Hello EPCOT! Day 2

Day 2 of our Disney adventure! Did you guess the next color of the day? If you guessed ORANGE, you win! We are at EPCOT. Did you know that it is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow? Walt Disney has a plan for an entire city of the future. The park is there to help explain his vision. That man truly made his dreams come true.
Our first ride was to outer space, a Mission to Mars. I for one DO NOT ever have to do it again! "M" & the boys loved it, I thought I was going to pass out! It is a G-force machine simulating a rocket launch, flight & landing. Maybe I am raising tomorrows astronauts!

Next up we visited different countries in the World Showcase. All those who worked in the various countries are really from there. First up was Norway. The wooden church was beautiful. They have a strong belief in gnomes. They were everywhere, large small & extra-large!

Next up was China, of course this was my favorite! Everything there looked like it was taken right out of Beijing, without all the smog, traffic & smell. I wanted the boys to get a little taste of where their sister was from. The water gardens, wooden carvings, roof tiles & incense made me feel like I was there again.

We even ran into Mulan!




The boys had fun posing with the guardian lion!

"F" was rubbing Budda's belly for good luck!




There were even Terra-cotta Warriors! Daddy stood next to one in China & he was taller, "H" is almost there! "F" did his best to look mean & fierce.

Did not do much in France, they had shopping & eating, but we were looking forward to our dinner in Canada!

There was a drumming demonstration going on in Japan.

In America we watched the American Spirit Singers. They sang patriotic songs acapella in the rotunda of a hall. All I can say is WOW,WOW,WOW!!!! "F" is out aspiring singer in the family, his eyes would not leave them. He even had his picture taken with the leader!

A quick stop in Italy. This is a replica of the bell tower in Venice. On my European trip after college I had a really good cry up in the real one. Four friends & I begged the guide to take us up into the tower at sunset after it had closed. The view was breathtaking. Orange, yellow, blue & purple of the waters & canals. Believe it or not, there was a pay-phone at the top. I tried calling everyone in my family, even my boyfriend at the time,"Coach", no one was home! I had no one to share the beautiful moment with in the most romantic city in the world! Now in the age of cell phones when my kids travel around the world they can call Me to share the moment with!

Look who we found in England! Alice in Wonderland!

Finally, Canada! This is where we had our best meal. Daddy & the boys had steak while I had Salmon. The meal was wonderful, there was more than we could eat! Specialty breads from different regions, Cheese soup & crab souffle, as well as desert! I took this pic of my "Chocolate Mouse" with maple leaf ears for my friend "J". With dinner "M" & I had a "Blue-tini" a martini that had a glowing blue ice cube. That cube is still working today, 2 weeks later!

Good-bye Epcot, we had a great time! Guess what color we will wear tomorrow!

Magic Kingdom Here We Come!

We are Back! We had a great time and we all certainly fell under the spell of Disney Magic! So many wonderful things happened I decided to blog about it a day at a time. Our first day was Magic Kingdom, we walked in the gates and they started roping off the street for a parade, I said they must have been waiting on us, we had "THE" perfect view looking straight down Main Street at Cinderella's Castle. You will see a pattern in what we are wearing each day. Dad & I decided it was best if we dressed alike to keep track of each other. I know the boys are big & know their own name & address, but it really came in handy when you needed to find everyone at a glance. Day one was red, can you guess what tomorrow will be?!?

This is the exact spot we had for the parade! All I had to do was turn around and start taking pictures! The boys could not believe all the characters who waved right at them. At first "H" did not want to watch the parade, but after he said it was "Way Cool"!
Our official first ride was the "Haunted Mansion". The boys were excited because they had seen the movie, it was a bit creepy but fun! I could not get over all the detail there is at every turn.

At dinner we met up with friends "B" & "H". "B"'s Mom "D" came with them. After dinner we rode some rides together. They got tired & went back to their room while we went on to a late night at the MGM park. We did not get back to out room until 3:00a.m.! What were we thinking!

We ate dinner at the Liberty Tree Inn. It was a colonial style building serving family style meals. We ate turkey, ham, dressing, potatoes, green beans & mac-cheese. There was more food than we could eat! There was even apple cobbler for desert! It was a character dinner, so Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale each came over to greet the boys & take pictures!

At night Cinderella's castle was lit up so beautiful! It would change colors, blue, purple, red, yellow & green. The fireworks were super! There is truly something magical about that place, you feel that your dreams really can come true!

P.S. I really took this picutre! I am soooo proud of myself! It turned out beautiful! I might be getting good at this picture taking stuff!

Monsters Inc.

Runningback & Cheerleader were playing in his room & came across a box of costumes. They had a great time trying to scare me with the different masks. Cheerleader kept asking brother to lift his mask to make sure it was still him inside. I love watching my kids having fun with each other!

We Are the Champions!

Look how tall he is!

"HUSTLAS"

a cool version of Hustlers

Quarterback & "S", friends since kindergarten!

WOW!! What a game! Quarterback's basketball team won the 5&6 grade division. This was his 4th & last year in the recreation division. He has come a long way. He has done well enough to catch the eye of a coach who asked him to be on his tournament B-ball team. This will give him a leg up on the others when it comes time for Junior High team play. Cheerleader thinks she can do anything her brothers can do, & she does! She dribbles the ball pretty well & is getting better at throwing. Runningback finished his team play last week, they came in 4th in their division. He is getting better each year. Maybe we will have another champ on our hands!

Date Set for Surgery

Well the day has finally been set. April 5th at 9:00 a.m. This will be the 3rd & final surgery relating to a tumor that totally messed up my jaw & mouth. It will be nice to chew on both sides of my mouth, not just 2 back teeth. I will be wired shut for 6 weeks, some think that is a good thing! On the positive side, I think of the weight I will lose! There is one part I am dredding. Right after surgery in the recovery room I feel as if I cannot breath, everything is so swollen. I hope someone will be able to stand next to me, just so I know I am not alone and I am O.K. I know I am not alone, He is there with me, but a real person would be nice too. I am not one to ask for prayers, but at this time I could really use them. When all is said & done, I will have a new profile, new smile & straight pretty teeth that meet when I eat!

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's 40!

3 mo. old!

OOOOH, what a HOTTIE!

Our Head Coach, Daddy, Husband, turned 40 yesterday! He has not been taking it well, much worse than when I did. We love him dearly no matter what age he is, how little hair he has, or how much of it is grey! Love Ya Big Daddy!
Happy Birthday!