More Picture Fun from Summer 2011

Summer 2011 in Pictures

They speak louder than words, right?
Here are some highlights from our trip to California. It was soooooo fun to meet my new nephew, Johnny, and spend time with my sister, my BIL Erik, and my sweet nephew Skyler. I love and miss you guys!!!

Our Not Bummer Summer

Hey Everyone!! We are keeping busy this summer!! From the Cayman's to CA, the kids are having a blast. We are in Cali right now visiting my sister and her family. They had a new baby on April 1st and this is the first time we have been able to see him!! Baby Johnny is a tiny little bundle of adoreableness. I will post pix from our trip in the next few weeks. Below I am posting some pictures from Avery's dance recital, FHE fun with Gma and Gpa on Lake Lewisville, and a few of Addy and her friends gearing up for A-Kon.

Hey Mohn! We are back from the Caymohns!

We just got back from a relaxing, yet fun trip to Grand Cayman. From snorkeling to beach bummin' we made the most out of our great little island getaway. Check out some of the things we did and the places we saw:

The Cayman Turtle Farm has been in operation for over 40 years! They have helped grow the population of these beloved, adorable creatures and keep them from becoming endangered. At the farm, you can interact with the turtles by holding them, feeding them, and even swimming with them. AhhhH!!

We went snorkeling every day while on Grand Cayman. You can snorkel right off the beach anywhere on 7 Mile Beach and see tons of sea life. This was my favorite beach and snorkeling spot, Smith's Cove. I loved the beauty of this beach and saw such a variety of creatures while snorkeling...from squid to huge parrot fish, this spot is hard to beat unless you go out to the reef.

govenor's beach was a recommended snorkeling spot that we didn't see much at. We did however, have lots of fun in the sand that day.

Cayman Kai is on the North Side of the Island and the farthest point to drive from where we stayed. We wanted to check out the "quieter" side of the island and see how it compared to the west side where we were staying. We snorkeled this beach off the very tip of Cayman Kai, called Starfish Point by the locals. We obviously found a lot of starfish!! The area was beautiful, but we decided that our favorite part of the island is just south of Georgetown-the area that surrounds Smith's Cove.

This is the portion of 7 Mile Beach that we stayed on. It was right outside our condo and a nice place to relax and swim. The white sand, temperate water, and forever view are hard to beat on this beach!






We chartered a boat for a day and did a little fishing, some snorkeling on the reef, and visited Stingray City. Fisherman used to clean their daily catch on this sandbar and the rays began to flock to the area for free meals. When they see boats heading for the sandbar, the rays continue to follow the boats in anticipating a feeding and they are usually right. Squid is delish!

We had a blast and highly recommend this vacation spot for a close, carribbean getaway. The total flying time from Dallas was less than 4 hours. A Family of 5 can easily spend 5 fulls days enjoying the beach, water sports, and the other activities that this little island offers.

A Spa-rific Diva-tastic Fashion-ista 7th bday party

Happy 7th Birthday Avery Sue Bob Joe!!! Avery celebrated her 7th bday on the 28th. Our out going, exhuberant, fun-loving, fashion-forward, lovable, baby diva is getting so old!! We had a hard time deciding what kind of party to have this year so we combined some of Avery's favorite things and came up with the Spa-rific, Diva-tastic, Fashion-ista Birthday party of awesomeness!! 12 of Avery's friends came over for a day at the spa, fun games, glamorous make-overs, and some serious freeze dancin'. Addy and 6 of her friends dressed up our master bed and bath like a real spa from treatment centers to relaxation zones to refreshment centers. They worked through the entire 4 hour party as spa techs giving facials, massages, manis, pedis, and make-overs and breaking only once for the build-your-own dessert crepe bar. The little girls were very touched to be so doted on by the big girls. Fun was had by all! Check out the pictures from our big event...

CATCHIN' DUCKS

The Funny Things Kids Say....

You know what, I miss these so much!!! My kids are getting older and they hardly ever make those blissfully ignorant comments that children make as they are growing and learning any more. I went to lunch with some friends today and we were talking a little bit about the funny things kids say and it made me a little nostalgic. Avery will pop out a hilarious statement every once in awhile and our girl talk made me think of a recent conversation she had with her friend Reagan while driving to a soccer game in our car. They were talking about Michael, Reagan's little brother who is a toddler, and the subject of babies came up. All of the sudden, Avery casually says to Reagan,
"Did you know that babies are born out of your vagina?"
Reagan with a look of absolute horror on her face, "What???!!!! No they're not!! Gross.......what's a vagina?"
At this point Avery opens her eyes really wide and points to her private area. Reagan stares at her like she's crazy and says, "you mean you poop the baby out???"
Avery says, "No, no, no, your OTHER private down there." Reagan is very skeptical about this and so she asks me, "Coach, do babies really get born out of your private?" I have been sitting there listening, trying not to laugh, and hoping that they will change topics before I am asked to comment on the discussion subject of babies and vaginas. Reagan has obviously not covered this territory with her parents yet, so I'm a bit hesitant to enlighten her any further. So much for remaining invisible...I had to quickly figure out how to spin this in a positive light. I tell Reagan, that yes, babies are born out of vaginas and it's actually not gross, but very, very special. God made women with the special ability to bear children and this is part of that miraculous process. When you first receive the baby-comes-out-of-the-vagina information, it may sound yucky because our bodies are sacred and we don't talk about our privates with other people. But once you are married and old enough to consider children, you appreciate the dynamics a lot more. Then, I instruct her to ask her mom if she has any further questions on the subject. Also, I remind Avery that when we first had the baby convo, I told her it wasn't a topic she should discuss with her friends because not every body has that convo with their parents at the same time. Many parents will not appreciate their child receiving their how-to-baby information from another 6 year-old. She can come to Dad and Mom to talk about it any time, no problem. But no one else. Avery is very "ah shux" about the situation, she forgot of course because we talked about this last year and she didn't remember me telling her it was a mom and dad only topic. I guess I will need to start reminding her quarterly what topics are and are not on the list of appropriate friend-telling information. She's pretty cute.

Not much new in Stevensville. Kids are all great, having my mom and dad here is beyond great, the hubby is great. Life's just pretty great. We have been having wonderful weather and enjoying more outside time the past few weeks. Avery is our outdoorsy child so bike riding and roller blading have been good entertainment. John has been traveling less and we all love the extra John time. During spring break we went out to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Refuge and that was, as always, entertaining. If you have never been to Fossil Rim, check it out at www.fossilrim.com. It is the biggest African wildlife refuge in the western hemisphere. And who doesn't like feeding giraffes!!! The kids are anxious for pool season to begin and Avery is already planning are bday swim party for the end of the month. Here comes summer!! Yeeeeeha!!!

Our Harry Potter Adventure of AWESOMENESS!!!

John really out did himself this year at Christmas time. For my "big gift" he purchased a trip to Orlando for our whole family so we could visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. He scheduled the trip for the weekend of my birthday!! How fun/awesome/amazing/thoughtful/stupendous is that!!! We had such a blast. Above you will see the Stevens' children on the bridge to Hosgmeade standing in front of Hogwart's. Let the magic begin!!

We spent 2 days in Universal's Islands of Adventure and the vast majority of that in HP land, as we referred to it. The creators of this amazing theme park area really out did themselves on everything from Zonko's to the Hogwart's Express. The original set designers from the movies helped with the creation and layout of the park and it's just spectacular. However, I think those narrow streets are going to be quite crowded during peak season!

Look!! It's Hogsmeade from the top of Flight of the Hippogriff! Avery loved this ride because it was one of the few roller coasters she could ride on the trip due to height restrictions. Come on!! My sweet 6 year-old who would ride ANY ride, and she can't ride em' all. Sheesh. Each of the 3 rides in HP land were lavishly decorated with all kinds of decor and props to make the rides feel even more wizardesque. All 3 kids enjoyed choosing their own movie replica wizard wands as well. Addy: Sirius Black, Aidyn: Ron Weasely, Avery: Hermione Granger.

The 3 Broomstick's restaraunt was spectacular inside and out. The food was decent, the ambience was exeptional, and the prices were as expected for the fair in an amusement park of this calibur. And the Butterbeer!!! MMMMmmmmmmm what a recipe these Universal people have cooked up. This stuff is the real deal and you won't be dissapointed. Imagine extra creamy cream soda with a butterscotch flavor and a delicious frothy head that lasts. Dreamy.

Addy, Aidyn, John and I LOVED The Dragon Challenge. This hanging double roller coaster boasts a Tri-Wizarding cup themed walk-through with all the bells and whistles. The Red Chinese Fireball Dragon coaster and Blue Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon coaster start off together and zoom through all sorts of swoops, twists and turns. The result is a super high speed, fast, enjoyable ride. This was definitely one of the best hanging roller coasters I've ever ridden.

Flight of the Hippogriff if a great rollercoaster for those under 44 inches. Avery adored this ride and enjoyed going on it several times. The big kids humored her, kudos to them. The bowing Buckbeack was my favorite part.

For you Harry Potter buffs out there, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey will definitely be your favorite ride of the trip. The line is a bit unfortunate, but well worth the wait! Once you get inside Hogwart's you are thoroughly entertained; the set is spectacular!! We are talking awesome props like the house counters, a room full of pictures that actually move and talk (one wall representing each house), impressive holograms including Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione that look very real (Avery was fooled), and a room where it actually snows!!! In the picture below where you can see the candles floating, if you look closely you can see blurs in the air. Yep, snow. Sooooooo cool!!!!

The ride itself is equally spectacular. This ride includes watching a 3-D animation screen while the car you are in actually moves around (a lot) and there are props in between the animation (dragon, dementors, and spiders oh no!!) that really scare the snap out of you!! For those of you who get motion sickness, beware!!! I almost puked on this ride (I'm hoping that was due mostly to the fact that I was getting over a cold and still very congested). Take your dramamine an hour before riding and don't be drinking any Butterbear during that hour!! The second time we rode, the ride was stopped for vomit-mopping. Nice!! Still worth the wait!!!

After 2 days of Hogwart's, Hogsmeade, Olivander's, Honeyduke's, Zonko's, Dervish and Bang's, the Owlery, the 3 Broomstick's, and all the utter fabulousness that the Wizarding World had to offer, we explored other areas of Universal Island's of Advnenture and Studios. Addy and I left VERY reluctantly. Above you can see us enjoyoing some dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park area.

More Jurassic fun. There was a neat adventure area type fort in this part of the park that was pretty much like a gigantic jungle gymn. Rope bridges, climbing areas, slides, nets, Aidyn was in boy heaven. One of the rope bridges is pictured below.

The Mummy Ride in Universal Studios was really well done. If you have ever been on the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, it has that sort of feel to it but it's much scarrier!! There are some great robotic special effects as well as fire! Lot's of fire! Avery was super sad she couldn't go on this ride, but after I got off, I was glad she wasn't tall enough cuz it definitely would have scared her.

Speaking of Avery being scared....Jaws!! This ride is a classic and I am pretty sure Avery just about wet her pants when that silly fake shark popped out of the water and started gnawing cable. She grabbed on to my arm for dear life, burried her head in my arm, and told me to tell her when it was over. So cute!!

On our last day in town, we spent our time in the Magic Kingdom. That place never gets old. This was our 4th visit as a family and the kids love the Disney magic each and every time. We had a day to ride all our favorites and those included Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Carribean, Buzz Lightyear and just a handful more. When I next wish upon a star I will wish that next time we travel to the Magic Kingdom, Disney finally decides to offer unlimited fast passes for those whose name begins with the letters STEV

A few travel tips for those headed to The Wizarding World in the near future:
1-Don't even bother during peak season. I would imagine that they will have to put a cap on the # of people allowed into this area of Universal. The streets and shops were over crowded in February.
2-Yes to Fast Pass!!! This Universal upgrade is well worth it. Let me break it down for you: pay for one day in the park plus fast passes for everyone, ride all the high profile rides and see the park in one day OR pay for two days in the park for everyone and enjoy standing in line 75% of the time. Duh.
3-Don't bother with Olivander's. The line is OBSCENE!!! You will spend half your day waiting in it. And once you get into the store (7 at a time only) only one person is selected for the wand to choose them deal. If you are that one person, maybe it's worth it. If not, SUCK!!!
4-We all agreed that Universal Island's of Adventure was great fun, and that Universal Studios was a bust. There are only a few rides in Studios worth riding and the rest is mostly mediocre eye candy. Don't bother with the park hopper. Spend your time in Island's with a fast pass and enjoy the FUN park.
5-The 3 Broomstick's is a must. Of course, you will pay more than you want to spend but the experience is worth it. And yes to Butterbeer!!! The fish and chips and turkey legs are both delish.
6-If you are on the fence about this experience because your whole family is not into Harry Potter, get off!! Addy and I are die-hard Harry fans. Avery and Aidyn like the movies and John could care less. Well, we all loved it. I think I might even be able to get the hubby to read the books after this experience. Maybe I'll ask for that as a Mother's Day gift. Love you all!!! Thanks a million, honey for these great memories.