Animal Kingdom!!

Today's agenda - Animal Kingdom!!  And pool time.  And nap time. Just another Disney Day!!

Tusker House with Donald!!  Emmatha's first character photo!
Clearly she's all over it ...

Cousin David and Everley parading around during lunch!
Who's having more fun - David or Everley?

Uncle John and Emmatha - I think Uncle John is fully prepared for any spit-up incidences!

The Lion King with Cousin David!

Donald and Everley!

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Thankful today for: family time at the Animal Kingdom and lunch at Tusker House; David having fun with Everley

Magic Kingdom!!

Lunchtime for everyone!

Today we had fast passes at the Magic Kingdom, so Maribeth, Anne, and I loaded up the girls and headed out. Of course, once we arrived, Everley decided that she didn't want to ride the fast pass rides, so she decided on other activities.

Meanwhile, it got pretty warm pretty quickly, so I decided to take Emmatha to the baby center to change her diaper and sit in the cool air. Eventually Maribeth and entourage joined me (Maribeth needed to pump), so Anne and I took the girls for some lunch. Once that was accomplished, we decided to return to the hotel, since PawPaw was back from golfing and was ready to take Everley to the pool. And if Everley is going to the pool, you know what that means - naptime for the rest of us!

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Thankful today for: Molly bringing back Cobb Salad from WWOS; fun times at MK with the girls and ladies; baby center at the MK

And We Made It!!

No babies slept with stuffed toys.
This is a photo op only ....

We all made it to Disney World!! Molly actually took the butt-crack-of-dawn early flight, and arrived hours before we did. Unfortunately our rooms weren't ready, but she managed to keep busy by eating around the World at the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.

Steve and I loaded Maribeth and the girls and their stuff (stroller, rock-n-play, breast pumps, breast milk, diapers, etc., etc,) into the van and to the airport. Once we boarded the plane, Maribeth, Everley, Emmatha and I found a seat at the back so Maribeth could pump indiscreetly. We didn't choose the back seat - that was taken by three college dudes who thought they were hilarious - they weren't. Luckily for everyone, they quieted down and the flight went by quickly.

Soon we were in Orlando and Maribeth, Steve, and the girls went to procure the rental car while I procured the luggage. Soon we were on our way to Disney World!!  The rooms were ready when we got there (not so our magic bands, some of which worked and some of which didn't), so once we had unloaded, we decided to take naps. Or go to the pool, depending on our wishes. John and Anne will be arriving later this evening, and David arrives tomorrow.

Time for some Disney fun!!

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Thankful today for: safe, smooth flight for everyone; Emmatha's first flight success; great car rental; ease in loading bags here and there; rooms ready upon arrival; finding Bing Bong in time for bedtime

Disney Bound!!

Tomorrow we will be going to Disney World (I know - you're shocked). Steve, Molly, and I are going for the Star Wars Dark Side races, and Maribeth, Everley, and Emmatha are joining us (yes, Emmatha is only four weeks old, but she's got to start going sometime). Once we get there, my brother John and his wife Anne and their son David will join us. David is going to be joining us for the half-marathon - his first - and his parents are going to cheer him on.

In other words, it's going to be a fun week/weekend. And the photo on the left?  It's not current (taken sometime last year), but hopefully not an indication of the trip to come!!

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Thankful today for: getting everything ready for travel tomorrow

Because They Grow Up So Fast

I am finding that when there's a new baby in the house, and the other children are older, it's easy to forget that the older ones were once little. And that's why it's fun to look at photos like these. This one is only two years old, but it seems like eons ago.

They grow up so fast. Or maybe it's because as a grandparent, you are much more aware of how quickly they are growing up and how quickly time is passing.

Anyhow, it's a blessing to have these two little girls in my life, now joined by a new little girl. And it's a blessing to see them grow, however quickly it happens.

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Thankful today for: getting packed for trip this week; cleaning up several tasks