Guests at Cinderella's Round Table

During our wonderful stay at Disney, Steve booked supper one night at Cinderella's Round Table in her Castle. I don't know who was more excited; Abbey or ME! There was one little glitch though...the only available time slot was at 9 pm (FYI...if you are planning on going they are pretty much booked solid 6 months in advance!) It all worked out perfectly in the end. We had a family nap from 5:00 to 7:00 and headed down to the Magic Kingdom full of energy for the fireworks. They were beyond spectacular!
I cried many times on this trip...during the "It's a Small World" ride, at every parade, every time Abbey and Michael would jump with excitement at the site of a Disney character AND at the fireworks! It really is the happiest place on earth and when I'm happy, I cry! So silly I know but they whole thing was just so special!

After the fireworks we walked right up to the castle to let them know we were there. Once checked in, they opened the doors into the foyer where Cinderella was waiting. I thought Abbey would pee herself! She was SO excited! Here are a few pictures of her meeting the princess.

Big hugs for Cinderella!

They announced our table was ready after a few minutes with Cinderella. "Lord McAlpine and family, your table awaits!" I felt so special...I mean Abbey felt so special! ha!ha! We had a wonderful meal with the Fairy God Mother and the little mice dancing around. The whole thing was amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone!


Michael had fun too but wasn't so interested in Cinderella...he was all about taking pictures with the knights.














We had bought Abbey a new princess dress during the day in preparation for our big night with Cinderella and as I was paying for it I noticed these little rings with princesses (Belle, Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, etc.) on them at the check-out counter. I secretly bought a Cinderella one for Abbey but didn't give it to her until the morning after our supper at the castle. I told her that while she was sleeping, the Fairy God Mother had come to the hotel room to give her the ring because she was the prettiest and most well-behaved little girl she saw at supper that night. Abbey loves that ring!!! She is so proud of it and couldn't wait to wear it to school! The whole evening was truly magical. It's a night that Abbey won't soon forget...the rest of the family either!

Phillippe Creek!

Every year we go to this awesome restaurant called Phillippe Creek while in Siesta Key. There's great seafood, a fun atmosphere and it's totally relaxed for kids. There's always at least an hour wait but there's lots to do. Michael loves to look at the shark...but only from a far...he gets a little freaked out when he gets close.

Here's the family waiting for our table...the boys loving their oysters! Michael is looking for gators in the water!

This makes me laugh every year...read the menu below...have you ever visited a Canadian Sea?

I ordered a strawberry daiquiri with supper and Abbey was quite interested in it. We ordered her a virgin one. She thought it was quite cool...should I be worried? ha!ha!

Pool Cuties!

My little swimmers...lips almost blue from being in the pool so long!

Fun in the Pool!

Abbey and Michael LOVE swimming in the pool. All their little friends are there and they have so much fun together.

Here are the kids getting ready to jump in! From left to right: Elliot, Abbey, Michael and Jacob (grand-maman behind them doing the countdown!)

And there they GO! Big Splash!

I've been posting a lot of videos of Michael lately so here's one of Abbey working on her backstroke! ha!ha!

We leave for Orlando and Walt Disney World tomorrow morning! I'll take TONS of pictures and post when I get back!

Routines...

As a teacher, my whole day revolves around routines and set schedules. Even on holidays, I still find myself looking at my watch and thinking "Right about now Donna is saying - Walkers you are now dismissed." or "It's recess time." Our Florida routine goes something like this. After breakfast, we hit the beach...do a little sandcastle making, shell searching, throw around a football or play baseball, chase some birds...then it's off to the pool for a dip, then lunch, play time in the condo and nap (which is when I usually do my email checking and blogging). No routines yet for afternoon, we usually just go with the flow...example of this...Abbey and Michael went to bed after Dancing With the Stars last night. They danced along with every new couple. It was so cute and very entertaining for the grand-parents.

Here are Abbey & Michael searching for the perfect shells. We are loving this holiday!

Between the beach and the pool there's a little walkway with a shower hose to rinse the sand off your feet. The kids love doing this and always insist they do it on their own (quite time consuming and you often get wet in the process!!!) Here's Abbey patiently waiting her turn to rinse off.

Michael hitting a long one to Daddy!

Sunset!

Everyone heads to the beach to watch the sunsets in Siesta Key...drink in hand of course! They have the most beautiful sunsets here. Here's Michael chasing birds while waiting for the sunset...

Steve and I enjoying sunset time too!

Life's A Beach!

A few pics of us playing in the ocean...actually Gulf of Mexico! The weather has been amazing and it's looking like more of the same for next week. (between 78 - 85)

This picture is of grand-maman's MANY trips to get more water for castle making! The sand on Siesta Key is like icing sugar, so white and cool on the feet. This is paradise!