute pumpkin patch!  Kendall was more than willing to pose for me! 

Heading back to the resort............

On a boat!!  We rode the boat back to our resort, for a change! 

What a fun morning!!!

Magic Kingdom, Rapunzel, The RAIN, Downtown Disney!!!

Our mission this morning was to be the first in line to meet Rapunzel.  Kendall had been asking about her for days.  So, we couldn't hold her off any longer!!  It was also REALLY cloudy and looked like it could rain at any minute.  So, we were really trying to meet Rapunzel before the storm hit! 

In line to meet Rapunzel!!!

The story behind "The Crown!"-

Jimmy saw this crown on Disney's website.  It's a replica of the real crown from the Tangled movie.  But, it was sold out on line for weeks.  So, I called all of the Disney stores in town, for weeks, no one had them.  Finally someone asked me if I had tried calling out of state, since they would ship it to me.  Genius!  So, I called all over Texas first- SOLD OUT!.  Then, I called all over Mississippi- SOLD OUT, Georgia- SOLD OUT!, Florida- finally came through for me......after calling about 10 of their stores!!  We found 2!!!  My Hubby being the Ebay savy man that he is, sold the other crown for 3 times the cost on EBAY!!  Woo Hoo!!

The things we do for our kids!! He He!!  I will say, Kendall was the only one we saw that had on this crown and even several characters commented on how they had never seen the replica crown.  So, if you see one out there, grab it, quickly!  They are hard to find!!

Kendall was really excited to Meet Rapunzel.  She was able to spend a lot of time with her and really got to chat!  It made it even more special for Kendall!

Rapunzel showed Kendall how to spin around with her pretty dress........

Chatting about Pascal

Then, they chatted about the lanterns!! She asked Kendall if we'd be releasing the "floating lights" for her birthday.  he he!

Kendall LOVED getting to spend time with Rapunzel! 

After meeting Rapunzel, we went to see the other princesses again. 

Cinderella remembered meeting Kendall.  That made her day!

Belle was just so sweet to Kendall!

Kendall just LOVED all of the attention from the Princessess!!

Then, Kendall got to see Mickey & Minnie!!

We ran into Mary Poppins on the street.

After meeting all of them, we decided to get Kendall changed and head off to ride some rides!! 

 

It started pouring down rain, BIG TIME!! 

But, we weren't going to let it spoil our fun!  We rode Snow White's Scary Adventures first.

We rode Dumbo, in the rain.......

We rode the ride like 3 times in a row.  There was obviously no lines and Kendall LOVED it!! 

We had so much fun riding the rides in the rain!! 

We haven't laughed that hard in a long time!!

 

Then, we rode It's a Small World.  It was under construction last year.  So, Kendall didn't get to ride it last year.

She LOVED it and wanted to ride it again, and again, and again!!

Peter Pan's Flight was next!!

 
The rain finally started to let up and Kendall got to meet The Step-sisters and Lady Tremaine again!!

We rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh next

 

Then, we rode the Mad Tea Party teacup ride. 

I rode it with them once......I get so nauseous on these kinds of rides! :(

Kendall could ride this ride like 400 times and never get sick of it!

So, her and her Daddy got in line to ride it AGAIN!!

Once Kendall got off the teacups, she saw Alice. 

Our last mission for the morning was to find Jesse!! Kendall had already met Woody.  But, she had been asking to see Jesse!  So, we knew we needed to track Jesse down.    Hugs for Jesse!!

A kiss for Woody!!

Awww, just precious!!

Finally, one with Woody & Jesse together!!!

 

 We had a super fun, eventful morning at the Magic Kingdom!!  But, we were glad to get back to the hotel to dry off and rest!!  

 

After naps we decided to head off to Downtown Disney to do some shopping.  The World of Disney store there is massive and sells everything you could ever want.  So, we browsed around there for a good while!!

Kendall's Daddy told her that she could pick out a new princess dress.  I thought Ariel was the front runner since she had been eyeing the dress all week.  But, she fell in love with the Alice in Wonderland dress instead. 

Kendall wanted to pose in front of everything we saw! 

We walked around for a while and decided there really wasn't any place there that we were dying to eat.  So, we went back to our hotel and grabbed a pizza! 

Kendall enjoyed coloring on the pizza box when we were done!! 

A very nice low-key, relaxing evening!!

Park Fare Dinner

After the afternoon at the pool, we got ready and headed over to the Park Fare Cinderella Dinner.  The restaurant is located in the lobby of our hotel.  So, it was really nice to be able to be so close!!!

 

This is Kendall's new favorite pose!  She's so funny!!

This was Kendall's favorite character dinner last year.  So, she was really excited to go again.  She got to meet Prince Charming first!!

I had to hop in a picture too.  :)

Then, the step-sisters started putting on a major show.   Anastasia was having a  major hissy fit over something .........

.......and threw herself to the ground. 

Drizella threw a dirty napkin on her.  It was so funny. 

They DON'T ever get out of character and this night it was DRAMA, drama, DRAMA.  Our waitress said to take lots of pictures because this was a first! 

Cinderella was laughing so hard.  I thought she was about to cry.  It was really funny.  Kendall loved it!

Lady Tremaine came to our table next. 

 

She's always so interesting to watch.  Too funny!

Then,  Cinderella stopped by.  Kendall was excited to see her. 

I think she gets "star struck" by her. 

Anastasia came by.  I think after seeing all of the drama, Kendall wasn't quite sure what to expect.  ha!

Then, Drizella came to our table.  She isn't nearly as funny. .......so serious!

A sweet picture of my birthday girl...........

Then, we ate dinner and Kendall got ANOTHER birthday cupcake and a fun place mat with all of the characters autographs on it. 

When we got back to our room, Kendall had a fun surprise waiting for her. 

The hotel had sent up a really nice box of chocolates for Kendall's Birthday and she had a special voicemail from Minnie & Mickey, singing her Happy Birthday.  I recorded it on my phone.  So, she can listen to it over and over again!  We were HIGHLY impressed with our hotel, to say the least!!

We had a really fun evening at Park Fare, for sure!!

Pool Time FUN!!!

Jimmy rented us a cabana for the afternoon.  

It was a nice break from the crowds and lines

The cabana was N-I-C-E!!!  It had a stocked refridgerator, TV, comfy couches, fans, etc. 

I made Kendall a special swimsuit for this trip!!  ADORABLE!!

KENDALL loved getting to swim with her Daddy! 

They had all kinds of fun games and activities for the kids to do.  Kendall was anxious to do them all!!! 

Kendall was quite content playing in the splash pad......

Then, the storms rolled in! 

We were SO HAPPY to have our dry Cabana!!

We sat around and watched a little cartoons and a little football and waited for the rain to pass. 

Then, the pool-side activities started up  again.  Kendall got to dance with the girls for a while.......

More of the splash pad!!

Apparently when you rent a cabana you get an enormouse platter of fruit!  I hate that we hardly touched it.  But, it was so pretty!

Kendall & her Daddy went to check out the Arts & Crafts activities they were doing by the pool........

A little TV with Daddy!!

Then, Kendall got to do some fun Sidewalk Chalk with the girls........

Kendall was working on her octopus drawing

Her beautiful artwork!!!!

Aren't these the coolest drawings??  One of the girls that works there took an art class through Disney Studios!!  Super cute!!

It was a fun afternoon at The Pool!  Thanks for The Cabana, Babe!  Super fun!!

Disney Hollywood Studios!!!

The next day we went to Disney Hollywood Studios.  Once the park opened, we headed straight to Toy Story Midway Mania. 

Kendall was super excited to ride it this year! 

We both thought it was so much fun. 

Kendall's Daddy even surprised her after our trip and bought the Wii version of it.  Fun Fun!! 

After the ride we went to meet Woody & Buzz.  We didn't meet them last year.  So, Kendall really wanted to see them this time. 

They had all sorts of cute things to pose in front of!

She has become quite the pro at posing!! Don't you think??

A little overwhelmed by their size!!

But, she warmed up to them quickly! 

So cute!!!

Then, we went to meet Phineas & Ferb.  Kendall's just recently started watching their show.  So, we had to meet them too.  They had street performers out doing fun little shows while you waited in line.  It was a great way to pass the time, in the heat!  Kendall was picked to be in one of the little shows.  She was acting so shy!! But, it was cute!!

Phineas & Ferb!!

Then, we went to check out CARS!!!

It was super loud in there and Kendall was really not excited to be standing that close to the "scary" noise!

Kendall got to meet Handy Manny!!

Kendall's favorite cartoon.  Hopefully they will be around to meet next year!  It's still a new show.  So, you can't meet them, in person, yet. 

Then we watched The Voyage of The Little Mermaid!  Super Cute show!!

Then, we did a little shopping before grabbing lunch and heading back to the hotel!! 

Our evening at Epcot

After lunch and naps we got ready and went back to Epcot.

We got in line to meet Jasmine & Aladdin.  I was the last one in line.  They cut the line short since it was about to pour down rain.    YEP, it started raining, HARD, and the line got moved inside. 

Kendall was really excited to see them!!!

Kendall was the last one to get to see them.  So, she got some extra special attention. 

I'm not sure what it is about Jasmine & Aladdin.  But, it started pouring down rain when we went to meet them last year too! 

Then, it was time for our dinner reservations at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.  We didn't do this specific dinner last year.  So, we thought we'd give it a try.  It was a princess dinner and 100 times better than the one at the castle, in our opinion!!  Kendall got to have her picture taken with Belle first.  The professional photo is SO GOOD!  (I'll have to scan it in later!).

Then, we were off to our table!

Kendall got to meet Princess Aurora first.

Then, Kendall got to meet Alice In Wonderland!  She seemed to REALLY like her!  :)

Snow White remembered meeting Kendall just a few hours earlier! 

Another birthday cupcake......

......and another special card with all of the Princesses autographs!

Then, Kendall got to meet Ariel.

They had a princess parade through the restaurant.  Kendall was excited to join in!

It was  a fun evening at Epcot!! After dinner we headed back to the resort.  It was getting late.  So, we were ready to get back to the hotel and relax!!  But, good luck getting to sleep before 9:00 PM if you're staying at The Grand Floridian.  We learned our lesson the night before........The Grand Floridian is right next to The Magic Kingdom, meaning that you will get to listen to the fireworks show even if you don't want to.  So, instead of laying in bed, trying to tune them out, we decided to make the most of it.

 

Our hotel has an outdoor movie, by the pool, every night.  So, we got our swim suits on and hit up the pool. 

We were able to swim, watch the movie, and watch the fireworks all at the same time, every night!!  Such fun!!

Kendall LOVED it and begged us to go to the pool EVERY NIGHT!  We were totally exhausted most nights.  But, Daddy usually gave in!!  Fun night!!

Awww, I'm so blessed to have such a precious family!  Love you both!!

Epcot!!

The next morning we got up early and headed over to Epcot.  Kendall wasn't quite tall enough for Soarin.  But, there's always next year.  So, we decided to go ride The Seas with Nemo & Friends! 

This little Nemo ride is just so cute.  Afterwards you can walk through a little aquarium, play in the little play area........

.......and then watch The Crush Show!! 

Then, we were off to ride Spaceship Earth

My little cutie!!

Kendall was excited to get to see Daisy!

 

Then, Kendall got to see Mulan!  She was very excited to see her too.  She just recently got a Mulan doll.  So, she was asking to see her this year.

We stopped by to see Snow White too!

Duffy the Bear was new this year! Apparently he's in several of the movies and is Mickey's toy bear, maybe?? 

Then,  we saw Stitch, again.  Poor Stitch.  They have him everywhere and there is not ever a line to see him.  He had to be the "easiest to spot" character at Disney World.  But, Kendall still wanted to see him, EVERY TIME, we spotted him. 

Kendall was super excited to see Chip and Dale!!  Chip was giving Kendall big kisses and totally loving on her!  So Cute!!

Awwwww

Then, we used our special passes to get back stage to meet Mickey and The Gang!!

Another fun morning at Disney!!!

Magic Kingdom & Character Dinner

After Kendall's nap we got ready and snapped a few photos.......

Then, we headed over to Magic Kingdom.  We watched the Mickey's PhilharMagic Show first.  This was my favorite show last year.  It's the 3D show with the wind/water come at you.  Super cute!! 

  Cinderella's Golden Carrousel was next!

Then, it was time for our dinner reservation at The Crystal Palace.  Kendall was excited to see all of the characters there. (I can't get enough of these cute pics!!)

Eeyore was first!!

Then, Piglet

Kendall had to show EVERYONE her hot pink fingernails.  Ha!

Excited about seeing Pooh!!

Kendall got a birthday cupcake...........

.........and a special card with all of the characters autographs. 

Dancing around......so excited to see Tigger!!  One happy little girl!!

 

Dancing with Tigger

Awww, precious!!

After dinner we decided to stop by to see The Fairies!!  Kendall couldn't be held off any longer!!

Vidia was first........

Then Tinkerbell! 

Then,  We were off to meet The Princesses!!

Aurora was first!!

Then, Belle

Then, Cinderella......

This picture has a Funny Story that goes along with it.......  Cinderella told Kendall that she loved her dress.  She then asked Kendall if her mice friends made it, like hers.  Kendall said, "No.  But, Mommy saw a mice in our garage and we can't catch him.  ha!"  I'm sure it's not the response Cinderella was expecting.  Kids are too funny!!

Awwww

It was such a fun & busy day.  So, we were super tired and ready to head back to our hotel!!

Animal Kingdom!!

 

We spent our first morning at Animal Kingdom!! 

We got there when the park opened and watched the pre-show..........

......and headed to the back of the park.

We went to ride the Jungle Tour first..........Kilimanjaro Safari.  It's kinda like a wild animal tour.  Fun fun!! (FYI-Kendall was WAY too busy looking at the animals.  So, you won't see very many smiles in this part of the post!)

They had pictures of all of the animals posted on the top of the jeep.  So, Kendall kept pointing up to them saying "We saw that one."

After that we took the Wildlife Express Train ............

"Choo Choo"

.....over to Rafiki's Planet Watch to check out the petting zoo.

Kendall LOVED it.  I didn't think we were going to be able to pull her away from the petting zoo.  I've never seen her so excited to pet animals, ever!  I guess we'll be making some trips to Old Mac D's farm often this fall!!

We went inside and checked out the insects........BORING!!  Then, Kendall decided that she wanted to pet a snake!!  It was crowded.  So, Kendall & Jimmy were goofing off while waiting for the crowd to leave.  LOVE these pics!!

The snake! 

Then, Kendall got to meet Jiminy Cricket, again, this year!! 

Back to see the snake, again!  Is this really my child??

Then, She got to see Pocahontas!    She's a big fan of hers!!

After that we ran into Lilo & Stitch.  Kendall didn't know who they were last year.  But, since then she's seen the movies and become a Stitch fan.  So, this was her first time to meet them both.

Then, Meeko from Pocahontus. 

and Thumper......

Pluto too!

Then, Kendall & Daddy were off to ride something fun!  How adorable are these two??? 

The Triceratop Spin...

Kendall decided to test out her Hula Hoop skills!! 

Game time!!

Kendall won herself a new Pascal toy!!

Then, we were off to see Winnie the Pooh!

Eeyore

Then, we saw  Tigger

Then, we headed back to the hotel for nap time. We never miss nap time!!  Our hotel, The Grand Floridian, was beautiful!!  A MUST STAY from here on out!!  Loved it!

10 Days of Disney!!!

We just spent 10 days at Disney World!!!  It was such a fun vacation! We hopped on a plane on a Friday afternoon..........all ready to go!!!

Once we landed, we drove to this fun little part of Florida, called Celebration.  It was a swanky little town with all kinds of cute shops.  Our hotel was snazzy!!!! 

It was late when we got in.  So, I had to take pictures the next day.  The hotel was super nice & such a fun place to stay. 

Swanky!!!

Kendall was all about posing in front of everything!!!

We're ready for Day 1 at Disney World!!!

Swimming update!!

Kendall got a swimming progress report several weeks ago.  She's doing great!!  She was promoted to Angel Fins 2 at the first of the summer.   She can float on her back and can even do a full series of backstrokes unassited as well.  Ms. Raegan has said that she's got amazing arm movements and thinks that once she puts her face in the water, she'll really take off quickly.  But, Kendall has still had a huge fear of putting her face in the water.  It's really been holding her back........................UNTIL NOW!!! 

She's finally giving in......

(Sorry, the pictures are blurry!!)

Kendall had a make up swim lesson last week.  Apparently she's forgotten that she was scared to put her face in the water.  She did AWESOME and swam alone at least 6 feet!!  Woo Hoo!!  Here's a picture of her doing "Big Arms" alone......her teacher was about to pick her up!!!

We had to run errands after swim lessons......and eat lunch.  So, we did something different and Kendall thought it was a super special treat.......Pizza Hut pizza at Target's little Cafe.  Ha! Kendall LOVED it.  She keeps asking to eat lunch at Target again! ha! 

(Doesn't she look totally exhausted?? She worked hard!!)

I'm so proud of my little swimmer!  Hopefully I can take some better pictures now that the summer crowd is gone!

 

 

Tea Party with Princesses!!

Kendall LOVES to play tea party with all of her princess dolls.  So, we spent a good part of our morning, playing tea party! 

She was Princess Rapunzel!!

Tea parties are so much fun!!

Kendall & I need to pull our her REAL tea set that her Grammy got her years ago.  I'll have to make it a really special deal.  Any cute suggestions??  I can't wait!!

 

SMURFS!!

Funny story about the Smurfs...........  I took Kendall to McD's a few weeks ago to grab lunch.  We go there often for fountain drinks.  But, only eat there about once every few months or so.  Anyway, she got a happy meal that came with a Smurfs toy.  After that, anytime I asked her what she wanted for lunch her response was, "McDonalds and smurfs toy!".  I obviously was not going to let her eat at McD's daily or even weekly.  So, we decided to go on a SMURFS toy hunt.  They will sell you the toys for less than $2.  So, long story short.........Kendall and I went to 3 McD's and her Daddy went to 2 on his way to work, and we completed the set within 2 days!  Woo Hoo! 

They were selling the completed sets on ebay for WAY MORE than what we paid for them.  So, we feel like we got a good deal! ha!

As if one SMURFS toy hunt wasn't enough.  We had to go on a second one.  Kendall mentioned that she wanted a big "girl Smurf-it" doll for her B-day.  I hadn't seen any around.  So, I told her Daddy to track one down online, which he did.  But, he found that they sold them at some Targets.  Not on Target.com, just in stores. So, Kendall and I decide to go find a "Smurf-it" doll one day.  We were already heading out to the outlet mall.  So, I thought we'd stop at the Targets that were on the way.  We went to 6 Targets, found 5 different dolls, and NO "Smurf-its".  Thank Goodness her Daddy has one on the way!!

 

Kendall & I have been having fun on our Toy Hunts!  It's always a fun adventure!!  ha!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Kendall & I had a lot of fun getting ready for Jimmy's Birthday!  She was super excited to drag out all of his gifts!!

We thought it would be fun to make him a special dessert.  Kendall LOVES getting to bake.  So, that's what we did.  

I let her pick the dessert and she chose, BROWNIES!!

Licking the spoon! YUM!!

The brownies were done and it was time to add the icing!  YUMMY!!

When Jimmy got home we  ate TAKE-OUT & our yummy brownies!  Then, he  opened gifts and his cards!  

Kendall got him the cutest card!!  We thought it was perfect since he LOVES his Green Egg Grill!!

 

It's hard to read.  But, the card says, "From your Little GRILL".  Adorable!!

I asked Kendall to sign the card while I was off finishing the brownies. Apparently she ran out of room and the two  L's are at the top of the card!!  It Couldn't be more perfect!!  LOVE IT!

Jimmy had a great birthday!  We love you!!!

 

Sprinkler Fun!!!

We have had so much fun with the sprinkler lately.  There is a spot in our backyard that the sprinkler system seems to be missing.  So, we've had to turn on the big sprinkler occassionally. 

The other day it was near Kendall's playhouse.  So, we played inside it and pretended that we were pirates, trying to survive the BIG STORM!!  Kendall's so cute and creative like that!  Then, another day, the sprinkler was by her swingset.  She decided that she had a  GREAT, BIG WATER SLIDE!! 

She had so much fun!! 

Gotta love summer time!!

Pretty & Pink!!!

Kendall got a little Strawberry Shortcake doll a few weeks ago.  You freeze this little wand and can paint her hair with it.  Kendall thought it was so much fun and it got her thinking, apparently!!  The next thing I know she's saying, "I wish I could get my toe nails painted sometime!".  I was like, "Ummm, excuse me??  Did I hear you correctly??".  I've only tried to take her to the nail salon a million times and tried to talk her into letting me paint her toe nails 4 million times.  So, I obviously jumped at the chance.  I said, "Let's do it now!!"  She was SUPER excited and said that she wanted "HOT PINK"!  So, Hot pink it is!!! 

Watching closely!!

 

Look at those precious little toes!! 

While I was painting her toes, I hear her sweet little voice saying, "I wish I could get my finger nails painted too!".  Awww, music to this Mommy's ears! ha!

So, I painted her finger nails too........

 

Happy Little Girl!!!

 

She said, "This is so much fun.  I wish we could do it again soon!"  My response, "Oh, we will!!". 

Guess what she wanted to do next??  YEP, paint mine!!  I wasn't exactly excited about it.  But, I was a good sport!  She didn't get too much paint on my skin. Ha!

LOVE my Girly Girl with HOT PINK nails!!

 

Born a Texan!!!

My little Texas Girl!! 

Kendall found this hat in my closet and thought it was SO MUCH FUN!  I bought it in Mexico years ago!!

Yee Haw!!

PRECIOUS!!

Go Texans!!!

We went to the Texans Game a few weeks ago.  It was a Saturday night game.  So, we decided to get a hotel room downtown.  So, after the game we could just slip out and go to the hotel and crash!! Kendall is just too funny these days!!  Chillin' in the elevator!!

Her and her Daddy are TOO COOL!!

Since we were staying downtown,   we were able to ride the metrorail to the game and avoid traffic!  Kendall thought it was fun!!

She was SO EXCITED to watch her some FOOTBALL!!!

Kendall was SUPER EXCITED once we got there and she got to meet some of the TEXANS cheerleaders!!

They even let her play with their pom poms!!

Kendall had NO PROBLEM cheering "GO TEXANS" about 4 million times!! 

It was a fun night!!

Texans Fans!!!

We went to one of the Texans Preseason games a few weeks ago.  Kendall was super excited to wear her new jersey........just like Daddy's!!

 

Kendall was just being silly with her Daddy............the most precious times of all!!!

Eskimo Kisses!!

My Girl!!

We're all ready for the game!!  Go Texans!!

Meet The Teacher!!

Kendall had her "Meet the Teacher" night a few weeks ago!  It's so weird to be a parent, going to a Meet the Teacher.  I've always been the Teacher!  

I've had some major anxiety about Kendall going off to school and this night was no different.  Once we got there, I was totally fine.  But, the hours before, the anxiety rolled in.  SO WEIRD!!  I've never been an anxious person.  But, with Kendall, it's totally different.  YES,  I will be the Mom that sits in her car and cries on her first day! Ha! 

So, we got a letter in the mail, telling us about the Meet the Teacher on a Tuesday and the Meet the Teacher was.........THURSDAY!!  Talk about last minute. So, what was a crafty Mom to do???  Yes, whip together the Perfect Meet the Teacher dress in two days!!!!

Kendall was so excited to wear her Apple Dress!!

She was showing us how she was going to impress her new teachers!!

The Meet the Teacher went well.  Kendall was excited to see her classroom.  She met a little girl that will be in her class and is excited to see her again.  She sat down and colored for a little bit while we chatted with the teachers. 

I didn't take a lot of pictures.  But, the first day of school will be a different story! 

Kendall was given a red backpack with the school's name on it.  She wasn't too excited with it being red and NOT PINK.  But, she's really excited about starting school.  So, the backack isn't an issue!!   I had to add her name to it, of course!!

The uniforms arrived today and Kendall was anxious to see them.  She LOVES this one........

But, told me that she doesn't like this one.  It's BLUE and way too big.  So, I guess we'll be ordering the smaller size, in red!! 

She is trying to frown.  ha!  But, she can't be unhappy even if she tries!!!

 Isn't this adorable too?? 

I think she's just about ready for school to start!!!  She keeps asking me when she gets to go.  But, she also keeps mentioning, "I miss you when you have to go by yourself." .......referring to when I left her at Dance camps.  It's so sweet!  I know she cherishes our time together. But, I know that  It will be great for her to get to start school and make new friends!!!!  I know she's going to LOVE it!!