Weekly Happenings - 3/27 - 4/8

This is a two-week blog as I can't find any pictures for the first of these two weeks!

1.  Peyton was awarded the Principal's Pride Squad this week for demonstrating the Blue Valley Virtues!  We are so proud of all Peyton accomplishes every day so it is great for her to be recognized by her teacher, Mrs. White!

2.  Garrison had a big day - Kindergarten Round-up!!  I can't believe our baby is going to be starting kindergarten in the fall - AHHHHHH!  Garrison had a fantastic time at round-up - he did great in his session meeting the teachers, he chatted with the ladies in the office and got to see some of his friends!  We even got to have lunch with Peyton & her friends.  Garrison was a bit overwhelmed with the lunch room craziness but felt pretty on top of the world having lunch with the big girls!!  It is so exciting that Garrison is about ready to start his next chapter at CPE!

3.  After round-up, Garrison and some of his friends spent the afternoon at Deanna Rose!  It was a beautiful day and the boys had an absolute ball exploring the farm.  And yes, we even managed to get 5 boys to sit together long enough to take a picture - amazing!

4.  After dance practice for Peyton on Saturday, we packed up the car and went down to Grammy & Grandpa's for the night!  The kids had a chance to hunt Easter Eggs, die and hunt hard boiled eggs and have lots of Easter fun!  We also went to church on Saturday night.  Sunday brought an say going day which is just what we all needed!  We started with donuts, watched some cartoons, hid eggs a few more times and had a yummy lunch before heading home to get ready for the week - so fun!

Weekly Happenings - 3/20 - 3/26

1.  Monday-Wednesday this week I had to travel to San Carlos for work which was a bit challenging having just gotten back from vacation but alas it had to be done!  Since Peyton was still out of school on Monday, Grammy came up and stayed with Peyton (and her friend Hailey) for the day and helped out with evening activities since Chad was catching up a bit at work after our awesome vacation.  The kids had fun easing back into routine a bit!

2.  Before we knew it, Friday was here and it was time for some special time for both kids!  Garrison had an impromptu play date with his friend Zach and even got picked up from school by Zach's mom!  They had a great time!  While Garrison was away, Peyton & I got to have a girls night!  We enjoyed Fazoli's for dinner, did a little shopping at Old Navy & Costco and wrapped up our night by splitting a banana split for dessert!  Chad, unfortunately, was not feeling so hot so he had some quiet time at home while we were all away.  All in all, a pretty great Friday!

3.  On Saturday, Peyton had a play date with her friend Victoria!  They have been friends since they were 3 and even though they no longer go to school together, they always have a great time together!!

4.  Sunday was a fun day!  We started with church and later in the afternoon, we were off to the Inspire a GIRL event for Girl Scouts!  It was such an amazing event where Peyton and her friend Hailey were able to visit booths to learn about being a Go-getter, Innovator, Risk taker and Leader.  They also got to talk to several Girl Scouts that have completed their Bronze, Silver and Gold projects - something they can aspire to!  It was a fun afternoon!

Spring Break 2017!

Spring Break 2017 was amazing!  We broke course only a bit this year and flew at night instead of bright and early in the morning!  We left around 5 PM on Thursday and arrived at the Animal Kingdom Resort at Walt Disney World around 9 PM that night!  Grammy & Grandpa joined the fun this year and our rooms at Animal Kingdom were Savannah views.  Even though it was dark, we quickly spied a couple of giraffes and a few other animals just off of our balconies!  So cool!  

Friday was a slower paced day which was just what we all needed to start vacation!  We had breakfast at our resort, spent some time at the fun pool, had lunch, a bit more pool time and then got ready for our evening activity - a luau at the Polynesian!  We went to the luau a few years ago but Garrison was too young to remember it so we tried it again.  Both kids had a great time at the luau and even went to the front to learn a bit of hula dancing!

Saturday started our cruise adventure with a ride in a SUV limo to the port.  After a short wait, we were ready to board the Disney Fantasy!  We were the 3rd group to board which was super early (and amazing!) so we quickly made our way to deck 11 to grab a table, some quick lunch and swim time before the lifeboat drill and Sail Away party!  

Our first two days were days at sea and we had a great time exploring the ship, going to shows, movies, lots of pool time (including several rides on the Aqua Duck water coaster) and spending time together.  Our first port was Tortola and here we had a chance to play with a dolphin!  The kids had a ton of fun hanging out with the dolphins for the morning and then we had some time on the ship when it was a bit less busy since many were at port.  Our next stop was St. Thomas.  Here we tried something new and went to Coral World where we road a semi-submarine where we got to see coral in the ocean and lots of fish including a sucker fish (Garrison's favorite) and a sea urchin.  Very cool!

Next up we had 1 more day at sea and it was the fan favorite for sure - Star Wars Day at Sea!!  All day was dedicated to all things Star Wars!  Characters were roaming the ship, movies were playing all day, Chad got to go see a presentation by Pablo Hidalgo.  The day was capped with a fun Star Wars themed dinner, a show up on the top deck and of course, Fireworks!

Our last stop was Castaway Cay!  We were a little bummed when we woke up and we still weren't in port but we arrived a bit late and went straight to feed the stingrays!  This experience was a mixed bag with our crew but it was pretty fun all in all.  Many of the sting rays were pregnant so it was cool to see their babies in the momma's bellies.  Peyton was supposed to parasail but due to high winds she wasn't able to.  Instead, we hung out at the beach on a gorgeous (albeit a bit cool) day at Castaway Cay!  The kids had fun - Peyton in the water with a tube, Garrison playing in the sand.  The adults had fun too - Grammy enjoyed the sun with Grandpa and Chad & I even got to sneak over to Serenity Bay, the adults only beach.  Peyton even ran into one of her fellow TiniTainer dancers while on the beach - who knew!  

After our last night on the ship was great but before we knew it we were back in port the following morning and on our way home - our trip was absolutely amazing, one we will remember for a lifetime!  I have hundreds of pics but here are a few favorites!