Campbell's 1st Kidquest

The last week in June Campbell finally got her turn to go to ACU's Kidquest Camp. Kaylee has been going for a few years now but since you have to have completed kindergarten to attend this year was Campbell's first opportunity. Her excitement was doubled by the fact that her good friend Sara Jane was also attending camp the same week. Each day she came home filled with excitement about all that songs, skits, and fun she was having learning about the Lord. The counselors are amazing with these kids and so full of energy. My favorite part is watching all the children perform for the families on the last day. I was shocked that my sometimes bashful child was performing to her fullest and loving every minute of it. So thankful that we are able to send our children there each year and watch them grow more in the Lord.

Happy Father's Day 2011

Once again we got to go celebrate Father's Day in Waco with my Dad and Grandfather. I love celebrating my three favorite men all at the same time. Of course we also got to have some more birthday cake in honor of Campbell Grace too.

Daddy & his girls

Me & my Dad

My parents, Papaw, & the girls

Our family with Papaw

Campbell with her Princess cake she requested.

Magic Kingdom Day 2

We did not begin our second day at Magic Kingdom until 12:00pm for lunch at The Plaza which was a delicious sandwich shop. It was so nice to be refreshed from getting a little extra sleep.

Then we were off to enjoy Adventureland starting with The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Aladdin's Magic carpet ride, Runaway Mine Train(which Campbell would have no part of), Splash Mountain(a family favorite), and a train ride around the park.

Next we went to Libertyland where we watched a parade, went to see the Hall of the Presidents (still one of my favorites), and found time for a little shopping. The girls even participated in a little pin trading today and ended the trip with all the ones they wanted.

Our day ended at The Spirit of Aloha Luau at the Polynesian resort. The show was fantastic and the food was delicious. We all loved watching the different types of dancers and wondering what they were going to do next. Kaylee and Campbell even got on stage for the childrens' dance and learned a short hula routine themselves. The atmosphere made you feel like you had escaped to Hawaii for the night. We all left happy and so thankful for the week that we had spent together.

All the months of planning had been more than worth the memories that we made, smiles on the girls faces, laughs that echoed all over the park, and just being together as a family where time seemed to pause for a moment outside of work and busy schedules. All of that equaled-PRICELESS.

Magic Kingdom Part 1

I am finally sitting down long enough to finish blogging about our Disney Trip. Finally we made it to the Magic Kingdom which we decided to break into two days of fun. The girls were a little tired considering it was now Thursday and we had been going non-stop. After waling up our sleeping beauties we were off to visit the castle.

Once we arrived at Cinderella's Castle we got a quick photo and were taken to our table inside to await our feast. Once again the food did not disappoint and the princesses were lovely too. The craziest thing happened at the castle as we were leaving I ran into a friend whom I had not see since ACU college days. It was so good to catch up for a moment and get a quick hug before continuing on our way.

The girls decided to ride the Dumbo ride first followed by the It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's Magical show, and even fit in a few autographs.

We grabbed a quick snack for lunch and made our way to the Teacups (a favorite that we rode a few times), People Mover, Space Mountain, Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory (also a few times), Stitch and even found time to watch a show of all the Disney characters.

After we had been all over the park and worked up an appetite we ate an early dinner at Tony's which I knew the girls would love since it was Italian food and based on the restaurant in lady and the Tramp. As you can see from the picture Campbell fell in love with the light up Tinkerbells and thought that she was hilarious. The meal was delicious and we all left very pleased.

Our next stop was to get our Mouse Ears, afterall what is Disney without the ears? Kaylee and Campbell both enjoyed making their own ears and I though captured their personalities perfectly.

Once the shopping was done we went to the Tomorrowland Terrace for the fireworks dessert party which was fantastic! I think the best part was not having to mark a spot on the curb for a few hours to get a good spot to watch the show. The night definitely ended with a bang! The Wishes fireworks show was fantastic especially when Tinkerbell came flying across to where we were seated. The whole day was everything we had imagined and more.

Animal Kingdom

On Wednesday we headed to the Animal Kingdom for some fun times. While the girls and I headed to Tusker House for Donald's Safari Breakfast, Cary went to get our first fastpass of the day. He happened to arrive just as we were being called to be seated. Perfect timing! On the way in the girls got their picture taken with the star of the meal. While we were eating we got to chat with Daisy, Goofy and Mickey as well. The meal was delicious and served buffet style with Krispy Kreme donuts as one of the many sweet pleasures. However, the highlight for Campbell was the Jungle Juice which she consumed six glasses of while we were there.

After our yummy meal and witnessing a marriage proposal we were off the Rafiki's Conservation Station to see some real animals.

Let me just say that the conservation station was air conditioned and packed with things to do. There was a petting zoo, medical observation windows to watch the animals get check-ups, animals to touch and learn about each hour, and even a few autographs to get. The girls had a blast and I have to say I did too.

On our way to the next ride we encountered a few characters and got some autographs. One of the great things about Animal Kingdom is all the autograph/photo ops are in the shade so you are not baking in the sun.

Now we were off to use our fastpass Cary got that morning for the Mount Everest roller coaster. I loved this funny picture we took before going on the ride. I am happy to report that we all loved the ride, even Campbell. I was not sure since it was her first roller coaster but she loved it and declared it Awesome! Too bad there was not enough time to go again.

Next we went to the Kilimanjaro Safari ride which was filled with information and all kinds of animals. The elephant pictured here is the smallest currently in captivity. The ride was entertaining and we got several family photos at the end of the ride too.

Around the middle of the afternoon we took a break for lunch and escaped to the air conditioning of the Rainforest Cafe. We got a table by the waterfall and I have to say it was quite chilly. No complaining from me though because it was such a welcomed treat. Kaylee and Campbell loved all of the animated animals and the food.

After getting our second wind at lunch we went to see the Festival of the Lion King show (amazing), rode Kali River Rapids (Campbell's favorite, she loved watching everyone else get wet but her), Dinosaur (big mistake, Campbell's least favorite by far), and got several more autographs. By the time the park was close to closing we were beat. I have to say we were glad this park closed early since it was Wednesday and we had been up late every night. Once we exited the park we returned to the resort and ate a quick dinner before calling it a night. The girls were even too tired to swim if that tells you anything.

Another successful day in the wonderful world of Disney!

Don't they look deliriously happy?

Hollywood Studios

Tuesday we ventured out to Hollywood Studios. Our first stop after entering was to get a Fastpass to Toy Story Mania since we had heard it was the most popular ride there. Once that task was accomplished we went to see the making of Narnia which Kaylee really enjoyed but Campbell was not a huge fan. While were on that side of the park we took in the Little Mermaid Show which was fantastic! Ariel sang beautifully and the rest of the characters as well. One of the neatest things were the effects like feeling as if you were underwater at one point in the show, having water squirted at you, and a gust of wind blow at your face. We all were let wondering what would happen next.

By the time we were done there we were able to go get another Fastpass so we got one for the Star Wars ride on our way to the Indiana Jones Show. Let me just say that the Indiana Jones Stunt Show has not changed at all from what I remember from high school. While I sat there the memories just cam flooding back.

Next up was the Star Wars ride which was newly opened. R2D2 was our pilot as we went on a simulated adventure through space. The end of the ride made us all jump a little. After that we went to get an afternoon snack and to watch the Disney Rocks show at the main stage area. We happened to run into our friends again so Kaylee and Reid had a good time talking about all the things they had done so far. One of their tips was to go to the Muppet Vision 3-D so that was our next stop and again the effects made the movie so fun.

Our meal reservation for today was at the Brown Derby and it was the best food of the trip and quite possibly one of my favorite meals ever. YUM-O as one of my favorite cooks would say.

By the time our meal was over it was time for the Toy Story Mania ride and we loved it. The ride is a lot like the Wii game with the same title only you are moving in a car with your own laser gun. The four of us competed against each other and it was a blast. I wish we would have had time to ride this one again.

Then we went to see the musical version of Beauty and the Beast which was beautifully done from vocals to costumes. The girls loved it and so did I.

Next we made our way to the Rockin Roller Coaster which Campbell was not tall enough to ride so Cary and I took turns riding with Kaylee. I have to say it was crazy fast and really fun! The build up that everyone had given it turned out to be true.

While Kaylee and Cary went to ride the Star Wars ride again, Campbell and I did a little window shopping and enjoyed a concert.

Our last stop was the Fantasmic Show which kept us all amazed. Definitely our favorite of the trip. What a wonderful way to end the day! We even ran into some of our sweet friends who were there too.

Epcot

Once we all had a good night's rest we headed out on Monday

(Our 13th Anniversary) to Epcot. Our first stop after a quick photo opportunity was Akershus Royal Banquet in the country of Norway.

We were so excited to walk into the breakfast and be greeted by Belle who is a favorite around our house. I think that Campbell just stood there in awe for a little bit before speaking to her. The rest of the meal we were greeted by Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, and Snow White. As for the meal it was served family style and consisted of hashbrown casserole, eggs, bacon, assorted pastries, fruit, and sausage. I think it ended up being the best breakfast of the trip. During our meal they even had a parade around the banquet hall for the girls to join their favorite princess in strutting their stuff. Of course, Kaylee was too shy to participate but Campbell had no problem joining in on the fun.

Kaylee & Ariel

Campbell & Ariel

After the yummy meal we headed to our first ride which was the Viking Voyage also located in Norway. You can see that Simba has made another picture.

Then we used our first ever FastPass and rode Soarin. Thanks to that ride we can now check flying to California off of our to do list;-) The girls were not sure about their feet dangling in the air but after it was over declared it awesome! Then we tackled more rides including Living with the Land,

The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Journey to Imagination, Captain EO (which I had to leave with Campbell because of the scary supreme leader), Mission Space, the Kim Possible Adventure for Kaylee, and Spaceship Earth.

Our little vikings!

Here is Kaylee Participating in the Kim Possible Mission. She was so excited to do this and had been talking about it all morning until we found the training center to get her started. By the end of the day she had completed two missions and saved the world. Whew! I was worried;-)

While Kaylee and Cary were doing the Kim Possible Mission, Campbell and I found a duck to befriend for entertainment.

Campbell & Daddy in the clam shell for the Nemo ride.

Kaylee & Me in our clam shell.

Playing in the shark.

After all the riding of rides and watching shows it was time for our last meal of the day. Since it was our Anniversary I chose Les Chefs de France. Who doesn't want to go to France for their Anniversary, right? The meal was fantastic but I will have to say the creme brulee for dessert was my favorite part.

By the time we were done with our meal it was time to use our last Fastpass of the day on Test Track. We all loved the ride and wished we had time to go again but alas it was almost time for the Fireworks Show and these cute faces were waiting on us. We actually got to meet up with some of our dear friends from home and visit for a little bit before going back to our resorts for the night. The fireworks were amazing and we all left tired but excited about what the next day would hold for us.

Kaylee & Reid