Florida Part 2 - Disney Springs

Alisha says: Dave had some conference things to do and we needed a relaxing day after magic kingdom so we just took the bus to Disney Springs which is a bunch of shopping and eating places. We had fun just strolling around looking at things. Dave really wanted to get Skye a little souvenir so after looking around for a while we decided on a little Minnie Mouse on a key chain, and a Mickey Mouse spinning thing that you hang outside.

We also spent some time at the hotel swimming pool. It was a nice pool that had a shallow area for the little kids and a lazy river. 

This was a water wall that she really like playing by.

I love this picture of her!

She loved playing with her little Minnie Mouse

Florida Part 1 - Magic Kingdom

Alisha says: Dave had a work conference in Florida so Skye and I decided to tag along. Dave did some work and then we spent a few days having fun. First we explored Magic Kingdom and had a great day. I had fast passes for a couple of the most popular rides and then we really didn't wait much more than about 20 minutes for anything. We actually rode more things that I thought we might. Skye was a trouper and although she won't remember the trip we sure had fun taking her on the rides.

Rides:

Tea Cups- Classic Ride

Winnie The Pooh - Weird ride and not worth the wait

Under The Sea - Good ride for kids, way better than Winnie The Pooh

Dumbo - Classic Ride

Buzz Lightyear - Fast Pass, Fun

Swiss Family Robinson Tree House- Skye loved this because she could get out of her stroller and walk up and down all the stairs with Dave's help.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Wasn't sure we would make it on this but the line wasn't too long and Dave really wanted to.

Tiki Room- I thought Skye would like this because she likes birds and music but she really only just made it through the little show.

Jungle Cruise - Fast Pass. I don't know why the Jungle Cruise is so popular. The script they have to say is so corny.

Tom Sawyers Island - Great place to escape the crowds for a bit and just let Skye walk around by herself for a little bit.

Haunted Mansion - This ride was also a bonus ride I didn't know we would get to do. Skye fell asleep while we were walking around after lunch so we decided to wait in line while she napped. She slept through the whole queue and through the ride. My arms were so tired from holding her that I was so excited when we got to sit down for the ride.

Peter Pan's Flight- Fast Pass, fun ride. Skye was still a little sleepy.

Food: Unfortunately we didn't eat anything that great.

Gaston's Tavern: LeFou's Brew & Cinnamon Roll. Both not worth eating. I had seen LeFou's brew on several list of must eat things at Disney World so I wanted to try it. It is basically a frozen apple juice slushy but yuck, it was so sweet that we had to add a bunch of water to it to even make it drinkable. The cinnamon roll just tasted like a grocery store cinnamon roll, nothing special and disappointing.

Tortugua Tavern: Hot Dogs. Eh, hot dogs are hot dogs. We were tired and in need of a place to sit and chill for a bit.

Late Afternoon Lunch: I don't remember what it was called but it was a Mexican place that was quick service but pretty good. I had fajitas and Dave had a burrito.

Sedona Mtb

Alisha says: Overnight mountain biking trip to Sedona sans the little one, yes please! My mom was kind enough to watch Skye while Dave and I sneaked off to Sedona for a quick trip. We did a big loop on the west side in the afternoon when we first got there that included Chuck Wagon and Mescal. The next morning we followed that up with Bell Rock side where Dave thought my skills had improved enough to take me on Hiline trail. It is a pretty sweet trail and I did fine climbing up, across the ridge and on the first downhill part but then I did a bit of walking as it has some crazy downhill towards the end of the trail. We completed a big loop by coming down past Chicken Point back to the car. Fun, fun, fun, so much fun!!!!

A Big Family Campout

Dave says: As the Welsh family has gotten bigger, it's not often that the whole crew can get together for a weekend camping trip. However, over Easter weekend that's just what we did with a camping trip to Camp Verde. My parents and grandparents stayed in a cabin at the RV resort while Christine and I brought our trailers. Some of the highlights from the campground include swimming, evening campfires, ping pong, mini golf, and a walk along the river. On Easter morning my mom hid some eggs for the kids and gave Skye an Easter basket. The trailer was a big success once again and we feel like we're getting things dialed in a little more with every trip.

On Saturday, Alisha got us permits to hike into Fossil Springs. It's a long dirt road to get to the hike but in Arizona it's pretty special to find a big stream with blue water, tons of swimming holes, and a big waterfall at the end of the hike. The water was a little chilly still but everyone got in for some wading. One interesting feature of the waterfall is that you can maneuver around behind the falls into a little cave.

Easter

Alisha says: I took Skye to a little Easter event in Mesa where you would walk around to different businesses and they would give the kids an Easter egg. They also had an Easter bunny that you could take pictures with and since the line wasn't that long yet I decided to give it a try. Since Skye is still really clingy I thought there was no way that she would have anything to do with the bunny but she surprised me. I sat her down and quickly took my picture, so while the whole thing was very quick I would call it a success because there was no tears! After the event we played with her eggs in our newly finished backyard.

Backyard Remodel

Dave says: We love our big pie-shaped backyard. The west side was landscaped with rock and desert plants when we moved in which was easy in terms of maintenance but not very usable for us or Skye. We decided it was time for an update consisting of pavers, turf, and a playset. I chopped and transplanted a few prickly pear behind the wall but otherwise the desert landscape remained largely intact. We added a big loop of pavers around the turf and two raised mounds and hopefully someday soon Skye will be out there doing laps. Having a big chunk of turf has also been nice. Finally, we got Skye a playhouse off Craigslist that we put under the trees so it is typically shaded. Some days she likes her playhouse and some days she just wants to run around in the dirt looking for interesting rocks to pick up. In the evenings right before dusk is our favorite time for hanging out here.

17 Months

Alisha says: Skye is quite the busy toddler these days. She is getting quick and agile on her feet and loves to be outside. We have taken her to a few splash pads and she thinks they are rather fun. She is still clingy and won't stay by herself at nursery. She gets so excited when Dave comes home from work, as soon as she hears the door open she drops whatever she is doing and runs to find him saying "Da, Da"! It is really cute.