Olivia's 6th Birthday

It didn't surprise anyone that Olivia wanted a horse birthday party.  She had a blast riding the horses and the other kids seemed to enjoy it as well.  It was so nice to have ALL the family there.  I reminded myself I shouldn't have any more outdoor parties in July unless it is a swim party.  Oklahoma heat is just to brutal. 

There are so many things we love about our sweet Olivia.  Here are a few fun facts about our favorite 6 year old:

She is an awesome big sister. 
She LOVES animals, especially horses and dogs. 
She wants to be a vet when she grows up.
She is very polite and responsible.
She is very social and has never met a stranger.
Her favorite toys are her American Girl Dolls, Horses and My Little Ponies, artsy/crafty stuff and anything girly.  She also loves Justin Beiber and Taylor Swift! 

Summer 2012...Playdates with friends!

We had lots of fun playdates this summer with our Wacky Wednesday and Friday Fun Day group. 

Making pizzas an Andolini's is always fun

 

 

And we love the Safari Sanctuary

 

 

 

 

We tried a new place this year and went blueberry picking.  The kids LOVED it.  Grayson kept eating the berries even when I told him not too, I guess the temptation was too much.  I felt like I needed to have them add a half a pound to my total at the end for all the berries he consumed right after he picked them!

 

I am so thankful for such good friends. 

June 2012: Swim Lessons

Once we settled in from vacation, both of the kids took swim lessons.  This was the summer that both kids really got great at swimming.  Olivia has always been timid in the water but the more she practiced and spent time in the pool, the better she got.  By the end of June, we were all surprised to see her swimming in the deep end! 

Gray also did great at swim lessons.  Of course he was a fish like he always is and the swim teachers were shocked at how brave he was.  They also couldn't believe how long he could hold his breath! By the end of his week of swim lessons, he was doing front flips into the pool. 

 

 

 

I'm thankful they are both good swimmers now and can get themselves out of the pool if they need to. 

 

Day 5..Animal Kingdom

 

On day 5 we headed to my old stomping grounds from college, Animal Kingdom.  We were scheduled for a breakfast with the characters so we decided to beat the heat and get there right when they opened. 

The tree of life.  This thing is HUGE!

We rode the safari ride first. This is probably my most favorite ride of all of WDW.  We saw so many cool animals and got to get really close to them.  It's fascinating!

 

 

Then we headed for a YUMMY breakfast with the characters. 

Then the kids stopped to get their faces painted. 

This lady was fun.  I remember her from when she used to walk by my ice cream cart. 

Gray kept using Michael's sunglasses as a mirror to check out his face paint. 

We rode a few rides.  We rode the dinosaur ride which terrified them both.  Whoopsie! Again! 

We rode the water ride and we all got soaked.  The kids loved it though. 

Then we watched bugs life in 3d and Lion King and headed back to the hotel.  It was a great last day in the parks!  The next day we were so tired, it was raining and we had to catch an afternoon flight so we decided just to hang out at the hotel.  We shopped and ate and headed back home.  This was the best family vacation we've ever had.  We can't wait to go back!