Disney Day 3: Epcot

The 3rd day of Disney was spent at Epcot! Epcot isn't known for it's exciting rides, but it is known for its learning opportunity. There are lots of world learning experiences - specifically about the world (space and oceans) and also the different countries of our world. We loved"traveling" the world today.

My personal favorites were France (notice the little Eiffel Tower) and London. To me ese places represent excitement and adventure and romance. I loved sharing them with my little love! Maybe one day we will be able to actually travel to those places!

Blake also saw some really cool other places like Spain, Morocco, Japan,  and more! He even had a little passport where he got it stamped at every country that he went to. He loved the adventure.

Oh, and did I mention he got to meet one of his favotire characters Baymax?! Oh yes!

Unfortunately it rained and stormed at the end of the day, so we couldn't get a good firework show, but we did get to see some of them before rushing back to the resort. Another good day! 

Disney Day 2: Magic Kingdom

On our second day at Disney, we explored the Magic Kingdom and it sure was magical! I have to admit it was one of my favorite parks of the week,,, and also the busiest! We knocked ourselves out!

This was Blake's first real encounter with rides and rollercoasters ,... and HE LOVED THEM!  We rode Big Thunder Mountain and, my favorite, 7 Dwarfs Mine train. We also waited out a few lines and enjoyed some of the smaller rides. We did the traditional Dumbo ride, the Spinning Saucers, some Buzz Lightyear rides, and Blake also loved the Aladdin Flying Carpet Ride. He loved that ride because there was a fake camel that would "spit"  water every time the ride went around. Blake tried to get my side as close to the camel so that I would get sprayed. He thought it was hilarious. :)

In addition to the awesome rides, we also got to meet many of Blake's favorite characters. Blake even got to dance with one of his favs, Frozone, in the parade. He was a show stopper and impressed everyone watching. I loved seeing his little outgoing personality having a blast! This was also my little moment to enjoy the princesses! Short lived, but worth it!

Finally we enjoyed a 4th of July celebration. It was technically only July 3rd, but in typically Disney fashion, we celebrated big all week!

Disney Day 1: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Surprise!!!! We went to Disney World!!! WOW! It was seriously an amazing week of happiness and memories. The next few posts are going to be about our trip from last week.

Day 1 was a travel day, so we didn't actually go to a Disney World Park, but we had a blast exploring our resort area at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Waking up at 4:15 for a flight was not so fun, but it was worth it to see all of these amazing animals at our resort. And yes, GIRAFFES! Those were obviously my favorite part! We also saw zebras, gazelle, flamingos, and even our resident ostrich. I didn't get a picture of him... to be honest, he kind of freaked us out a little. Haha.

The day was also perfect for swimming. Animal Kingdom Lodge had a nice large pool. Blake is sometimes hesitant around water, but he loved this place. He especially went wild when he got a swimming vest on and felt more confident. They had a pretty fun kids water slide. I went down the slide first and convinced Blake to come down after me. That was the start of a million slide rides - ok, maybe only 20, but it was still a lot! Blake LOVED the slide!

Later that evening we cleaned up and traveled to a resturant called Chef Mickey! Blake was able to get hus buffet on with some of his favorite pals! This was a hit and really put the week into perspective. Blake was so excited to come in contact with Mickey and his friends!!! He was also wearing a Donald Duck shirt that day, so I think he became Donal Ducks favorite kid, ;)

Summer Week 2-3

So far this Summer can be summed up in two words: Playdates and Exploring!

We have had the amazing opportunity of still playing with a lot of our school friends! So far we have had playdates with Blakes best friend Hunter and his family, Gray and his family, and Henry and his family. I have loved hanging with these cool moms while Blake has played with his buddies. I love how these little kids can bring about lifelong family friendships between the adults as well! We sure are lucky to have some awesome people to hang out with!

Blake and I have also done some exploring. We explored Downtown Raleigh at the Science Museum.Blake loves that place because they have The Daily Planet Cafe - where Superman is. Duh! We also like it because it has a super awesome walkway above downtown!

We also explored Joyner Park on some of the cooler days. This was great to ride bikers, walk, and play frisbee. It is so pretty there this time of year!

Finally we learned... we have read about 15 books (on our goal to 100), practiced addition and subtraction, and we learned a little about weather and money! We are still prepping for 1st grade!

Oh... and can I share a little secret?!?! Week 4 of our Summer Break is going to be the best! Blake doesn't know it yet, but we are going to DISNEY WORLD!!!!! Stay tuned for an overload of updates when we get back! We are so excited!!

Summer Week 1

It is Summer time!!! We are so excited about this 9 week summer break ahead of us.  And we haven't skipped a beat in getting the summer started!!

Our Week 1 of Summer has been packed full of fun....

First of all, we finished up baseball! Blake got his first hit for the season. I have to be honest, this season wasn't the best baseball season (thanks to the not so best coach), BUT Blake had fun and thats all that matters. Blake also enjoys baseball so much that we are going to try out some baseball clinics later this summer and also try out North Wake Baseball in the fall.

School might be over, but we are still hanging out with our school pals! This week we got to hang out with Grey! Blake and Grey became good friends in Before School care. We moms are both teachers, so the boys always got to school around the same time in the morning. Even though Grey is in first grade, these boys act like best buddies! We also have plans to hang out with Henry and, of course, Hunter this upcoming week.

Finally, this teacher mom has planned little learning units for each week. Blake had such a great experience in kindergarten and I want him to be ready for first grade! This week we had some water fun! We played with mixing water colors, had water balloon fights, and even did a sink/float water science lab. The goal is to learn and have fun during the summer at the same time!

Finally... we relaxed at the pool! Summer is the life!!! :) We are so excited for all the future adventures we are going to have!

Kindergarten Graduation

How is Kindergarten already over?!!? I feel like Blake just started! This past week we celebrated Blake's last week of Kindergarten. It has been so many wonderful memories and his growth has been amazing.

This year in Kindergarten...

• Blake's teachers were Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Fucci. Blake adores Mrs. Walker!!! 
• Blake loves music! 
• He has gotten all 3's (on/above grade level) on his report cards.
• He has gone past the Kindergarten reading level! 
• Field Trips: The Fire Station, Hillridge Farms, Three Bears Acres, and the Rolesville Park
• He won the Integrity Award and was acknowledged as a Terrific Kid Award Winner 
• Blake participated in the Walking Club!
• He has SO many friends in his class and also other grade levels! 

We are going to miss Mrs. Walker so much but we are also so excited that Blake will still be at Rolesville Elementary next year for first grade! He is well prepared!

Now it is time to go enjoy the Summer Break!

Summer Kick Off

It is June and we are kicking off that Summer Vacation... and what best way to start it off than with our family besties!

The Jarrell Family and our family all have season passes to Hillridge Farms, so we can all go for free anytime we want to! The boys have a blast every time they go, especially when it is warm outside and they can play in the splash pad! Blake is getting more and more brave and getting in the water and splashing around. I can't wait to see how daring he is by the end of the summer!

These boys are just my favorite! Looking forward to some good play time together this summer!