We are back from our whirlwind vacation to Florida! It was a great trip with many magical memories made. Our first stop was the Tradewinds Resort in St. Petersburg Beach Florida for our second Kazapalooza. It's pretty cool -- Since we went before she was a year old and plan to continue attending, Hannah will be able to say she has been to Kazapalooza every year of her life! It was wonderful, exactly what beach vacation should be --relaxing with wonderful friends by pool, fruity drinks with umbrellas, kids falling into bed exhausted each night after spending their days splashing in the surf and building sandcastles. It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends and new ones, and to see how much our beautiful kiddos had grown up. Here we go....the kids were perfect on the plane ride down...
Jake made himself right at home on the beach. Hannah loved the ocean, and has been carrying seashells around in her purse all week.
Hannah and Lauren and Tyler. I have a similar picture from last year, but Hannie and Tyler were babies. Amazing the difference a year makes.
Hannah and Sophia -- my two favorite Kaz girls will reunite again next weekend in Chicago. I hope they grow up to be great friends just like their mommies are!
Rockin the patriotic two piece.
Playing with Nurai, who was in the same babyhouse as Hannie in Shymkent. What a unique history they share.
With sweet Ryland, who we met for the 1st time IRL this year, but who we have known via blogworld for a while :-)
I believe the cupcake may have been her favorite part of the vacation.
Kissing boys already...the teenage years should be interesting. At least she picked a cute one! Matthew's daddy Jim caught this sweet moment.
With my awesome friend Muriel and our very, very large cocktails. Muriel, along with the other KP planners, put TONS of work into the is weekend and I hope they know how appreciated it was. They all deserve a BIG THANK YOU!!!
With Lisette and Ty, it was SO AWESOME to get to meet them in person after talking on the phone and emailing all year. I know its hard to believe, but Tyler is even cuter in person than he was in his pictures!! And Lisette and I totally had the instant KazMama bond :-)
But then we blinked, and KP was over for another year :-( But no time to be sad, because we were off to Disney with 3 other Kaz families! Some of my best memories as a child were of going to Disney World every year with my family, so it was a "fairy tale come true" to get to see it this time through my daughter's eyes.
The four Kaz Mamas and Kids Get Ready for A Magic Kingdom Takeover!
A Whole New World for Them...Hannie is still talking about going back to Minnie's house....
Upon walking into the Magic Kingdom, we literally ran into another KP family! It really is a Small World After All!
Chef Mickey's Character Breakfast at the Contemporary Resort
Hannah, who lets out the dreaded Kazakh warrior scream every time Santa or the Easter bunny came near her, trotted right up to Minnie Mouse and gave her a hug and a kiss. Has Disney brainwashed this generation so much that these characters now trump even SANTA? Utterly Amazing.
Fish are friends, not food.
To Infinty and Beyond! On the Buzz Lightyear ride!
On the Monorail
Disney Character Topiaries are all over Epcot -- this one was CARS
Ready, Set, EPCOT!!
What a Bunch of Characters!
Who do I talk to about getting Kazakhstan added to the World Showcase in Epcot?!
Getting ready to leave :-( M-I-C See ya Real Soon...K-E-Y.. Why? Because we love you...
Disney World with a toddler.... even with the meltdowns, broken cameras, spilled ice cream, it was worth every minute and every penny to see my girl in this happiest place on earth.
...because she was what happened, when I wished upon a star.
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7 comments:
What a great post! Your closing is so sweet too. Sounds like you had a ball!!
Great post Erin. I almost felt like Lexie & I was there. I'm praying for next you to be the year we finally make it. After all it will be our fifth year as a family so it's a law right?
So glad you shared all your pictures of so many beautiful Kaz Kids. And of course Hannie in the middle of them all, clearly loving every minute.
Happy Summer!
Lou Ann & Lexie too
Oh, I love this post....I know...I know...I always say that, but well, I'm a big fan, ya know! :)
Part of me still can't believe KP is behind us and how quickly it all went! Love each & every photo and memory you shared and this is what I miss about not blogging....you can share the pictures on FB, but they are so stingy about the written word! LOL
So tickled we got that one moment to photo and yes, a year can be something! Next year I hope we capture even more moments with our chickadees!
Have a ball in Chi-town!! Safe travels!! XOXO
P.S. Lou Ann.....I SO hope next year is your year too!!!!! Lexie will love it and so will you!!!
As I read your last paragraph, I couldn't help but tear up! It sounds like you had an awesome time. I hope this trip was the first of many happy Disney memories you and Hannah will have together. Prayers and blessings to you and Hannah!
Joanna
You got some great photos of your girl - especially with the other kids too! It really will be special for Hannah to grow up with these people in her life who share a bond. We should have introduced Hannah and Irina as they are fairly close in age. And I think there were a few boys who are around the 2YO Kaz "generation." (yes, probably the last ones given the shut down) Although Irina gets a bit over-stimulated in such a new and busy environment so was more interested in running willy-nilly than in making friends - I'm hoping she'll grow out of this someday. Much to my dismay she did want to join the big kids chasing each other and wrestling (what great activities for a hyperactive child!). It looks like Hannah had a great time both at KP and at Disney and you'll have some special memories. I was hoping to meet up with some other KP families to do Disney and Seaworld but figured that it may be difficult enough to corral two kids. I can't wait to do Disney again in 3-4 more years. Hey, perhaps we should suggest a future KP event at Disney?
Wow, what an incredible trip! Your life was so much richer because of it!
And yes...when you wish upon a star...dreams really do come true! You had be crying (of course, it doesn't take much for me to cry :-)
Such a beautiful post, and the ending made me teary. And I'm so sad we didn't get a KP picture of Hannah and Gav for this year! Next year for sure.
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