Travel & Vacation: Bippity Boppity Boutique Fairy Dust (Orlando, FL)
Brina getting her fairy dust!
At the Bippity Boppity Boutique downtown Disney you can stop by and get pixie fairy dust for free. We were at the store looking around and walking by the boutique so stopped to have the girls gets some fairy dust. They did a cute saying as the girls got the fairy dust sprinkled into their hair. The fairy dust is basically glitter. I don’t know if it was a special type of glitter or if the heat from running around in the hot sun all day, but that glitter stayed on for awhile.
Karlie getting her fairy dust!
Travel & Vacation: Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf (Orlando, FL)
Fun times playing miniature golf!
While in Orlando the girls and I got tickets to play miniature golf. The golf course was across the street from our resort so it was a short walk. We went to Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf. It was a lot of fun playing together even though we lost 3 balls. We quickly realized that we would not be playing any professional miniature golf soon with our crazy scores, but was a great time.
It was a warm day, but they had several courses with shooting water that seem to help cool it off. After playing 18 rounds of miniature golf we headed back to the hotel for lunch in the room then out to the pools to have some more fun. Thankful for some time with the kids.
Brina was the only one that didn’t loose a ball. I lost mine on the first hole in the bushes. Karlie managed to lose 2 balls throughout our adventures. The workers let us get more balls at the counter. The girls both got “hole in ones”, but I never got one (2 shots was my lowest par).
Hole 1 – each hole had a storybook with information and cute sayings on it.
It was bright and sunny that day!
Brina ready for her next hit.
This hole was in a cave. It was cool. Both girls got a hole in one on this one.
So close…. They were concerned a few times about me accidentally hitting their balls further away from the hole (a couple of times it was a valid concern).
The greenery around the course was beautiful!
Found a spot in the shade to rest for a minute.
They had some cute decorations. This elephant sprayed water when you shot the ball through the middle of the base.
Lining up for a good shot. This was harder than you think.
First Lego League (FLL): State STEM Lego Robotics Competition
So proud of the girls and their teammates! They won a Judges Award Trophy at State!
Last weekend we had the privilege of going with the girls to State STEM Lego Robotics Competition. The competition is called FLL or First Lego League! The state competition was in Columbia, South Carolina and they had to be there by 7:45 am on Saturday morning. It was a full day, but it went by quickly. The kids had several presentations in front of the judges as well as three rounds with their robot completing various tasks. In between they had the opportunity to trade swag with other teams and doing various other activities.
There were 60 teams participating at the event. They were competing alongside a variety of great elementary and middle schools from around the state. Even with that many teams and their first time at State they ended up bringing home a Judges Award trophy for the Rising Star. The kids were so excited!
Both the kids and their coaches have put in countless hours of research, programing, practice and more since October. Thankful for a great team of coaches who volunteer their time after school twice a week to help mentor and encourage these kids to learn. There are 4 faculty members from the kids school who help – Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Ponder, Mr. Moore, and Mrs. Husso. They have truly been an amazing blessing to these kids!
The quote the coaches gave at the beginning of this club year was – “It’s the hardest fun you’ll have!” It is hard work, yet a great way to learn not only about STEM, robotics, research, but also how to work effectively as a team. Proud of the team and coaches for all they were able to accomplish this year so far and looking forward to the fun things they have in store for the remaining meetings this year.
One of the few times all 4 of us are matching (well 5 if you include Skipper who was not cooperating for the picture). Jake and I had team shirts too! 🙂
Solar SySTEM in the parade at the beginning of the event!
First robotics map round!
The kids were troopers and had great attitudes all day with all the activities, events, presentations, and more!
Cheering and clapping for their team!
The coaches put together goody bags for the kids to trade with the other teams at State! Lots of good loot. Not sure if our girls came home with many items that were originally in their bags!
Listening intently to Coach Johnson’s instructions for an upcoming presentation.
The kids designed and decorated their table displays, posters, presentation props, and more.
Hanging out for a few minutes in between events with Coach Ponder!
They had a few moments in between to relax a little and even play a game with friends.
Ready for the next event!
Watching closely!
There were a lot of people at State FLL
Waiting for the awards to be presented!
Their team number was drawn to come up in front of every person and team at the FLL Competition! They did a great job. Karlie was the first one to answer a question in front of a huge crowd and she was so excited about her project she wasn’t nervous talking with a mike in front of a very large crowd!
They won a trophy! WOOHOO!
Way to go! Solar SySTEM team with 2 of their coaches.
Yay! It was a great day for the team!
Love the FLL trophies! They are made out of legos! Very neat!
Slogan and shirt designed by the kids! “Stay in Orbit!”
Travel & Vacation: Kids Wilderness Explorers Program at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Learning about the Wilderness Explorers program!
While at Animal Kingdom the girls participated in their Wilderness Explorers program. It was a great having a chance to stop at the various stations throughout Animal Kingdom, get a sticker, and learn about a variety of educational animal topics. They quickly figured out that they just needed to look out for workers wearing the Wilderness Explorer uniforms (brown, tan, and orange). They wore the orange bags with stickers. In order to get their sticker for that activity they had to participate in an activity and / or listen to a presentation.
It was fun and educational. The only thing that we had problem we had was occasionally with missed a sticker because we couldn’t find the worker. This is a wonderful program especially for kids who can read or enjoy learning about various animal educational items. You can get a Wilderness Explorer book, your first sticker, an explanation, and a Wilderness cheer.
Looking through their Wilderness Explorer books to check where we need to go next.
Learning about a variety of animal sounds!
Standing in front of the Tree of Life looking through their Wilderness Explorer packets!
Travel & Vacation: Welcome to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
A day at Animal Kingdom with these two chickies!
The girls and I went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL recently while Jake was at a conference! They were very excited to check out all the animals in the park. We packed in a full day at Animal Kingdom. We arrived early and were one of the last few to leave at closing. The crazy thing is we still didn’t get to everything we wanted to do, but we definitely did a lot. It was a great day with my girls. Both girls LOVED it, but Animal Kingdom was probably Brina’s favorite place to visit (which isn’t a big surprise for those who know her).
Pretty bird….was the first comment I heard from the girls as we entered the park.
A pair of beautiful birds perched on the branch.
Having a blast!
A Wallaby eating its morning treat. At first we thought it was a kangaroo until further investigation. Must be in the same family though because there are similarities.
Karlie and Brina in front of a gorgeous waterfall in Animal Kingdom.
Starting to get more crowded. The tree in back is the “Tree of Life” and has over 300 animal figured carved into it. Very fascinating to see up close.
Hanging out in line. They were troopers even in the longer lines. We took the time to get something to eat and drink whenever we spent a decent amount of time standing in lines. Thankfully, it wasn’t the busiest season so at Animal Kingdom the longest line we waited in was the Kilimanjaro Safari for an hour in the Africa section which was well worth the wait (I will be sharing more about that safari in a later post).
Big black fish swimming right beside us.
Going through the waterfall as we head into the Tree of Life for the “It’s Tough Being a Bug” Show!
Bug Eyes!!! They are ready for the show! Such a great show and one of their favorites for the day. Wish we had time to do it again!
Africa was one of their favorite places to visit while in Animal Kingdom. It had great music, the Kilimanjaro Safari tour, Lion King, and more fun activities to do.
Musical entertainment shortly after entering the gates into the Africa section. They had people playing on and off all day. Fun upbeat music.
Karlie trying out her musical talent!
Brina going all out!
Swinging around on their jungle gym!
Another one taking a rest!
Rodrigues Fruit Bats hanging around at Animal Kingdom. Wonder what they eat….if you guessed fruit you are correct. All the ones in the section we visited were male. Did you know that their bat wings are made out of similar material that our eyelids are made out of? They were fascinating to watch!
Beautiful tiger lounging peaceful and keeping a watchful eye on the visitors.
This tiger was literally on the other side of the glass from us. It’s fur looked so soft, not sure it would have been a good idea to pet the big cat though!
Deer enjoying a rest in the shade.
Love the colors on this feathered friend.
Mesmerized by all the activity above them!
So much fun. They were on the go and soaking all the cool animal sights in throughout the day.
Mount Everest at Animal Kingdom. The mountain is the host for the Expedition Everest roller coaster. We all agreed that it was probably a little more than we wanted to do, but it was super cool to watch!
They had a blast! Waiting for the bus to take us back to the resort. Thankful for an chance to spend the day with the kids at Animal Kingdom and all the fun memories as well as activities we did that day!
Love It – Destination USA Game by MindWare
The kids got the Destination USA game by Mindware for their birthday. We have played it many times already. It is fun, easy, and educational for the kids. They have already started learning the various locations for the states through playing this game.
The destination cards are great too because they tell you about places to visit while in that state. There have been several destination cards that we had already visited together as a family so that was really neat too. If you are looking for a fun way to teach your kids about the locations of the states this is a great game to play with them.
Playing the Destination USA Game with the kids!
Exploring states and destinations, I wonder who will get there first this time around!
You can locate the Destination USA game or many of the other MindWare games available at Amazon.
“Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love! There aresome items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun. I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list. It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!
Travel & Vacation: Downtown Disney (Orlando, FL)
Walt Disney World – Where Dreams Come True! We made it!
Recently our family had the opportunity to go to Orlando, FL. Jake had a work conference and the girls and I tagged along. He spent the majority of the week working, but was able to join us at the end for some fun family time together. We got up at 3 am on Monday morning and made the drive to Orlando. The kids slept the first few hours and entertained themselves the remaining distance with books, games, a movie, and more. Thankful for kids who travel well. They love going on road trips.
We made good time on our way down to Florida so we decided to stop for a little bit and stretch our legs at Downtown Disney. We still had a some time before we could check into our hotel and Jake heading off to the conference. It was a beautiful sunny day and Downtown Disney wasn’t too busy. There was some construction going on at Downtown Disney and from what we hear it will soon no longer be called Downtown Disney, but rather Disney Springs.
Mickey Mouse! Made out of greenery!
The Lego store Downtown Disney had some amazing lego displays. This dragon breathing fire on the knight was in front of their store. It was massive!
Jake and the girls standing next to another lego display!
This dragon was actually partly in the water! Very neat!
Snow White and the 7 dwarfs working around the mine.
Outside of the T-REX Restaurant
Inside the T-Rex Restaurant and gift shop!
This was a ride you could go on in Downtown Disney. It looked like fun, but we were not there long enough to investigate it further.
Hotel with a flower Mickey Mouse across the water from Downtown Disney.
Look out for that alligator! It actually comes out closer to you and opens it’s mouth much to the fascination of the kids.
The girls always love the fish tanks inside the Rainforest Cafe. They also have a neat gift shop just watch out for the python (I have learned to look out for this creature from a past encounter)!
On the outside of the Rainforest Cafe is a volume. The volcano erupted as we were walking by. Very cool to watch. The random explosions probably lasted about 5 minutes. The kids loved it!
Learning more about this pretty white bird.
Frozen! Thankfully, it was a warm sunny day for us!
Karlie and Brina near the Disney Christmas shop!
Having fun in Downtown Disney!
Three shirts with familiar faces on them!
Had to sit on the bench next to Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet!
Once Upon A Toy was a neat shop. The girls brought their spending money and looked around this store a couple times during the week we were there. The Disney items are really neat, but for their budget were a little pricey. They ended up coming home with most of their money because they wanted to shop around for better prices instead of spending it all in one place. Glad to see them choosing to wait on some items.
Walking through Downtown Disney with Daddy!
Colorful Snow Art
Red and Blue snow hand prints were found!
After finishing their snowman Rainbow Confetti they decided to do colorful snow art with the leftover paints. Some of their snow art creations turned out really well. Love seeing them get creative. Thankful for an opportunity to watch them play and have fun in the snow.
Blue and green store in the planter!
Red snow heart
Smiley faces always bring a smile
Yes, they even spray painted some of their snow balls prior to throwing my direction. It made for a very colorful snowball fight.
Marking trails with their red paint.
Rainbow Confetti Snowman
Introducing the kids snowman for 2015 – Rainbow Confetti! Shortly after this picture I was beamed with a snowball (can you guess from who?!) Look at the person in the picture holding a snowball waiting for me to snap the picture.
The last snow day we had the girls decided it was time to build a snowman. It was perfect packing snow so they got started. The only probably they had is the originally started the snowman ball at the bottom of the yard and rolled it uphill. It wasn’t until they reached the driveway did they realize that they were not going to make it into the front yard so they came inside requesting help. Between the three of us slip and sliding the big ball of snow across the driveway we managed to get it into the front yard.
It isn’t the most beautiful snowman with the leaves, sticks, and dirt sticking out of it, but for the most part it is one that was built primarily by the kids with only a little assistance getting it into the front yard. They did a great job and had a blast. They “painted” their snowman with a mix of water and food coloring in a spray bottle then named him “Rainbow Confetti”. Skipper was there to supervise the construction! I do have to say their snowman lasted for several days and was one of the last ones in our area to completely melt so they did a great job packing in the snow plus they built him under a tree so it was a little more shaded.
They would roll up more big snowballs and break them down next to the bottom of the snowman to build up a strong base. I think the “breaking” and jumping up and down on the balls of snow were the real fun, the snowman just had the benefit of all the extra snow around it.
Rainbow Confetti was a mix of random colors from red, yellow, green, and blue. They decided to use the fox hat. Rainbow Confetti’s face was made completely out of vegetables that the critters running through the yard could eat. Cherry tomato eyes, carrot nose, and an orange pepper mouth!
The kids colorful snowman. They did a great job!
Hiking Through the Woods
The girls love going for hikes in the woods!
Recently the girls and spent a couple hours outside having a picnic, hiking through the woods, climbing on trees, raking our campsite, playing with the animals, and more fun. Thankful for some quiet and relaxing time with them out in nature. They love spending time outside. Hiking through the woods is always an adventure with them!
Skipper is always willing to join us!
Karlie hanging out by the big tree!
Waiting patiently for us as the girls play around and climb a couple trees.
Enjoying our time outside!
Hiking deeper into the woods!
Raking and trimming the thorny bushes at our old campsite. The girls are ready to go camping again!
Brina having a blast!
