Magic Kingdom

Our trip to the Magic Kingdom was a magical marathon, that's for sure. We were there for 11 hours. Lucy and Quinn were troopers. They lasted the whole day without a nap! The beginning of May was the perfect time to visit. It wasn't really too hot yet, Main Street wasn't too crowded and the line for rides wasn't too long.

We made the most of our one day in a park. We took the ferry from parking to the Magic Kingdom. One of the first things we did was to meet Daisy Duck. Lucy was so excited. While we were waiting for Aunt Amy & Quinn to arrive, Lucy was watching Daisy meet other kids and she said, "I want to meet that duck." I wasn't sure how it would go, but since we were just hanging out anyway, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. She LOVED Daisy and did really well. Lucy gave her a high five and posed for pictures. Luckily Aunt Amy & Quinn arrived while we were still on line so Quinn could join in on the fun. Quinn was a little more apprehensive, but also did well. Lucy couldn't stop talking about meeting DD, so she got a little Daisy to bring home. She was so cute holding little Daisy's wing out and saying "Daisy, I'm giving you a high five."

We spend a good portion of our day in Fantasyland enjoying the rides and toddler sized fun. We rode on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It's a Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella's Golden Carousel and The Mad Tea Party. Lucy and Quinn both LOVED the rides. They were totally entranced with all there is to see in It's a Small World. Lucy also joined Brian & me for Mickey's Philharmagic, an animated 3D attraction. She did a great job and kept her special glasses on the whole time. I think she was a little scared, apparently making a noise somewhere between a laugh and cry according to Brian. But she was very brave.

We had a great lunch at The Plaza Restaurant and got to see part of a parade. We made a quick stop in Tomorrowland so Brian and Amy could ride on Space Mountain and Frontierland for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We all visited Tom Sawyer's Island during our Frontierland stop. The girls had a great time exploring and collecting leaves along the way. They also enjoyed the rocking chairs at one of the resting spots.

We had an adventurous time in Adventureland riding The Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Again, the girls had a blast on the rides. They were so patient while we waited on line, I was impressed with both of them.

I think that about covers all the rides and attractions. It was a full day and a magical time was had by all. Just before 9:00 we figured we better head out to beat the crowds who were staying behind for the fireworks. We took the Monorail back to parking and Lucy and I were lucky enough to be able to watch the fireworks from afar while Brian helped Amy get Quinn and two strollers to her car. I think Lucy liked the fireworks from a distance better than when we went to the baseball game. It was much quieter.

We were all so glad that Amy & Quinn were able to join us, it made the day all the more fun! We are looking forward to our next Florida adventure already.

Downtown Disney

Monday morning the girls played together for a while before Quinn went off to school, Amy went to work and we started packing. After spending a little time with Bill, we headed to Orlando for a little magic. First, we enjoyed some time lounging by and swimming in the hotel pool. After settling in, we visited Downtown Disney for the evening. We walked all around, stopped in some shops and rode the ferry. We also had a wonderful meal at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. Lucy loved the wood oven pizza, we loved everything!

In the pictures, Buzz, Woody and the Loch Ness Monster are constructed with Legos. Isn't that amazing?!

A Wild Time in Tampa

The girls had a blast at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. It is a really nice zoo with plenty to see and they have elephants! That is one animal that the Philly Zoo no longer has, so it was nice to get to see the elephants. They put on quite a show for us too. They were swimming in a water hole and then got out to dry in the sun. While we were at the zoo we rode the merry-go-round and a tram that took us on a tour of jungle animals. We got to see so many animals from alligators to zebras!

After a fun day at the zoo, we headed back to the house to cool off in the pool, enjoy a relaxing dinner and hear some stories before bed.

Play Ball!

Lucy just loves her cousin Quinnie. Despite the fact that they don't get to see each other too often since Aunt Amy, Uncle Bill & Quinn live in Florida, Lucy talks about her cousin several times a week. She really enjoys the time they do spend together and already has many happy memories. We went to Florida to visit Quinn and her parents to add to the memories. The trip did not disappoint. We had a jam-packed visit filled with excitement. I have so many pictures to share that the posts will be broken down by day to share everything.

We had a luckily uneventful flight to the Orlando airport on Friday evening. Lucy loved taking the airport shuttle and flying on the plane. She wanted her window closed while we flew because, and I quote, "the clouds are making me nervous." Of course, Lucy did not sleep on the plane. Lucy helped us pick out our rental car and then we were off to Brandon for our fun!

The girls enjoyed playing and we had a lazy Saturday afternoon in the pool and spending time catching up together. We then headed to Clearwater to see the Threshers play ball. The stadium was awesome with all kinds of Philly favorites at the concession stand. We had lawn seats on the berm, which was perfect for the girls so they could run around and play. Quinn's friend Sydney and her parents joined us, which made it even more fun for Lucy. The girls enjoyed sharing some ice cream and Lucy was a champ for the fireworks following the game. She was a little scared by how loud they were (despite her snazzy ear plugs), but she did think they were pretty. What a great day!

Easter Brunch

We had a very Happy Easter this year! The morning started with all the excitement from the Easter Bunny's visit. Lucy & Kenzie had Easter baskets filled with toys & treats. There were eggs hidden all around the family room for Lucy to find. Some had coins, others had barrettes for Lucy's hair. She had a great time hunting and Kenzie helped her open the eggs.

Then we headed over to Nana's for Easter Brunch. Everything was delicious. Zoe & Ella set up another Easter egg hunt for Lulu in Nana's backyard. She had a great time finding the eggs the girls hid for her. It was so nice of them to think of Lucy and do something so special. The girls enjoyed coloring and playing together, while we enjoyed chatting and, of course, eating! Brunch was wonderful - thanks to Nana for hosting all of us. Here are some pictures from our wonderful holiday.

Quote of the Day

"Momma, come get cozy with me."