Second Helpings - 21 days July / August 2016 - Day 6 Florida Mall and visiting friends

[The A team]

Today was the lesser held feast of ‘rest day’. We are historically quite poor at this type of day as we found out in 2014 where we spent a couple of hours wondering around Downtown Disney as was and wishing that we were doing more fun stuff. Still, I thought we’d try again, although I had booked FPs for around 6pm in case we couldn’t manage a day away.

We woke around 8:30, which was the latest so far in the holiday. And just lazed around the villa, well, in the pool for the girls. I mostly washed all that we’d worn so far as we’d not bothered with the washing facilities in the Beach Club.

During the morning, we actually arranged via What’s App to visit our friends in their villa for tea in the evening so cancelled the back up FPs.

But first, this was the day Niamh had been talking about throughout the run up to the holiday, forget Disney World, Universal and Kennedy Space Centre, she was most looking forward to the day we would take her to the mall and buy her an American Girl doll and the Gymnastics set to go with it. She had diligently been watching You Tube videos and browsing their on line shop for at least a year, deciding on what she would buy and had forgone virtually all other birthday presents for the doll and gym set. At this point she still hadn’t finalised her doll choice, it was either going to be the ‘Girl of the Year’ or a ‘Truly Me’ doll where you can chose the eye colour, hair colour, whether they have freckles etc.

So after stalling as long as possible, we left around 12 to head to Florida Mall. The journey was around an hour and after a few wrong turnings in the last mile or so, we arrived. Niamh was very excited so after making her stop for photos outside the shop,

we finally let her in.
We spent around an hour in the store and she eventually chose the ‘Girl of the Year’ which was Lea (for $120+ tax). I have no pictures of Lea in her original outfit, so here is one I googled!

Her is Niamh posing next to the display for the doll.

They had run out of the Gymnastics set but explained that they were expecting a delivery in the morning and to arrive at opening as it is a very popular set! Niamh then got 3 outfits for her doll with her money, another $100 gone, the doll is more expensively dressed than me half the time! Amelia, not wanting to be left out also decided to get a doll, her name is Julie and she mostly gets her hair styled these days! She came in the yellow outfit, but Amelia has also at some point purchased the red spotty one too.

We left the store now as we had arranged to be at our friends villa around 4 and we weren’t sure how long the journey would take.
Our friends were staying on Highlands Reserve, this was the community we had stayed at in 2014 so we had a rough idea of where to go and we arrived pretty much as planned. It was a lovely villa, 5 bedrooms and a huge pool, just a bit further out than Sunset Lakes. We had a lovely meal cooked for us and spent time chatting and playing in the pool. We left around 8 to head back and finally let the girls have a good look at their new purchases. We followed SatNav and ended up driving down a dirt road and nearly running over an armadillo!

I have no notes on the time we went to bed, but I would imagine it was around 10 for the girls, 11 for me and 12 for Dave.

[Excitedx4]

Nice rest day, wow those dolls are expensive

[disneytrio]

Gosh these American dolls are so popular, I'm glad my daughter is too old... lol

[collybird]

I am supposedly an adult but I still get excited at the thought of an American Girl doll.

[loobz]

fortunately for me my daughter thinks dolls are creepy - however, when you start talking Skechers or Bath and Bodyworks or Kipling bags, that's a whole different story!

[mouselover22]

Eeeekk! I have heard of these American Dolls before 🤑 $$$ Glad I have boys

Niamh looks super excited with her purchase though

Lovely, relaxing evening