My Sweet Sadie

Today is my baby girl, Sadie's birthday. She is four today. I write my children very personal letters on their birthdays and seal them for when they are older (probably when they enter college or get married). As I was writing her letter, I thought of all the characteristics that God bestowed to Sadie and how those characteristics might be utilized in her future. Here is a snippet of what I wrote:
My sweet Sadie,
As I reflect on all the wonders you bring to my life, my heart wells with thanksgiving to the God who created you for His glory and my happiness. You are filled with so many valuable characteristics and I am imagining where these will take you in life. You have a real sense of nurturing. You are always loving your babies and stuffed animals by making sure they are warm, covered with a blanket, fed, and content. I love watching you play when you are not aware that I am looking. You are going to be a great mother! You are also going to be a great friend to those who may be in the greatest need of a friend. I love you so much for that because I will need your friendship as well. Your Grammy and I have a very close friendship and it is a vital part of my being -I hope you see that and desire for us to have that as well......The rest is for Sadie's eyes only... Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Crazy kids

The kids have been quite silly this week! Could be left over effects from all the birthday cake- who knows? I am desperately trying to capture their American Idol performances as they are quite hilarious. These pictures are from Sunday night when they played with a crazy winter hat I bought last year for a New York trip and pictures of Sadie's cute braids!

Birthday Marathon

* Stone and Sadie had marathon birthday parties this weekend. 2 were family birthday parties for cousins and 1 was a friend party. Here are pics from a family party.

Is giving back important???

Recently, someone asked me this question, "Is giving back really as important as we say it is?" The person that asked has a pessimistic attitude on most topics and always is a devil's advocate in a conversation. However, I love her and she comes in handy when you need a different perspective!! The basis for the question came when she overheard someone ask me about respite care.
For those of you who don't know what it is.... it is a time for parents of kids with disabilities to take a break! It occurs every 2nd Saturday of each month from 10am to 2pm. Well, she asked me why I did it when my plate is usually so full. I did not give the long version of why I do it but the summary is this:
I have always loved kids with special needs! I knew in high school that I wanted to teach them. I have a God given passion for them and so why not? I know how hard it is to have kids and trudge through the everyday routines. However, I cannot imagine how compounding that routine becomes when you have to load and unload a wheelchair 10 times a day, change your 10 year old child's diaper each day, go to 5 specialists each week for therapy, or just sit down and try to have a family meal without plates flying from a tantrum. And because I don't know what that feels like (but I can guess), I have to give them a break. I get one all the time because I have wonderful parents and in-laws who will let me.
It is not easy to find someone who will baby sit for kids with special needs and it is unheard of to find overnight care. So really I am not doing enough in that area to find more respite for them.
So is it really important that I do this? Sure it is. Will I get rich, get recognition, get a job promotion- NO. But that is not why I do it to begin with. I would hope that if I were in their shoes (and I could be at a moment's notice) that someone would help me too.
I could find so many things to do on those Saturday's but I feel really great after respite care knowing that a difference was made for someone that day. We have some middle and high schoolers volunteering now and it is so wonderful to see the relationships formed and the knowledge build surrounding this very special population.
I do believe that I am in the presence of angels when these kids are near. God has a distinct purpose for all of His creations and the innocence and absence of selfishness from these children indicate to me Christ likeness- they have to be angels! I can't wait to get to Heaven and see them walk, run, talk, laugh, smile and praise Him the way we all will!

Remnants of Disney

We are back into our usual routines and getting back to reality. There are still things to be put up and some clothes to be washed, but other than that- the house is normal. The kids are still talking about Disney but I think they are glad to be at home with their own toys and sleeping in their own beds.
I had about 185 emails to sift through when I got back and I am finally at a point of weeding them down to about 20 that need a reply. It is hard to be off work for that long, but I sure did enjoy it. I am glad to get back to work where I don't have to push a stroller or carry a back pack for 15 hours!!!
Hi Ho Hi Ho.............

Disney Day 6

Another great day! This will be my last post until we return home. Today we started in Epcot. We arrived early and were able to see the characters by ourselves because no one else was in there for a while. It was great for the kids. Goofy cut up with them for a while and gave them some stickers that they are treasuring. The kids loved the Nemo ride and watching the real fish in the huge tanks. Stone loved Test Track and Soarin. Sadie couldn't ride so I made sure that she had some special attention today. She got to do the Jr. Chef at Epcot. They allow approximately 15 kids to bake cookies in this precious kitchen area. The pictures are cute and she felt like she was on top of the world! It was good that she could do something for once that no one else could (Stone was not interested at all which helped the situation).
We went to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon and had a blast in Toon Town. Stone of course hit his 2 favorites- Thunder Mtn Railroad and Splash Mtn. To top it off we had faces painted. Stone wanted his daddy to do it too so he did. What a good sport! They think they are so awesome with their faces painted.
When taking the monorail from MK to Epcot, Stone and Sadie got to be the co-pilots and ride in the front car with the driver. They got their license to co-pilot card and they think they are cool! It was fun and a nice treat! We went back to Epcot tonight for our Grand Gathering Illuminations Dinner. It was the best event of the week and appropriately fell on our last night in Disney. We had an international meal served buffet style. They had a children's buffet that was on kid size tables so they could get it themselves. We had live entertainment by "Aunt Roz" and "DJ T.J.". Minnie and Goofy showed up and Sadie danced with both. Stone was not for all the group fun so he sat it out. We were escorted to a private area outside by the water where we were served dessert and coffee and we watched Illuminations which was gorgeous! The kids sat and looked at it with their jaws dropped the entire time. It was very memorable.
Overall, we have had a fantastic time. I will certainly do it again but it will be a while before we come for another visit. I think 7 and 8 will be nice ages to do it again. That gives us about 4 years to plan and save. We spared no expense this time and it was the way to go. I want to be able to do that again. The "extras" were well worth it! Thanks for all who commented- it kept us connected to home. See you soon.

Disney Day 5

Today was Animal Kingdom. I have to say that it was just okay. It was not my favorite. There are a lot of things to look at but not a whole lot to actually do- especially if you are a 4 or 5 year old. We saw 2 good shows (Nemo and Lion King), rode Everest twice, and went on a Safari. After that it was pretty much meeting characters and walking around. It was nice to relax and not have to go from ride to ride but then again it was boring at times. Here's the pics for today!
Trina, Larry, George and I are going out for some adult fun tonight. Mimi and Pops are playing with the kids while we go.
Tomorrow is Epcot.

Disney Day 4

We had a blast today. It was a "Magical Hours" day at Magic Kingdom so we stayed until 11:00. The kids fell asleep before we got out of the park! We hopped over to MGM for some fun late in the afternoon. We saw a great parade and had great seats! Here's the pics from the day.
Stone rode Thunder Mtn 3 times today! He is hooked. He also rode Splash Mtn and Tower of terror. He wasn't thrilled about Tower of Terror but he did it. He calls it Tower of Death!
Sadie has had a good time shopping with Mimi while we rode the coasters. Stone is not tall enough for Space Mtn and others- he only meets the 40" rides.
When we took the bus to MGM it was VERY crowded and for some reason Stone wanted to entertain the bus. He has the whole bus laughing and I was about to wet my pants. First of all his accent is so thick that it alone made everyone laugh. The clincher was when he started dancing and did the Geico commercial with Mini Me (It's my birthday, got my car fixed...)- somebody asked where he learned the dance and he hollered- Oh you know it's the Geico commercial. What barely 5 year old knows that junk?
We had a great dinner at Liberty Tree- family style dinner with characters. He gave all the characters tater handshakes (with your fists) and they thought that was funny.
You'll notice in most pictures that we are wearing hats- it was a bit chilly but only in the morning and late night. The northerners that we talked to laughed at us because they said it was a tropical day to them.
Still no long lines today- the most was 20 minutes- can't beat that.
Well I am pooped. Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom- stay tuned!

Disney day 3

Wow another fun day! We began our day with a character breakfast at Tony's Town Restaurant (Lady and Tramp theme). At first the kids were apprehensive about meeting the characters but they warmed up and had a blast. We saw the big rat (as Gramps calls him) and all the main characters. We did the whole picture thing and got that out of our way. Then we started riding again. Check the pics for more details.
I was delighted that I have "roller coaster kids". I am all about fast, death defying, make your insides quiver kind of rides so I was a little worried that I would have scaredy kids and be doomed to a life on the bench. Not so! They rode Goofy's roller coaster and begged for more. We got Stone in the line for Thunder Mountain Railroad and the crazy thing broke. Tomorrow we will let him check out the big roller coasters and see what he thinks. Sadie is not tall enough and she is not happy about that. Poor child- her mother is a shorty!
We had a great day in the Magic Kingdom and enjoyed our time. The crowds are so low that even the Fast Passes aren't available for most attractions because the wait time is already so short. We have had great weather for the most part (of course the 2 minute showers are annoying).
Tonight we took a Grand Gathering Magical Fireworks Voyage. Hook, Smee and Pan were all there. We took a boat ride and got to see the Electric Water Pageant and the Wishes fireworks from the boat. It was awesome. Stone won a sword- oh goody! Sadie won a periscope- she gave it to her brother. They both answered trivia questions on the boat.
It was an eventful and memorable day to say the least. Who knows what day 4 will hold?

Disney day 2

Where do I begin? Today has been amazing. We began our day at MGM and had a blast! The weather was in the high 70's and overcast which made for a great day. Stone was able to meet the power rangers and he was on cloud nine the rest of the day. I think he would have been fine to go home after that. Sadie loved The Little Mermaid show.
We ate dinner at The Whispering Canyon Cafe and it is a must for all families!! It was so fun. The kids had races and if you need ketchup you yelled and they brought you about 8 jars. Then whenever the next table needed it and yelled, you take it to them. George asked for a coke and they brought him a huge coke for fun (see pics). It was just fun- we laughed so hard I almost....well you know.
Then we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom for a couple of hours. We arrived about an hour before they closed and got to see the Wishes parade and fireworks and ride the tea cups, Dumbo, and Peter Pan's wild ride. It was great and the kids were amazed at the castle. Yes I did shed a tear or 2!
I am dog tired and ready for bed. We are eating breakfast with the characters in the morning then tomorrow night is our fireworks voyage with Captain Hook!
Check the pics for more details of today's events. Thanks for all the comments- we enjoy reading them.

Disney day 1

Well.... we are here!!!! Right now it is 1:45pm and the kids are fast asleep for a nap. They had to wake up around 4:00am so a nap was a must. They loved the plane and the "space cab" that takes you to the main airport terminal. We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Resort...check out the pics. It is numero uno! The kids have jumped and screamed at every thing around here in excitement. This day alone has been worth the entire trip. If I knew bunk beds would excite them so much I would have a set at home.
It does not smell like animals thank goodness. It is about 70 degrees and people are swimming outdoors- not many but some. No thanks.
We are eating at the Concourse Steakhouse tonight and looking forward to a juicy side of beef! Wish you were here!!!!!