Universal Studios~ Day 2

We got a late start to the parks today.  We got there around 10:30 this morning.  We decided to go to the main Universal Studios, and go back to Islands of Adventure/Wizarding World on Thursday before we leave on Friday morning.

Entering the park....

Makenzie balancing the globe on her finger.... such talent.:-)

Our first ride was The Mummy ride.  We rode it several times the last time we came- 6 years ago.  The girls loved it.  Mason... not so much.  But he was a real trooper today, and decided to face his fears and keep up with us.

This cute little Egyptian eye candy was waiting for us when we got off the ride.... 

Waiting in line for the Mummy

Again... proof that I really was on this trip:-)

Stan had to do a conference call for work today at 2:30, so he and Mason headed back to the condo at 1:15.  They got back to the park at 4:00, and while they were gone, the girls and I ate lunch and rode and rode and rode.....

YOLO....You Only Live Once

Mak's new shirt from Ft. Walton Beach

Even though I am not a fan of The Simpson's,  we had to go and explore this new part of the park... at least new since we've been there.  As much as I hate to admit it, it was pretty darn funny and was enjoyable.  When Stan got back from his work obligation, Madison talked him in to riding this.  It made him sick.  Sorry Stan :-(

Next stop... Bikini Bottom and Spongebob. 

Hugs for Patrick.   Mason got his picture with Spongebob, but it's on Stan's phone.  Hopefully, I can post it soon.  Mason was pretty excited!

Stan and I were probably more excited than he was about this one.  Scooby just isn't as popular anymore.  That's too bad!!

We rode a great rollercoaster today.  More about those later. 

 Another great day as a family!!

Universal Studios, Day 1

Today was our first day at Universal Studios.  The girls were SO excited when they saw the Wizarding World.  Madison would just put her hands over her mouth and literally have tears.. she was so excited.  That in itself was fun enough for me.  However... Stan and I were dumb enough to actually get on the first ride.... the rest of the day I was dizzy and nauseous. 


Makenzie's first sip of Butterbeer.  AKA..  Cream soda :-)



Got Butterbeer??   I think she liked it.

It only tastes good in the real mug though.....HA!

Hogwarts!!!



This pic makes me laugh.  The girls' expressions crack me up.  Makenzie screamed the entire time, and I was just trying to make it out without throwing up.  I HATE simulators, and I swear I'll never do them again.... until the next time that is :-)  Boy I sound like my mother :-)

Hogwarts Express.   The girls would scream everytime they saw something for the first time.  This was no exception.

This just about sums Madison up for the whole day!

Gotta love the vertical on that boy!!



Waiting in line for the Forbidden Journey

These are the shirts we had made for the HP7 Premiere last summer.  They were perfect for today!  Thanks Lauren for letting us borrow yours!

After our visit in the Wizarding World, we went over to the Marvel Superhero Island where we found Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk roller coaster. 

SUPER DAY!!!



Dance Dance Dance.....

Day ?  (I've lost track....)


Friday was a full dance day. Makenzie and I got up early, and after a run through Starbucks... got to the Convention Center at 7:15 am. We danced, watched dances, danced some more and at 11:00 pm finally left the convention center. The girls did a wonderful job. We had dances that won overall awards and we felt very good about the day. This has been an awesome dance year. It just keeps getting better. It's hard to believe that in just 5 years, Madison and Makenzie will be graduated, and we will end our dance competition days. We always have a great time. We started the packing process at midnight last night, and got in bed at 2:00 am.

As we were cleaning out the kitchen at the condo, we realized we had 3/4 of a Key Lime Pie left and over a half gallon of Blue Bell Moose Tracks ice cream... aka the breakfast of champions.  The kids took no time in figuring out how to get rid of it all before checkout.

 We left Ft. Walton Beach, and made our way to Orlando to spend the week. The girls have been dreaming of the day they go to the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Their wait is over and we will spend some time creating new memories at the park. 


Traveling to Orlando. They just think they are tired now..... 

When we got to Orlando, we met up with our friends the Doshiers.  We went to dinner at the TRex Cafe in Downtown Disney. 

Proof that I really AM on this vacation. 

 

Mason looking fierce with the T Rex....

Makenzie and Meredith partying at Pleasure Island

Daddy and his girls on an outdoor "dance floor" at Downtown Disney.

 

Here's to another fun filled memory making week!

Days 3,4,5
Well I have learned that being on the beach makes it impossible to blog.  I can't take my laptop down with me because it would mess up my tan lines... oh, and it would ruin the laptop.  And we've been moving and shaking so much that at night... I am too tired to blog.  So here's a run down of the week thus far....
The number one thing we've done is be at the beach and more beach... 

Sunbathing beauty

Beautiful smile

Madison enjoying her new beach mat from her ATD Little Sis... Jessie.




Madison leaping left.....

And Madison leaping right....
I

I took pics of Madison in her solo costume on Tuesday evening before her solo.  The weather was perfect, and she did a great job leaping around in the sand. I'll upload some more of them later.  They turned out fabulously!

Madison and Abby showing off....



Simpson and Price girls

Back bend....

 Kick over!



Sweet best friends

Awesome!!!!

We are having a blast!!!!
More to come.

Paradise

Day 2

We got a great night's sleep in Byram, MS.  Got up had breakfast and began our final trek to Ft. Walton.  Everything went smoothly with the exception of a 2 hour stand still in Mobile.  We got to our condo at 5:00.  It is gorgeous.  Has a perfect view of the beach, and 2 of the 3 bedrooms have balcony access.  Waterscape is a newer complex with a couple of pools and a lazy river.  Perfect spot for the week!

Tutt and Simpson Kids 2012

We unpacked and got settled and then walked across the street to find a place to eat. Fudpuckers (you have to be REALLY careful when saying that one quickly...) was a long wait so we ended up at a Mexican place of all places. Wasn't expecting to leave NWA and eat Mexican in Florida. We won't make that same mistake again. We did meet up with some fellow Zebra dance families, so it was an enjoyable evening. 

Christy, Lisa, Sarah, and Me.... yes I look like a naked photo bomber... but no, I am not:-)

Kids at dinner

 The Tutts were celebrating their anniversary.  Nothing says "love" like Las Panchos with 20 of your favorite friends. Happy Anniversary!!!!

After dinner we took a walk on the beach. The kids ended up jumping waves and getting soaked. They had a great time, and it made them anxious for our first beach day tomorrow.

Night walk on the beach... Iphones are not the cameras for night time pics.

Makenzie enjoying her first walk on the beach.

After our walk, Sarah, Catie Beth, and I headed to Walmart for groceries.  We were hoping that going late would help with the crowds.  We heard other moms talking about the grocery store looking like Black Friday at WM.  It was a perfect time to shop except that they were trying to get the store cleaned and the floors waxed.  The floor in front of the lunchmeat and cheese was roped off.... Never fear, Sarah wasn't held back by the ropes.  We got our groceries including lunch meat and a dozen different kinds of cheese and were home in bed by 3:30 am.  Sarah and I are no strangers to late late nights.  We've been at it for 20+ years.  Good times.

 
 Looking forward to the sand and surf tomorrow!!!

There Were 3 in the Bed and the Little One said.....

Day 1
The girls had their dance auditions this morning for next year's ATD team.  I love our studio and the family that we have there.  There are many choices for studios in this area... and we picked the absolute best for our family!  Kudos to Meghan and her staff for making auditions run smoothly.  That being said, we got on the road at 3:00 today headed for Ft. Walton Beach for Dance Nationals.  We are travelling with the Summerfords, so in Conway, I hopped in the car with Stephanie and we laughed until we arrived in Jackson, MS for the night.  We got to our rooms and discovered that the King 'Suite' was a king bed with a twin size pull out sofa.  Thanks to Stephanie and Lucy for letting Makenzie bunk with them.  This left us with Madison on our lovely pullout and Mason in between Stan and I.  We have never let our kids sleep with us, and he thought he was big stuff. 

I will post more pics tomorrow... Gotta get in bed because tomorrow it's BEACH BABY!!!!

I'm Baaaaack.....

I am sitting in a meeting listening to a presenter talk about blogs and blogging. In the back of mind I was thinking "I've done that... Yada yada..". So I decided to pull up my blog and discovered it has been TWO years since I posted. I had so much fun going back and looking at our past and remembering the fun memories created as a family. So, here I go again with an attempt to document our family story via this blog. The past 2 years have seen a lot of changes in our family. I'll add some pics later to try and catch up. Facebook has been an avenue I've used to keep friends and family in the loop. But I want to try and summarize here. Wish me luck!!