Disney World Day 6

Our next Disney day started like all the others with breakfast and fountain fun at the resort. We found a fun surprise that morning when we saw that they had cleaned all of the coins in the fountain into a Mickey head. It’s those small touches that just make this place so magical!

We headed to Hollywood Studios for most of the day. DJ finally got to ride Rise of the Resistance, something he’s tried for years but the lines were always too long. Ava and I had fun riding Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. We were glad Rockin’ Roller Coaster hadn’t closed yet and was still Aerosmith since they are changing it to Muppets. It was fun to be able to ride it one last time. While Ava and I rode rides, Zoe and DJ rode Toy Story Mania, which she loved. While DJ and Ava were doing rides, Zoe and I spent time meeting characters but her favorite part of the day was the dance party in Animation Courtyard. We went in and thought it was just a place to escape the heat and dance but had a huge surprise when Timon, Mickey and Fancy Nancy joined the kids. We went back later and found Doc and Vampirina. I told DJ the place felt like a little preschool rave, it was so fun. This became Zoe’s favorite part of the whole trip I think. She mastered the hula hoop and some of her moves looked like she was working on her Cirque De Solei audition. Zoe also loved meeting the live action Ariel that looks like her. Ariel took her time with Zoe and was so sweet! Then we all enjoyed the Frozen show, which is always such a huge hit.

After Hollywood Studios, we headed over to Epcot for the rest of the day. Ava and I enjoyed shopping in the countries while Zoe and DJ rode some more rides. Then we all got to experience the fireworks together. This was the girls’ first time seeing the Epcot fireworks and they both said they liked them more than the castle fireworks. It had been a long time since DJ and I had seen them too and it was such an amazing show. It was a very full but super fun day!

Disney World Day 5

Our next Disney day was a rest/resort day. It ended up being really nice to have a day in the middle where we didn’t walk miles and miles in the park. We took the morning slow and then headed to The Grand Floridian Resort for our brunch at 1900 Park Faire with Tiana, Mirablel, Cinderella and Prince Ali.

The food was delicious for brunch. I kept saying that being able to eat so much yummy food that was gluten and dairy free was one of the best parts of the trip for me. Disney is amazing at accommodating food allergies/intolerances. After brunch, we took advantage of the photo studio in the Grand Floridian where we got to get pictures with Cinderella’s slipper. I had heard great things about the photo pass photographers there and they did not disappoint.

We took advantage of being at the Grand Floridian to explore around the iconic resort. I especially loved seeing the Wedding Pavilion in person. Unfortunately we couldn’t get close to it because they were doing some work on it. Then walked over to the Polynesian to see the new Island Tower and the rest of the resort. We kept saying that maybe one day we’d find a way to stay at one of these beautiful deluxe resorts.

We spent the rest of the day taking it easy at the resort, enjoying the pool and indulging in Tiana’s Beignets. I had been looking forward to the allergen friendly beignets and they did not disappoint. Then we headed back into Disney Springs for more shopping and dinner. A break day in the middle was so nice!

Disney World Day 4

Our next day in Disney started with exploring more of the resort. Zoe loved the fountain in the lobby that had Mardi Gras coins. The bellhop would give the kids coins to throw in to make wishes. Zoe thought it was so cool when she was given stuff like coins and stickers at the resort, getting Pixie Dusted is a thing at the resorts and she then made it her goal to get as much free stuff as possible.

Then we headed back to Magic Kingdom for the morning. Zoe and I had fun meeting characters and the free photo studio while DJ and Ava rode more rides. Then we switched and I rode Tiana’s Bayou with Ava. It was so fun to ride the old Splash Mountain after the re-theming for the first time.

We headed back to the resort to rest (and dry off for Ava and I) for a little bit before heading to Epcot for the evening.

Ava got to get her thrill ride at Epcot with Guardians of the Galaxy, which ended up being her and DJ’s favorite ride. Zoe and I enjoyed the calmer rides of Nemo and Living with the Land. Zoe’s favorite part was the dance party with Goofy. She loved dancing and doing the hula hoops. Our plan was to stay for fireworks but a huge storm came in. We tried to wait it out but it wasn’t going anywhere so we made the dash in the rain to get back to the bus. We ended the night soaked but decided it was best to try again another night.

Disney World Day 3

Our first full day in Disney began with breakfast at our hotel and a surprise visit by Pluto, Donald and Goofy. Zoe also had fun exploring the amenities of the resort and playing with her bubble wand. Like I said, we are getting spoiled staying on property!

Then we headed off to Animal Kingdom. We split up for the beginning of our time in AK so that Ava could ride the bigger rides and Zoe could meet characters and enjoy the animals. Ava and DJ loved Everest and Flight of Passage. We met back up to do the safari together. We realized early on that this trip would be a divide and conquer trip. With the larger age gap in the girls and very different ride preferences, there was not a ton that they could do together. But, they both had a great time and got to do the things they really wanted. Only problem with that plan is DJ was with Ava most of the time and he does not take as many pictures as I do, which is why there are so many more pics of Zoe from the trip.

After some time in Animal Kingdom, we headed to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day. We spent the afternoon/evening enjoying this iconic park and then ended the day with the new Starlight parade and Happily Ever After fireworks. Ava got to ride Space Mountain for the first time but was underwhelmed after Everest. She is becoming an adrenaline junkie and kept asking for bigger rides. Zoe got to enjoy her favorites: Dumbo, Tomorrowland Speedway and Prince Charming’s Carousel. It was a great first day in the parks!

Disney World Day 2

After a night in Savannah, we drove the rest of the way into Orlando to check into our home for the week at Port Orleans French Quarter. This was our first time staying on Disney property and now we don’t know if we can go back to staying anywhere else. We checked into our room and then DJ and Zoe headed to the water park to take advantage of our free day there while Ava and I explored the resort. Unfortunately, we didn’t know the rules about goggles at the water park beforehand and Zoe couldn’t do the slides because she didn’t have any regular goggles, just the mask kind. We all met up that evening in Disney Springs for shopping and dinner. When we got back to the resort, we saw that we could get a peak of the Epcot fireworks over the trees. Then it was time to rest up for the real fun to begin the next day in the parks.

Disney World Day 1

After taking our trip to Canada to celebrate the end of cancer treatment for DJ, we wanted to do something special with the girls. So, we planned a trip to Disney World. We wanted it to be more special than our other trips so we decided to stay on property for the first time ever. We also decided to take an extra day in the middle of the week for a resort day. It was a long week filled with all kinds of Disney fun…exhausting but a great way to celebrate as a family in one of our favorite places on earth, which just happens to be the Most Magical Place on Earth!

We decided to split the drive up on the first day and drove to Savannah for the first night. We stayed in Pooler, GA and went into Savannah for dinner. Ava loved Savannah and wants to go back and spend more time in that beautiful city.

Ava is 13!

This post is super late because I kept putting off taking Ava’s 13 year portraits when summer was busy and then waiting until it got cooler. It is long overdue but better late than never.

As of July 11th, we now have a teenager! It still doesn’t seem possible that Ava is 13. Some days it feels like forever ago when she was born but then I also have no idea how she is already a teenager.

Ava is such a beautiful young lady! She is 5ft 3 in tall. It won’t be long before she is as tall as me.

I asked Ava her birthday questions again this year. It is always so fun to compare answers and see how things change as she grows up.

What is your Favorite color?

Lavender

I think pink is also still a favorite. But, she also likes dark colors and says when she has her own house it will be painted dark so that it can feel cozy.

What is your favorite book?

Number the Stars

This book is such a good book. We read it during her 6th grade homeschool. It’s about a girl in WW2 and her Jewish friend. We liked reading it together so much that we decided to read more of Lois Lowry’s books for homeschool. We started The Giver series of her’s. The twists and turns in the books are good but they are strange books. We aren’t really sure how we feel about them after finishing the 3rd book. 

What is your favorite TV show?

The Addams Family

She really likes the old black and white Addams Family. She discovered it after watching Wednesday and she loves the old classic tv show. She still likes some of the other old classics like I Love Lucy too. She’s also a fan of Blackish and Friends.

Who is your favorite music artist?

Billie Eilish

She is a huge Billie fan these days. She likes a lot of the popular artists right now but is also into jazz artists like Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. She likes a lot of the 90s pop artists too like Brittany Spears and Backstreet Boys. Broadway and Disney music are still her interests too, especially Wicked and Hamilton. Basically, she likes a wide variety of music. She listens to music all the time and still loves to sing. 

What is your favorite outfit?

My jeans and a black top

Her style is changing as she’s getting older and figuring out more of what she likes. This fall she is really into longer length skirts too. I keep telling her that everything she is pointing out that she likes is either late 90s or early 2000s. So many things are what I was wearing in high school…it’s so funny how things come back. 

What is your favorite food?

Good fries and pizza

Her food choices change a lot these days. She is vegetarian because she does not want to eat meat from any kind of animal. She will eat eggs thankfully to get some good protein. She is still not big on veggies but will eat roasted kale and sometimes some red bell peppers. She is getting better about eating things with spice or more flavor. She really likes garlic and onion flavors. Pesto is a big hit these days and she likes it on sandwiches and pasta. Tacos and nachos are also still favorites.

What is your favorite restaurant?

Molina’s

This answer may never change. She loves our Mexican restaurant (we all do). She is also a big fan of Tupelo Honey and Swamp Rabbit Cafe. Moes, Chipotle and Surcheros are also popular take out choices. She also really likes breakfast restaurants like First Watch, Another Broken Egg and Eggs Up Grill. 

Where is your favorite place to shop?

Target

Ava loves to shop. Some other favorites are Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Kohls, Ross and Sierra. She really likes the mall too, especially if she can get Auntie Annes Pretzels. 

If you could have a shopping spree, what would you buy?

A nice bag, some really good quality jeans and some cute shirts and a pair of adidas

She is all about clothes these days so this answer makes sense. She also loves purses. When we went to Disney she was amazed at the Coach store and all the bags there. She loves the name brand items but does realize you can get the dupes that are still really nice. But, she always says she plans to buy designer when she is an adult and has the money. 

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I want to go to NYC to live but I would probably go to Japan to go shopping in their really good thrift stores and it seems really safe there.

She has the dream of living in NYC because of all the activities there. She says she’d never get bored living in NYC because there is always something going on and somewhere to go. Like I said, she loves shopping so of course her dream destination would involve shopping.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An entrepreneur

She really wants to start her own business and be her own boss. She has a plan to start a business at 15 and work to grow it to the point that it can support her when she is an adult. She hasn’t landed on what type of business she wants to do but she and DJ are already working on trying to come up with some ideas.

What is something special to you?

My family

As always, this means a lot to us when she answers this way. She may get annoyed with us or Zoe, especially more now that she’s a teenage girl, but she always makes sure to tell us she loves us. She cares so much about all of her extended family. She is blessed to have her grandparents and great grandmother in town. We also love having great aunts and great uncles close by as well to pour into her as she grows up. We are thankful for all of the family in her life who love her dearly, and that of course includes her birth family. 

What do you like to do with your family?

Walk

I was a little surprised by this answer but she does like to walk, especially if it is in Downtown Greenville. She is not a fan of walking in the summer, or really the spring when the pollen is so bad. But, once the temps finally drop, she loves to be outside and going for walks with the dog or in our woods. We keep saying she needs to move somewhere that only has 2 seasons, winter and fall. She would be very happy to be somewhere that she could be outside all year long and not have to hide away from the pollen and the heat.

What do you want to accomplish as a 13 year old?

I want to figure out what I will do for my job if I want to start a business in 2 years.

Like I said, she has a big goal of starting her own business that will support her when she is an adult. We think her personality fits being her own boss. She also watches DJ run his own business so she has been exposed to the entrepreneur life for a long time now and it’s rubbed off on her for sure. We want to help support this big goal for her and want to see her flourish as she grows up.

We still cannot believe that Ava is officially a teenager. That tiny baby that we met in Texas is growing into such a beautiful young lady and we cannot wait to see what God has planned for this next stage in her life. The teen years can be tough but we are trusting that God is going to care for her through these hard years. 

Of course, I can’t write about Ava’s birthday and life at this age and not acknowledge the loss that started her life. Her beautiful birth mama has missed out on these past 13 years with her and that sacrifice is something we can never take lightly. She made the hardest choice to place Ava with us because she thought that was what was best for Ava. We are so honored that she would trust us with her baby girl and we hope that we can honor her always in Ava’s life. 

Happy 13th Ava girl! We love you to the moon and back!

Zoe’s First Days of School

Here is a look at Zoe’s first days of school through the years.

1st Day of School 2025

I do not know how the first day of 8th and 3rd grade is here already! This is the start of Ava’s last year of middle school. We are homeschooling again and have a good plan for her year this year. She didn’t want pictures again so I guess those stop with elementary school…although I’ll have to make her take them her senior year. Zoe is starting 3rd grade at Paris this year. She has Mrs. Smith and already seems to love her. A couple of the girls from her kindergarten and 1st grade classes are in her class this year so she was excited to have some friends to star the year with. We can’t wait to see what this year holds for our girls.

Meet the Teacher 2025

Summer is over and it is back to school time. We met up with Zoe’s bestie from kindergarten before Meet the Teacher for a park playdate. The girls posed for some pics as we waited to head in for them to meet their teachers. We hate they aren’t together again this year but are thankful their friendship continues to grow. We look forward to what this year holds for our big 3rd grader.