And the birthday celebrations continued

Madeline's actual birthday started off early in the morning with some flowers and gifts to open.

Then it was time to head to Epcot to enjoy lunch with the princesses.  

Let me tell you...it was HOT.  And there isn't much shade at Epcot.  So waiting outside in Norway for the royal family to be called in to the banquet hall was a test in patience. But the girls managed to toss leaves into the water, while the boys and mama snapped photos and tried to stay cool.

When we were finally called in, it was time to change the girls into their dresses.  Since none of their dress up dresses were in good shape, we opted to let them wear their dresses from last Easter.  Thankfully they still fit!

Before we even had time to grab appetizers from the buffet, the princesses started coming around to the tables.

They were all so sweet with the girls.  It was so cute to witness.  And Caleb was a trooper through it all.  I think being a "Disney adult" and ordering salmon off the adult menu probably helped. lol  After changing back out of their dresses, Madeline was given a birthday cupcake and card signed by all the princesses.  She was tickled.

After lunch we headed over to China.  We all arrived safely and with no jetlag.  I wish it was that way every time we went, but we'll take what we can get.  We always go to see the Reflections of China 360 movie. Caleb especially loved hearing about Marco Polo, as we studied him and his travels for school all of last year.  He and Madeline also both enjoyed pointing out all the places they've been to in Beijing.  It made my heart swell.

This next photo is for my friend Donna.  She called me out on not paying attention to posing the dumplings when we visit Jinci Temple in Taiyuan when bringing Havi home.  I did better this time. ;)

Before leaving the World Showcase and heading over to Future World, the girls got their faces painted.  Although Madeline is not animal lover, she picked the cat princess because she couldn't resist the glittery crown. And Havi is about all things "Frozen". So she picked the snow princess.

Since the Flower and Garden Festival was happening, we ventured over to the Butterfly exhibit.

Then it was time for mama and the older two dumplings to hang out with Nemo.  Havi has just become terrified of dark enclosed spaces/rides.  She will NOT go on a ride like this one.  Makes me sad.

But she did enjoy all the marine life after the ride.

And this last photo was my feeble attempt at getting all three dumplings together for a shark attack.  That's Caleb's baseball cap between the girls, really.  Photo fail.  Oh well.

We had a grand time celebrating Madeline's birthday all week long.  It's hard to believe she's already seven years old.  Seven!  Where oh where does the time go?!  Madeline, you are beautiful, smart, loving, funny, clever, loud, girly, and simply amazing.  We love you so much, girl!  Happy 7th Birthday!!!!

A camping we will go

I mentioned in my last post that we had some very special peeps making their way south for some warmth and adventure.  My SIL/BIL Michele and John came down from Connecticut with my niece Lydia to help Madeline celebrate her 7th birthday.  They spent a little bit of time doing some theme park thrill seeking, and then we met up with them over at Fort Wilderness.  They had the pleasure of keeping Miss Peggy occupied while we stayed in Charlie. It was so much fun to have them indulge us in our camping adventures.

We arrived early Thursday afternoon (as in two weeks ago). And since the weather was warm and gorgeous, we all went swimming.  Then we came back to the campsites to ride bikes, play kickball, and hang out.

After dinner, we headed over to Chip and Dale's campfire sing-a-long for some fun American folk songs and s'mores.

Friday started with rain and cooler temps, which meant swimming was out.  So we did lots of lounging around the campground. The kids especially loved riding around in the golf carts.  Oh my! lol  Anyway, we headed down to the lake for some fun on the playground and tether ball.  They might have also played in the sand a wee bit.

Then we headed over to the stables so we could see the horses.  Havi was the only one small enough for the pony ride.

Then it was back to the campsites for more kickball and spectating..and maybe some ring pop sucking.

On Saturday, the weather was the same as Friday. So instead of lounging about, we decided to head over to ESPN Wide World of Sports. 

We waited an eternity for the bus to arrive that would take us to Downtown Disney (via Typhoon Lagoon) and then over to the Pop Century resort...and then to Wide World of Sports.  Well, we just couldn't bare the thought of waiting for another (third) bus once we got to the Pop Century resort.  So we hopped into cabs. And when we arrived (over an hour later), we discovered that the Atlanta Braves were playing the Detroit Tigers in a Spring Training game.  Well, since game time was in less than an hour, we decided to go.  While waiting in line for tickets, Madeline decided her loose tooth had to go and promptly yanked it out.  And I snapped a right-after-it-happened-still-bloody-mouth photo to prove it.

We grabbed a quick lunch before the game, and the girls pretended to take over Sports Center.

After three innings, Havi had had enough.  So we walked around the grounds, with the hope of making it over to the tennis courts.

We eventually made it there.  (The place is HUGE.)  Anyway, Caleb thought center court was pretty cool.

And then there might have been some races in the open field next to center court.

Saturday night we had dinner at the Pioneer Hall and were thoroughly entertained by the Hoop-Dee-Doo musical dinner show.  They had us laughing the whole night.  If you ever decide to enjoy a dinner show at the Walt Disney World Resort, this would be the one!

Sunday was our departure day. So we loaded everything up and then had one last swim in the pool.

We had such a wonderful time camping with Michele, John, and Lydia.  We're so grateful they were able to come down for such a long stay to help Madeline celebrate her birthday.  She declared that this was the best birthday ever.  On her actual birthday, which was the 12th, we headed back that way to enjoy lunch with the princesses in Norway at Epcot.  So Part 2 of Madeline's birthday celebration is up next!