Day 5 Happy Easter/ Indian Rocks Beach in Tampa

I thought Ashlynn was going to die laughing when she

woke to see what the Easter Bunny had left. 

If it looks like a bunch of leftovers that the bunny 

gathered together from the hotel room, 

that would be an accurate assumption. 

Today we took a break from Disney and headed to a beach in Tampa that Britton found for us. 

The goal was to listen to General Conference on the drive and while on the beach. Reception and timing did not play into our plans as well as we had hoped.  

When we arrived Ashlynn and 

Britton was in the water continually. 

After we discovered all the lovely creatures that were 

in this water, we became too timid to enter it again.

I got a kick out of this guy feeding the birds.

Mary Poppins, "feed the birds toppins a bag comes to mind."

JD and Britton had a good time building sand creations.

Ashlynn, JD, and I found tons of seashells. 

Ashlynn has made some jewelry with 

the shells she found.

Once we witnessed the sharks these guys were pulling in 

we decided those waters were not a good idea for us to hang out in. 

Shortly after this shark was pulled in a kid came running into 

shore to see and almost stepped on one of these stingrays.

After witnessing that I felt confident about not having myself,

 or my children get back in the water. LOL

Lakes it is for me!

Today was an excellent day. We all loved Indian Rocks beach and would come back. Next time I would remember that the beach does not have restrooms. JD is a saint and was willing to help me to locate one. Yes, I could have gone in the ocean. To be honest, I can't bring myself to do that.  Especially after I witnessed sharks and stingrays so close to shore.  When we returned to Orlando, it was late. For dinner, we ordered Pizza Hut and ate it in the hotel room. I forgot how delicious their pizza is, it is amazing. It goes perfectly with root beer. 

Loved this day together!

I am thankful for Easter and what it represents. 

In Matthew 28:6 we read the words following the Savior's resurrection,

 "He is not here, He is risen." 

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, 

"These are the most reassuring words in all of human history.

 Death, universal and final, has now been conquered." 

I have a testimony of the atonement, resurrection, and life of our Savior. 

I know that our Savior Atoned for all of us, that He was crucified, 

and that He rose again on the morning of the third day. 

I am thankful for this truth. 

My life is blessed daily by the knowledge 

that life and families are eternal. 

 

Day 4 Magic Kingdom

Upon entering Magic Kingdom we were determined to stay the entire day.  

It is a chore to get to where you need to be. I wanted to

be sure that we enjoyed every feature this kingdom had to offer before we

left. I didn't plan on returning once we did. 

This kingdom was the most strict about wearing masks and only eating in designated spots.

The day we left Disney changed the rule about wearing masks during photos.

I am so happy that they did. 

I wanted to burn my mask by 

the end of the day in this kingdom!

Ashlynn never let the wearing of masks or the 

length of lines brings her down.

She loved every part of Disney!

The masks are fitting for this picture. 

A forced mask in a sense makes you feel somewhat like a hostage.  

Your hands are tied, you wear it, or get punished for the crime:). 

I love that Britton was

excited to take a picture in front of the castle.

The last ride of the day before we left was the teacups. 

As we were headed out of the park before closing the line was non-existent.

It was a perfect time of day to ride them.

Alyssa gave Ashlynn these Minnie Mouse ears before we left. 

She loved them and wore them at some point every day.

I have fond memories of this ride. 

When we went to Disneyland years ago Riley and Daxon were obsessed with Buzz. 

They loved this ride so much.  

Riley even had us buy him an Astro Blaster gun 

from the gift shop when he was young. 

I loved watching their little eyes light on this ride.

Britton and Ashlynn did not get near as excited as JD did for this ride.

 JD also received the highest Astro blaster score.

If you can't tell Ashlynn LOVES Disney!

Splash Mountain had an insanely long line. Britton and I tried to opt-out

 because 

we did not want to get wet. JD wouldn't let us:). 

Magic Kingdom had mask police everywhere by the castle photo spots.

Do you see anyone within 6 feet of us? We should have been allowed

to take a family picture without masks on.

For me, it took some of the magic out of the magic kingdom.

I mean if we are going to require everyone to wear them at all times tell 

me why none of these beautiful princesses have one on. 

I will get off my soapbox now:). 

If you are super sneaky and your photographer is crazy fast once in a while

 you can sneak in a photo without the mask on. 

The best place to eat in this kingdom I do not know the name of. It is a little side place shortly after you enter the park. They wear cute white aprons and serve chicken waffles, homemade fries, and funnel cakes. Do not miss this place if you go here. It is delicious and does not require you to order on your phone beforehand!

Day 2 of Disney was fabulous.

 However, with all the mask/food rules magic kingdom enforced, 

we are all ready to take a break from Disney tomorrow.

Day 3 Animal Kingdom/Park Hop to Hollywood

 

We woke up early on day three and headed to Animal kingdom. 

Out of all of the kingdoms, this one was my favorite. 

Ashlynn loved all of the kingdoms 

Britton enjoyed Disney World however, it was a 

little too slow-paced for his style.

                                                         

In one of my BYU classes, we were asked to write three things on our bucket list.  Going on a Mount Kilimanjaro Safari and base camp at Mt. Everest were both on my list. 

Animal Kingdom in some weird way offered both adventures in one-day :). 

 Expedition Everest is the most fun the first time you ride it. 

I know this is not the real mountain but still, 

I have always been drawn to this mountain 

and amazed by the heroic folks who climb it!

A favorite feature of mine about Disney World is the

detail added to every facet of design. 

I love how you are made to feel a part of the ride while you are waiting in line.

We waited in line for over an hour for the 

Avatar flight of passage ride and it was worth every second. 

It was my FAVORITE ride at Disney World!

Each time we rode the Avatar it was worth the wait.

Continuous thoughts I had while walking around 

Disney was how fast our world and technology are advancing!

The detail carved into this tree at the Avatar ride is remarkable.  

People and their many talents astound me.

                                                      We tried to get reservations to eat here 

                                                                        but they were full. 

We hopped over to Hollywood at 2PM.

  

This was Ashlynn's favorite kingdom.

She loved the palm trees and after one ride on the rock 'n' roller coaster, 

she was hooked. 

If it was up to her we would have ridden 

it repeatedly the rest of the day. 

This ride was also in Britton's top 5.

The Millennium Falcon was fun but after our second time on the ride, 

we were not interested in waiting in line to go on it again. 

We were not part of the chosen few who make it onto, 

The rise of the resistance.

Ashlynn loved The Hollywood Tower of Terror.

It is a great ride but needs to be longer to make 

it worth the time you wait in line.  

We ate dinner in Star Wars land 

at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.

Where the food was lacking,

the place made up for in ambiance. 

It was an entertaining place to dine.

I had to post this picture 

it describes Ashlynn perfectly.

Day 1 in Disney was a complete success.

We all had an incredible day!

Day 2 Fishing on the Ocean and Bahama Breeze

Britton was born on April fools day.

 I have to say, the events of the day were fitting. The original plan was to go 

Offshore fishing and spend the day on the beach. 

It was the coldest day in weeks, and the wind was insane. 

Due to the wind, inshore fishing it was. 

JD loved the day despite the weather.

He was happy to catch fish of any kind on the ocean.

Britton caught the most variety. 

He caught a crab, some sort of oyster thing, 

and a bunch of other fish, I could not tell you the names of them. 

Britton was the only one who caught sheepshead.

Handling the fish was not an activity Ashlynn or I 

loved participating in:).

Shortly after I caught this spiny fish, 

 a manatee swam next to the boat.

We all loved watching the dolphins in the wild.

 Ashlynn's favorite part of the fishing trip 

was going fast in the boat and seeing the dolphins.

Aside from the wind, cold, and staying inshore the day turned 

out to be a fun memory we are all thankful to have!

Except for JD, we would not choose this activity 

under the same conditions again. 

As long as JD is fishing he doesn't care what the conditions are.  

For dinner, we went to Bahama Breeze. 

It was a fun place to try.

Happy Birthday, Britton!

I love being your mom and am thankful for all the joy you bring into this world. 

I received a text message yesterday that fits you perfectly.

"Britton will be awesome in Ghana! He loves people and people love him."