Magic Kingdom

We spent two half days at the Magic Kingdom park. We started the first day with breakfast in the park with Pooh, Eyore, Piglet, and Tigger. Katie was so excited to see Tigger that she jumped out of my arms and ran across the restaurant losing one shoe in the process. After breakfast we rode Dumbo and Peter Pan's flight. Mackenzie sang Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo with the Fairy Godmother, met Cinderella's stepsisters, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle! Cinderella is still her favorite. Before leaving for the day we caught the tail end of a parade and had a front fow view of the Dream Along with Mickey show, starring Peter Pan and Captain Hook (two of Mackenzie's favorites!). We left the park for a late nap and returned the next evening to meet Buzz Lightyear and see the princesses again. After dinner we watched the evening parade, but headed home before the fireworks to beat the crowd. We can't wait to go back in a few years!

Animal Kingdom

We visited the Animal Kingdom on Monday. In the morning we rode the safari ride, met more characters, and had front row seats to the Lion King show. After lunch we caught the Bug's Life 3D movie. Mackenzie hated the part when one of the bugs spit on the audience! Katie and Evan fell asleep during the Finding Nemo musical while Mackenzie sang along.

Dinner at Chef Mickey's

We had a fantastic vacation in Orlando! Here are some photos of our dinner at Chef Mickey's. We met Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck. The food was really good and the kids had a blast!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

Mackenzie is 3 years old! How time flies. We celebrated with a princess-themed birthday party complete with a princess birthday cake. Everyday since she insits on wearing her Cinderella dress. Luckily, she's been satisfied with wearing it only in the evening after her bath. She did, however, have to wear her tiara to daycare today.

Play Date

Kylie and Aubrey were in town this weekend, so Shonda hosted a play date at her house on Saturday afternoon. So many beautiful kids! (thank you for the photos Kylie)

Fish Kiss

Mackenzie reels in a big fish, names him Nemo and gives him a kiss goodbye.

Chef Mackenzie

Mackenzie's cooking skills are now on par with mine. She likes to help in the kitchen, especially when we're making something she like to eat (pizza or anything sweet).

Park Photos

These are some photos from earlier this summer at Ault Park.

Mackenzie and Alex always have a good time together.

Norris Lake

We had a great vacation at Norris Lake with Grandma, Grandpa, Joe, Brittany, Eric, and Leanna. We went fishing, boating, and swimming. It was a very relaxing week.

Happy 1st Birthday Katie!

I can't believe Katie is one year old! She has grown up so much this year! We celebrated her first birthday this weekend with a party in the park. Her birthday party was our first real taste of summer - 88 degrees! The kids didn't mind, though, they had a great time playing on the playground. Mackenzie helped Katie eat her cake.

Fishing

Matt and Joe have been teaching Mackenzie how to fish. She even has her very own Bass Pro fishing hat!

Sharing

Mackenzie is getting pretty good at sharing with Katie. I love this video of the snack hand-off in the car.

Visitng With Aubrey

We met Kylie and Aubrey in Columbus for a visit. After an initial warm-up period Mackenzie had a lot of fun playing with Aubrey. They blowed bubbles, played with stickers and sang songs.

Good Eater

Katie is our good eater. She is willing to try just about anything. Her favorite food is cheese. This is a photo of her first encounter with Matt's homemade mac 'n cheese. Yum! She enjoyed herself, but what was the point of the bib? She got it everywhere.

Helping Mom

Mackenzie actually had fun helping me check data tables. Future analyst?

Sports Fans

Yes, this photo has been posed to make Mackenzie and Katie look like avid sports fans. I am pretty sure this is the first time Mackeznie has ever held a baseball bat. Who knows, Mackenzie may one day overcome her lack of coordination to be a baseball star. However, my money is on Katie as the athlete in the family. She is constantly on the go. By far my favorite part of this picture is Katie's smile. The scrunched face smile has become her signature and it makes me crack up every time!

Beautiful Day

We lucked out this year - the weather on Easter was beautiful.

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter! The weather was PERFECT! Mackenzie and Katie had so much fun playing with their cousins and hunting Easter eggs. Mackenzie made it all day without a nap and is still going strong at 9pm, not that we're surprised. We hope this nice weather sticks around.

Coloring Easter Eggs

Mackenzie is quite the artist and her new favorite medium is stickers.
She meticulously crafted seven eggs, careful to use only one style of sticker on each. Katie sat and watched her big sister while munching on Kix. We are all looking forward to a visit from the Easter bunny!

The Park

We have been enjoying the warmer weather by spending time outside. Katie rode the swings at the park for the first time.