Travel to Katerina & Beyond

Disney Trip Day 2: Saturday, 12/15

When we got to Orlando we checked into our unit which was very nice. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room and kitchen. There were Cranes on the patio which Katerina loved. At night, a family of Raccoons came to visit. It was almost like being in Animal Kingdom. Brother John, Sue and Mom drove up from Southern Florida and arrived shortly after we did. Mom was staying with us and John and Sue took off to check into the Boardwalk hotel. We met for a late lunch at the Boardwalk and then took the bus to the Magic Kingdom.

The cranes must have been sent from Central Casting

The tree in the Boardwalk lobby

Posing on the Boardwalk

The first thing we did when we reached the Magic Kingdom was to go on It's a Small World. Katerina was so in awe as you can see by the picture below.

Next up was meeting the princesses. As we were standing in line, we realized we didn't have an autograph book for her. I was inclined to give her a piece of paper but my mother and Sue insisted on looking for a bona fide autograph book. I'm so glad they did.

They would let 5 or 6 families in the princess room at a time. When it was our turn, we walked into the room it reminded me of a bordello; or rather what I imagined a bordello might look like. Each of the 3 princesses had a boudoir area and the children went from one to the next. When she walked up to Aurora it was with such a quiet excitement, shyness, and awe. But she walked up to her all by herself. And there was a routine; autograph, hug, take a picture and another hug. By the 3rd princess, she had it down.

Aurora

Cinderella was next

And last, Belle

Remnants of a princess' kiss

And then it was on to the Mouse himself. We waited in line for him as well and when Katerina met him she was so disappointed he didn't talk. She said he was a pretend Mickey. We told her he had to save his voice for the shows and parades.

Family time with The Mouse

We saw a the Spectromagic parade before leaving which was outstanding. It was definitely a great first day at the parks.

Disney Trip Day 1: Friday, 12/14

The first day of our Disney trip was driving to Lorton Virginia and getting on the Auto Train. Katerina loved the train. We got on at 4pm and off at 8:30am the next morning. All the way down to Lorton, she kept saying she wanted to sleep on top like Caillou. Apparently, there was an episode where Caillou and his family took the train and he got to sleep in the top bunk with his Daddy. Well up she went but after a few minutes, she decided she wanted to sleep with Mommy on the bottom bunk.

Watching Beauty and the Beast DVD

In the dining car

OK, ready for bed

YIPEE. This is fun.

Look at me

Up we go

FCC Holiday Party - 12/8

We had a Families with Children from China holiday party which was so much fun for the kids. Lots of crafts, good food, and a Mandarin storyteller.

Mommy I Look Silly

I guess Katerina is starting to have a sense of self/identity in her clothes. When I dressed her in this one piece sweater outfit of all different colors and patterns, which was too short, she walked over to the mirror and said "Mommy, I look silly." And you know what? She did. So we took it off and put it in the give away pile

Tree Decorating - 12/6

One of our favorite traditions at Christmas time is to take a ride upstate and chop down our Christmas tree, but we have yet to be able to do it with Katerina. Both this year and last year we were pressed for time and instead went around the corner to the local nursery and picked out our tree there. She loved decorating this year and the tree is bottom heavy with ornaments that she placed at her eye level.

Ballet

Having fun with her friend Presley at dance class

Fun with Grandma and Princess Tea Parties - Novmeber 23, 2007

Katerina enjoyed her time with Grandma and had a tea party with several friends.

She loved dressing up in the princess outfits cousins Gail and Larry brought over on Thanksgiving. Is it just me or is this girl adorable??

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

As usual, we had a wonderful day with family and friends. And, has been tradition over the past few years, we all thought about and wrote down what we were thankful for in 2007 and later tried to guess who was whose. In some cases, it was no challenge whatsoever. Like...."I am thankful for my awesome new phone, Text Messaging, Hannah Montana...." No, that wasn't mine, if that's what you're thinking. That was 13-year-old Kara. And of course, there were many thanks for the blessing of Katerina coming into all of our lives.