Speed Blogging: Disney Day 7, April, and May.....

Okay.  I'm tired of catching up.  Cause I'm AT THE BEACH and I THINK I just took some incredible beach pictures. (Haven't had a chance to actually LOOK at them, but I just have a feeling they are really good....)  However,  I'm a little bit OCD (Joe would say A LOT, but whatever),  so I've GOT to continue with the timeline - in order - before I post those pictures.  So, here's the Reader's Digest version of the end of Disney, April, and May....... so we can MOVE ON ALREADY and be all caught up.

DISNEY:  DAY 7:  BACK TO MAGIC KINGDOM

Our final day at Disney was back at the Magic Kingdom.  We were one of the first ones at the park and put in a FULL DAY.  Around 5:00, we headed back to Pop Century, packed and loaded the car, and got Mary (and Joe) to sleep.  Then, the boys and I got back on the Disney bus and headed back to MK to close it down!  We rode more rides, watched the Electrical Parade, enjoyed the Wishes fireworks extravaganza, and soaked in our last few minutes of magic.  Full and fun day!

Love these three.  Love this place.  

Don't love those darn cranes. 

Opened the park on this day! Woo Hoo!

Sometimes, you just gotta stand up to enjoy It's a Small World.

Mary with her Max.

Many of our pictures looked like this.... Mary on her Dad's shoulders carrying that mug.

Pretty sure Joe had  A LOT of Sprite poured on his head that day.

Tilt for the cuteness.  

And somebody tell me how to twist my pictures.

We loved the new Dumbo set up!

Real men ride Dumbo with their little sisters.

Mary is IN CONTROL.  

Cousin Josh bought this balloon for Mary.  She LOVED it.  We tied it to the stroller

and proceeded to knock several hundred people in the head with it throughout the day.  And, I kid you not, it's TWO months after we went to Disney and that thing STILL has a little bit of air left in it.  The eternal balloon.

Jack's score on Buzz Lightyear. 

Pretty good, I guess.

I blame Mary for my less than stellar score.

(Can't actually remember if I RODE with her on that ride, but I am blaming her, nonetheless.  My trigger arm was probably tired from carrying her or something....)

Baby girl loved her some Disney.

Joe, when are we gonna make our bushes look like this?

Baby girl REALLY loved her some Mickey Mouse.

Now.  This particular Mickey is in the building on the right just as you enter the Magic Kingdom.  We used one of Mary's fast passes for this character greeting (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that character greetings are a FP option)......... but I feel like I should mention that this Mickey TALKS.  And IT IS CREEPY.  But Mary loved it.....

Precious people.  Precious memories.

Disney 2014:  The END.

And Joe would have me note that we made it home in 9.5 hours.  A Powell record.  

My people are ROCK STAR travelers.

NOW:  In this epic fast-forwarding of the Powell Spring Events..... On to APRIL!!!

April brought Max's first All-City orchestra performance.

He auditioned for this middle school orchestra and we were tickled when he made it. 

Is anyone laughing that my pictures are still tilted?

This actually cracks me up...... I can just picture all of you tilting your heads to look at these pictures.

Thank you for tilting.

(Tilt.)

Joe and I kept looking at each other during the performance and saying, "Wow.  He really looks like he knows what he's doing!"  He did a great job!

Mary's first Easter egg hunt!  She caught on REALLY quickly and loved it!

She carefully placed each egg in her basket. 

Once she figured out that there was CANDY in the eggs, well, it was all over.  I finally figured out if I told her "that's Max's candy" or "that's Jack's candy".... she would leave it in the egg and not eat it.  Cause no kid needs seven hundred thousand pieces of candy.  Sugar does BAD things to her, I tell you.

Mary Jewel Powell in her first Easter dress.  

I love her.

He is risen, precious child.... and He brought you to us!

Easter tradition:  eat lunch at Papa Chuck and Nana's house!

This might be my favorite picture ever.

Except Max forgot his belt.  On Easter Sunday.  

And I didn't notice until I was ooohhhing and aaahhhhing over this picture.

Went something like this: "Oh, Joe!  You caught a GREAT shot!  Look at my boys!  Look at Mary's face!  DID MAX NOT WEAR A BELT TODAY???"

Good grief.

Just look at Jack Powell in his tuxedo.

He and his high school orchestra went to Atlanta for a performance in April and did a great job!

Very talented, fancy-dressed kiddies!

Joe and Jack living it up in the ATL.

And, for the last of April's fun.... Mary's first experience with bad storms.  We explained to her about a "safe place", let her watch a little bit of James Spann, and even all gathered IN our safe place so she would know how it works..... later, we found her curled up in this basket laughing her head off.  Pretty sure this gives a whole new meaning to "safe place"..... I'm ready for the storms, Mom!

MAY:  We have made it to May, people.  And it was FULL......

But let's start with THIS.......

I'm not even sure this picture was taken in May, but I think it's hilarious.  Pretty much sums up her personality.  Pink Mickey ears?  Check.  Happy shirt?  Check.  Pajamas layered with other pajamas underneath?  Check.  Jewelry?  Check.  A myriad of straws that you have stacked end to end and walk around endlessly poking people with them?  Check.  A big smile?  Check.

Oh, Mary.  We love you.

We celebrated Mother's Day!  My first one as a Mom of THREE! 

It was two years ago on Mother's Day that we announced that we were adopting. 

Then last year, I was LONGING for a child I'd never met.

And NOW.  Look.  Just LOOK! 

Would you please look at my beautiful children?

Have mercy.

May also delivered what I'm sure will be the first of MANY football injuries.

Serious cut .... while lifting weights?  Not exactly sure how it happened, but he tells the story very well.

Coach bandaged him up nicely.

And the scar is cool.

Memorial Day was spent at the lake!  Mary decided this floaty chair was made just for her and she loved it!

Kickin back.  Ya'll pull me!

I told Daddy to pull me.... and he did!  

First boat ride!  Getting a little sleepy, but she did GREAT!

Taking it easy on the cruise.

Almost fell asleep..... then the brothers started tubing.  And she wasn't gonna miss that for ANYTHING!

WHAT ARE THEY DOING??  THAT IS CRAZY!!!

Wish I had pictures of years gone by.... these two have grown up on a tube!  Not sure they will fit on it together for much longer......  

But trying to push your brother off the tube is fun!

Mary didn't know WHAT to think..... she would not take her eyes off of them!  When Max busted (EVERY.  TIME.).... she would throw her hands up and say, "UH OH!" over and over and over and over and over until she saw he was safely back on the tube.

May also was filled with a sold house (yay!), two weeks of boxing up the house, the buyers backing out of the sale (Boo!), unpacking boxes (I wasn't exactly pleasant during these days), Mary's bronchitis, Mom's bronchitis, a trip to the Xray machine for Max's sprained ankle from playing frisbee in PE, FIVE strings performances/concerts, Joe went out of town like THREE DIFFERENT TIMES, end of year projects (heaven help me), awards/honors programs that I have absolutely no pictures of because I just don't, our ONE YEAR post placement adoption social worker visit, and a quick trip to the farm for like 20 hours or something.

AND THAT, my friends, IS AN UPDATED BLOG.

Next up?  BEACH PICTURES.

And a beach story or two.