Some Summer Fun

We McDowells have been very busy checking off our summer list! This month we visited Weeki Wachee Springs and saw the mermaids. Mimi, Grandma, and Grandpa Buddy came with us and we had a very nice time. It was a LONG drive and it was pouring when we got there. Luckily the rain let up and we were able to see the park, watch the mermaid show, take a boat tour, and do some swimming. Daddy and Emily also did the waterslides. Bailey and Liam played in the splash pool. We all had ice cream for a treat on such a hot day.

The following week, we visited EPCOT with our friends, the Kuhns. It was a wonderful day. Although it was crowded, we got there early, parked in the FIRST ROW!!!, and were able to get a FastPass to ride Soarin' (which is a very popular attraction that often has wait times of 100 minutes or more). That allowed us to ride with a minimal wait time later in the day, which was great. We took the kids to see the Circle of Life film, rode Living With the Land, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, Imagination (a first for the Kuhns!), the Fiesta Cruise in Mexico and the Maelstrom in Norway. We also saw the American Adventure and rode Spaceship Earth on our way out. It was a great day--we really saw everything we wanted to see and didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything. The kids were all really well behaved, too. OH, and the girls LOVED Soarin'--it was B's first time riding and E's first time since we had passes when she was 4, so it was pretty much new to her, too. Liam is too small to ride but it worked out since Susan didn't want to ride anyway. You should have seen me in line with 4 little girls--they were so good, though, and we all loved it. Here are some pictures from our day:

We spent a wonderful day at Canaveral National Seashore park, too. The beach is very beautiful and there is no development there so it's very quiet. We literally had the beach to ourselves with the exception of one other family--CRAZY!

Finally, we went bowling this past Friday and enjoyed some time inside in the air conditioning! It sure is hot outside! :) The kids and I are really having a lot of fun this summer.

Summer!

School is officially out and the kids and I are looking forward to some fun and sun this summer! First, we made a list of things we'd like to do:

Emily and Bailey made the first (much shorter) version of this list. Then Mommy made it look festive and added a few more ideas. We've already gotten quite a good start on it since we visited EPCOT this weekend, checked out books at the library, played at the park, made a modern art painting and a mosaic, did sidewalk chalk, and played in the rain!

It's looking like it's going to be a really good summer this year!

End of the Year

Last night was Bailey's pre-k graduation. She was an absolute RIOT and completely stole the show!! She was singing her heart out and she's pretty adorable and expressive to begin with, so it all added up to a spectacular performance.

I have some videos of her singing performance here:

http://youtu.be/KyxH-VUbrj0  “My Best Friend”

http://youtu.be/Zgu-uMGLirw  “Here I am to Worship” and “He Knows My Name”

Today was the last day of school for Emily. I can't believe she is off to SECOND grade! Here she is getting off the bus for the last time this school year:

To celebrate, we had pizza for lunch and made our own sundaes! We topped it off with an end-of-the-year swimming playdate! Good times!

7:21

Bailey's bedtime is 7:00, and we are pretty good about sticking to it, especially on school nights. She usually falls asleep within 10 minutes of going to bed, so I know it's the right time for her. She also has a rule that on school days, she cannot come out of her room until at least 6 am, and on weekends, it's 7 am. We had quite the fiasco the day after we implemented that rule--she woke up at 5:46, and lo and behold, there was a "6" on her clock, so she thought she could come out! Anyway, yesterday we reviewed the rule because she was again up super early in the morning. Last night, we put her to bed at 7:00. I'm pretty sure she went to sleep right away (or if not, it was awfully quiet and still in there). About twenty minutes later, we hear her yelling, "Seven-two-one! Yeah! That's the right time!!" LOL. I think she thought it was morning and she could come out.

Now I guess it's time to learn about the am and pm indicators on the clock. LOL.

Emily's haircut

Emily has been asking to have her hair cut for a while, and this weekend we were finally able to get it done. She decided to get six inches cut off, which is a lot, but I figured it would be a little cooler for summer and it will grow back! Anyway, Daddy and I agree that she looks a lot older now. Here she is:

Thunderstorms

Just overheard Bailey explaining to Emily how to tell how far away a storm is: "You count like this: one Mrs. Piggy, two Mrs. Piggy, three Mrs. Piggy..." :)

Bailey's Tea Party

Yesterday was Bailey's 5th birthday tea party. It was a huge success! We had so much fun dressing up and having treats together.

The girls each got to decorate a straw hat with silk flowers of their choice. Then Mimi glued the flowers on and they were able to wear their creations. Next, they had a tea party coloring page and a special teapot picture frame craft. After a yummy lunch of tea sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly, of course!), fruit salad, chips, and lots of tiny cookies and treats (including iced tea served in real porcelain cups!!), we played pin the handle on the teapot and we had a fashion show. Then we made our own sundaes and Bailey opened her gifts. It was a lot of fun and definitely a party to remember!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

Today we took the girls to Magic Kingdom (Liam had a babysitter) and to B's favorite restaurant, Chili's, for lunch. We got to meet Rapunzel and Alice and the White Rabbit for the first time!

Liam: My Little Character

Liam has been an absolute RIOT lately.

Yesterday we were coming home from the store and he took his shoes off in the car. He announced: "I take shoes off! P-U!" I laughed SO hard, which of course made him laugh, which made me laugh even more.

Then, today, he came to me with a poopy diaper. When I opened the diaper, I said, "P-U!" And he said, "That STINKS!" LOL!!

Finally, this morning he was playing with his race cars when it got very quiet. I called him and this is how he came out of the playroom:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? :)

Poop Happens

Liam has pretty much given up his afternoon nap (although he will surprise us and take a 3-hour one sometimes--go figure!). Today, he opened the door and called to me: "Mom (yes, he calls me "mom"), I poop!" So I went to get him. I took him to the changing table and I opened the diaper. Well it was a mess in there so I said, "Liam, what happened?" And he replied, "Poop happened!" LOL!!

Easter

We had a lovely Easter this year. On Saturday night we took the kids to Epcot to see the fireworks. They loved it--especially Liam, who kept yelling, "More fireworks! Fireworks go BOOM!" They have a show called Illuminations and the idea is that you are gathered around the fire with a storyteller. There are torches that are sometimes lit and sometimes not. Well at one point the barge in the middle of the lake was on fire, and we were pretty sure that was NOT supposed to happen! The kids were fascinated, though.

We also dyed eggs on Saturday. The girls especially loved the magic crayon and they wrote their names and drew pictures on some of the eggs.

Sunday morning, Emily and Bailey woke us bright and early (5:45!) because the Easter Bunny had left some "treasure" in Bailey's room! (The girls later confessed that E woke B up--she was just too excited to wait!) This year, the Easter Bunny did something a little different. He hid eggs as usual, but instead of being filled with candy, treats, or coins, each egg had a clue inside. He also left us this note:

Dear Emily, Bailey, and Liam,

Your Mommy and Daddy told me that they got you some candy, and NuNu told me that you were hoping for some toys, so this year I left you a special treasure hunt! First, you will need to collect the eggs I have hidden around the house. Inside those eggs are clues. The clues are written on different colored paper. Once you have all of the eggs, open them up and put the colored pages together. All of the clues in each color will lead you to a spot where I’ve hidden a gift for you.

Help each other and have fun!

Love,

the Easter Bunny

So, the kids worked together to find the eggs and unscramble the clues. Then they raced all over the house to find their treasures! Some of the spots were in the dryer, in Bailey's kitchen, in a drawer in Emily's room, in Liam's closet, and in the playroom! They each got some books, toys, and goodies.

We finished our day and our Spring Break vacation by enjoying a delicious lasagna at Mimi and Grandpa's house. It was a wonderful day that I am sure we'll remember for a long time.