Double Digits

Happy happy birthday to my beautiful, smart, strong, and ferocious big girl.  I've loved you since the second we met.

I cannot believe it's been a decade since I first laid eyes on this little sweetie.  Her little smile has been lighting up my life ever since.

She has an spirit that cannot be conquered and a thirst for life that is unequalled.  She literally loves every second.

She's taught me about unconditional love, determination, and positivity.

She's the kindest pet owner, most compassionate friend, and best big sister I've ever had the pleasure to know.

She is who she is one hundred percent of the time without apologies.  She's a true original.  She knows what she likes and what she doesn't.

She's smart, confident, and beautiful on the inside and the outside.

She's diverse - she athletic, she's artistic, she loves to read.  She has fun in any situation.

We've done some amazing things together - gone to football games, visited cool places like Destin, Disney, and New Orleans, ridden horses.  Each and every experience was enriched by her presence!

Watching her grow over the past ten years has made me so happy.  She's changed Ryan and I for the better and she was the start to our very special family.

Happiest of birthdays to the one and only Alli Lowe - We love you so much!

Alli's Tenth Birthday Party

I think I need my head examined.  I had the bright idea that Alli should have a sleepover for her tenth birthday party this weekend.  And I let her invite ten people thinking at the most four would show.  It is Christmas, after all - you never know how people are spending their holidays,  Instead we had SIX RSVPs but I assured Ryan they were ten year old girls - what could be that hard?

Everyone got here around six on Friday night and started with a rowdy game of hide and seek.  Like screaming, running hide and seek.  Ryan actually asked me "What is that noise they are making?"  Some kind of ungodly scream-yell-squeal that they all knew how to make.  We finally corralled them to eat pizza and cake, but even that was an ordeal.  Please don't topple the cake!

After that, I loaded them all up in the Pilot and drove them to Ozark Lanes to bowl.  The sound continued in the car, along with some Christmas caroling.  When the car was still, all of the movement inside actually propelled it forward.  Yikes.

Bowling was a lot of fun once we got everyone's shoe size figured out.  I stood at the counter with several girls while they tried on size after size to get the perfect fit.  I apologized profusely to the bowling alley worker who had to deal with us.  But we bowled a game, which took about an hour, and then brought them all back home.  I warned them that Riley would be sleeping when we got back so they would need to hold it down, but my request was futile.  There's just no quieting six pre-teen girls.

I put a movie on upstairs and brought them three bags of popcorn which they devoured.  Even after strict instruction to not come downstairs unless there was an emergency I had to chase groups of them back upstairs until about 12AM.  They finally got silent and I had the internal "Do I go check on them?" struggle.  Riley got up a few times in the night too, so when the girls started sneaking downstairs at 6AM, Ryan and I were on fumes.  We got out of bed at 7AM and started making pancakes and bacon, which was a huge hit.  Then the hide and seek shriek started up again.  With an hour to go before pickup time, Ryan put on Elf for them to watch and I managed to snap this pic.

Look at little Riley right in the middle of it all eating her popcorn - she loved chasing the girls around and yelling "Ah-Eeee" which translates to "Alli!!" and all of the girls were so sweet with her.

Thank goodness for Saturdays - little Alli is exhausted and so are we.  Even the pets are worn out - the girls adored them and chased them all over the house until I let them find peace in the master bedroom.  Now someone go get me a Starbucks, please!

Disney Vacation Day 5: Universal Studios

Since we'd already spent half a day enjoying everything The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had to offer, we started the next day Universal hitting up the roller coasters - including the truly scary Rip Ride Rockit where you pick your own personal music that plays for you during pretty much the most terrifying roller coaster ride of your life.  Which Alli made us ride three times.

Then it was on to Minion Mayhem, which much like several of the other rides is a 3D simulator that's about as intense as a roller coaster!

Please note that little Ginny Weasley is still wearing her Gryffindor robes.  We also wandered through the super hero section of the park to see if the Hulk roller coaster was open, and it wasn't (for now) so we decided it'd be a great idea to ride Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls.  A word to the wise - if it's 70 degrees and breezy, don't do the log ride.  Otherwise you'll be spending $5 in the heaters they have just at the ride exit.  BRRRR!!!!

We went back to Hogsmeade to ride the dueling dragons roller coaster (we did blue the day before and had to try red of course).  We caught some shows and then wandered back through the park and met some characters on the way.

The Hulk roller coaster was finally open and it was everything Alli thought it would be, but I'll be honest.  This is the point where the entire trip caught up with me.  I was nauseated, I was worn out, and I was done riding rides.  So when Alli and Ryan hit up the thrill rides one more time across the park, I sipped a Butterbeer and stocked up on souvenirs from Diagon Alley.   We left the park well before closing because we were just beat.  In fact, I think a month later I am still recovering!  But we truly had a magical time with zero regrets and a lifetime of memories.

Disney Vacation Day 4: Universal Studios & Epcot

So a little less than a month later, I am finishing the Disney recap.  Listen, y'all.  Fall is so hectic that I. can't. breathe.  I am sorry for the delay, but better late than never right?

We had initially planned to spend an entire day at Epcot, but on the bus to Hollywood Studios we met a family who went on and on and on about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios.  As major Harry Potter fans and the parents of a daredevil looking for roller coasters, we decided to drop half a day of educational fun and hit up Universal.  We read that it was important to go to Olivander's to get a wand straight off, so we headed to Diagon Alley first.

Kids, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you owe it to yourself to get to the Wizarding World.  It's amazing.

The wandkeeper at Olivander's selects one child to fit a wand to and guess who he chose?  Not Alli.  So there was a really cool demonstration where the girl he chose tried several wands until one worked for her.  Then we were emptied out into the store, but not before the wand keeper stopped us, pulled us back into the room, and fit Alli with a wand.  Talk about special!  She got a ivy wand with a unicorn hair core.  We immediately went across the street to Madam Malkins to get Alli her Gryffindor robes so she was truly a wizard.

We rode the brand new Escape From Gringotts ride and then hopped on the Hogwarts Express through Platform 9 3/4 to see Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

We rode all of the rides in Hogsmeade and then hopped back over to Diagon Alley for lunch, where Ryan and I finally got a Butterbeer.

Interesting fact:  Diagon Alley is built on top of where the old Jaws ride used to be.  And if you know me at all, you know how much I love Jaws.  I'm sad the ride is gone, but I still got to pay homage.

After half a day in Universal, we headed to Epcot for a few hours.  We used our Fast Passes, spotted some dolphins, had a little Turtle Talk with Crush, and then made it to our dinner reservation at the underwater restaurant.

And so concluded another fantastic day in Disney World - only one day left to blog about!