...after all the fun. Once our guest left, presents were open and the kids were winding down. Dave and I had a tall glass of ice with some of this goodness...oh yeah baby!
Goodness- Julia was showered with so many wonderful gifts from clothes, nail polish, hair accessories, jewelry, dolls, clothes, ballerina outfits, baking sets and toys, toys and more toys! She loved everything she received and we are so thankful for all of our friends and family for sharing in her big 4th birthday!
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| As soon as the Barbies came out of the package- their clothes came off! What is it with taking the Barbie clothes off? I did this too when I was younger! |
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| Jump, Jump, Jump with a jump rope and a ballerina dress! |
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| Princess Drummer- what a rockstar! |
This is Matthew's first year at an all day summer camp. We realized that staying at Julia's daycare just didn't have enough activities for him so last winter we started our hunt for a summer day camp. We just love Annapolis Area Christian School and not only is he exhausted by the time he comes home, but he truly loves all of the activities, sports and water fun that they do each and every day. Since not all kids attend camp for the full summer, they have weekly camps and at the end of each week the counselors and kids put on a skit and video show of what they did that week.
Below is a link to each week at camp. Parents, family and friends are invited every Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. to watch the skit and video. You can see it here, but it may not have the music, or the loud screaming, clapping camp kids in the background as you would if you saw it in person! This though just gives you an idea of the fun things they do each week!
http://www.dwagamanphoto.com/aacs-summer-programs/
Our very last night at Disney as I was packing, this was the conversation Matthew & I shared:
Matthew: "Mom, I have tears in my eyes"
Me: "Uh-Oh buddy, maybe its your allergies. When I am done folding these shorts, I will come take a look. I think I have your allergy medication with us."
Matthew: "No mom, it's not allergies. I have tears in my eyes because we have to leave tomorrow..."
Really. Seriously. Dave was right there when that conversation happened. It hurt my heart for him to say that. I was sad too but we promised the kids that we will be back...
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| Last dinner at Walt Disney World. Kids were both mad and sad that we were leaving the next day. |
One thing that Walt Disney World is famous for -- is making kids tired! Our 2 kiddies were tuckered out each night and as soon as their little heads hit that pillow- they were sound asleep! The walking, the food, the sights, characters, rides, parades and shows- so much to do, so much fun that was had and truly a magical trip.
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| Julia was a little chilly that night- so she fell asleep with her new sweatshirt and of course all of her friends! |
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| A goodnight sleep is much better with an armful of friends and a Minnie Mouse pillow |
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| Even big boy Matthew hugged Mickey Mouse at night |
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| Poor David..... |
Julia Grace is turning 4 on July 16th and her birthday party planning is all falling into place. Since her birthday is in the summer, we have gotten away with going to the pool and the water-park and celebrating with our family. This year, she wanted to invite her friends to Hawaii or the beach. Since we just "couldn't make it happen" we talked her into a miniature golf & moon bounce party. We hope for good weather and since this is her first year inviting her friends, we hope that many can come out and celebrate the day with us. This little girl is amazing, fun, smart, beautiful and everything she says and does surprises us each day. Julia certainly keeps us on our toes, she is a bit of a diva, drama queen and has a big attitude- hence my nickname for her"Drama-Tude". She loves shoes, purses, glitter, glam and dresses. She loves to play pretend- anything (doctor, grocery store, library, dentist, princess, ballerina and most recently- star wars since she now has a purple light saber). We are so blessed and thankful for a wonderful, healthy and loving little girl.
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| Taken at Polynesian Resort- ready for the luau! |
Each year, my family (13 of us total) go on vacation together. There have been a year or two were we skipped due to babies, money, schedules and work. I love to hear the gasp from people or see how big their eyes get when I tell them that we went on vacation with 9 other people. My family has done this for so long that it seems natural sometime after the holidays we start talking about our plans for the summer, we discuss if we are taking a vacation this summer, if each family is doing their own thing or if we are going on a big family vacation. I don't know if these vacations will continue in the future as all of the kids get bigger and they may want or plan different things. As kids get older, they have summer jobs, boyfriends, girlfriends and extra curricular activities. But for now, I am enjoying these family vacations and look forward to our next big vacation. Whether its the beach, a local water-park, Disney World or just hanging by the pool- I love going on vacation with this crazy crew!
From someone who has done this before...
1. Know the people you are vacationing with!
2. Each family should respect one another's space- even if you are sharing a room with them.
3. Let each family do their own thing on the vacation so it feels like a vacation.
Unfortunately Dave was on call on July 4th this year- so no big celebrations for us. The kids were a bit antsy- after all, we had just returned from Disney World where we were doing something each day, we had no power for about 2-3 days and there was no way we could get them to stay at home all day on the 4th. We had to stay nearby in case something came up and Dave was called in. So we ventured down to one of our favorite places- downtown Annapolis. We found a boat that was only sailing around the harbor and it wasn't a long ride so we "jumped-on" and took a boat ride along the annapolis harbor. It was a beautiful day, lots of people out and about,had ice cream by the water, we did some people watching, boats were decorated for the holiday festivities, kids and adults were dressed up in their July 4th best!
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| I realize that I probably should have worn something red, white and blue. Then again...nah...I like my dress! |
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| Dave and the kids chillin' on the boat! |
Upon our arrival back home Saturday June 30th- we found out about the horrible storms and winds that occurred in our area and surrounding states. We didn't have power when we came home and so thankful for family and friends who offered their homes, their showers, washer/dryer and of course a cool place to sleep. We opted to stay in our basement but I told Dave that if it last longer than 2 days we will have to take up one of the offers and stay with friends or family. I was crying while cleaning out the refrigerator because I had never experienced having to throw out so much food from our freezer. It was such a waste but I knew that we couldn't salvage it or eat it. The reason for this post today is to thank all of the family and friends who were so generous while our power was out- but to also let you know that you should have the following things in your homes so you are prepared for a power outage.... Headlamp with a strap and Light Sabers.
Many moons ago, I asked Dave that he buy me headlamps/lights for my Christmas present. Many of you are probably turning your lips up at this wondering why....well...let me just say the very few times our power has been out and for this long stretch that we just had...it was a lifesaver. My hands were free, I could carry Julia, snacks, water and have a light helping me. Its also great that the kids can wear it and they can walk around hands free and navigate with a light on their head. Even though we may look like aliens, it is a perfect item to have around the house.
Light saber- you are cracking up I know. During our Disney trip, the kids had a chance to make their own light sabers. We already had 2 of them at home, so why not have an additional 3 light sabers from Disney right? These bad boys- although a little noisy were perfect for the nights we didn't have sunlight. The kids would turn them on and we had 2 red, a blue, a green and purple light saber light show! Luckily once the kids fell asleep, we could turn off the light sabers :)
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| 4:00 a.m. - waiting for our ride to the airport! Wide awake and ready to roll! |
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| Waiting to board and happy we made it through security with NO problems! |
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| Here we go! |
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| Still a little tired but so excited for the plane to go up up up! |
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| We made it to the mouse's house! |
All the worry, the planing, the excitement- it was all real the moment we stepped on the plane for Walt Disney World. The commercials of the families smiling just don't do justice and it truly is an amazing place where dreams come true (No- Disney did not pay me to say that). Months of planning, preparation, reading articles, reviews, worrying about security, worrying about the kids on their first flight, thoughts about packing, rain, weather, personal fans, the heat and more. All of those things truly were perfect for our vacation.
We stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort which is inside of the Walt Disney World- we used their transportation system, had the deluxe dining plan and truly enjoyed our vacation in style. We had no worries, went to each park, enjoyed the pool, walked in the park when it was torrential down pour, showed off our ponchos, umbrellas, used sunscreen, watched parades, ate wonderful food and most of all created so many wonderful memories.
We had hundreds of pictures from our trip and since I can not put them on the blog page, I thought I would share the link with you. there are two links below-- enjoy the pictures!
