Tyler's Troopers descend on WDW for a Wishtrip & Birthdays in late May

[TTomlinson]

We are so excited! This will be the kids first ever trip to Disney and Florida. We met with the MAW screeners last night and started plans. We don't have dates yet, but they said to expect to go in about 6 weeks (end of May). Tyler's Bday is May 10th and my other son Brett's is May 19th so we will be celebrating birthdays as well as making Tyler's wish come true.
party:

Tyler will be turning 6 and is an amazing, sweet, funny and loving little guy who just loves life! He was recently diagnosed with Friedrich's Ataxia, on top of already being diagnosed with high functioning autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. FA is a a devastating, genetic neurological disorder that progressively takes away a child's motor skills, speech skills, bone and muscle strength – and, ultimately, his or her life. As yet, there is no known cure. Luckily we do not yet have the scoliosis that can accompany FA or diabetes, but he does have a moderate case of cardiomyopathy that is already impacting his heart function. We just started on ACE inhibitors to help his heart function ease. He is still somewhat mobile, but has very cavus feet (extremely high arches and hammertoes) and some muscle loss in his lower legs so his gait and balance and coordination are very affected.

You can find out more on Tyler's Caringbridge website http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tylercarpenter

So this is my first ever Pre-Trip Report so I'm totally winging it here :eek: If I miss anything let me know and I'll add as needed!

As for the cast:
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/tami182-1.jpg
princess:
I'm Tami (mom), 35 yrs old and the only princess in the house! I'm a photographer sometimes although not as much as I used to be before Tyler came along, although my kids still get tired of me not being able to just take "snapshots" lol everything needs good light and pretty background! But I'm getting over that! I've only been to Disneyland once, by myself, actually on the trip when I got pregnant with Tyler. My ex was at a conference and I spent the days exploring Disney and pretending I was a 10 yr old girl!

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tyler008b.jpg
:tigger:
Tyler of course is the star of the show most of the time at our house. If he is not getting all the attention he finds some way to demand it! He loves Blues Clues more than just about anything and we are hoping to meet Blue while we are in FL. He also loves Pooh/Piglet/Tigger, Dora and Doodlebops (one of his wishes was to be made into Moe the orange Doodlebop lol)

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Clayton006b.jpg
:flower3:
Clayton is 8 and is my cassanova. He is such a loving kid and is able to charm just about anyone with his huge blue eyes :) He wants to be an actor someday!

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/DSC_0085.jpg
pirate:
Brett is 11 (almost 12!) and is in the awkward tween age but is a hilarious kid. He loves arts and crafts and makes the coolest origami you've ever seen. He loves gaming like his mom and we have to watch him or he will take over an xbox in no time flat!

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Dillon030b.jpg
:rockband:
Dillon is my oldest, 14 going on 30. He is an amazing musician and loves to play his guitar (or any instrument he can get his hands on) and writes music as well. He also loves studying about tornado sirens and maybe someday will be working in the meteorology field developing new ways to warn people. He is a little more reluctant about Disney but I know he'll have a great time too. I think his hesitation is that he just detests some of the current Disney music stars because he thinks he could do so much better if given a chance lol. Maybe just a tad of narcissism but at 14... what do you expect? :banana:

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/DSC_0145.jpg
:lovestruc:
And joining us will be my mom, Mimi (or Carol for anyone over 18)! I definitely will need help with all four boys and Tyler especially, so MAW is letting my mom join us on the trip. She lives in Oklahoma so we don't see her as much as we'd like and this is going to be such a memorable thing for our family with Tyler. She is a great Mimi, although she spoils the boys way too much of course!

[xanphylus]

Great start! Your kids are cuties! (Even the "I'm not cute, I'm a boy" boys!) :lmao: I love your pics and the lighting too... lol. I love taking pics too- but I gave up on most of the fancy stuff- the 1 year old is having none of the "hold that pose please" crud from me!

You guys are all gonna have a blast at Disney. Even the oldest who has his reservations, will give them up when he see's the bigger kid stuff. I even got my DH to love the stuff (and if not actually love, at least be patient ebough for his family's love of all things Disney).

You're doing just fine on your very first PTR and I am sure many more people, esp from the WISH boards, will find it soon. Tell Maroo that you started one so she can link it to the WISH thread! That will surely get you more people over here who can answer questions and help too. :goodvibes

Keep writing- we'll be waiting!

[TTomlinson]

Thanks so much both for visiting Tyler's site and signing his guestbook and posting on here Xanphylus!!! We really appreciate it so much! I'm so glad I found this great group!

[TTomlinson]

Ok so the boys and I (at least the older ones) decided we were all in for pin trading extravaganza this trip. We all agreed that it would be a lot of fun and something really memorable to bring home from our trip. I did pin trading just a little the one time I was at DL but I was short on money so only bought the little starter lanyard that came with some pins and just had fun with that. I loved it though. I've got to find my autograph book and photos and pins to show the boys. I think it will really get them excited... as if they need help! :rotfl:

So, I let all of our supporters know that we were going to be pin traders and asked for our family and friends to donate some pins to the cause by ordering some lots from Ebay or sending us ones that their kids collected and no longer want. I also bid and won a lot of 20 today for just under $20 :yay:

I'm so gonna have to watch it because I wanna order a TON of pins and start buying clothes and such for the trip and I really need to watch my budget! I know we will get so much cool stuff from all our supporters and MAW and GKTW. Its just so hard to refrain!

My mom and I had a great time talking about plans and ideas on the phone today... she just got back from a golf vacation in Florida late last night/early this morning. We decided that we may spend one day at the beach (they were just in Daytona) since the younger boys have never been to the ocean and its a shame to fly halfway across the country and not let them at least experience that for one day. So if anyone has suggestions, let me know!

I also got an email from Littlest Heroes today that we were approved for a photo session (thanks to whoever shared that on the Wish Trippers thread). I am a photographer but have hardly any pics of me with the boys and none of all of us together since about 3 years ago. I'm always behind the camera. So I'm keeping fingers crossed that we can make it happen to have a photographer meet us at the beach for some really great family photos and some awesome ones of Tyler.

Its so hard to plan when we don't even know for sure what our dates will be. I'd love to start making our estimated schedule (I know it will change when we get there!) and try to at least get Tyler in to eat with Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace (right? I'm so new at this I'm always worried I have it all wrong!) Hopefully it wont take them long to make the arrangements and we can start doing all that! Otherwise I think my brain might burst!!!! :rolleyes:

[TTomlinson]

Oh yeah! I decided today to do something positive for myself and the boys as we move towards our Disney trip. I have been needing to get healthier and lose weight for far too long now. As Tyler has been going through diagnosis I keep telling myself that its really important now for me to get healthy so I can take care of him. So today, I got back on my meds, drank water instead of Mt. Dew (a huge addiction of mine), walked Tyler to the park to play (he had a blast! and it was so good to see him giggle and laugh) and decided to buy nicotine gum or patches or something as soon as I get paid Tuesday.

I've been wanting to give up smoking for awhile now but it is so hard since my boyfriend smokes and its kind of our "time-out" from the kids and stress to chill and talk to each other outside or in the garage. Its just so bad for everyone, and so expensive! I'm quitting now so that I'll be over most of the cravings by our trip. I can't imagine how stressed I will be looking for places to sneak off and smoke during this trip and the time wasted doing that when I could be with the kids and watching Tyler live his dreams and wishes. Smoking has become such an un-cool thing and it is harder and harder to find anywhere appropriate to light up that I just decided I'm done. I don't want to be all cranky wanting a cigarette at the airport or the parks or anywhere anymore! Wish me luck!!!!

I am not really counting on loosing a ton of weight before our trip. Its only 6 weeks but I know even 6 weeks of changes will make a huge impact on how I feel and even if I only lose a little that I've put on with all this stress related eating in the past 6 months so I can wear some of my clothes that just aren't comfortable... any change for the positive will be worth the investment!

[maroo]

Hello there!

I have put a link to your pretrippie on the Wish Trippers page - so hopefully you will get some more traffic over here!

You have done a GREAT job on this! :) I love the pics of the boys - very professional!

And kuddos you for wanting to get healthy! They definitely will need their Mom for many years to come!!!! :hug:

[Mtopher4]

Welcome :-)

My Birthday is my 18th LOL

We are going on my daughters wish trip on May 9th :-) She picked the cruise.. I can't wait. I'll be following your PTR :-)

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Hi there Tami! So happy to hear Tyler was approved for a Disney Wish trip! I read his CB page and I have not commented on it just yet. Tyler and your whole family are very handsome boys. And they have a wonderful momma;) I love photography only my family is not into the smiling and posing for me so I gave up. I only torture them every once in a while (with the exeption of when we go to Disney of course:rotfl:)

I watched the entire FA video on his CB page. That is a very informative video. It really walks a day in the life of a child with FA. Ty was tested for the ataxia's but it was negative. He has an ataxic gait(off and on) and myoclonic movements that come and go too.

Wow 6weeks:cool1: That is not long at all. You will be in Disney before you know it!

[pacrosby]

Welcome Tami!

I'm an 'oldie' here...................already went on our trip (in December) but hanging around as I continue to try and finish our Trip Report (and plan for an upcoming trip :yay:)

Congrats on the healthy eating challenge! I'm on one of those too. I don't call it a 'diet' because in truth I'm eating alot more than I used too..............it's just that I'm eating fruit instead of cheezits and vegetables instead of chocolate :rotfl: And like you I've gone cold turkey with the Coke (from 5-6 a day to nothing but water :eek:)

Your px are great. Love black and whites.

Enjoy the planning. We're here to help :)

[kdzbear]

Yeah, another Tyler! My Tyler went on his Wish Trip last November. I can't wait to hear all about your plans. I have a great person I buy pins from on ebay that are inexpensive and always real and high quality. PM me if you need her ebay name.

Welcome! :banana: :welcome: :banana:

[wishin' on a star]

Hi again Tami! Your PTR is looking great!!! The pictures are fantastic, your family is beautiful, and I can't wait to learn more about your family and hear all of your plans. I'm looking forward to you getting dates, in case we are there the same time! :goodvibes

[TTomlinson]

I am feeling a little impatient and overwhelmed at the same time :) I spend WAY too much time reading about trips and reports and ideas and tips but still feel like I haven't even scraped the surface yet of planning LOL Part of that is still waiting on confirmation and dates.

But here is kind of what the boys are looking forward too on the "must-do" list so far:

Pin Trading! This even got my teenager excited ;) We ordered some pin lots to practice at home and get a good base to start from, they should be here soon!

Ridemakerz The boys can't wait to build custom RC cars together. I hope that Tyler has fun with this and the overwhelming choices don't overstimulate him. I may ask them to do a special "easy" version of it for him with his issues.

Lunch or Dinner with Pooh and Friends at Crystal Palace

I found out each of the boys favorite characters (actually their top 3) and I'm planning on doing a couple of things special for each boy hopefully. I was kind of surprised by some of their answers but happily so!

I really want to go to La Nouba and think the boys would love it but we haven't decided yet. It depends on the cost of tickets and scheduling. I love Cirque du Soleil and have been enthralled every time I've gone.

We are really hoping that we get scheduled to be there for at least a day of the Star Wars weekends! The middle boys especially are all abuzz about getting to do jedi training and fight Darth Vader or Darth Maul and see all the storm troopers etc... They love Star Wars (so do I) and I think they would have a blast if this happens while we are there.

Tyler just still keeps talking about visiting Micky's Clubhouse, being Steve and meeting Blue and eating with Pooh and Piglet.

We did decide to spend a day on the beach in Daytona, so everyone is looking forward to that too.

Oh yeah, and HATS :) everyone is already talking about what kind of hat they want lol

[TTomlinson]

Yay we just got an email from MAW that we have a wish coordinator now and she should be contacting us about dates soon! Can't wait so I can really start planning :)

[xanphylus]

Yay we just got an email from MAW that we have a wish coordinator now and she should be contacting us about dates soon! Can't wait so I can really start planning :)

Hurray! That's great news. Then you will be able to plan and get really excited. I am sure it will seem much more real once you have dates too! :goodvibes

[kdzbear]

I can't wait to hear the dates you get. I hope the pin trading info. I PMed you helped! I bet the kids are getting so excited! :woohoo:

[wishin' on a star]

Yay we just got an email from MAW that we have a wish coordinator now and she should be contacting us about dates soon! Can't wait so I can really start planning :)

Don't keep us in suspense too long! I hope you hear from her soon! :cool1:

[TTomlinson]

Well (keeping our fingers crossed) our MAW coordinator called today and gave us the dates of May 16-22 :yay:

I'm so excited but also had a bit of a rough day too so I'm just too pooped out to write more right now, but wanted to update everyone. Looks like maybe we will get to meet a few of you!

We had a long day of SLT/OT/PT and met with the DME rep for the first time and it was basically decided that his mobility and balance/gait have gotten quite a bit worse recently (I had been thinking this too) and that for his safety and stamina the best thing is a wheelchair part-time for now. We are also going to try some AFOs that are made a bit different to see if that helps when he is up walking. Just sad at another step in this journey that I don't want to be on... For now it will be used just for long distances and times when his stamina and strength just can't last, but its also to get him used to using it because he will become more dependent on it as his disease progresses. Again heard that they've never seen a kid so young with such a severe progression already. It sure doesn't do anything to reassure me about the progression of his disease and how fast this is happening.

Anyway, I have a ton of things to do and I'm sure I need to go just take some time to chill after a long day. I'll be back later to post more about planning when I'm more in the mood!

[xanphylus]

I think you need a hug! :hug: And congrats on the dates!!! :goodvibes

[wishin' on a star]

YAY for dates! You guys will be there the same time as us! It's creeping up very quickly!!
I'm sorry about the progression and needing a wheelchair. :hug:

[TTomlinson]

TY for the hug! I definitely needed it this afternoon!

I was feeling so sad this afternoon about the whole wheelchair issue and I got this amazing phone call that really lifted my spirits! I had sent an email to Ridemakerz after seeing their site and the blog about how cool it was and my boys being so excited about going there. I knew that a visit there would probably just kill our expense budget so I emailed them letting them know we would be there on a wish trip and asking if there was anything they could do for us to help so the boys could have that experience. Well, one of the head honchos called me from his vacation and said the email had found its way to him and he had visited Tyler's site and had taken it upon himself to create a really awesome experience for my boys. He said they are still working out details and he will call to give and get more info when he is off vacation next week but the idea they are tossing around is having a private, complimentary Ridemakerz bash for our family one morning before the store opens! He said the whole pit crew would be there to entertain us and make it a truly memorable time for us all. He said he's even working on having a team member or two available just to take photos/videos for us so that I can just enjoy the time with the boys. He hinted at a lot of cool surprises and gifts for the boys and making them honorary pit crew members :thumbsup2 He said he has some other ideas including working with some of the big wigs at Disney that he has connections with to do some really "guy" stuff behind the scenes at the Richard Petty racing experience (I know nothing about this lol) and making quite an event out of all of it for them. I am just so honored and in awe of these awesome people that will go out of their way to make this special for my boys.

As I was looking at our possible schedule I realized that the best morning if it works for the store/crew is Wednesday (no characters at GKTW that morning) which is my one of my son's 12th birthday so I think we are going to make it into a birthday celebration that he will never forget!

I guess it just proves my motto that it never hurts to ask! My kids are not all that into the character meals and this close to the date I don't know that I could get many reservations anyway, this is going to be so much more their speed!

I'm sitting here with printouts and scribbles trying to work some kind of basic schedule out but I'm finding it hard to coordinate such a large age range. I've already told the boys that this trip is mostly about Tyler and so they will have to "put up" with a lot of things that may not be their interest, but I am setting aside special time for each one of them to do what is most important to them too. I think its going to work out for me to sneak away with each one for a few hours during the trip for some one-on-one special time since my mom is going. To them I think that means more than anything since they don't get that much at home.

So, for my oldest Dillon it will be dinner at Hard Rock and the Blue Man Group at CityWalk at Universal Studios. For Clayton who is 8 I think we are having a pirate league afternoon just the two of us. I haven't quite decided what Brett's will be yet because he gave a priority 1 to every single ride/attraction/idea I mentioned! We will figure something out though! LOL

And for Tyler I'm going to plan some special things at MK our first day there for his birthday and sneak away with him for just a little bit to do some mommy adventures there.

The middle boys have totally abandoned the pirate ideas in favor of Star Wars, but I can't say I mind :darth: I'm kind of a Star Wars, sci-fi, fantasy girl myself!

So, just wanted to share that even though today was hard, there was a huge bright spot to ease some of the burden. I guess that's what this is all about anyway right?:wizard:

[xanphylus]

That sounds REALLY cool!!! I hope they pull out all the stops for you guys! I got excited just reading about that myself. My DH would love to do the Richard Petty thing, but its just too expensive for us. Maybe one day... you never know! :goodvibes
The build a car thing sounds cool, maybe when my DS is older we can look into that- as he is only 1, the remote control cars still scare the crap out of him... lol! :lmao: Poor kid- he likes them far away, but when they start coming towards him, her runs away screaming! I guess he thinks they will run him over? :rotfl:

[TTomlinson]

I'm so glad they invited us to do it that way, with the store closed to everyone but us. I think Tyler will enjoy it but I was worried that if it was crowded and he was rushed he would get overwhelmed and melt down on me. I will let everyone know for sure how it goes! He kept hinting that they had a lot of plans in mind but wanted all of us to be surprised :) That's so much fun! I love surprises too but I'm so dang impatient :laughing:

Anyway, I just wanted to reply to try my hand at the siggy thing :rotfl:

Its so cool we will be there at the same time! We will have to make arrangements to meet up!

[TTomlinson]

Oh wait lol I was confused! I'm still trying to learn everyone and catch up on PTRs! Wishin will be there when we are, but I still meant what I said... just meant to direct it to her... too bad you wont be there then too! We could have a party! At someone's villa after kids are asleep... with margaritas or something :rolleyes1

[xanphylus]

I don't get to go until its really hot in July.... kinda dreading the heat, but we will have fun either way. I mean, I live in Ga for crying out loud... its hotter than poodleville here too! :lmao:
I wish I was going when some of the Wish families on here were going, but so far- one is arriving the day after I leave and that's about it.
The only cool thing about it- I live close enough to visit semi-often, at least if I can convince my hubby that is! He says we need to cut back after all my future trip plans are done- as if that will ever happen!! :rotfl: He knows about my plan to surprise DD9 on her 10th birthday with a trip to Universal to see the Harry Potter thing (we are both big fans!) and my plan for one last trip before DS turns 3 (he is free until then!), but he would freak if I mentioned going again after that! :rotfl2: Poor guy!

[pacrosby]

I am so excited for you and your boys (re: the Ridemakerz)!!!!!! Good job calling and asking! You are so right, you'll never know unless you go out on a limb and ask and a Wish trip so deserves to be so much more than just another family vacation. I myself got bold and called GKTW to ask for the possiblity for alittle extra something special and they said 'yes' helping to make our trip truly a once in a lifetime experience. Memories that we could never duplicate no matter how much money we had. Better come back and share with loads of px!! My boys already have made plans for a trip to Ridemakerz when we return for an "Anniversary Wish" trip in December.

[TTomlinson]

We are taking at least 3 cameras lol my oldest son is pretty good photographer and when we went to Seattle a few months ago we all three (mom, Dillon and I) took pics and then compiled them. It was so cool seeing everyone's different viewpoints on our experience. So I know we will come home with a TON of pictures! I thought it was so thoughtful of them to think of providing a crew member or two to take photos and videos of this special event so that I could be in the pictures and just enjoying the time with them instead of being wrapped up in documenting it. Meant a lot to me! We are definitely going to be making full use of the Photopass too!

[yinyanggirls]

I was feeling so sad this afternoon about the whole wheelchair issue and I got this amazing phone call that really lifted my spirits!

I can relate, although Phoebe has never regressed in abilities or declined in health. When her PT started talking about a wheelchair for school (age 3) I seriously did not want one. First of all, she was 3! She still fit, looked typical, and was completely comfortable in a stroller. But the PT insisted that the school would need it to transport her and she was right. Of course, it's second nature to use it, see her in it, and deal with it now, but I do understand that it is a step that has significance.


He said he has some other ideas including working with some of the big wigs at Disney that he has connections with to do some really "guy" stuff


That is so awesome!!! I love it!

We could have a party! At someone's villa after kids are asleep... with margaritas or something :rolleyes1

Hmmm, you wouldn't be the first to have that idea....let's see if you are the first to carry it out.... ;) I'm sure by the time you actually go there will be another family or two on here that you can "meet".

[newdrama12]

sounds like a lot of AMAZING things are planned for the trip. Can't wait to hear how all of them go. Especially the Ridemakerz, sounds like they are going to pull out all the stops. Hope that everything goes well!!! Enjoy the trip!

:wizard:

[TTomlinson]

Crystal Palace reservations are made! We have a 2:05 lunch on our first day at MK for Tyler's Birthday celebration! :bday:

I'm going to try to get an earlier time for us if we can so that we don't miss the afternoon parade, but it feels good to at least have a reservation now. I know he is going to LOVE it! He is a huge Pooh fan. I splurged and got the goody bags for the boys and a pop-up treasure cake. Since this is the only character dining we are doing I decided to make the most of it. Gotta remember to pack a candle, he is adamant about having a #6 candle on his cake. I had seen another separate number to order a cake and I'm wondering if it is any different than the cake options they offered me when making my reservation... hmmm... may just have to call and find out! She did tell me when I was expressing concern over missing the parade that if we can get in earlier (she gave me some ideas there too) that if we get out about the time of the parade there is a little known shortcut to get to a good place to watch the parade that isnt usually as crowded. She said just to ask a CM and they would be glad to help us get to the right spot easily.

I'd still like to go see La Nouba but my family is not showing much interest and I figured out it would cost us about $500 for us all to go see it. I guess we will skip it this time!

[TTomlinson]

So, here is my first pass at a general schedule: (any suggestions are appreciated and welcome!!) We are planning to eat breakfast and to be at the character signing times at the Village each morning and then head out.

Sun-Travel and chill at the Village, Teen party for my oldest that night

Mon-MK! 2:05 lunch @ Crystal Palace for Tyler's Bday, possibly a break at the Village in the afternoon for swimming/rest/naps/dinner and then back to MK for the nighttime parade and fireworks

Tue-US/IOA, back to the Village for dinner and the evening to relax and play

Wed-Ridemakerz Bash in the morning (we're not sure what all they have planned yet, so don't know how long this will take us); Daytona Beach in the afternoon until about sunset then back to the village to relax-we may end up switching our beach day if Ridemakerz has a lot of stuff planned and we need to use one of our park admissions this day... if so I'll just have to do some rearranging

Thur-AK for as long as the boys are interested, then possibly another trip to US/IOA with just the older boys for some thrill rides; Winter Wonderland and Christmas stuff at the Village 6:30-8:30

Fri-DHS for Star Wars Weekend opener! Motorcade @ 11am, Block Party Bash @ 3 and as many rides and attractions as we can do in between; back to Village for dinner/rest/relax while I take my oldest to Hard Rock for dinner and Blue Man Group

Sat-undecided until we know our travel times, possibly a revisit to whichever park we still have tickets left for, or horseback riding and playing at the Village

[wishin' on a star]

Did someone say margaritas? :drinking1 That's definitely right up my alley! :cool1:

The Ridemakerz experience sounds amazing...good for you for asking! I'm sure your boys will love it. I know we'll have to check it out as well.

It would definitely be fun to meet. Hopefully at Christmas or some other time at the village! :goodvibes

[pacrosby]

Tami.............

do you know about the Cessna rides offered by GKTW? My two older boys did it and had a blast!

There's alittle bit about it on my TR (px of the plane and the sights from the plane). If you want more info let me know (I won't drone on if it's not of interest LOL). I just thought having boys (I have 3 myself) it might be right up their alley

[maroo]

Well (keeping our fingers crossed) our MAW coordinator called today and gave us the dates of May 16-22 :yay:

I'm so excited but also had a bit of a rough day too so I'm just too pooped out to write more right now, but wanted to update everyone. Looks like maybe we will get to meet a few of you!

We had a long day of SLT/OT/PT and met with the DME rep for the first time and it was basically decided that his mobility and balance/gait have gotten quite a bit worse recently (I had been thinking this too) and that for his safety and stamina the best thing is a wheelchair part-time for now. We are also going to try some AFOs that are made a bit different to see if that helps when he is up walking. Just sad at another step in this journey that I don't want to be on... For now it will be used just for long distances and times when his stamina and strength just can't last, but its also to get him used to using it because he will become more dependent on it as his disease progresses. Again heard that they've never seen a kid so young with such a severe progression already. It sure doesn't do anything to reassure me about the progression of his disease and how fast this is happening.

Anyway, I have a ton of things to do and I'm sure I need to go just take some time to chill after a long day. I'll be back later to post more about planning when I'm more in the mood!

Oh man! This really sucks about the whole progression thing!

But the Ridemakerz thing is awesome! I didn't even know what that was!

[Momofwishkid]

subbing, your family is adorable. Love the pics and Wow the Ridemakers sounds awesome! Good job making that call and asking.
Sorry to hear about Tyler's regression.

[TTomlinson]

OK Pamela, that sounds cool and my oldest was totally into the idea, but you are so in trouble! :surfweb: Now I'm all caught up in another TR hehe... I'll never get anything done!!! I'm really enjoying your report though and thanks for the heads up on the plane ride!

[pacrosby]

OK Pamela, that sounds cool and my oldest was totally into the idea, but you are so in trouble! :surfweb: Now I'm all caught up in another TR hehe... I'll never get anything done!!! I'm really enjoying your report though and thanks for the heads up on the plane ride!


oops sorry :laughing:

When I heard how excited your boys were about the Ridemakerz I thought this might be a treat too. Just FYI it's a max of 3 people on the ride (30-45 minutes). Are you having another adult go with you? If not I don't know if the boys could go without an adult (well, other than the pilot obviously). Or if there is anyway you could arrange someone to stay with one while you ride with the others. Questions for GKTW I guess. When we were there it was offered on Monday and Wednesdays and you needed to book it a minimum of 48 hours ahead of time. The airport was only 10 minutes away so it didn't eat up much time (especially if you got the first or second flight out).

There's alot of stuff available (other parks, shows etc.) in and around the Orlando area that GKTW offers for free or at a discount. If you're interested in a list let me know and I'll pm it. The more you know ahead of time the better prepared you can be. I can't even imagine showing up at the Village totally clueless. I'd be kicking myself for years after getting home and discovering all the things we 'could have' done but weren't aware of:sad2:

[Mtopher4]

WOW A Cesna ride... way cool

(((Hugs))))

[TTomlinson]

I'm so jazzed! My mom just called me and said she got our itineraries for our flights! I don't know why she got them before me :confused3 but no matter... its really starting to feel real now! We leave on Sun. May 16 and get to Orlando around 4:30. Her flight gets in about 15 minutes before ours so perfect. We fly back out on Sat May 22 around 11 am. I wish we had a little more time in Florida on our travel days, but all in all, no complaints. At least we don't have to get up and leave at 4:30am like some people! And we get home at a pretty decent time so everyone will have time to settle back in before bed and a day to recoup before going back to school.

The boys are anxiously awaiting the mail today :dance3: We should be getting several ebay packages today with pins and lanyards for our Pin Trading extravaganza. They can't wait to pick out their pins and do some practice trading. I ordered WAY too many lol

I've got our ADRs for Crystal Palace and Sci Fi now so feel like I'm ok there. I think other than those two meals we are going to try to eat at the Village or just get something quick at the parks to tide us over til we get back to the village.

I'm still trying to decide about the Cessna flight. I don't know if Tyler would be all that into it, although my oldest son sounded really interested. I did find the GKTW Village guide online thanks to a link in one of their newsletters and got some info about the other activities they can help with tickets to and I'm thinking about doing one night at either Medieval Times or the Pirate Dinner Adventure, but haven't decided if we want to spend the time and money doing these yet.

[TTomlinson]

Wheee :) we just got our info packet from GKTW. It's already hole punched and in our travel binder along with our flight info and ADRs. Can't believe we are less than a month away from our trip. This week has been pretty sucky with my boyfriend having surgery Monday and a stomach bug going through the kids. But everyone seems to be a little better today so I've been cleaning house and working on autograph books. I'm making 4! and then making separate ones for US/IOA. And making journals for the middle boys. Lots of things to make. Oh yeah and a few shirts for the boys too. I've already run through one ink cartridge set and only halfway done with autograph pages, so I'll be off to the office supply store soon!

I just got a PM from Pam and we get to be guinea pigs for the Mini-Give! I'm really excited :cool1: I can't wait to help on someone else's mini-give too!

I got a follow up email from Ridemakerz and confirmed our VIP bash for Wednesday morning while we are there. We get the whole store to ourselves from 9-10:30am :thumbsup2

I also got an email back from the VP of NickHotel. I had tried to make a reservation there for either the character breakfast or the Dora Show since Tyler is such a huge Blues Clues and Dora fan. They wouldn't let me since we don't have hotel reservations there. So I emailed them asking if there was anything they could do. They are arranging a private meet-and-greet for Tyler with Blue! And they invited us to the new 4D Dora & Diego movie.

It just goes to show what can happen when you ask! I figure the worst they can say is "No" and if they do we will still have an amazing time!

Next "hope" is that we will get to preview the Harry Potter stuff at US since they are going to be opening it to registered guests the week after we are there for preview events. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will luck out with a soft opening and get to experience it! The boys were super disappointed that it wasn't scheduled to open until after our trip.

Back to the crafting now...

[wishin' on a star]

Tami, You are doing such a great job creating so much magic for your boys!!! WTG mama!! :cool1: I can't wait to meet you guys...can you believe how fast the time is going?

I would love to see your autograph books when you are done, so post pictures please?! I am trying to find the time to do some of that myself, so we'll see how that goes. This week was completely nuts, so I hope to have a little more free time next week to focus back on this trip.

[cantwaittoseemickey]

You guys are going to have an amazing trip. :banana:

[TTomlinson]

Ok, birthday shopping is done for the most part. I decided not to go crazy for the boys since they are going to get soooo much stuff on the trip. I did get them both a few things for entertainment during travel. And I cut a deal with Brett :lmao: We just decided that we are moving to Oklahoma about 2 weeks after our trip to be close to my mom since I really need her help with the boys as Tyler's disease progresses (faster than we had hoped). So since he was asking for a bike and helmet for his birthday I made a deal with him that if he would wait until we got settled I would get him one once we are there. Saves me money now and the pain of moving something else that is bulky. Since we are moving so quickly, money is going to be really tight for this trip. Thank goodness that most everything is paid for! We are definitely going to be eating at the Village as much as possible!

I'm working today on finishing up Autograph books :scared1: Making 4 of them has been a bigger job than I really expected to take on. lol I did tie-dye Mickey shirts for us all that turned out cute although a little more muted than I expected before I put them in the washer... They still look pretty cool though! I post some pics later. I was really happy with the result since it was my first try! I also got some iron transfer paper and some cute ball caps to try for the boys... I had this idea of doing pin trading ball caps with an iron on DISign that I found on the boards and then letting them load them with pins to trade each day and the ones they get in return go on their lanyards with locking backs so they don't get lost or accidentally traded... Just an idea :goodvibes

I also picked up some fun stuff for the trip at Michaels and the Dollar store... lots of glow sticks and a pink star glow wand for me! :love: Some cute sorcerer hats, a few little journals and goodies like that.

Found out that our wish coordinator needs copies of all my kids birth certificates and for some reason I can only find two today :confused: So not sure where the other two are!!! So the job for today is to track down copies and get them to her... eeek.

[kdzbear]

Wow! You have been busy. That is a huge move! I hope that everything goes well with finding new jobs and a new home near your mom.

It sounds like your plans for your trip are coming along great! I made autograph books for our Sept. trip and I was so tired when I finally had them all printed after sizing and re-sizing that I had my husband cut them with the paper cutter. Then I waited to punch holes in them until we arrived at Disney. It sure looks like an easy project from the start. Your shirts sound like fun to make and wear! I love the idea of pin trading hats for boys!
:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[kellyw8863]

You have a beautiful family! I can't wait to see more photos!:goodvibes I hear you on the whole progression thing. Last year, we moved from SMOs (the low ankle braces) to full articulated AFOs (up to her knee). It was so hard, and I still have a hard time making her wear them because to me, it just screams "sick kid" and I hate that. Up until this trip, we have been using a regular stroller, but realized last week that it is no longer enough for her and will be moving forward with a wheelchair. We've already had the seating evaluation and pre-approval from insurance, so it's just getting the DME rep out here. It just really stinks when you look at your kid and know that this is as good as it is going to get.:sad2:

But enough sad stuff - that's awesome about the Ridemakerz! I know that you guys will have a fantastic time. We made our own autograph books, too, and while it was a major pita, I loved the way they came out so it was very much worth it! And, we got lots of compliments on them, so it was nice to have something personalized and different. I have tons of pages copied to word and ready to go, so let me know if you'd like me to send them to you in a word file. It could save you lots of time!

[TTomlinson]

Haha Kelly wish I'd known a few weeks ago I would have taken those word files! I ended up compiling my faves from the different DISigners in word and printing them myself (I have like a case of Exact Index 110lb cardstock so it was a great use of it!) I'm still working on them... got sidelined with this stomach virus all week so didn't get hardly anything done on the trip or the move :( But I'm feeling better today and back to getting in gear. Today is the start of clean-out/pack up mode. I've got to get as much done as I can since I'll only have about a week after our trip to finish up before moving :eek:

I still need to post pics of our shirts! They did turn out cute but a little more muted than I was hoping. I had lots of ideas for iron on shirts and stuff but decided to hold off a bit to see what MAW gives us and the Mini-Give. I don't want to spend a lot of time and money and stress making stuff and then have way too much lol. I am going to make little "Make-a-Wish 2010" iron on badges to put on all of our shirts for the week. I was thinking kind of like an emblem type thing or badge that can go on the sleeve of everyone's shirt or on the back at the top. Kind of like they do on sports jerseys for championships or something. Am I making sense at all? lol Feel like I'm rambling incoherently... dang adderall today has me goofy.

Anyway, I can't believe its only 2 weeks until we go! And I'm so pumped that there will be a couple of Dis families there at the same times basically (within a few days of each other) so we can meet. I think that is going to be so cool.

Ok... off to find boxes and start packing!

[cantwaittoseemickey]

I like the emblem on the shirt idea. Great idea!Two weeks:cool1:

[wishin' on a star]

Holy moly, girl...moving right after the trip?! That's a lot, but I bet it will be nice to be close to your mom. Kudos to you for doing the autograph books...I wanted to make them, but I'm feeling like the next two weeks just keeps getting busier and busier, and there's just no more time! I cannot believe how fast our trips are coming up!

Our MAW chapter did not end up giving us shirts, so that was a bit disappointing. And we only got one MAW button, so I guess I'll have had back over to the DISigners board to work on a set of wish t-shirts next!

[TTomlinson]

I don't have them handy and I'm in full moving mode right now but there were some cute MAW DISigns that I downloaded to print on iron-on transfers. If you want later tonight or tomorrow I will find them and PM you or something... If you look on the DISigns board and search for "wish" you should find several ideas people have posted. I know a lot will customize them for you, or if you can't get that done, let me know and I can customize some. I should make some of my own designs, just don't have the time. I'm a photoshop guru lol I used to do a lot of fun stuff when I had my photography studio!

Speaking of photography.... if any of the Dis Families that will be there when we will would like for me to do a quickie photo shoot for them at the Village I'd be glad to do that for you. I love being a photographer just haven't had much time for it in a long while. I have this dream of starting a non-profit kind of like Littlest Heroes for families with special needs kiddos... You can see some of my work (if the site is still up, not sure) at http://www.storyteller-art.com

[wishin' on a star]

I don't have them handy and I'm in full moving mode right now but there were some cute MAW DISigns that I downloaded to print on iron-on transfers. If you want later tonight or tomorrow I will find them and PM you or something... If you look on the DISigns board and search for "wish" you should find several ideas people have posted. I know a lot will customize them for you, or if you can't get that done, let me know and I can customize some. I should make some of my own designs, just don't have the time. I'm a photoshop guru lol I used to do a lot of fun stuff when I had my photography studio!

Speaking of photography.... if any of the Dis Families that will be there when we will would like for me to do a quickie photo shoot for them at the Village I'd be glad to do that for you. I love being a photographer just haven't had much time for it in a long while. I have this dream of starting a non-profit kind of like Littlest Heroes for families with special needs kiddos... You can see some of my work (if the site is still up, not sure) at http://www.storyteller-art.com

Thanks Tami! Someone has very generously offered to personalize for me, so I think we'll be okay! I already have Amy's transfer paper, so hopefully it will all work out.

If all the schedules align and there is a good time, we'd love to have some photos done. We are not big on getting family pics done, so this would be a great opportunity for us! :goodvibes

I will try to take a look at your site!

[yinyanggirls]

Up until this trip, we have been using a regular stroller, but realized last week that it is no longer enough for her and will be moving forward with a wheelchair. We've already had the seating evaluation and pre-approval from insurance, so it's just getting the DME rep out here. It just really stinks when you look at your kid and know that this is as good as it is going to get.:sad2:


Phoebe was only three when she got her wheelchair but I totally know what you mean. Being small and young I totally resisted the idea that she needed one.


I also got an email back from the VP of NickHotel. I had tried to make a reservation there for either the character breakfast or the Dora Show since Tyler is such a huge Blues Clues and Dora fan. They wouldn't let me since we don't have hotel reservations there. So I emailed them asking if there was anything they could do. They are arranging a private meet-and-greet for Tyler with Blue! And they invited us to the new 4D Dora & Diego movie.

It just goes to show what can happen when you ask! I figure the worst they can say is "No" and if they do we will still have an amazing time!


I wish I had tried a little harder to get Phoebe to meet Blue. I had mentioned it to her wish granter once we chose her wish and the reply from the manager at the main chapter was "we can try to arrange a meet at the Nick hotel or something like that..." but then I never heard another word and I pretty much assumed it was dead in the water. Good job for asking!


Speaking of photography.... if any of the Dis Families that will be there when we will would like for me to do a quickie photo shoot for them at the Village I'd be glad to do that for you. I love being a photographer just haven't had much time for it in a long while. I have this dream of starting a non-profit kind of like Littlest Heroes for families with special needs kiddos... You can see some of my work (if the site is still up, not sure) at http://www.storyteller-art.com

We did a Littlest Heroes shoot on our trip and it appears that they are looking for photogs all over the place if you are interested in jumping on their ship. The family selects their fave photogs and the project lets you know which one you are matched with so I'm assuming the photog can say no if the timing isn't right. I'm thinking about doing it also once my youngest starts school. That's when I want to get a full-fledged website, cards and all that up and going. Did you have a separate studio, or was it part of your home? I've always dreamed of having one and miss the days when I worked at one where I could use all the stuff after hours. ;)

[TTomlinson]

I actually just got our approval email from LH but I'm thinking I will schedule it for after we get moved and do it in Oklahoma. I probably know some of the photogs on the list there but havent looked yet. We are taking outfits and I am taking my big camera and going to set up some shots on the beach and have my mom take them. She's pretty good if I just set everything up and tell her what I'm looking for!

Actually I have done it just about every way lol. I started in my garage at my house, then I had an amazing benefactor that helped me get my first storefront studio and equipment. I was there for about a year before we moved to Colorado and things were just starting with Tyler's autism and I felt like I needed some time off. A storefront studio is really demanding especially by yourself and I had been working 40-60 hours a week during the holiday seasons. So I kind of took a break for a few years, which was good because I ended up going through a messy divorce, couple of moves, and meanwhile Tyler was dealing with autism and then the coordination and balance and mobility problems started. My boys all really needed me so I just didn't have much time for it.

I did for a little while here have a studio co-op that was amazing! Huge studio with tons of equipment and lights and about 5 different shooting areas with about any kind of background you can imagine and props. And it was ridiculously cheap. If I were you, I would look for something like that in your area. Its a good way to start doing studio work without a huge investment or overhead.

Moving back I think I will have more time with my mom's help and when the boys go back to school in the Fall Tyler will go all day. So, I'm hoping that combined with the fact that I still have a pretty good following of customers that miss me will allow me to pick it back up part time for some extra income, and especially for the creative outlet if nothing else. I have some projects in my mind that I'd like to do just for myself. And I'd love to get into stock photography, not have to deal with making moms and grandmas happy and attacking the dad's wallets lol

If you want, PM or email me and I'll be glad to talk shop with you and give you any help or ideas from my experience. Like I said I've done it just about every way you mentioned and I have plenty of good and bad experiences to share about it!

[yinyanggirls]

The co-op sounds great! I doubt there's anything like that here but I will definitely check. I've done the backdrop in the garage thing too. ;) I totally understand about taking the time off. I wasn't anywhere near 60 hrs a week but I did have a loyal "Christmas card" following that wanted me every year for portraits, and a handful of weddings throughout the year. Phoebe's appts and needs were becoming more demanding as she was getting older and it was a convenient excuse to take a break when we moved to a new state and no one knew me. I have the same plan, to start back up after Tessa is in school. I would love to chat more and pick your brain. If I can get her into a school this fall (she'll only be 4 so not sure) I will want to get started. :cheer2:

[TTomlinson]

Definitely lets chat about it :goodvibes I love talking about photography! I miss it so much sometimes when I have been away from it.

Yay! Less than two weeks to go! :eek: Just got a confirmation call from Nick Hotel for our special MnG with Blue :) Tyler is going to go nuts! My mom got him a "Steve" shirt and another Handy Dandy Notebook for his birthday. I hope that Blue is in a playing mood hehe... We have character breakfast right after our meeting with Blue too so we will get to see Dora and Spongebob and other Nick characters which all the boys will love.

I found a couple of cute things for the trip and got some good new walking shoes that I'm breaking in right now. I have just a few things left to pick up and I've started pre-packing. I'm just waiting now to hear from our local MAW granters to find out when we will be meeting to get the last minute stuff from them. Still haven't finished autograph books :scared1: I think I'm going to get my older son to help with that project!

[rcq925]

Your boys are soooo handsome! And you have done a great job of setting up some extra magic for the boys. I can't wait to hear about Ridemakers (I think my son will want to go there) and your special meet with "Blue".

Your trip is coming up soon and I can't wait to read your trip report and see pictures when you get back!!!

[TTomlinson]

We got our first package today from the Mini-Give! Thanks to CajunFan for such an awesome package of Pixie Dust and joy, especially considering that she had some crazy in her life lately. The box was full of cute individually wrapped goodies for each of us, wrapped in tissue coordinating with our favorite colors! My oldest boys aren't here yet so they will get to open theirs later, but Clayton and Tyler couldn't wait to get all those little goodies unwrapped. They both got glow sticks, jungle tattoos, mini Disney card games. Clayton got a cool pirate hat and PoC night light, some travel games and an awesome Buzz Journal. Tyler got some cute Mickey Clubhouse swim goggles and floaties, a really neat water painting book that he had to try out immediately and some stickers and activity book for the trip.

She was also kind enough to include some awesome bath fizzies and cute luggage tags for me and my mom. :cloud9: Can't wait for a long hot bath in the whirlpool tub so she hit it right on hehe

I'll post later with the other boys' reactions! Clayton said he was soooo happy, "not as happy as I will be at Disney, but pretty happy!" Tyler just was totally not having mom put everything in the bags for the trip... so I let him enjoy some of his stuff for a little while and hid the rest while he was distracted!

I did manage to grab a few photos with my phone (didn't have time to find the camera, they were NOT waiting!) so I'll post those as soon as I can get them transferred.

Thank you again to CajunFan!!!! You made our day!

[wishin' on a star]

:cool1: Sounds like Lyn sent some cool stuff for the boys!!!

Hey Tami...you are in the single digit countdown now!!! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[TTomlinson]

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Wish%20Trip%20Mini%20Give/Palm152.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Wish%20Trip%20Mini%20Give/Palm153.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Wish%20Trip%20Mini%20Give/Palm154.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Wish%20Trip%20Mini%20Give/Palm155.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Wish%20Trip%20Mini%20Give/Palm157.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Wish%20Trip%20Mini%20Give/Palm161.jpg

Please excuse the boxes and mess... I'm already packing for our move after our trip! :scared:

[TTomlinson]

:cool1: Sounds like Lyn sent some cool stuff for the boys!!!

Hey Tami...you are in the single digit countdown now!!! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

OMG! We are in single digits huh! :woohoo:

[kellyw8863]

Isn't Lynn great?! Single digits - woo hoo!:woohoo: It will be here before you know it!

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Awsome Mini Give!! :cool1:Single Digit Dance:banana:)

[yinyanggirls]

SINGLE DIGITS!!!:eek: :banana::cool1::woohoo:

[xanphylus]

Love your mini- give! I hope they do a few more of those. I would love to get DD into those too. We are both addicted to the giving. I think she really likes the card making.

Your trip is so close too! The boys will have a blast. I wanna hear all about the car making place. My DS has just now gotten into the whole r/c cars thing. Until oh say, last month :lmao:, he was petrified of them- but now, he loves them and is very cute chasing them. He isn't old enough to drive one, but you're never too young to chase them down! :rotfl2: It's also a great way to get him to burn off all that energy. And considering he is 19 months- he has a whole LOT of energy to burn.

I bet you guys will have a very magical trip. You have put a lot into it and that always makes for a special trip. Your kids will never forget this!! :cloud9:

[TTomlinson]

Wow, we are definitely in the home stretch with only 5 days to go! I feel really busy, and like I'm just spinning my wheels all at the same time. Our Wish Granter is scheduled to come over tonight to drop off our luggage, tickets and Wish Package at 5:30 :yay: I have no idea what will be in the wish package since it varies so much with each family, but I'm hoping for lots of nice goodies for the boys! I will let everyone know as soon as it is in my hot little hands!

Since we are moving a week after our trip I've been packing and cleaning out and trying to get ready for that too. I have way too much laundry to get caught up on in the next few days so we can even pack for our trip :scared1: I'm doing pretty good on getting rooms packed down though. Since we are going to be gone a week it makes it easier to just pack almost everything in boxes now.

I have been trying to pack in as many doctor appointments and getting things taken care of here before we move so that has been a little crazy, but I wanted to get it out of the way before we go with the doctors we are familiar with to buy us some time before I have to scramble for an appointment with a new doctor. The older boys all saw the eye doctor yesterday and Brett asked for contacts :confused: not sure how we will do but we are going to give it a try.

Tyler has a big cardiology appointment tomorrow with echo and all so we will see if the heart meds are helping at all and if there is any worsening of his heart condition. 6 Year well child check up with the pediatrician after cardiology tomorrow (gonna be a fun day :scared:) and then Speech and OT on Thursday. Then, on Friday we go to pick up his new AFOs and shoes! I was hoping he would have them earlier to see how he tolerated them before the trip, but can't do much about that now. We did order some cool shoes for his AFOs that are supposedly like Crocs but built for AFO use. I just hope they are easier to get on/off over his orthotics. The Answer2 shoes we've gotten before are just so hard to manage and it really hampers getting him to even wear the orthotics. So, I guess we will try the AFOs but take extra shoes and socks just in case they are bothering him at the parks so we can switch off.

That's not even including the Spring Celebration at the elementary school for the younger boys, a field trip for my 6th grader on Friday (I'm not going!), possibly a quickie garage sale if I can pull it off (really need to do this because there's really no other time!), and of course packing packing packing. My To-Do list is out of control and just keeps getting longer. At least it helps me organize my thoughts and hopefully I don't miss any of the important things!

Last night we had a small family birthday party for Tyler :bday: He had a cute Pooh cake and I got him just a few gifts, mostly stuff for the trip. I did get him a new portable DVD player but got it pretty inexpensively on Ebay. A couple of new DVDs, a Blues Clues rain pancho for the trip, and his favorite: a "Steve" shirt. I'll post pics below :) Back to packing now...

[TTomlinson]

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/TylerBday-544.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/TylerBday-637.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/TylerBday-667.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/TylerBday-693.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/TylerBday-711.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/TylerBday-493.jpg

See all of the pics here... http://s965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/Tylers_Troopers/Tylers%20Birthday/

[xanphylus]

I love Tyler's birthday cake!!!! That so rocks! :thumbsup2 Glad he had a great birthday- and he looks very handsome in his new Steve shirt! :goodvibes

I would try to do a yard sale too- extra money when moving is always a great thing. And afterward, you can have some charity pick up the rest of the stuff- so you don't have to deal with it anymore! Usually you can find someone to pick it up directly after the yard sale and they even pack it into the truck- all you have to do is wave buh-bye to all the crud you didn't sell and didn't need anyway! :banana:

Only 5 days left? Wow! I bet the boys are really bouncing off the walls now. Hurray!! :woohoo:

[wish_upon_a_star35]

Tyler's cake was too cute!!! These next five days are going to FLY by!!! I'm sure the excitement level in your house has to be a 10!!! :laughing:

[cantwaittoseemickey]

:hug:What a cute cake!! I love his shirt. My goodness you are so busy bless your heart. I wish I was close by I would help you pack up and things.

[TTomlinson]

Ok things have been nuts around here so haven't been updating but we are just a little over 12 hours away from limo arrival!!! :cool1:

I still have a loooong list of things to do so can't be on here long, but HAD to stop by and mention a great little box that showed up yesterday. I didn't even know it was here (think it actually came the evening before while I was gone!) but the boys found it... a box of treats from GKTW courtesy of the GINGERBREAD BOY!!! :D Tyler got an "Ice Cream for Breakfast" tshirt that he promptly changed into for school. He was so excited to get to "wear" Mayor Clayton since we've been talking about him. They also got some cool ice cream bowls! I took a pic of him in his shirt and if I get a min after kids are in bed I'll post it. So thank you so much Pam for that thoughtful box...

Boys all got hair cuts and did so great and the girls at the shop were so fun. They even put colored gel in their hair like they do at Disney for the trip in the morning. I will post pics from my phone from that too if I get a minute...

Ok back to errands and laundry and packing and finishing up autograph books and shirts! :scared1: Our MAW had said we would get shirts but then we didn't get any :( so I'm making some last minute ones with disigns from here... like I needed another project last minute! I'm already going crazy!

See you on the other side!:cool2:

[xanphylus]

Ok things have been nuts around here so haven't been updating but we are just a little over 12 hours away from limo arrival!!! :cool1:

I still have a loooong list of things to do so can't be on here long, but HAD to stop by and mention a great little box that showed up yesterday. I didn't even know it was here (think it actually came the evening before while I was gone!) but the boys found it... a box of treats from GKTW courtesy of the GINGERBREAD BOY!!! :D Tyler got an "Ice Cream for Breakfast" tshirt that he promptly changed into for school. He was so excited to get to "wear" Mayor Clayton since we've been talking about him. They also got some cool ice cream bowls! I took a pic of him in his shirt and if I get a min after kids are in bed I'll post it. So thank you so much Pam for that thoughtful box...

Boys all got hair cuts and did so great and the girls at the shop were so fun. They even put colored gel in their hair like they do at Disney for the trip in the morning. I will post pics from my phone from that too if I get a minute...

Ok back to errands and laundry and packing and finishing up autograph books and shirts! :scared1: Our MAW had said we would get shirts but then we didn't get any :( so I'm making some last minute ones with disigns from here... like I needed another project last minute! I'm already going crazy!

See you on the other side!:cool2:

Have a GREAT trip!!! I can't wait to read all about "the other side" when you get back!!! :cool1::cool1::cool1: I love that they got colored hair gel for the ride in the limo- that is too cool! That bites though that you didn't get the shirts. Hopefully you will have time to make them and I am sure they will look great!! Have fun in the limo and take LOTS of pics!:hug::hug:

[cajunfan]

Have a WONDERFUL trip!!!

Lynn

[cantwaittoseemickey]

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!!!!!! Can't wait to read all about it:banana::banana:

[NVDadof3]

Have a great trip and we will see you there in a few days.

[cajunfan]

WELCOME BACK!!

I can not wait to hear all about it! And to see pictures!!:banana:

Lynn

[kellyw8863]

Welcome Back!!!!!:grouphug:

[cantwaittoseemickey]

welcome back!!!

[xanphylus]

Welcome back!!!!!

[wishin' on a star]

Hi Tami! I hope you will come and tell a little about your trip! It was great to meet you, even if just for a few minutes. And the pins...my kids had the best time trading pins the last two days, especially Carmella. NOw we have a great collection to take with us when we go BACK to Disney!! So thank you so much for your little sprinkling of pixie dust. It was Christmas at GKTW when we receive them, so you added a little magic to our Christmas! :goodvibes I know you are busy getting ready for the move, so please pop in when you can!