We're Heading to Disney World

Tonight my parents came up to share a big secret with the girls. We have been plotting a trip to Florida this summer to Disney World. Gracie has been wanting to go for a couple of years now, so she occasionally would mention it to us. We recently began telling her that we would need to save a lot of money to go to Disney World, so we started a change jar on our dresser in our bedroom. She puts money in it all the time, but it was going to take more than dimes and nickels to go on a vacation this large. Fortunately for her, Grandpa and Nana have been saving also. We are going in July, so it will be very hot and busy, but what else is a principal supposed to do?! We sent Gracie on a scavenger hunt throughout the house to collect clues (luggage tags, fake airline tickets, Minnie Mouse t-shirts and a Disney World book). She finally was directed to Grandpa and Nana who broke the big news to her. Gracie really didn't act too shocked, so I guess she had it figured out all along. Actually, I think she was just enjoying the scavenger hunt so much that she wanted it to keep going and didn't realize the game was over once my parents shared the big news. I'm sure I will have many blog posts this summer about our Disney adventures!

It's Park Weather

I'm sure we are not alone in welcoming the warmer weather with open arms!!! After gymnastics today I took the girls to a nearby park and let them play for a while. Ella had a good time exploring and climbing.

Gracie had a great time also, but her fun was short-lived when she realized that ladybugs and gnats were flying around. Then she put her hand on a spider web and was reminded that bugs are rampant in the spring. The fun was over once she touched that spider web.

Gymnastics Inspired Moves

Gracie was practicing a few moves tonight since gymnastics is tomorrow and Ella decided to join in. It was pretty comical since she put in so much effort, even thought she's still banged up.

Her best attempt was the forward roll. Sometimes she executed it perfectly, but other times the cast threw her sideways. Ella would still pop up and say, "I did it!"

My little wet-headed beauties. They like to look lovey-dovey for the camera from time to time.

Gracie had to show Ella the correct form for the forward roll!

Oops! She didn't mean to give me a "real smile." I usually get pictures of Gracie when she is expecting me, but this time I caught her off guard!!!

Gracie is still enjoying gymnastics and dance classes. She sometimes gets frustrated because the other girls in the class have been taking gymnastics for a year longer than her. She joined much later so she can't do everything they can. I still think she has come a long way in a short time, and if nothing else it is helping to boost her confidence and get her some healthy interaction with other young girls.

Parents As Teachers Easter Egg Hunt

Today we headed over to the elementary gym for the Parents As Teachers group event. Today it was a nursery rhyme theme that ended with an Easter egg hunt. Gracie was too old to attend, but she went and "helped" Ella.

Hickory, dickory, dock was one of our favorite stations to visit.

That poor little mouse had to run up the clock a lot once Ella got hold of him!

Ella didn't let Humpty Dumpty sit on the wall for very long. He had some sudden falls thanks to her fast hands!

Peek-A-Boo, Daddy! I don't even know what nursery rhyme this went to, but it was a popular station for Ella. She stood in that cardboard box and opened the windows to smile at people for the longest time.

Ella with the Easter bunny. I don't think Ella was too impressed!

Gracie with her good friend Madison. They were standing by the Jack and Jill station. This was a good way to reinforce the nursery rhymes. We say them sometimes, but I'm not sure Gracie ever had a visual to go along with some of them. Maybe now she will think back to these activities.

There wasn't any water in the pail which was a big disappointment!

Somebody was worn out before the egg hunt ever began!

Ella regained a little energy once the egg hunt finally started. She had a lot of help from her big sister.

At the end of the hunt we actually saw a little boy who only had 2 eggs, so Ella shared a lot of her eggs with him. I don't really know how he could get so few because the Parents As Teachers staff pretty much just rolled the eggs all over the floor, so there were big clumps in certain areas. He must have been timid. I'm just glad we didn't have to go home with all that candy. Thank goodness for sharing!!!

Gracie's First Time Roller Skating

Tonight we headed out to the roller rink for a Girl Scout group party. All the troops came and that made for some mayhem! Gracie had never been roller skating and was very intimidated by the number of people skating. She wanted to hug the wall while she skated but the wall was pretty full of other little girls hugging the wall! It was pretty comical to see packs of girls trying to hold onto the wall while they skated. I had to skate with her, so the only pictures I got were taken before we ever headed to the rink.

To explain the outfit, we had a busy day and hadn't been home to change after gymnastics. She has one busy schedule on Monday and Tuesday! I told her she looked like an ice skater with the skirt from her leotard hanging out!

To sum up the skating experience, by the end Gracie was much more confident and even skated a few feet without holding onto anything. The worst moment was when she pulled me down to the ground with her. I didn't land the best and have a sizable bruise on my knee to prove it. We plan on going again sometime soon when the rink won't be quite as crowded and she can skate at her own pace for a while.

Going Bonkers

This weekend we took Ella, Gracie and one of her friends to Bonker's. Gracie doesn't get to see Sidney very often, so they were glad to get together. Here they are at the tip-top of the nets! Sidney is a year younger than Gracie.

Ella had a rough time navigating through things since she's still extra cautious of her arm.

Ella could still slide, but she did slide kind of funny to keep from hurting her broken arm.

The only pics I could get of Gracie and Sidney were after they came back down from playing. Otherwise they were always moving too fast for me to catch them!

I think they were hoping and dreaming that I would buy them candy bars right before lunch. It didn't happen!

Two sweet girls riding the big, mean dinosaur. They weren't scared, but Ella sure was. She wouldn't go near him!

Grandma Kaser's 89th Birthday

Tonight several family members went to Moberly and surprised Grandma Kaser at Pizza Hut. She thought she was just going out for pizza with my parents, but instead she was excited to see 11 other members of the family who were there to celebrate her 89th birthday.

Surprise! That's the face of a shocked woman!

Uncle Jerry, Grandma Kaser and my mom

Cousin Corbin was being a little bit of a ham!

Callie and Ella talked while we waited for the pizza. I think Callie even understood Ella's 2 year old conversations!

Molly

I made a terribly hard decision today and had our dog Molly put down. It was something I had been considering for a long time, but I finally reached a point where it seemed kinder to put her to sleep than to watch what her future held. She was having some bladder/bowel issues and I just couldn't deal with the messes any more. The vet wanted to medicate her, but he admitted it would only work for a while and then it would get much worse. Basically the decision was mine to make, and Brent said he would support my choice. I already am making small adjustments in my daily routine just because she's not around. It feels very foreign to go to bed without putting her outside to take care of her business first. There was no dog to eat the scraps from our dinner plates tonight. Gracie said she misses Molly because she loved the sound her collar made when her tags would jingle against it. Ella was with me at the vet's office today and she saw me crying. She said, "What happen?" I told her that Molly had to go to sleep and I was sad. Her response was, "Don't be sad, Mommy." Molly was with us over 11 years which is pretty good for a dog who was dumped as a pup. She was our "child" for many years, but then she was replaced by the real deals. She was fiercely protective of us and I will miss the safety that brought, especially when Brent was gone.

(I have much nicer pictures of Molly, but this was the last one I took of her. It was Gracie's birthday and she had just woken up and was hugging Molly. They both look kind of sad which feels appropriate for this post.)