Disney Day 7: Going Home

It was an uneventful trip back. We arrived home around 6:30. Everyone slept well in their own beds. Grandma and Grandpa left Sunday morning for South Dakota. Valynn and Mason enjoyed themselves and has Kyra excited to go in 5 years.

We did the Disney dining plan and ate way too much dessert. Dessert came with Lunch and Dinner. We spent most of our snacks trying different foods in Epcot which was cool and Mark and I got our nightly bottle of wine which is always a bonus. We also ate at restaurant we normally wouldn't have because of the price. Kyra got Sleeping Beauty pajamas and Kyleigh got princess Minnie mouse ears.

We now get to gear up for reality of school and work. I start working this week as well. I will be tutoring like I did last year. I'm excited because the hours are flexible and the pay is better than subbing. Kyra has her first dentist appointment this week and we start round two of birthday mania at the Rinkel household. Valynn is having a sleepover on Saturday night (wish us luck). Have a good week all, it's nap time here.

Disney Day 6: Epcot

First we went swimming at the pool. The kids went down the water slide at least 15 times each before heading back to Epcot for our final day at Disney. We went on Soarin' and The Seas with Nemo. We went to Turtle Talk with Crush, Journey into Imagination with Figment and Honey I shrunk the audience. We then started the Kim Possible missions. The kids were given a cell phone and told to find a clue in a country. They would go around the country and find the clues shown on the phone, when they found a clue something would light up, spin, etc. When they got to the last mission something bigger would happen, in Mexico the volcano exploded, in Germany a German girl chased the bad guy. We did four different countries before the cell phone was decommissioned (park closed). This was one of the kids' favorite activities, it also gave Mark and I a chance to stroll around the different countries while the kids were finding clues. The kids also were given masks and at each country they were given a different accessory for the mask that represented the country. In China, Japan, and Morocco they also showed the kids what their names look like in those languages. We doubt Valynn's is correct because they had never heard her name before but the Japanese lady could read Mason's name based on the Chinese spelling. It was another late night before we got back to the resort and then had to pack for home.

Disney Day 4: The Magic Kingdom

The day started out with Valynn getting a new Cinderella dress and shoes and Mason getting a new Power Rangers shirt and Power Ranger sword. We then went to Downtown Disney where we looked around for awhile and then went to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where Valynn got her hair, nails, and make up done just like a princess and Mason was done up as a Cool Dude. We then headed to the Magic Kingdom where we road the train to Mickey's house where we got to meet Mickey and Minnie. We also went to Minnie's House and Donald's boat. We rode Goofy's Barnstormer and the kids got to drive a racecar at the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. We also did the Mad Tea Party, Dubo, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. We then went to Cinderella's Castle for supper at Cinderella's Royal Table. We met Cinderella, the mice, and the Fairy Godmother. The put on a little show and we had a wonderful meal. After supper we went to the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor before watching the Spectro Magic parade. What a wonderful parade of lighted floats and costumes. We had a great time watching. After the parade we did Peter Pan's flight and It's a small world before we watched the fireworks.

The kids had a great day. The whole day the Disney staff kept calling Valynn princess and other little girls would call her Cinderella.

Disney Day 2: Hollywood Studios and TRex cafe

We arrived at Hollywood Studios at opening time and scored Fast Passes to the Toy Story ride. We then went to Muppet Vision 3D, met Lightning McQueen and Mater, played in the Honey I shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, and met the Power Rangers. We then went and did the Toy Story Ride (for the record I scored the most points). After lunch we watched Jedi training (Darth Vader showed up), went on the Star Towrs ride, and watched the Voyage of the Little Mermaid musical. It was then off to the TRex cafe. The TRex cafe was very cool, it had robotic dinosaurs, an ice cave that changed colors, a meteor shower every 20 minutes, and lot of fire.

Exhausted

Here are some pictures from the Cubs vs Cardinals game in St. Louis last night. We dropped the kids off at the Johnson's and headed south. We met our friends Chris and Sharon at a restaurant for supper and then went to the game. It was a good game. After the game Mark and I spent the night at the Casino Queen. We got up at 5:30 and headed back north, picked the kids up at 9:15, went home, collected what we needed and left at 9:30.

Mason had another good football game. He ran the ball twice. The first run he ran 25 yards and his second run he scored a touchdown. That picture is of Mason's first run.


After the game we went to some friends for lunch. We had a great visit and the kids had fun playing. The kids were tired, as were we. Three of the kids were sleeping when we got home.

Went south to find this snow!

We had a busy week last week. Friday I was excited because I was supposed to sub for the Biology teacher, finally something I'm qualified to teach. Right before school started I got called down to the office, they changed my assignment to Kindergarten, Valynn's kindergarten class. Needless to say, she was excited to see me walk in but I had other thoughts. After Friday, it's still safe for me to say, "I am not a Kindergarten teacher"! They have too much energy for me and I'm not equipped to deal with the noise and whining and chaos. Friday night we went to Indiana for a baby shower. They got around 6 inches of snow so the kids and Mark headed outside because all of our snow has melted. We had a great time with Rick and Cindy and the cousins. The men took the kids to McDonald's while Cindy and I got things ready for Lori's baby shower. I guess the Diet Coke there was the best you'll find (leave it to the men to spike their diet cokes at McD's while in charge of 3 kids) We'll be anxiously awaiting to hear all about Ethan's arrival in late April. I was supposed to start my new job last night but because of the last start we got I'm going to start tonight. I will be tutoring a local high schooler in Biology one day a week.

More pictures

Here are a few more pictures from the trip and around the house. Kyra is walking around in mom's shoes. She has really had a mental growth spurt in the last few weeks, she is saying more words (happy, kitty, quack, rooster sound), and is always trying to copy sounds. She is also really perceptive as anyone with a rice krispy bar in the vicinity can attest to. Kyra is also into having books read to her, so it's a big help that Valynn will read to her. There is a picture of Grandpa sleeping with Kyra after the plane ride, Mason is in the stroller in the background. I have a picture of the kids watching the airplanes at the air port, our plane left at 1:00 am Pacific (3:00 am central). A picture of Valynn and Mia, one of Grandpa giving Kyra cake and ice cream (if you want to be Kyra's friend give her food). I also have a picture of Kyra in the wagon with Matthew, the boy from across the street, he's 6 weeks older than Kyra. Here is a link to some pictures that I haven't posted.

FUN in Washington

We had a great visit in Lacey, Washington. We went to the beach the first day there, the kids (and adults) got to play in the Pacific Ocean. The water was cold but we had fun anyway. We went to the Children's museum where Valynn and Mason played for hours, Kyra got to spend time with her Grandmas. We helped celebrate a couple of birthdays and spent hours visiting with relatives. We even got to meet a few new ones. The kids had fun playing with Mia and Alex and Kyra was intrigued by baby Amia. The kids were wonderful on the plane ride and while visiting, we even survived the overnight flight without much hassle.

Lighthouse

Mark and I were able to tour the inside of the Wind Point Lighthouse in Racine, WI. It was built in 1880. There were 144 stairs to reach the top. It was fun to see the inside of the lighthouse. The kids weren't able to go up into the lighthouse so they stayed at the family reunion with their grandparents.

It's that Time of Year Again!!

Tanners Orchard is open. The kids and I headed out there on Tuesday to meet up with some friends. Unfortunately I just realized I didn't take any pictures. None the less, the kids had fun playing on the train, feeding the goats, and of course eating donuts. On Wednesday after swimming lessons we met some friends at Wildlife Prairie State Park for the afternoon. The kids had a great time visiting and looking at the animals. That evening we took the neighbors paddle boat out on the lake. The kids had fun riding, unfortunately it was mom and dad who got tired from the paddling, not the kids. The kids can't wait to take the boat out again soon.

Young Love

Valynn had her field trip to the zoo yesterday. Valynn and Jacob (her boyfriend) walked through the zoo holding hands while looking at the animals. They are so cute and funny together. After the zoo we went to the playground where Valynn and Jacob had a picnic lunch together before playing on the equipment. The were sad when it was time to go. They will go to different schools next year so we'll have to do plenty of play dates to make sure they get to see each other. This was Kyra's first trip to the zoo, she wasn't that impressed with the animals, she was more interested in all the people (there were about 5 schools touring). In the picture of Jacob and Valynn his little sister Ava is in the background. In the picture with all of the kids, Jacob's brother Ian is joining in the group hug while Mason and Kyra look on. Mason and Ian will be in preschool together next year. Last night we went to some friends for supper and watermelon martinis (they were delicious). The kids had a great time playing and weren't ready to come home even though it was past their bedtime. Today Mark helped some neighbors with their garden since we got ours planted and to finally enjoy a Saturday at home.