Part of Your World

Watch Mackenzie sing Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. We have listened to it so many times in the car that she knows it by heart! She is such a little performer.

Hollywood Studios

We spent Friday at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We met Mater and Lighting McQueen from the Cars movie and saw the Playhouse Disney show. We also had lunch with Handy Manny and other characters from Playhouse Disney. After lunch we saw the Little Mermaid's show and Beauty and the Beast musical. Mackenzie sang along with the Little Mermaid, but was a little afriad when Ursula the sea witch appeared. Overall it was a fun last day in Orlando. Oh, and yes, this is the 3rd day Mackenzie wore her Cinderella dress to the parks.

Swimming

We swam a few times on vacation...twice at the neighborhood pool and once at the house. Katie is not afraid of the water at all. She does not hesitiate to jump in the water even though she sinks right to the bottom. We had to watch her very closely! Mackenzie on the other hand is very timid in the pool although by the end of the trip she was swimming a few feet by herself (in her life jacket, of course). We really liked the house we rented - it had plenty of room for all eight of us, a private pool, a neighborhood playground and larger community pool. We would definitely go back!

More of the Magic Kingdom

Here are more photos from our two days at the Magic Kingdom.

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?