Shortly before Christmas, Em got to have a sleepover at Aunt Shell and Aunt Laura’s house. She was surprised with a few early Christmas presents while there and got to work right away on them.
Aunt Shell presented us with this picture at Christmas. Em was unprompted and had written this on her own without copying it from anything.
There are some mornings when Em dresses herself and I just have to grin and shake my head. This was one of those days….
We’ve been long overdue for some eye exams in our family. When we did kindergarten screening this past spring, we received a referral to have Em’s eyes checked. They told us she was a borderline case and it wouldn’t hurt to have her checked out by our family’s eye doctor.
I was due for my exam as well so we turned it into a mother-daughter visit.
Em thought these glasses were the bomb! 
A depth perception check. (Which we later found out that she struggled with this exam… she couldn’t see the shapes that were “floating” in the pictures.)
Emily is still “borderline” as far as needing glasses, but we were told that at this point glasses aren’t necessary. In another year or two when text starts getting smaller in books at school, we may be ready to check into glasses. Em was a bit disappointed because I think she actually wanted glasses.
In due time, girl… in due time.
The following is a recount of our recent trip (put together by my husband shortly after our trip) to Walt Disney World to help us remember all the details as time goes on. You may find some tips (especially at the end of the week) if you are planning a trip but this is mostly for our memory! =)
(Copied from The Hubs’ blog at tomhypes.com and I added in a few tidbits and pictures! — jenni)
Wednesday: A Lazy Day of Shopping and Eating
It was time for us to slow it down a little so we enjoyed a relaxed pace.
On the way to Downtown Disney, we had to take some of the buses.
We relaxed while waiting for the buses.
Snoozer Extraordinaire
While at the stop, Jenni noticed a plane doing skywriting. As we watched, we found the man was doing “Witness Writing” including the phrase “Love U Jesus” and “Jesus 4 Gives”
Love U Jesus
Jesus 4Gives
At Downtown Disney, we had lunch at the Rainforest Café (one of our favorite restaurants).
Giraffe Legs!
Emily also found another small carousel she wanted to ride. Then we did some shopping before calling it quits and headed back to the cabin for some naps. We were considering swimming after the naps but we got some unexpected rain so we skipped it.
Instead, we took a boat ride to the Wilderness Lodge for some dinner. We settled in at Whispering Canyon Café (which we HIGHLY recommend). Whispering Canyon Café is a perfect fit for the Wilderness Lodge environment. The great Christmas decorating of the lodge also set the tone. The staff is fun and energetic.
WE NEED KETCHUP!
Our favorite part was “I NEED KETCHUP!” When you need ketchup, that’s what your whole table yells in unison. Then whoever, needed it last, brings it to your table. Not one bottle, not even two…. but 28 bottles parade to your table and you have to keep them until you hear another table yell, “WE NEED KETCHUP!” Then your family parades all 28 bottles to them and drops it off. Emily loved it and still talks about it.
A boat ride back for a walk, the end of Survivor, and some sleep!
The following is a recount of our recent trip (put together by my husband shortly after our trip) to Walt Disney World to help us remember all the details as time goes on. You may find some tips if you are planning a trip (especially at the end of the week) but this is mostly for our memory! =)
(Copied from The Hubs’ blog at tomhypes.com and I added in a few tidbits and pictures! — jenni)
Tuesday – Epcot
To get to Epcot, it was a matter of a couple buses, which is not bad if you bring some patience. As a matter of fact, it is a blessing if you submit to it and let yourself slow down.
Emily had been looking forward to the “golf ball” building and couldn’t wait to go in it.
Throughout the day, Emily met Daisy Duck, Stitch, Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Duffy. We also had a Princess Buffet breakfast at the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe and Emily got to meet Belle, Alice from Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Jasmine. Emily got to join in on The Princess March and she got the autograph of our waitress, Emily, from Norway! =)
We rode Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom (Emily loved), Soarin’ (Grab a Fast Pass – this is awesome), and enjoyed the Seas including “Turtle Talk” which was awesome!
Emily enjoyed a half an hour nap on dad’s lap at the Seas.
We also ate Electric Umbrella and dinner at Via Napoli in Italy.
Jenni and I tend to believe we are not big fans of going the whole loop from nation to nation. It’s a great concept but doesn’t fully click for us.
They also had the Candlelight processional which looked interesting but also looked (like most special events) to be very crowded so we did a walk by but did not stop. =)
The following is just a recount of our recent trip (put together by my husband shortly after our trip) to Walt Disney World to help us remember all the details as time goes on. You may find some tips if you are planning a trip (especially at the end) but this is mostly for our memory! =)
(Copied from The Hubs’ blog at tomhypes.com and I added in a few tidbits and pictures! — jenni)
Timing
We planned our trip for the first full week of December which was GREAT timing! The crowds were slim and the weather was great… The temperature was in the 60s and the 70s with only one short rain.
Sunday- The Surprise!
The moment finally came after church and our family was the last in the building. I set up our video camera in my office and we invited Emily in. The video reflects it all as Emily freaked out at the news and spent all her energy yelling and running in circles around inside the church and then outside in the parking lot.
After a quick lunch at O’Charleys, we drove down to the airport. I dropped mom and Emily off with the luggage and went to park the car. After a quick shuttle ride, we were reunited and headed through security. Emily was just as excited about flying as she was about the destination and she grabbed the window seat. Mom was in the middle and dad on the aisle…. the same both ways.
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| Killing some time in the airport while waiting for her first flight (that she remembers!) |
After landing in Orlando, we met our driver of the Towne car service we hired. He helped us grab our bags, get loaded, and started the drive to the cabins of the Fort Wilderness Campground. We really enjoyed Demetrius, our driver, and he had great advice. He also drove us back to our cabin after we checked in which was a great blessing.
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| We made it! |
Since it was late, we followed the recommendation of the front desk and headed for Trail’s End Restaurant for a great buffet. After a filling meal, it was back to the cabin to get some sleep before our adventures.
Special Note: Our key card for the cabin also served as our tickets to the parks and we set them up so that we could charge on them, which was very convenient. You just have to be somewhat aware of what you are charging so you don’t go overboard. We did our shopping on the room card and our food on the debit card. (We did not do the meal plan, which we did not regret for our case… we didn’t need snacks throughout the days or desserts with our meals.)
The front desk is also where Emily got her “1st Visit” badge which was great as it starts good conversations in the parks and gets you some surprises as the week goes on.
Monday – Magic Kingdom
The first visit was to the boat that runs from the cabins to Magic Kingdom. The scenery was wonderful and the water smooth.
I won’t remember all the details so I’ll do some summary and then notes….
On Monday, Emily met:
Sleeping Beauty
Belle
Princess Jasmine
Mickey & Minnie
Emily loved seeing Cinderella’s castle and we got to watch part of a show on the main stage there with multiple characters.
Cinderella's Castle
Emily and her Dad
We rode It’s a Small World, Peter Pan, the Carousel, Snow White’s Scary Ride, Winnie the Pooh, and the PhilharMagic
For lunch, we went to Pinocchio’s Village Haus. (We had no complaints with any of the restaurants we went to.)
Emily had been dreaming about the fireworks at Cinderella’s castle for a long time so we went to that on Monday night. The crowds were horrible and people were rude, including to little kids. I had Emily ride on my shoulders to keep her from getting beat up. The fireworks were too loud for her so she didn’t enjoy it as much as she thought she would.
Cinderella's Castle at Christmas!
Fireworks at Disney
After the fireworks, it was a mess. We hadn’t eaten yet and most of the restaurants were full of private parties. (I hate that!)
My patient wife found a great option while I was in a bad mood and we went to the Main Street Bakery.
Boat ride back to the cabins and nite, nite.
Back to the cabin! Goodnight!
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| Caleb and Christian… We had a fun time guys! |
Over the weekend we joined my cousin and his family for a visit to Inniswood Metro Gardens for some family photos. The weather was fabulous and we had a great time. Thanks for inviting us along!
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| Emily and her cousin, Christian |
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| Christian, Emily and Caleb |
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| Em in her “Rock Star” outfit |
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| Yeah, I don’t know what they’re doing either… |
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| Posing wasn’t happening for either one of them. …so let’s climb Mt. McDaddy instead! |
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| Now we can get a cute picture! |
Last week, Em brought home a fun bit of “family homework”.
Mr. Turkey was sent home and our mission was to disguise him so the farmer couldn’t find him in time for Thanksgiving. We talked about ideas for disguises and came up something that Emily thought would be really fun.
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| I worked on wardrobe (under Em’s direction) and she worked on set design. |
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| She’s swapped hands and still smiling… |
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| Can’t tell there’s a turkey under there, can you? |
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| Decorating the classroom with lots of concentration… |
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| Photo op! |
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| A visit to Miss Em’s Beauty Salon for a manicure! |
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| She loves homework! I think she’s super excited about this homework assignment! |
