To say that we have missed Jeff and Amy and the kids since they have moved to Dallas is a great understatement! But, we were so fortunate that Amy should have been a truck driver by trade and doesn't mind driving, so she and the kids hopped in the car and came to Florida to help out with the packing after we returned from Utah. Besides helping with the move, her #1 requirement was to take the kids to Disney World. After living here for four and a half years, she never wanted to go there, so it just never happened. Well, once she got a little girl who wanted to be a princess, she had to change her mind to get that little girl to the most famous princess castle in the world--Disney World!
Look at that smile! On our way to the happiest place on earth!
It was so fun to have Kim, Jenna, and Brady with us. We could never have seen all we saw or have done all we did without them. They have year passes and are pros!
As usual, the Disney grounds were gorgeous!
Lola's mommy asking her, "Where is the Princess Castle?"
Amy with her three kids: Garrett, Lola, and Isaac
Brady insisted that we go on Space Mountain first. So, here were the reactions after the ride.
Next stop, the Buzz Lightyear ride.
I love the intensity!
As I said, we absolutely loved having Kim, Jenna, and Brady guiding us through Disney World. Because of their expertise, we did very little waiting in lines.
Kim even got us front row places for the Princess Show.
Do you notice that Lola had brought her Cinderella dress in her mom's bag so that she could put it on? She had just come from taking her picture with Cinderella with the caption, "Dreams Really Do Come True." Exactly!!!
Soon the production began.
I was so glad that we got to see the big opening number, because right after this they stopped the production due to light rain starting to fall. It was okay and didn't affect us much, but I'm sure it could have been a problem for the people doing all the dancing and with their costumes.
Next stop: "Its a Small World"
This was definitely Lola's favorite ride. She was absolutely mesmerized. So, I am including lots of pictures for her to remember it by.
Yes, this ride always brings out the smiles on everyone!
Getting ready for our 3-D movie. The picture looks like I took it in 3-D, too, right?!
The entrance into "Little Mermaid." Amy put Lola on the rock so I could take the picture, then she turned back to help one of her other kids. In the meantime, Lola thought she was left there alone. Poor little thing. Anyway, her mother is definitely rescuing her.
It was getting time for treats. We definitely had to get some chocolate popcorn, plus try some of their other yummy things.
Too many to choose from!
Monster, Inc. was so clever and fun.
Soon they had the Disney Daytime Parade.
The kids decided to climb the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house
I always loved that show! We need to rent that old movie to let the kids see how all of this began.
This camel was really sly. When you weren't expecting it, he spit at you!
Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride
No trip to Disney is complete without going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Garrett was a little apprehensive about being in the dark and going down a waterfall, but Brady assured him it was going to be fun.
Kim and I took the kids to the Haunted Mansion. Amy didn't think Lola could handle that, so she took her to something else in Fantasy Land.
We met up by Rapunzel's Castle--I guess they call it, "Tangled."
It was so clever there. Even the restrooms have the "Tangled" theme on them.
As you can tell, we were starting to run out of time. We had been having so much fun, no one wanted it to end--not even Amy!
We still had to have the kids ride the famous Merry-go-round.
Brady is such a nice young man. You can tell that he loves to go to Disney with his family. Even though he's seen everything so many times before, he still wants to make sure that everyone else sees everything they possibly can.
The evening production is just jaw-dropping amazing. Pictures are reflected right off the castle. Can you see Walt Disney's face? I don't know how they do it because every square inch of the castle is used, along with the most fantastic surround-sound music ever!
And then the fireworks began . . .
Wow!
The walk back through Main Street is always a time I remember on every trip--that feeling you have when you've made so many memories together and had such a great time.
Lola had seen a little "L" necklace with a Mickey attached to it which Jenna had helped her find. Her mommy couldn't resist buying it for her as a remembrance of her very first time at Disney.
Lola couldn't have been more proud!
As we were walking back, we realized the Electric Parade was going to be shown again, so we just sat down on the curb and enjoyed every bit of it with front row seats.
Tinkerbell
Cinderella's coach and fairy-god mother
Would you say there are some tired looking kids about now?
Yes, it was a fantastic day--even Amy had to admit it was a "magical day" to remember. We so appreciated Kim and the kids for helping to make it so fun for us! Thanks for the memories!
We stayed all night at Kyle and Kim's beautiful home where the kids had so much swimming in their pool the next day.
After returning to Green Cove, we had to make our visit to Spring Park--one of the kids' favorite places.
In addition to the draw of the river, you can always count on seeing some wildlife.
The park has such fun playground equipment, too.
So, although we didn't get to do nearly all we wanted to do while Amy and the kids were here, we loved having them come and appreciated so much all Amy did to help us--especially with all the wiring and connecting things up that she had to do. We kept busy trying to get everything moved out of our home which we have lived in for nearly 14 years. So many changes in my life right now!
So, I took pictures right before we shut the door on "our" home since in a day it would become someone elses. The bonus room where all the kids' toys and videos were.
I loved my huge kitchen with its many cabinets.
The living room with the faux painting that Kent and Natalie helped me do.
Will I ever have this great of a sewing and hobby room again?
The office--I spent many an hour in here.
The family room--our favorite "comfy" place.
Our two guest rooms.
The Master bedroom and bath.
I loved my huge tub!
And finally the porch swing. I hope the new family gets as much enjoyment out of it as we did. How many family pictures have been taken on this, I wonder?! They specifically asked that we leave it.
I have found that life is what you make of it. I am looking forward to seeing what the next phase of our life is--no matter where that might be!
1 comment:
That's so great that you were able to attend Disney World with Amy's kids on their very first visit! How fun! I'm sure Lola thought she was in Princess Heaven! Your pictures of your empty house are sad in a way because of all the memories, but when we moved from our homes our motto became, "Life is an Adventure." We found that "things" weren't important, it was our family being together wherever we lived. I don't need to tell you that because you have always thrived wherever you have lived! (Such a good idea to take pictures room by room, however!)
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