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.