Balloon Glow at the Spoonbread Festival

This weekend we went to the Spoonbread Festival for the Balloon Glow! It was amazing. The kids ran around with glow necklaces and munched on chips and hot dogs. We went with the Beardsley Clan!

Hiking

Lately Kelsey, Abbey, Emily and Daddy have been hiking at Cove Springs. Here are a few pictures from their recent adventures.

Kentucky State Fair

It's our annual tradition to go to the state fair and this year was no exception. We enjoyed rides, fair food and a little shopping. 

Kelsey meets the Governor Beshear and Education Commissioner Holliday

Today Governor Steve Beshear and wife Jane Beshear with Education Commissioner Terry Holliday and Franklin County Superintendent Chrissi Jones announced the Brigance Assessment at Kelsey's school. Kelsey was chosen as a student to go to see the announcement and pose for a picture.

1st Day of Kindergarten

Today was Kelsey's first day of Kindergarten at the Early Learning Village. Her teachers are Mrs. Pritchett and Ms. Debbie. Mr. Murphy is her principal. On the first day of school Kelsey woke up with a fever and wasn't able to go. So, the next day, Mommy and Daddy got to take her to her first day of school which was really the 2nd day!

Ginny's Birthday Party

Better late than never. Ginny's birthday was celebrated in August this year instead of June. She celebrated with Willis, Jessica, Jordan, Jim, Zach, Jake, Kelsey and Rusty.

Cruisin'

This is what cruisin' looks like for Kelsey, Skylar and Ya-Ya! 3 crazy girls riding around the block.

Lemonade for Sale!

Eva Blair turned 1 and had a Lemonade Party. Kelsey and Emry enjoyed selling lemonade to everyone!

Howson Cook Out

Every year we have a Howson Gathering at the Willhoite House and this year was no exception. We barely got back in time from Florida to get ready for the event. It's always a great day of food and fun.

Summer Vacation

This year we spent 1.5 weeks in Orlando and it was a great vacation that was very well deserved!! We flew down on June 20th with Ya-Ya and Grampy. We then spent the next week exploring Universal's Island of Adventures, The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Sea World. On our days off we lounged by the pool or spent some time shopping. Then, daddy's students came into town for the next week for the TSA National Competition so we moved from The Bluegreen Fountain's Resort to the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Kelsey had a great week park hopping and another great week with Owen County's TSA team. Kelsey and I flew back into Lexington on July 2nd. So, here is a big post with LOTS of pictures!!

On Saturday we headed to the Islands of Adventure and were swept into the Wizardry World of Harry Potter! Beer butter is very yummy, the rides were amazing and Hogsmeade was amazing!

On Monday we spent the day at Sea World. Kelsey loved Shamu's show and really wanted to go on the many roller coasters but she wasn't quite tall enough for those.

Tuesday we were back at the parks and hit Animal Kingdom. WOW! This was all of our first visits to the Animal Kingdom. It is an amazing park with such detail in all of the decorations. Kelsey rode Mount Everest but the Yeti freaked her out and got her a bit scared. But, she loved the roller coaster part of it. We took a break in the afternoon and enjoyed the parade. 

Wednesday, the 3^rd day in a row at a park, was spent at the Magic Kingdom. We were so excited to see Ariel’s Grotto, Belle’s Stories, and the expansion they’d made to Fantasyland. There was a whole new area for Dumbo with several new rides. This year Kelsey could ride ANY ride at the Magic Kingdom! So, she tackled the Big Thunder Railroad and Space Mountain! Space Mountain was a bit scary for her because it was in the dark but she was a champ and went on it. She is definitely a thrill seeker!!

 Kelsey and Grampy spent a lot of time making pennies at the various penny machines throughout our visit to Florida. Here they are squishing one at the Magic Kingdom. We even got a book for her to hold all of her pennies in so she could start her collection.

 Belle's Stories...Kelsey got to become a part of the story!

 Ah, she's driving!!

 Tea cups are always a favorite of Kelsey's.

 We were all exhausted and ready to get back to the resort after a long day. Kelsey is asleep and these two goofs were being silly after a long few days on the monorail headed to the parking lot!!

On Friday we took Ya-Ya and Grampy to the airport and they headed back to Kentucky. Then, we moved our stuff to the Rosen Shingle for the next few days. 

Rusty’s TSA kids were so good to Kelsey. They played school, legos, dress-up, and tag with her. There were times I wasn’t sure who was having more fun the big kids or Kelsey. The hotel we stayed in was really nice and had a yummy buffet that changed each night. 

 

One night we headed over to The Fun Spot for a night of unlimited rides!! We had a blast and Kelsey got to ride another roller coaster. 

Sunday Kelsey and I met Curi, Bailey and Nora at the Fantasia Gardens and Fairways for a round of Putt-Putt Golf. Then, we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch at the Rainforest Café. It was so nice to see Curi and the kids again. They were headed to a week of vacation with Pace and Steve and the rest of the Bailey family. 

On Monday Rusty, Kelsey, Devin & Trevor went to Bippity Boppity Boutique in Downtown Disney. Kelsey was transformed into Princess Cinderella!!