And.......We're Off!

Today we packed up to leave for Florida.

Now, I would like to say that I have been packed and ready for days, you know that's just how organized I am. Ha, Ya whatever! No chance of that happening!

We woke up today and Gracie greeted me with a croupy cough, you know, the kind that you know will get nastyyyyyy if it's not taken care of? So, off to the doctor and pharmacy we went. So glad we got that taken care of so that we can enjoy this trip as a family.

Now, because I knew I would be gone the majority of the morning taking Gracie to the doctor and getting prescriptions, I woke my 3 boys up before I left and then called them once I was in the car to deligate their jobs that must be completed before our departure for Disney World.

It truly was amazing to see how nice the house looked when I came home. Dishes were done, laundry done, their bags packed, the dog had been taken next door to my in-laws house. Wow, when Disney is your bargaining chip, those kiddos seem to move like Mario Andretti! Go speed racer.....GO!

So, Make-A-Wish has reserved us two room at a nice hotel by the airport. Our flight departs for Florida bright and early at 7 in the morning.

It was like the Griswalds (you know Chevy Chase and his fam) going on vacation when we attempted to load up the eight of us. My dad is joining us and we are so happy to share this amazing trip with him.

You would have thought we were moving by the way my two middle boys packed. They felt as though they could not live without a FULL SIZE blanket for each of them. You know, we're headed to Africa, and there are no blankets there right? Hello, it's the sunshine state, I think they will have blankets where we're staying. GOOD GRAVY!

So, it is now 11:00 pm. I have OVERmedicated ADHD boy with benadryl, and still......he goes.....and goes.....and goes.....

I bought a Sharpie pen today to label some things for our trip, toothbrushes, water bottles and so on. Well, guess what, I yelled MARCO, yet the pen did not yell POLO....grrrrrrrr!

So, I asked Elijah to run down to the hotel front desk to see if they had a marker we could borrow.

Twenty.....yes 20 minutes later, he comes back. Now, I had already called the front desk to check and see if he was still there once. Yet still, no ELI!

He finally comes back to the hotel room (right before I sent out the search party) and I asked (very angrily) what took him so long.

Here is his reply:

Well Mom, I was trying to waste time so I went up and down on the elevator to visit each floor a few times.

And, there goes my life...Wheh, that boy makes me tired.

And I pray a lil prayer that I always pray for Elijah when he is on my last nerve, "Dear Lord, please give him triplet sons JUST LIKE HIM!" AMMMMMMMEN!

So tomorrow we head to Disney!! We are so excited and can't wait to enjoy this adventure.

Faith and the other kids don't know this(shhhhhhhhh!) but we are meeting up with Lam and has family while in Florida. This is the lil boy that was from the same orphanage in Vietnam that Faith was from. They danced and sang together. She has talked about him since she learned her first words in English.I visited him in Vietnam, holding him and loving on him, praying for God to send a Miracle for this boy. I knew about him for several months before we adopted Faith. I longed to be his mommy, but his mommy ended up being from Florida. We have remained in contact, their family and ours, and sent pics and letters back and forth.

I can't wait to reunite them and take pics. Neither are orphans anymore. How GREAT and BIG my God is!

Below is a lil more info about the place we are staying at. I am SUPER SIKED ABOUT STAYING HERE!!!

Give Kids the World has a life-size candy land game, rides, a pool, a lake, a free arcade and teen room, and OODLES of other things to do. Give Kids The World was made for families with chronically ill children. EVERYTHING WE DO IN GIVE KIDS THE WORLD IS FREE, FREE, FREE, including the ice cream, arcades, and so on. This place has trash cans that look like elephants, that suck up your trash when you put your hand to the elephants nose, giant chocolate bars, tables for children in the restaurants that are made kid size and made out of 30,000 peppermints. They have a theatre, putt putt golf, a train station, a horse korral, a playground, and so MUCH MORE!

Every Thursday is Christmas at Give Kids The World. Santa and Mrs. Clause ride through the village. The mayor, a 6 foot tall bunny rabbit, will come around and tuck the kids in each evening if we request this.

Their website is : http://www.gktw.org/aboutUs.asp?a=1&page=scrapbook

Go check it out!
Here is how Give Kids The World came to be:

The story of Give Kids The World begins with a little girl with a wish and the desire of one man to make that wish come true.

The little girl's name was Amy. Amy had leukemia and one wish - to visit the theme parks in Orlando. To facilitate Amy's wish, the request of a complimentary stay was made to a respected hotelier. As he had done many times before, the hotelier gladly obliged and Amy's wish was that much closer to being realized. Sadly, the remainder of Amy's travel plans took too long to arrange and her wish was never granted; Amy had passed away. Time simply ran out.

This unfulfilled wish inspired a man, the hotelier, to make a vow that no child in need would ever be failed again. That man was Henri Landwirth and his desire to ensure that Amy's story would never repeat itself is where the story of Give Kids The World begins.


Landwirth enlisted the support of colleagues in the hospitality industry, including our world-famous theme parks, to assist him in bringing these special families to Central Florida within 24 hours if need be. He called the project “Give Kids The World,” because that is just what he intended to do - provide memorable, magical, cost-free experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

As the program expanded and the number of families continued to grow, it was apparent that Give Kids The World would need to create a place that could better serve the special needs of our families. The gates of Give Kids The World Village opened in 1989.

Today the Village is a 70-acre resort complete with over 140 Villa accommodations, entertainment attractions, whimsical venues, and fun specifically designed for children with special needs.

With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 100,000 families from all 50 states and over 70 countries.

Will post more later.
Much Love,

Bam