Spook-tacular Party Pics

On Friday night we went to a Halloween party at the Hills.  It was super fun because they are super fun!  I think just about everyone who came had a costume on - yay for festive pary people! 

Sami was a unicorn with wings... um, in PJs (lol).  Joy'el was... I don't remember what.  She was going to be Adele but changed her mind and costume at the last minute.  Whatever she was, she looked pretty! :)  Quin was a vampire, Ki was a unicorn (Sami was her Unicorn Mommy), Chelsie was a mouse, Kris was a little kid, Acadia was a nerd, and Rori was Minnie Mouse...

Andy came sans costume but wanted to join the cool crowd, so Chelsie hooked him up.

Matthew was a rockstar and MaryJane was his groupie. ROFL!!! Spencer came as a hipster, but you will see that later his costume evolved some. ;)  I think only Debbie and Scottie were without costumes, but we like them and were happy they were there, anyway.  ;)



Let's see... who else?? Oh yeah!  US!  Ryan was Tom Brady and I was Wes Welker.  That's a good duo, right there! ;)

I brought some witch's brew to have as a special drink.  It looked creepy!  But it was very sweet.  Almost too sweet.  I couldn't finish a second glass.  Otherwise, it did taste good!  Ryan, as usual, was the favorite person for the kids to gang up on. lol  Cadi taught Joy'el part of a song she liked.  And everyone just had fun hanging out!

After everyone had eated and visited a little, we started the games!  First up, bobbing for apples!  Little ones went first and we let them just grab the apples by the stem.  They had so much fun that after everyone else was done, they kept doing it over and over again. lol

Next up - donuts on a string!  It was harder than it looks!  They had to keep their hands behind their backs and try to eat the entire donut as it hung on a hook, dangling from a string... swaying back and forth.  Everyone ended up with messy faces.  Messy, but tasty! lol

They had some fun props to take pics with, like these mustaches!  I love these pics of Rori!!!  Also, after the apple bobbing, Spencer's hair needed a make-over and that led to the next phase of his costume... like father, like son!

We gathered around the table to play some card games and ended up laughing an awful lot!!!

Thanks for another great night, Hill family!

Today, I choose to be happy.

We can't always control things that go on in our lives.  For various reasons.  No matter how much we would like to. 

For several days I've felt sick over something that I have little control over.  What conrol I have, I believe that I've done my best with and everything in my power to help.  It was eating me up inside that it might not be enough and that things beyond my control might have reprocussions that I didn't want.  But after praying and pondering, I woke up this morning feeling peace.  I feel good about my role in what has happened, and though things are still out of my control, I have done what I can do. 

Today, I choose to be happy.  I choose to have faith and hope for good things.   I choose to be positive, friendly, and considerate.  I choose to respect others, even if I don't agree with them.  I choose not to play hurtful games or say hurtful words.  And I choose to forgive those who do.

There are many things beyond my control, but how I feel and how I act are entirely up to me.  "And that is an encouraging thought."  :)

JUMP!

A few weeks ago, we got together at the Hills for a FHE.  Matthew gave a great lesson on the Articles of Faith.  Just as all times we ever get together with them are, it was calm, quiet, reverent, relaxing... like this:

JUST KIDDING!!!  Maybe it was all of those things... at times... but then, as all times we ever get together REALLY are, it got wild and crazy!

Everybody JUMP!!!

Yeah, that is more like how it usually is. ;)

I think I was in a Disney Coma.

Whew!  So, I think that was the bulk of our amazing trip this summer.  And as you may (or may not) have noticed, I am slow getting on with other things happening around here.  A little MIA.  But I'm trying to get back.

Let me try to catch you up a little, some of these things will hopefully generate their own individual posts with more detail (and photos) soon...

(In no particular order:)

• I went on our 3rd annual ward RS beach retreat earlier this month and had a fantastic time!  I always love going to the beach.  And I always love a good GNO.  Put those two together and I LOVE LOVE it! lol  I will definitely post more on this later, so I'll save the details for then, but until then, the weather was beautiful, the comany was wonderful, and we had a great time!  Lots of laughs, that is for sure!!!
• It's Fall!  And a little over a week ago I took the girls to the pumpkin patch.  Ryan had to work that day, so we didn't get to have him come with us, instead my cousin, Sami came and we had a BLAST!  This will definitely be posted about soon, too, so stay tuned for lots of fun pumpkin patch photos, including petting zoo, face painting, climbing huge hay pyramids, getting lost in a muddy pumpkin patch, launching pumpkins (I got a hole in one!!!), and of course the tractor ride out to find our perfect pumpkins!  Lots of great Fall Fun right there!
• Another sign of Fall... Football!!!!  I love Football season!  Our Pats are doing pretty well so far, they fought their way to the top of the division, and it wasn't as easy as it has been in the past.  Where did these Buffalo Bills come from?!?  When did they get... GOOD??? lol 
• Also Fall Football related is... Marching Band!  We don't have anyone in band at our house, but our good friends and neighbors do!  I love going to the HS football games (even though Evergreen's football team really stinks right now) to cheer on the marching band!  And I was able to make it to one of the band competitions this year, too.  It is so neat to see them perform!  I love it!
• Playing with the Hills.  We get together with the Hills at least once a month, usually more.  And if there is a camera present, you know you'll get some crazy, fun photos!  I have a bunch I need to upload and share and all I'll say about it for now is... JUMP!

I am sure there is more, but those are some of the highlights that stood out to me.  I'm sorry I have been behind on everything.  Now that I've finished blogging Disney, and am *starting* (still have a ways to go) to get a handle on some of my other projects, I'm hoping I can become a little more consistent in the blogging department. :)

Discovery Cove - Snorkeling

For the rest of our day at Discovery Cove, we just went snorkeling on their reef and swam with fish and rays.  It was pretty cool.  But first, we had to teach Rori how to snorkel!

She eventually got the hang of it but chose to just hold her breath for most of the time.  I think the idea of breathing while having your face in the water was just a little too weird for her.  She did use it sometimes though, and she had fun seeing all of the fish and rays.  Most of the time she stayed with Ryan, even though she was wearing TWO flotation devices. lol  Sometimes they swam next to each other, with her hand on his arm, and sometimes she rode on his back as he swam. 

Swimming in the reef was awesome!  There were several different kinds of rays and tons of fish.  Some of the rays were HUGE!  And we had an underwater camera/camcorder, so we took lots of pics and even got some video...

In addition to the rays and fish that they had in the coral reef, there were areas that had other, more dangerous animals.  We were able to swim right up to windows that had sharks, lionfish, eels, and barracuda just on the other side.  I didn't get any pics of the barracuda, but here are the others...

*shudder* The eels creep me out!!!

Here is a video of the sharks from underwater...



Even just standing in the shallow water gave you some cool experiences.  The rays swam right up to the edge of the water and you could just bend down and touch them.

The day was beautiful and the morning was perfect!  Later in the afternoon, though, the storm clouds began to roll in and pretty soon, we were in a downpour.  Since we were already getting plenty wet in the water, a lot of us, especially the girls, really didn't care!  Rori just wanted to keep swimming and playing with the fish!  I was getting tired and found a covered chair so I could lay back and rest for a few minutes. 

When the girls were finally ready for a break from swimming, we decided to eat our late lunch.  (We were so  glad we had waited and stayed in the water during the lunch rush!)  We kept hoping the rain would let up, and when it didn't, we still thought about going back in the water, but in the end, we decided to call it a day. But even with the rain, we were having a fun time!

Our day at Discovery Cove was amazing!  We had a great time, even when it rained. ;)  And even though we might not be able to go to Discovery Cove the next time we go to Florida, we definitely hope to go back eventually!

Discovery Cove - Swimming with Dolphins

One of the special experiences we had in Florida didn't have anything to do with Disney.  We went to Discovery Cove the last time we went to Florida, too, so we knew what to expect and that we wanted to go back.  Last time, Acadia was just one year too young to swim with the dolphins, but this time, she was definitely old enough, so she and I had the amazing chance to interact and swim with dolphins.

We arrived early so we would be among the first to get our dolphin swim.  I liked beginning with it last time and wanted to do the same this time.  It worked out great!  We had the first time slot and were able to start our day with Astra and Hutch, two bottle-nosed dolphins.

It was wonderful!  I loved it last time and I loved it this time.  This time it was even more special because I was able to share it with Acadia. 

We were in the water with the dolphins for about half an hour, during which time, they taught us about the dolphins, such as their diets, breeding program, training techniques, and so on.  They let us ask whatever questions we had and answered all of them.  It was really neat!  Here are some highlights of our experience...


This time, it was Aurora who was too young, so she and Ryan stood on the shore and watched (and as you saw, video recorded) our experience.  But one thing that they didn't do last time, and we were very pleasantly surprised with this time, was at the end of our session, when they invited Ryan and Rori down into the water to take a picture with us as we posed with Hutch.  While they were there, both Ryan and Rori got to pet and feed him, which was so far beyond what we expected, especially since they hadn't paid for this experience.  It was so nice to have us all be able to share this part of the experience together, what a great memory!

After we completed our dolphin swim, we ate breakfast (Breakfast and lunch are included for everyone there and it was delicious!) and then got ready to go snorkeling on the reef!  That is up next, so stay tuned!

Disney - Characters

In previous posts, especially the dining ones, I shared many of the opportunities we had to meet characters.  One of the big perks of doing those character meals is that you don't need to stand in line to meet the characters!  Because, man, those lines can get LONG! 

But there are some characters that don't have meals and you just have to find them in the parks.  Since most of our favorites were at the meals, we chose not to stand in lines unless it was someone we REALLY wanted to meet, or the line was very short. 

One of our top picks that we did wait for quite awhile for, was Rapunzel!  We had hoped that Eugene would be with her, but he wasn't scheduled to appear for another month or two.  Drats.  But Rapunzel was there, and she was beautiful!  She was also very nice (of course).  Here the girls are with her and some others that we thought were worth the wait...

In Animal Kingdom, we found our way to meet Pooh and friends.  We were really hoping for another chance to visit with Eeyore but he wasn't available when we were there.  Acadia was disappointed, but it was still fun to see Pooh and Tigger!

Back at Magic Kingdom, we knew we would wait as long as it took in order for Rori to meet Jessie.  Jessie isn't found at any character meal but is one of Aurora's very favorites!  The line was a little long, but it was well worth the wait for Rori to have her special moment!  Jessie loved that Rori's hair was the same color as hers and that Rori was wearing a Jessie shirt.  Jessie felt so special that Rori loved her so much, and Rori felt so special that Jessie loved her!

Meeting Tinker Bell was another one that we knew we would wait for.  Thankfully, that wait takes place in an air conditioned building! :)  And really, it wasn't terribly long.  Besides, when we finally did get in, we had a lot of fun!  First, we shrunk down to her size and found ourselves in a garden area where the grass was taller than our heads!  Then we met Vidia.  She wasn't very nice, but was pretty funny.  She kept calling Tinker Bell, Stinker Bell.  Then when we went to Tinker Bell, she and Vidia got into a fight over the girls.  They were not nice to each other, but they were really nice to us!  Though, at first Tinker Bell was offended that while the girls liked to collect "tinkers" (their trading pins on their lanyards), they didn't have any of her.  But then we explained that we DID have some of her, but they were left safe back at the resort so we wouldn't accidentally trade them.  So, then she thought that was smart and she was happy that they liked her that much. lol

One of our favorites, though we didn't realize it until we actually met her, was Princess Tiana.  We knew we wouldn't get to see her anywhere else, and thankfully, her line wasn't too long.  But once we met her, oh my goodness, we knew we would have waited as long as it took.  She was absolutely the nicest character we met.  She just exuded Southern Hospitality!  She doted on the girls and even on Ryan and I.  She called Aurora "Baby Ariel" when she saw her from afar, before we even got in line, then when we met her later, she remembered Rori and told her us she was so glad we came back to see her.  She also said it looked like she wasn't the only one kissing frongs... that I had caught myself a pretty handsome prince, too! :)  Tiana was the only character that pulled us in to take a family pic with them (the other pics with all of us together were either taken as part of our dining package or when we asked to have all of us in it).  We love all of the princesses and they were all very sweet and friendly, but Princess Tiana made it extra personal, we are so glad we got to meet her!

The last character that we were willing to wait for, was one we had already met a few times, but he is just THAT worth it!  Of course, I could only be talking about Mickey Mouse!!!  In fact, we waited for him twice (once in Epcot and once in Hollywood Studios)!

(I love the one where Rori is kissing him on his nose!)

Getting to meet and interact with all of these characters was a really fun part of our trip.  Some were funny and teased us, some were silly and teased each other.  They were all nice and some were beyond nice.  They all made us feel special and we had a great time with them!

Disney - Dining

Using the dining plan really gave us the opportunity to have some great dining experiences that we normally wouldn't have splurged on.  It was great to be able to do it all without worrying about the cost.  For most of our sit-down dining, we chose to go with character meals, but we did book one dinner show (non-character) and one restaurant that I've always wanted to go to... Coral Reef in Epcot.  Let's start there, shall we? 

The Coral Reef is amazing!  It is situated along side of Epcot's huge aquarium.  Inside, swim fish, sea turtles, and sharks as you dine right next to them.  It is AWESOME! 

While we are talking about dining at Epcot, I'll remind you that Rori showed up at this park in a Princess gown - twice.  Both times were due to meal plans in Akershus Castle where we met Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White.  On the first visit, Rori wore her Belle dress, in honor of our hostess.  On the second visit, she arrived as her true self: Princess Aurora. ;)

 
During our second visit to Akershus, after meeting OUR Princess Aurora, the other Princess Aurora visited another table and met another Aurora!  We didn't recognize her at first because she came dressed as Rapunzel, but her true name was Aurora and so for the second time this trip, Rori met her "twin". lol  Aurora #3 came to our table so we could get a picture of them all together (upper left photo in the collage below).

A lot of the meals we went to were not actually in the parks.  One that I was really looking forward to was The Spirit of Aloha Luau at the Polynesian Resort.  For months, I dieted for this trip.  I lost quite a few pounds too, and everytime our Polynesian neighbors BBQed and made my mouth water, I thought of THIS MEAL.  I was holding out for this luau.  The good news is, the food was GREAT!  The bad news is, as we were eating, a thunderstorm rolled in and we were only able to enjoy the first couple of performances, then they cancelled the rest.  Big Bummer.  To make up for it, we were credited our meal vouchers (or for those not using the dining plan, they got their money back) and since we had still gotten a great meal, that was a good deal.  I would really liked to have seen the show though. :S  Too bad Mother Nature didn't cooperate.

Another meal we had was also at the Polynesian Resort: breakfast at 'Ohana.  I have to be honest.  While it was a great meal and fun experience, it was our least favorite of our sit-down meals.  I think maybe where we had been seated had a lot to do with that.  It was darker where we sat, as opposed to some of the other seating areas.  And, though we love Lilo and Stitch, there are other characters that you can dine with that we like more.  (Though, Mickey and Pluto were there, too and we loved that.)  The food was delicious, but everything we loved we found at other meal locations, too.  So it wasn't as if we had to go there if we wanted to enjoy some Mickey Mouse waffles. ;)  Still, it was fun and we were excited to be there!  And the resort is absolutely gorgeous!

Another gorgeous resort is the Grand Floridian.  And that is where you'll find 1900 Park Fare, which is a beautiful restaurant where Cinderella and her family host a great dining experience. 

Do you like how the girls are arriving in their very own "horse" drawn carriage? lol... Okay, that was actually after dinner, so I guess they are really leaving in it. ;)

We weren't sure who all would be there, but were very pleasantly surprised to find the Tremaines.  We first met Anastasia, who was sure that she should join our family since she would fit right in with her red hair and she was positive she would like Rori and Cadi as sisters better than her own.  Then we met Drizella, told her about Anasasia's idea and she totally agreed.  She begged us to take Anastasia home with us! lol  When Lady Tremaine came, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some parenting advice and I was pleased to find that her ideas were very reasonable!  She instructed Acadia to do 10 chores everyday, including laundry, dishes, and cooking, and told Aurora she should do 7 everyday, because you know, she is younger but don't worry, she'll work up to 10, too.  Ryan liked Lady Tremaine so much, he asked to have his picture taken with her! 

Then, we met Prince Charming.  He was very... charming. lol  And he only left our table when it was time for him to greet his Princess and lead her to the floor for a dance.  Afterwards, he walked her to our table so we could visit with her.  She was breathless and visibly... dazzled ;).  She said to our girls, "Isn't he dreamy?"  It was really very sweet. 

But I have left our favorite Character Meal for last... Chef Mickey's.

For our first visit, Rori came in her Minnie Dress, which Minnie and Mickey both loved!  Minnie also loved Rori's Minnie doll and my Minnie nails. :)

Not only can you find the Fabulous Five at Chef Mickey's, but the food is GREAT!  There is a large selection and it was all delicious.  We went to dinner one night, then ended our trip the morning we flew out with breakfast there, as well.  It was by far my favorite breakfast of the trip.  So many yummy foods!!!  And having one last chance to say good-bye and give Mickey a hug was great.  We love him!!!

We didn't go to Disney for the food, but as we looked forward to the trip, we really looked foward to these dining experiences.  They sure did add to our Magical time there!

Disney - Dining (Royal Table at Cinderella Castle)

As I mentioned, the last time we went to WDW, we took Acadia  to have breakfast in Cinderella Castle.  We wanted to do the same for Rori.  She got all dressed up in her favorite Cinderella gown and we headed to the Magic Kingdom for a Magical Morning.

As soon as we arrived at the castle, we were introduced to Cinderella herself!  She LOVED Aurora's gown and said that they must have the same Fairy Godmother. ;)

After visiting with Cinderella, we were seated at our table, right next to the windows overlooking FantasyLand.  It was a great table!

Soon Princesses began arriving!  They were each announced and then one by one, they visited each table.  Of course, they were so nice and just loved seeing Rori in her princess dress.  Princess Aurora loved hearing that Rori's name was Aurora too, Ariel loved the girls' red hair, and Belle loved that Rori loves books and that Acadia's middle name is Belle.

Eating in the castle is a super neat experience.  But the best part is the look on your own little princess's face as she gets to meet the fairytale Princesses that she loves!  Talk about having a "magical moment"!  Our Princess had an amazing time and the rest of us did, too! :)

Disney - Dining (Crystal Palace)

The last time we went to DisneyWorld, we made special plans for a then, five year-old Acadia to have breakfast with Cinderella and some other princesses inside Cinderella Castle.  It is a little pricey, that is true, but as soon as we arrived, we knew right away that it was worth every single penny!  First of all, hello!  We were eating in a castle!  The food was delicious - and it was all-you-can-eat.  The characters all came to our table and we were able to get special one-on-one time with each, getting autographs, hugs, and photos.  If we had only known, we would have booked more character meals like that!

So one of the first goals I had when planning this trip was to do just that!  I wanted to book more of these characters meals!  When I learned about the dining plans we could use when staying at the resort, I found an easy way for us to get to have so many of these great experiences.  The dining plan we chose included these character meals in their options!  We were able to do several!

I knew that Rori would love the princesses, just like Acadia had when she was 5, but I wasn't sure who Cadi would want to see now that she was older.  I asked her, and her answer surprised me: Eeyore.  I had no idea she loved Eeyore that much!  But of all of the Disney characters, Eeyore is the one she wanted to meet the most.

And so, for our first day in DisneyWorld, I made plans for us to eat lunch with Eeyore, Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger at the Crystal Palace. 

It was our first day, first character meal, and we... well, we were all feeling a little goofy.  It is true that Disney brings out the kid in everyone.  Of couse, with some of us, that isn't much of a stretch. ;)

Essentially, all of the character meals work the same.  You are seated, it is all-you-can-eat (most are traditional buffets, with just a couple that bring the food to your table in bottomless dishes), and as you dine, characters go from table to table, visiting every guest.  If by chance you miss one (like, if you're up getting more food when they come by), you let your server know and they make sure the character comes right over.  The food is always delicious and getting to see the characters without having to wait in line is pretty awesome.



We actually made a second visit to Crystal Palace on one of our last days in WDW.  It was actually kind of a "Magic Moment" because we didn't have a reservation.  Due to bad timing on a thunderstorm, we missed out on a dinner show we were originally scheduled to see, so Disney credited our meal voucher and we ended up with extra dining opportunities.  It is usually hard to get into a character meal without a reservation (which usually need to be made MONTHS in advance), most of the time IF you get in, it is only after a very long wait.  But when we asked if there was a way to get on the list, explaining how our previous dinner show had been cancelled, they got us in pretty fast.  And we appreciated it!

Since it was near the end of our trip, and we had already visited with all of the characters already, when we were done eating, and after Acadia got to see Eeyore, she took off to ride some more rides.  The rest of us waited for Pooh, but after that we left, too.  We didn't feel the need to wait longer to see Piglet or Tigger again.  And we didn't want to take up valuable table space for no real reason when they had been so great to get us in so quickly.

Not every dining experience is going to get it's own post, but this one, being our first, and being one of Acadia's very favorite experiences, deserved it. :)