Girls trip to Disney

This past weekend Anna, Krystial, and I made a short trip to Disney. Since we will all be turning 30 in the next few months, we thought that this might be a good way to celebrate our youth (while we still can). We stayed inside Disney at the Pop Century Resort- which was a lot of fun and very convenient to the parks. Because of my pregnancy, I had to forgo riding many of the rides. My physical limitations allowed me to approach the theme parks in a totally new way. As you may know, Brian and I are theme-park junkies. When we hit the parks, we hit them hard. This trip allowed me to sit back and take things slow. It was actually very relaxing (even though I did miss feeling the adrenaline rush of the thrill rides).

On Friday, we visited Disney's Animal Kingdom. I was very excited to go here because I had never been before. I was surprised by the size of this park. It was enormous. Good thing that I wore comfortable shoes! The highlight of this park for me was the safari ride. Our jeep got so close to a rhino that I could almost touch it.

After leaving the park, we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. This was loads of fun. I was blown away by the decor of this restaurant- lots of detail. To finish off the night, we attended a performance of Cirque du Soleil "La Nouba". I had been wanting to see this show for years, and I was glad to finally have the opportunity to see it. The show itself was outstanding and totally surpassed my all of my expectations (which were high to begin with).

On Saturday, we visited Epcot. Our visit coincided with the annual food and wine festival. The interesting thing about this festival is that we were able to sample food dishes from all around the world. I wish I could say that I ate my way around the World Showcase portion of Epcot, but that is not so. I tried one dish in the "Mexico" section, nearly gagged, and gave up on the whole "sampling" process altogether. Instead, I saved my appetite for a delicious (and familiar) meal at Planet Hollywood.

I think that Disney is fun anytime for anyone. Although I have been many times, I discover something new with each visit. This was the first time that I had seen Disney through a parent's eyes. I am really excited about taking Olivia and new baby (who is known as "butterbean" at this point) to Disney when they are older.

First Birthday Party

I can't believe that Olivia is nearly one year old! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. My, how time flies! We had a small birthday party for her this past Saturday to celebrate the big "1".

When I ordered Olivia's cake, we received a free mini-cake just for her. This was really the first time that Olivia had had the opportunity to eat anything sweet, and she did not waste a moment. She began by gently sticking her finger into the icing and checking it out. I guess that she liked what she tasted because she was soon grabbing the cake by the handful and cramming it into her mouth. Cake got all over her face, clothes, and even found its way into her hair. She made such a mess that I had to sponge her off and change her clothes before she could open her presents.

Olivia received a lot of nice gifts for her birthday. It took her a little while to catch on to the whole "opening presents" thing, but she eventually got it and started helping me open them.

Brian and I had decided to get her a wagon for her birthday. The wagon was a big hit. After opening gifts, we put Ava and Olivia in the wagon and rode them up and down the driveway. They had a ball! I think that they would have stayed in the wagon all evening if they could have.

I think that Olivia's first birthday party was a success. It was a lot of fun, and I think that everyone had a good time.

Our Brick

After church last Sunday, Olivia and I went to look at our family brick that had just been installed at the courthouse. The bricks were sold by the county last year as part of a fundraising effort for a fountain at the courthouse. Our brick was located at the very top of the walkway near the courthouse itself. Some of the bricks of other family members were a bit harder to find. It was fun to see the names of people I know or have known immortalized on a brick. What a great opportunity to be a part of our county's history!

Go Dawgs!

I know that it has been a while since my last post. Since starting back to work and college, I have found myself with less and less free time. A lot of changes have been made in my school system this year, and all of the teachers in Ware County are really stressed out. The month of August has seemed to drag on forever. The one glimmer of light at the end of the dark tunnel has been September 1st and the start of college football season. Both Brian and I have been eagerly anticipating opening day. Brian even set his alarm clock on his day off (Saturday) so that he would be sure not to miss College Game Day on ESPN.



Saturday was not disappointing. My team (and Olivia's team)- the UGA dawgs won 35-14. Olivia wore her pink UGA cheerleader outfit to show her support for the greatest football team in the land. Brian likes the FSU Seminoles, but they don't play until tonight. I hope they win, too (or I'll have to hear about it for a week). I always look forward to football season, and I am so glad that it has begun! GO DAWGS!

Pool Fun

The war with the pool is over- Brian has (finally) won. Never again will we allow the pool to "sit out" over the winter. Countless man hours and many bottles of chemical have been used on the pool this year. This sweet victory could not have come at a better time. The days are getting hotter and hotter, and the pool is a welcome retreat. We have already been swimming several times, and Olivia really seems to like the water. She is usually content to stay in her baby float and let her daddy push her around the pool. Hopefully, the weather will stay warm enough for us to get a lot of use out of the pool this year. We may have gotten off to a late start, but we are excited about making up for lost swim time.

She may be a Sanders, but she's also a "Walker"

After months of stumbling, Olivia is officially walking. She keeps getting better every day. She has even got to the point now where she can bend down, pick up an object, and then walk around with it. With this break-through has come a whole new set of things that we have to watch out for (like her getting into the cabinets). But, we are excited that she has reached this milestone.

Fernandina Beach

We just returned from our annual vacation to Fernandina Beach. Many of my family members rent condos at Amelia-by-the-Sea every July. Ava and Olivia kept things lively this year. Both girls really liked the beach, and so we took them down there most days. Of course, we couldn't stay too long becasue the sun was so bright.

Although the ocean was interesting to Ava and Olivia, it could not compete with the beach sand. Ava liked to run down the beach and play in the sand. Olivia kept trying to eat the sand. We had to keep a close eye on her.

Since the babies weren't potty-trained, they were not allowed into the big pool. We put them in a little boat and let them float around in the pool, but they wanted to get in the water- not float on top of it. So, they were both really happy when we filled up Ava's baby pool and put them in it. They splashed, played, and had a big time. Brian wanted to get in on the baby pool fun too, but he was too big.

Brian's favorite thing to do at the beach is to fish off the pier. I believe that all of the fishermen in our group had good luck this week because they were out most nights fishing until all hours. Since no one really likes to clean the fish, I believe that most of the fishing they do is catch-and-release.

My favorite thing to do at the beach is nothing. It feels so good to just relax, read, or listen to music. There was a lot of nothing going on at the beach last week. Everyone was recharging their batteries so that they could be ready to go back to school or work.

I'll admit that I was sad to leave. There is just something special about waking up in the morning, stepping out onto the patio, and seeing the ocean. I would stay there all summer if I could. I have vowed that if I ever win the lottery, one of my first purchases will be a condo at the beach.