Family Activities
Travel & Vacation: Walt Disney World Epcot (Orlando, FL)
Spending the day at Epcot
Thankful for a chance to spend time with the family at Disney’s Epcot. It was so much fun. The kids kept up remarkably well and had great attitudes the entire busy day. I am grateful for kids who love to learn and explore new places. They just soaked in all the neat stuff going on at Epcot in. The second day was not as hot which was nice too.
They got me to go on Mission Space again. This time we went on the Orange ride which is more intense. Let’s just say I was looking a little green after this ride, thankfully this picture was taken before take off.
Jake and Brina cruising along
Image Works was a cool place to explore
Playing music at Image Works
Our own little Mickey Mouse. Karlie wanted the black hat and ears.
Our own little Minnie Mouse. Brina wanted the headband with a red and white Minnie Mouse bow.
Walking with Dad, so exciting!
Sweet girls.
All smiles
Pausing graciously to let me take a picture even though she’s worried about missing something!
Brina Bee
On the move
Taking in all the cool sights around her
We found a place that engraved names onto leather bracelets.
The girls have unique names which makes it impossible to find items with their names on it so we got these for them as a souvenir. They were fascinated watching the worker do the engraving and proud of their bracelets.
Travel & Vacaation: Disney Epcot’s Butterflies on the Go Flower Garden (Orlando, FL)
Beautiful flowers at Epcot
The kids had a blast going into Disney Epcot’s Butterflies on the Go Flower Garden during their International Flower and Garden Festival. The flowers were absolutely beautiful and butterflies were fluttering all around us. You could even see butterflies emerging from their chrysalis! It was pretty neat seeing these winged creatures buzzing all around and a house containing rows of chrysalis. Not to mention educational for the kids too!
Resting on a leaf
Rows of chrysalis in various stages
You could actually see some coming out and stretching their wings for the first time which was really neat
2 butterflies hanging out in the flowers.
Loved the flowers as much as the butterflies. Epcot’s gardens were amazing!
Travel & Vacation: Disney Epcot’s Countries Around the World (Orlando, FL)
Hanging out together at Epcot
The kids loved learning about the various countries in Epcot’s World Showcase. We got to see many shows, talk with a lot of people, learn about the countries, visit the Kid’s Epcot sections and more. We were not able to get a lot of pictures from the actual shows because several of them do not allow photography during the presentation.
At the China World Showcase we got to watch the Dragon Legend Acrobats! It was fascinating. They did some awesome jumps and tricks over basically a thin carpet pad and cement.
She flipped up into this chair which is being held by one of the guys on their team.
Neat formation
The flying jumps were awesome, even if they made me a little nervous
A stunning performance!
The girls loved talking with all the people at the Kidcot stations at every country. They had their passports stamped and signed in all the different languages around the showcase.
Hanging out with Daddy
Beautiful tower lit up at the Morocco World Showcase
Hanging out in Morocco
On our way to visit Canada
Beautiful gardens in the Canada World Showcase
Canadian Lumberjack Show takes place on the Mill Stage. It was a neat competition including axe throwing, log rolling, sawing, and more.
The red and blue team competing on a log in the water.
Giving the kids in the crowd “high fives”!
Those on the front row did get a little wet from this competition, but the girls thought it was awesome
It was a neat show to watch. The kids were able to get up front and see everything which was cool.
Travel & Vacation: Visiting Disney’s Epcot (Orlando, FL)
My sweet princess!
We saved Epcot to explore last since it was one that Jake wanted to go with us. It was so much fun riding all the rides, exploring the various countries, watching the shows and so much more. We had a blast, so much fun in fact that we decided that on our last day we wanted to go back to Epcot for one more day. Thankful for a great time packed full of wonderful memories with my family.
Feeding the manatees some lettuce
Ready for a bright and sunny day at Epcot
You can see this Epcot ball from our hotel
Our picture from the Spaceship Earth adventure together
Playing an energy game, pretty cool
Brina racing her car
We’re ready for the show!
The Space section was a hit especially with Karlie!
Our first Mission Space ride. They generously chose to do the “green” (aka easy level) first since I get sick on some rides. Thankfully we all survived!
Delicious snack at one of the bakeries! We split this heart shaped waffle with tasty jam inside.
Stopping for a minute to rest while we check out the map for the next place we want to go.
We’re ready and thankful for a moment to relax!
The kids did amazing with their camel backs. Not once they complain or get dehydrated or hungry (although we did have more potty breaks).
Biotechnology Lab at Epcot. It looks really neat and you see all kinds of cool produce being grown that will be used in various Disney restaurants. The only odd about this ride is the second time we road it there were animal (dog shape) paw prints in the sand (not sure where those came from).
Turtle Talk with Crush – super cute and very interactive with the audience!
Living Seas Hydrolators and Seacab
Ride 
Looks like the shark at a couple kids!
Karlie is loving her time at Epcot
Travel & Vacation: Riding Around Disney on Buses, Monorails, and Boats (Orlando, FL)
Relaxing on the monorail
While at Disney we spent time riding around on the various transportation systems. The girls had fun going on the boats, monorails, and buses throughout the week. At each location the girls had fun collecting the various transportation cards. All you have to do is ask the driver or one of the workers for them. Many times the driver would give them several trading cards at one time. The only place they didn’t always have the cards was on the buses. They did get some neat ones and have fun collecting them. I am not sure how many they collected throughout the week, however, they had quite a stack.
When we arrived at the hotel we parked the van in the parking lot and never went in it again until it was time to come home so we spent the entire week getting from place to place on the Disney transportation vehicles. It was a neat experience for the girls and we met a lot of great people throughout our trips to and fro. It was nice to not have to drive everywhere plus we saved on parking and gas.
Loved riding the monorail!
Relaxing and enjoying a quiet bus ride! Brina is awake now, but she figured out quickly that a power nap on the bus ride really helped re-energize her!
Having fun riding the boat over to Epcot
Sometimes there were lots of seats and other times you had to squeeze into a seat!
Brina found a seat on the life vests
Our last relaxing moment before hitting the park!
Waiting patiently for the monorail
Staying entertained while waiting for the monorail
Travel & Vacation: Epcot’s Gardens (Orlando, FL)
Our wild crew at Epcot!
Our family had a blast exploring Walt Disney World’s Epcot park. It was a lot of fun seeing all the beautiful sculptures made out of greenery all over the park. Many Disney characters were represented in the gardens. It was the kids first time visiting Epcot. They loved it so much we chose to do it 2 days instead of just one. Thankful for the opportunity to spend time with my family while seeing these amazing creations.
Lady and the Trump
Mickey Mouse instead a garden of flowers.
Beautiful flower gardens at Epcot. This was taken while passing through on the monorail.
Snow White
Kiddos in front of Beauty and the Beast
Pausing for a moment! These were my two favorite characters from Beauty and the Beast
My sweet girl.
They did an amazing job making these garden sculptures come to life!
Monorail, flower gardens, and lake.
Cinderella and Prince Charming
Hanging out next to Winnie the Pooh Bear (his red balloon glowed at night).
Look out for Captain Hook
Brina liked the Frozen garden!
Karlie, of course, liked the Buzz Lightyear
Tinker Bell
Too cute!
The Frozen characters garden at night
Beautiful garden across the water from where the boat drops you off at Epcot
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
Last week was a great week with the kids home on Spring Break! I have so many reasons to be thankful every day. It was a blessing spending extra time with the kids. We packed in a lot of fun adventures, quality time, and more during their Spring Break!
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday – Thankful for a chance to spend time with the kids at the Greenville Zoo, Cleveland Park, and Library today. We even spent a few minutes with my brothers family and ran into some friends I have known since a little girl from KS at the park (they use to go to my grandparents church in Smith Center) which was an unexpected surprise blessing.
Tuesday – Thankful that my two nephews could come over to play with the kids for a few hours. The kids had a blast playing inside and outside on this beautiful day.
Wednesday – Thankful for finding some good deals to stock up our pantry at a local store that was having a big sale.
Thursday – Thankful for a chance to talk with Grandma Willa today since she will be having surgery tomorrow. Grateful for my family and Grandparents who have been part of my life and the positive impact they have made. Treasuring all the good times and memories.
Friday – Thankful for a great Holiday weekend – Good Friday and what it means in my life. Easter is a wonderful Holiday to celebrate my Savior who gave his life so that I might live. Grateful that Jake was able to take off Good Friday so we could spend the day as a family exploring Atlanta’s Museums, Zoo, and so much more. Love spending time with my family. Thankful that Grandma’s surgery went well.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival Promo Code
The weather is warming up and there are a lot of fun activities happening all around. If you will be in the Georgia area any time between April 18th to June 7, 2015 you may want to check out the 30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival. I have also included a promotional code for you to use for additional savings!
30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival Details:
Every weekend and Memorial Day, starting April 18 thru June 7, 2015 The 30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival is a family-friendly event, and a different kind of theme park. Inside this 32-acre recreation of a 16th Century English Village you’ll find hundreds of costumed characters, the Queen and her Court, endless circus-style entertainment on 10 stages, shopping in over 130 artisan shoppes, food fit for Royalty, games and rides for kids of all ages, and the spectacular Jousting Knights on horseback. Patrons are invited to wear costumes and join in the fun too. It’s a whole lotta’ fun, and a little bit of History, every weekend and Memorial Day, April 18 thru June 7, 2015.
Georgia Renaissance Festival Promo Code Discount:
- Get $4 off Adult and $3 off Child (6-12) tickets! Use Promo Code: “castle” when purchasing discount tickets on our secure website at www.garenfest.com. Tickets are good any day of the 2015 Season (Weekends and Memorial Day Apr 18-June 7). Online discount only. Not good with any other offers.
Travel & Vacation: Main Street Electrical Parade & Fireworks at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
After dark at Magic Kingdom they do a Main Street Electrical Parade and Fireworks every night. You will need to check the schedule for the days you want to go, but it is pretty consistent most weeks. The electric lights parade was awesome. Even though we squeezed in all the rides we could before the parade the kids were still able to get front row seats for the parade (thankfully it was less crowded when we went). The parade was fascinating, the girls loved it.
A little bit after the parade was done we found a spot to sit down and watch the lights, music, and fireworks next to the castle at Magic Kingdom. It was beautiful. We ended up sitting right in front of the castle and had a great view! The kids really enjoyed it. After the fireworks we decided to go do a few more rides which we walked right onto since the majority of people were leaving at that time. It was a great day at Magic Kingdom. We had a few hiccups with a couple rides and shows, but everyone took it in stride and we had an amazing time together.
Fascinating
Bald eagle, flag, and fireworks!
Colorful castle!
Beautiful castle, lots of colors, music and fireworks who could ask for anything more!
Blue castle and fireworks! I lost count of the number of times the castle changed colors and the number of different songs they played during the show.
Red, white, and blue – The castle is dark blue with white stars (a little hard to see in this picture) and the fireworks were a bright red. Gorgeous!!!
Turquoise blue
Pretty pink
The kids loved it
A great ending to a wonderful show
Travel & Vacation: Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer Island, Hall of Presidents, and Tomorrowland Speedway at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Silly Karlie!
While at Magic Kingdom we had so much fun! It was great to get a chance to spend time having a grand time together as a family. We enjoyed our adventures and exploring the various places around Magic Kingdom. While we were in line we had opportunities to talk and catch up on the various activities that had been going on over the past few days.
Jake and Karlie exploring the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
Hanging out with my girls at the Swiss Family Treehouse
Having fun
My handsome man
Hiking through the treehouse
Target practice… on Tom Sawyer’s Island
Look out! Did she hit the target?!
Fun times!
Checking to make sure we were coming
Exploring
The girls loved this moving bridge over the water.
This was my view across the river when I was crossing the bridge. Pretty, but at a funky angle.
Jake figured out that he could splash the water on the girls when he bounced a little on the bridge, they thought it was great.
Hanging out
Pausing for a moment on Tom Sawyer’s Island
Hall of Presidents Show, very educational
The girls enjoyed learning about all the different Presidents
My driver on the Tomorrowland Speedway
She was a good driver and all smiles!
