Owen's Make A Wish Come True

[Owensheart]

Owen's Make A Wish trip was the best experience ever! We had an early start on Sunday when the "shuttle" showed up at 8am. Much to our surprise.. there was a white stretch limo in our driveway! The driver had us loaded up in no time and we were on our way to the airport.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6522.jpg
Owen loved the limo ride. He kept saying.. "this is the best limo ride ever!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6524.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6525.jpg
We used curbside check in at the airport and found our wish granter that was sending us off. It wasn't long before we were passing through security and found our way to the gate. I loaded us up with snacks and water bottles for the 4 hour plane ride. We always pre-board because of Owen's oxygen concentrator and all his luggage. The pilot let him hang in the cockpit while I cloroxed his seat and surrounding areas.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6530.jpg
Kam and Daddy got the front row of seats with all the extra leg room, while Owen and I took up the row behind them. Kam worked on her algebra the majority of the flight, while Owen played iPad and ate snacks. We were all excited to finally be on our way to Orlando!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6532.jpg
The four hour flight went by surprisingly fast and soon we found our GKTW greeter. She escorted us, and another MAW family from Phoenix, to baggage claim and to find our rental cars. Alamo let us pick out any car we wanted and a minivan it was! I don't pack light and we had 7 checked bags and million carry ons.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6533.jpg
We hit the road and before we knew it, we were at the village. (stock photo)
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/0010WelcometoGiveKidsTheWorld.jpg
We checked in at the House of Hearts and Owen was given a plush Mickey and Kamryn a Shamu. There was a big tree in the middle of the house and Spiderman was peeking down from the ceiling.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7082.jpg
We arrived just as the cookie cart was passing by with lemonade and chocolate chip cookies...yum! Our villa was decorated for Christmas and it felt like home, rather than a hotel. We unloaded our luggage and made our way to the Gingerbread house for a quick dinner. As soon as we walked in, we knew how amazing this village was. There were so many volunteers helping out, taking our trays to our table and they were all so sweet.

After dinner we spent a few minutes at the ice cream parlor before I had to be at the 7:45 orientation. Carson took the kids over to Matthews Boundless Playground which is designed after the Candyland game. It was Candyland night and the kids had so much fun! I have no pictures because we left the camera in our villa and I missed out due to orientation. But.. I hear it was very fun!

After orientation, I ran to the office to see if Apria delivered Owen's oxygen and of course.. they did not. I called in and they had to make a late night delivery so that we had oxygen for day 2. In the meantime, the manager took me to the storage building and we found some oxygen tubing and leftover oxygen tanks to get us by. When I got back to the villa.. the kids were settled into their room for the first night.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6537.jpg
As I finished unpacking and picking up for the night, I took a shot of our villa Christmas tree. Isn't she pretty?
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6541.jpg
We had a great start to our trip and the next ten days proved to be magical with lots of surprises along the way. I crashed by 11pm (9pm AZ time), and we only played musical beds once on the first night.

[lorasmom]

Yay, you've started your TR!!!

Can't wait to hear more :)

[cogero]

Great start to your report

[mommyof2princesses]

So excited to be reading! Sounds like a great beginning! And Owen seems to have loved the Limo!

[ellenbenny]

Joining in. Looks like a great start to the trip, can't wait to read more!!

[billwendy]

:thumbsup2Off to a great start!!!

[Moodyzblu]

Great start !! So excited to be reading this .. it's getting me very excited for our trip to GKTW !! :banana:

[dianemom2]

I can't wait to read all about your trip! I am sure it was great!

[effervescent]

Sounds like a great start! I can't wait to hear more!

[miprender]

:surfweb: I'm in! Can't wait to read more.

[Owensheart]

We slept in our first morning in Florida. There is only a 2 hour time difference, but it felt like so much more. We were exhausted from our day of travel, so sleeping in until 9am felt amazing!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6544.jpg
Before heading out for a day of fun, we wanted to fill our bellies at the Gingerbread House. These rocking chairs were on the front porch of our villa.. so homey.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6546.jpg
Since we arrived after dark, I wasn't able to take a good picture of our villa. Here it is.. purple, orange and turquoise.. love it!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6547.jpg
Our villa was in the best location. We were right around the corner to the pool area, castle of miracles, and gingerbread house!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6548.jpg
All of the tables in the Gingerbread House are filled will peppermints. It is such a happy place to be. There were so many sweet volunteers, including a couple groups of girls from Ohio State. Owen became very fond of his 'pretty girls' while we were there as they were always around the village the entire week. Breakfast did not disappoint. There was a waffle bar, sausage, bacon, eggs, cereal, bagels..you name it, they had it!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6549.jpg
After breakfast, we headed back to our villa and loaded up the van because we were headed here...
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6551.jpg
After a long hike from the parking lot to the entrance, we were finally at Islands of Adventure!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6552.jpg
The first ride of the day, just to get it out of the way, was THE HULK rollercoaster!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6556.jpg
Kamryn wanted nothing to do with it and she was petrified.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6553.jpg
But after a little convincing and a quick photo.. Daddy and Kam were off to ride.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6554.jpg
Owen was obviously a little small for this monster of a ride, but he would have been on it if he could. Instead, we walked around Superhero Island and soaked it all in. In case you don't know.. Owen is obsessed with Superheros!!! Loves them all... including the "bad guys".
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6555.jpg
As soon as Daddy and Kamryn came off the ride, Sis was all smiles and begged me to ride with her. You don't have to ask me twice. Daddy took Owen and found this bad guy.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6558.jpg
Daddy was then approached by a couple members of Universal management. They wanted to know if Owen wanted to have a "surprise" greeting with his favorite Superhero characters. Um.. yes. We were lead to an area to wait for about 15 minutes.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6561.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6566.jpg
It wasn't too long before we were taken behind the scenes of a ride and found these Supers waiting just for Owen!! Spiderman started by introducing the Ladies first, and then Cyclops and Wolverine introduced themselves.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6574.jpg
Wolverine showed off his claws and talked about how sharp they are. I think Owen was so starstruck that he didn't know what to do! He was just so thrilled!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6576.jpg
We all jumped in the photo and showed our best superhero pose. Spidey was helping Owen figure out his spider throw hand.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6581.jpg
Love this photo so much! I am so grateful to the amazing team at Universal for making this happen!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6578.jpg
Captain America must have been on break, because as soon as we came around the corner, there he was! Owen LOVES Captain America.. he's up there on the top of the list with Spiderman.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6588.jpg
We weren't allowed to wait in any character lines the entire trip.. cast members wouldn't have it. So we had a little hang out session with the Captain and then we all showed off our muscles. Love it!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6593.jpg
Another member of management walked us right up the back exit to Spiderman and put us on the ride. It has a 40' height requirement to ride, and Owen was right there. Yeah. The ride was crazy and there were bad guys everywhere. Owen was in heaven.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6598.jpg
Superhero Island was such a big hit! Owen found a Spiderman and Venom toy to take home as souvineers.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6600.jpg
After we left Superhero Island, we walked right into Comic Land. Love this picture of Kamryn. She was starving and tired, so this was fitting.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6603.jpg
We walked through Jurassic Land and made our way to Mythos.. rated the best themepark restaurant for the past six years. Kamryn is learning all about greek mythology this year, so we thought it would be a way cool place to stop and eat.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6621.jpg

[Owensheart]

During lunch, Owen was entertained with his creepy venom toy.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6611.jpg
The service and food was fantastic, as well as the atmosphere. It was so awesome inside and everywhere you looked there was more detail.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6610.jpg
Carson and Kamryn eating.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6608.jpg
Our waiter surprised us at the end of the meal by bringing Owen (and us) a giant banana split, compliments of management to celebrate Owen's trip. Seriously thoughtful and so sweet.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6620.jpg
After our relaxing lunch, we decided to make our way up to Harry Potter Land! My kids LOVE Harry Potter and we watched all the movies this past summer. It was so cool there!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6622.jpg
Owen wanted to stop when we found out these "students" were performing a musical number with their singing frogs. He loved it so much! Afterwards, they asked him if he wanted to come pet their frogs and take a photo.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6627.jpg
This is Hogwarts castle and also where you can ride the amazing Harry Potter ride.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6629.jpg
Owen was too little for this Harry Potter ride, but they let him stroll through and check out the inside of the castle. These photos were just like they are in the movie and they talk and move around. So cool.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6632.jpg
We pulled a ride swap on this one and then met outside to ride on the Flight of the Hippogriff. It's a "milder" rollercoaster for the 38" and up crowd.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6635.jpg
Owen loved this coaster so much that he went on it four times in a row!!! He proved to be a small daredevil.

Kamryn wanted to go check out Ollivanders Wand Shop so we did that next.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6643.jpg
There was a cool little wizard show with a little wizardry involved. They picked a boy from the crowd and found him the perfect wand. Then they led him through the door with his wand and said "this wand has found you.. now you can enter through the door and purchase it." Priceless.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6644.jpg
Next up with the Dragon rollercoaster... awe. some. It was a super crazy, hanging roller coaster, that corkscrewed more times than I care to count. Owen was bummed he was too little for this beast of a coaster, so Daddy took him back to the Hippogriff coaster.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6648.jpg
When Kamryn and I met up with the guys, we found that they had purchased some butterbeer. YUM. A combination of butterscotch and creme soda made a delicious treat!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6649.jpg
Owen sure loved him some butterbeer.. and we went with the frozen butterbeer.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6650.jpg
On our way out of Hogsmead, we stopped for a photo with the Hogwarts Express. We will never forget how cool Harry Potter land was. Rumor tells me they are building a HP Land at Universal Hollywood to open in 2015.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6652.jpg
Next up was Seuss Landing..
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6656.jpg
I loved Seuss Landing.. so cute, colorful and fun!! We started riding the Trolly in the Sky, then rode the Cat in the Hat ride, and headed to the Fishy ride.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6663.jpg
This ride has a surprise in store... Red Fish, Blue Fish, Up up up. Nobody mentioned that we were about to get soaking wet!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6664.jpg
The fish spit out water during the ride and soak you, if you are unlucky, and we were. :) The kids loved it so much we went on it again and again. After this, we were done and ready to head back to GKTW.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6676.jpg
We let the kids get their jammies on and headed over to the Gingerbread house for dinner. We didn't know it was "Trick or Treat" night in the village. We got the kids pumpkin bags and headed around the Avenue of Angels getting candy and doing crafts. So fun. When we got to the main party area, we found Curious George!! Owen was totally excited!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6686.jpg
I have video, that I will update later of Owen dancing with Curious George. They had music blaring, characters dancing and kids having fun! Everytime we turned around, we saw someone new. I had to tell Owen all about Popeye and Olive Oil.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6687.jpg
We then went for a little ice cream stop on our way back to our villa. Nothing is better than free ice cream all. day. long.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6691.jpg
This became a nightly tradition. Something we will always remember from our trip.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6694.jpg
When we came back to our villa to call it a night, we found the following "surprises" on our kitchen table. The Candy Land game is a special GKTW game, there is a fun pizza listening game and a travel Scrabble game.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6674.jpg
We had such a fun day at IOA. We didn't get to see it all, but we had plans to go back on Friday! We tucked the kids into bed and crashed hard. Tomorrow was going to be a relaxing day exploring the village.

[wbh1964]

I am LOVING reading your trip report! We leave in less than a week for Lindsay's MAW trip so we are getting so excited just reading and anticipating what is to come. Looks like you guys had a wonderful time! Can't wait to read more...

[dianemom2]

Your first day looked amazing. I love the Owen was able to meet all the super heroes. How great that you were able to meet them privately. The Harry Potter area looks amazing. My DD12 is going there next week and she is super excited. I am going to show her the pictures you posted. GKTW looks amazing too!

[karebear23]

:wave: Hello! Joining in!
What a great start to your trip! That is so wonderful he got to meet the superheros!!
HP looks so cool. We haven't been to US in forever!
Can't wait to see what's next!

[sgarrity]

Love the report! IOA will be a top priority for the guys.

[Moodyzblu]

Jayden is here reading your trip report right along side me and is loving it !! He loved the pics of all the Super Heroes and the Harry Potter ones (especially).
Great start to your trip for sure !! :banana:

[lorasmom]

The super hero story. Love it!! :goodvibes

[Owensheart]

After a long day of travel, followed by another long day at Universal, we decided to stay at the village and enjoy it! We slept in, so long that we almost missed breakfast at the Gingerbread house. It was another fantastic morning and the weather was great!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6695-1.jpg
After breakfast, the kids wanted to take a ride on the carousel. The kids could ride anytime day or night and they rode over and over again.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6704.jpg
As we were exploring the GKTW village, I took some pictures. This is the entrance to the pool and splash pad area. The pools are all zero entry and everything at the village is wheelchair accessible.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6705.jpg
This is the splash pad and giant pirate ship... I want this in my backyard someday!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6706.jpg
I snapped another picture of our little villa and our van.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6707.jpg
After our many carousel rides, we decided to explore the Castle of Miracles.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6708.jpg
This is the Gingerbread House where we ate all our yummy meals. The carousel is under the red mushroom on the right and we were at almost to the entrance to the castle.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6710.jpg
Inside we found so much magic. Here we are on the thrones.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6712.jpg
Owen really wanted to make his star. They give each make a wish child a gold star to write their name on.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6714.jpg
Sis had to help with the writing of the name.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6716.jpg
This is the finished star!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6719.jpg
Owen was told to put his star in the box and the fairy would come and get it. The fairy showed up on the screen in front of him and told him how special his star is. She took it out of the box and said she would hang it in the star tower that evening.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6720.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6722.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6723.jpg
Owen loved this cool mirror that transformed him into a king.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6725.jpg
Both kids got to make a pillow at the Magic Pillow Tree. They had to knock to wake up the owl.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6730.jpg
Then they were told to look in the tree trunk to find their pillows.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6736.jpg
Kamryn got a froggy pillow and Owen a firetruck.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6737.jpg
Look at all the stars on the ceiling! Each star represents a Make A Wish child that has stayed at the village. The entire ceiling is covered, so they recently built the Star Tower to hold all the future wish kids' stars. Owen's is hung in the tower. I'll post more on that later.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6742.jpg
As we were leaving the Castle of Miracles, we noticed that the La-Ti-Da Royal Spa was open so we went to check it out.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6743.jpg
Kamryn got her nails painted blue with sparkles.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6744.jpg
Owen wanted airbrush tattoos..
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6748.jpg
While the kids were being pampered, I saw this little troll peeking down from the ceiling.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6749.jpg
Owen loved his frog and pirate tattoos. Kamryn also got a fairy airbrushed on her foot, but I didn't get a picture.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6750.jpg
It was starting to warm up outside, so we stopped by the Ice Cream parlor for sodas and water.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6755.jpg

[Owensheart]

Our next stop was the Amberville Train Station.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6756.jpg
The kids loved this elephant garbage can. His trunk sucks in any paper you give it.. so the kids gave up their cups and straws.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6758.jpg
Owen loved these little free rides around the village. I never let him ride them at home due to germs, but decided to throw caution out the window. He loved it!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6760.jpg
Inside the train station was the coolest model train set ever!! There are buttons all around the train set that control every little part of the set up. Owen spent at least 30 minutes playing with the train set.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6761.jpg
We went around the corner to explore the fun carnival games. It didn't hold his attention long before he wanted to go back to the model train set.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6768.jpg
We went outside to find Kam and Daddy. There is a giant train ride that goes all around Amberville station and the kids get to drive it!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6763.jpg
They had a great time ringing the bell and honking the horn.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6767.jpg
After our ride on the train, we asked the volunteer (more of the Ohio State girls) about fishing. They had fishing poles and kits that you could check out. Carson loves fishing so he picked out some gear and we headed over to the fishing pier.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6769.jpg
Daddy was the only one touching the worms.. yuck.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6771.jpg
Owen and I lasted about 5 minutes before we were bored, so we decided to head back to the villa and order lunch from Katie's Kitchen. On our way back, Owen wanted to check out the water temperature at the splash pad. He got "fopping wet!"
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6772.jpg
We found another surprise on our kitchen table before ordering delicious sandwiches and salads for delivery. Katie's Kitchen is basically Boston Market and they will deliver your order to your villa anytime for lunch or dinner. Daddy and Kamryn got back from fishing just in time to eat lunch with us.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6774.jpg
Then a delivery came knocking at our door.. more Mickey Mail!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6775.jpg
Disname, Effervescent, sent us Merry Grinchmas outfits!!! LOVE THEM!! They were going to be perfect for our breakfast with the Grinch on Friday.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6777.jpg
After an hour or so of relaxing, Owen wanted to check out the playground. Daddy took the kids to the Candyland party at the park on our first night, but I was at orientation at the time. Owen was so excited to show me around. He loved this swing so much, but it was getting too warm for comfort.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6781.jpg
It was perfect weather to check out the pool and splash pad!! They have a cool wave picture area.. so fun!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6783.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6787.jpg
We spent a couple hours splashing, playing and getting wet. It was seriously so much fun!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6788.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6791.jpg
Owen's lips got so purple... he kept unplugging his oxygen so he could run around without his tank. A breeze came through and it got chilly quick. We ran over to the heated pool to splash around a bit before heading back to the villa.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6796.jpg
That evening was a poolside cookout and Luau. We got changed and went back for a night of fun. Hotdogs, burgers, hula hoops and limbo turned out to be a fantastic night!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6804.jpg
I forgot to mention that they had cotton candy and sno cones as well.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6806.jpg
Owen loved the limbo and had fun with his "pretty girls" again!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6812.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6813.jpg
Kamryn was the best at the limbo.. she won.. if they were keeping count.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6813.jpg
The last game of the evening was the water balloon toss. Owen and Kamryn were up against many other kiddos and once again, they rocked it!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6816.jpg
We turned in early and watched some Disney channel before bed. We don't have cable at home, so the kids were so excited to watch Disney and Nick Jr while snuggled into bed each night. Lights out came early because we had a long day at Magic Kingdom coming up!

[Moodyzblu]

What a great day spent at GKTW ! Love all the pics. My boys are going to love the splash pad and the model train.
Can't wait to read more ! :thumbsup2

[dianemom2]

What an awesome day taking advantage of the wonderful things at GKTW. It looks like a very fun and relaxing day! Can't wait to read some more!

[ChattaAlley]

Your little boy is adorable (and daughter too). Looks like a lot of fun is being had.

[WDWRids]

This is absolutely GREAT!!! Loving seeing the Harry Potter pics!!

[Owensheart]

We had an early wake up call because we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. It was only about 20 minutes after leaving the village before we saw this sign.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6821.jpg
We parked our car and it wasn't long before we were on a ferry ride to the Magic Kingdom.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6822.jpg
After entering the park.. we saw the Main Street Christmas tree!! We have some family photos in front of the tree and castle, but we are waiting to get our photopass cd from Disney.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6823.jpg
We had to stop briefly at the City Hall in main street to get Owen's stroller tagged as a wheelchair and then we were on our way to see Cinderella's castle. I love Disney during the holidays!!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6824.jpg
We arrived at the park about 45 minutes before they opened because we had breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace with Pooh!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6825.jpg
Eeyore was so funny with Owen. Owen just kinda gave him hugs and kisses.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6827.jpg
Do you see the puffed french toast and Mickey waffles on Owen's plate.. the food was really good at Crystal Palace.. highly recommend it!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6829.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6830.jpg
It wasn't long before Pooh found our table.. Owen loves Pooh bear!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6833.jpg
Kamryn is too embarrassed to admit it, but she loves the Silly ol' bear as well.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6834.jpg
We didn't want to sit around and wait for Tigger and Piglet, but we would be back later in the week! When the bill came, I realized I had left our Make A Wish debit card back in the car. The car that was parked outside the park, across the lake and in the parking lot a mile away. Daddy paid with another card so we could get out of there and then took off with the kids to ride Jungle cruise, while I decided to head out to the car to retrieve the card.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6835.jpg
I realized when I got to the exit gate that I left my park tickets in the lanyard around Carson's neck. Just. My. Luck. So I headed all the way over to frontier land to meet up with fam and we rode Aladdin's magic carpet ride, Pirates of the Carribean and then BIG THUNDER mountain railroad!! Owen finally hit the 40" ride requirement for most of the Disney rides!!

On our way to Splash, we found Jessie and Woody!! Again, the Cast Member refused to let us wait in line and Owen walked right up to give his loves to his favorite Toy Story characters.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6840.jpg
Woody and Jessie pulled Kamryn into the action too! They were great! I have more photos on the photopass cd.. coming soon.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6843.jpg
Next up was Splash Mountain..one of our family's favorite rides! The cast member at the entrance said Owen was just a smide under the 40" mark and refused to let him ride. Lame. You win some, you lose some. He was just a smidge above the 40" mark at Big Thunder and was able to ride, but there was no sense in arguing. Another cast member let him ride Splash several times later in the week and he loved it so much!!

Kam and Daddy still wanted to ride so off they went.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6854.jpg
It gave Owen and I time to get a tube feed in, give his morning medicine and we had fun watching the logs fly down the mountain.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6846.jpg
Here is Daddy and Sis after their big fall.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6853.jpg
I sent Daddy out to the car for the credit card and the kids and I found Princess Tiana. It was at this time that we realized Owen was not interested in princesses. Ha.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6860.jpg
We were planning on making our way through the castle.. like we do at Disneyland.. but realized that was not an option at the Magic Kingdom. While I was looking at the map trying to plan my route into Fantasyland, a parade was making it's way right past us!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6862.jpg
It was a party parade and the characters were dancing in the street. Owen was so excited he was out of his stroller and in the street before I realized what was going on. Chip n' Dale were dancing with him and he was in heaven!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6863.jpg
The gorilla from Jungle Book came up next and Owen was laughing hysterically as they danced in the street! Love it!! Kamryn was way too cool to get her groove on, but I didn't hesitate. I'm sure I only mildly embarrassed her. Ha!! :)
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6866.jpg
I remembered seeing Mister Incredible and Frozone on a float in the parade, so we made our way across the street to find them. Owen was so excited to dance with them!!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6868.jpg
I love that the characters are so excited to always get their pictures taken. We had so much fun in the parade. It was hot, but we had a great time dancing in the street.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6870.jpg

[Owensheart]

Daddy was almost back to the park, so we decided to head over to the Make A Wish lounge for some relaxing and ice cold water. Who knew that there were Make A Wish lounges in some of the Disney parks?! The kids played checkers and they had big pillows to throw on the floor and lounge on. We had icy cold water, kicked our shoes off and just relaxed for about 45 minutes. Daddy joined us half way in and it was nice to rest our feet.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6871.jpg
We decided to hit up Fantasy land and a few more rides before calling it a day. It was getting warm out and we were already exhausted. We started with Mickey's Philarmagic 3d show.. very cool. Then we headed over to Small World, Peter Pan's flight, and then Dumbo!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6874.jpg
The teacups are a family favorite.. Daddy went with the kids first.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6878.jpg
Then it was my turn. There were no lines at Magic Kingdom while we were there and we practically walked on every single ride!! It was a great day to be there for sure!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6884.jpg
We decided to skip Snow White's ride as well as Winnie the Pooh and revisit those later in the week. We wanted to finish up with a few rides in Tomorrowland. First up was Autopia.. Kam drove me and Daddy rode with Owen. So fun!

Space Mountain was next and Owen was too small for the Magic Kingdom version of the ride. They let Owen go into the mountain through the wheelchair line so we could rideswap. I went with Kamryn on the ride first and it did not disappoint! I took Owen to the restroom while Daddy and Kam took their turn on the coaster.

Look who we found as we were wandering around...
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6887.jpg
There was no line for Stitch and he was as crazy as always. Owen spent a good 10 minutes hanging out with this naughty alien.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6889.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6888.jpg
Daddy and Kamryn found us just in time to get a family photo. Stitch then picked his nose and wiped it on Daddy, which Owen thought was HILARIOUS!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6897.jpg
We decided to do one last ride of the day.. Buzz's Astroblasters and we all defeated Zurg. Owen got a cool Zurg toy with Buzz Lightyear gun and the Cast Members even supplied the batteries for him. Way cool.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6900.jpg
As we were heading towards the exit, we decided to catch Monster's Inc Laugh Floor and that was really great!! We were starving and hadn't eaten since breakfast, so I had the genius idea to head to the Polyenisan Hotel for a little lunch/dinner. We took the Ferry to the TTC, then walked to the Poly, not realizing the monorail would take us straight to the gate. Ugh. Our feet were tired and we were hungry.. not a good combo. When we got to the 4th floor of the Poly, we found that all the restaurants were closed (too early for supper, too late for lunch).

We decided to jump on the monorail back to the TTC to our car and realized we were on the long route. We had to first stop at the Grand Floridian, then the Magic Kingdom, then the Contemporary. Owen took a nice long nap during our long detour, and we got to relax a bit. When we finally reached the TTC, it started to downpour. Ha! All I could do was laugh. No more letting Mommy call the shots.

We finally made it back to the van, then to Walmart to buy some snacks. The Gingerbread House wouldn't start serving dinner for another hour and we were starving. After we got to our villa and chowed down on crackers and cheese, we decided we were too tired to go to dinner. Thankfully, GKTW offers the option of not only Katie's Kitchen deliver, but pizza delivery to our villa as well. We ordered two pizzas and drinks that were delivered to us super quickly. I wouldn't give the pizza more than 2 out of 5 stars, but it does fill your belly after a long day.


It was around 7:30 when I asked the kids if they wanted to go grab an ice cream cone and explore the village before bed. Owen already had his jammies on and I had washed my makeup off. Carson was done for and was already snoring in bed. We grabbed a chocolate cone for Owen, mint cone for Kam and then heard loud music coming from Julie's Safari Theatre. We started walking in that direction and found Village Idol going on!!

One of the volunteers (more pretty girls), asked Owen if he wanted to sign up to perform his "Baby Oh" by Justin Beiber. Apparently, he was serenading the ladies at the Candyland game on the first night. He said "Sure.. I want to sing!" I asked him multiple times if he was sure and goodness was he SURE!! "YES.. I am sure.. I want to sing on stage!" He grabbed his number 25 and we went backstage to wait his turn.

When they announced his name, he walked right on stage, Mister Confident in his pajamas and bare feet. They started playing the music and he didn't miss a beat! Kamryn was laughing hysterically!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/VillageIdol251.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/VillageIdol255.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/VillageIdol246.jpg
They had a karaoke screen with the words on it, but since he can't read, that didn't do him much good. He just went off memory and rocked it out!

Thanks to the Wizard for taking these great pictures for us!! At the end of our trip, GKTW gave us a CD with the video from Village Idol as well as all the photos they took during our stay. It was a sweet surprise. I didn't have my camera with me this evening as we weren't planning on more than an ice cream cone. I was so glad they were prepared!!

It was about 9:30 before we got back to the villa and in bed. Carson was wondering where we disappeared to for hours. We had a great day at Magic Kingdom and evening at the village, but were so exhausted and ready for bed!!

Next up.. Animal Kingdom and Christmas at the Village.

[newdrama12]

Daddy was almost back to the park, so we decided to head over to the Make A Wish lounge for some relaxing and ice cold water. Who knew that there were Make A Wish lounges in some of the Disney parks?! The kids played checkers and they had big pillows to throw on the floor and lounge on. We had icy cold water, kicked our shoes off and just relaxed for about 45 minutes. Daddy joined us half way in and it was nice to rest our feet.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6871.jpg
We decided to hit up Fantasy land and a few more rides before calling it a day. It was getting warm out and we were already exhausted. We started with Mickey's Philarmagic 3d show.. very cool. Then we headed over to Small World, Peter Pan's flight, and then Dumbo!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6874.jpg
The teacups are a family favorite.. Daddy went with the kids first.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6878.jpg
Then it was my turn. There were no lines at Magic Kingdom while we were there and we practically walked on every single ride!! It was a great day to be there for sure!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6884.jpg
We decided to skip Snow White's ride as well as Winnie the Pooh and revisit those later in the week. We wanted to finish up with a few rides in Tomorrowland. First up was Autopia.. Kam drove me and Daddy rode with Owen. So fun!

Space Mountain was next and Owen was too small for the Magic Kingdom version of the ride. They let Owen go into the mountain through the wheelchair line so we could rideswap. I went with Kamryn on the ride first and it did not disappoint! I took Owen to the restroom while Daddy and Kam took their turn on the coaster.

Look who we found as we were wandering around...
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6887.jpg
There was no line for Stitch and he was as crazy as always. Owen spent a good 10 minutes hanging out with this naughty alien.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6889.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6888.jpg
Daddy and Kamryn found us just in time to get a family photo. Stitch then picked his nose and wiped it on Daddy, which Owen thought was HILARIOUS!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6897.jpg
We decided to do one last ride of the day.. Buzz's Astroblasters and we all defeated Zurg. Owen got a cool Zurg toy with Buzz Lightyear gun and the Cast Members even supplied the batteries for him. Way cool.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6900.jpg
As we were heading towards the exit, we decided to catch Monster's Inc Laugh Floor and that was really great!! We were starving and hadn't eaten since breakfast, so I had the genius idea to head to the Polyenisan Hotel for a little lunch/dinner. We took the Ferry to the TTC, then walked to the Poly, not realizing the monorail would take us straight to the gate. Ugh. Our feet were tired and we were hungry.. not a good combo. When we got to the 4th floor of the Poly, we found that all the restaurants were closed (too early for supper, too late for lunch).

We decided to jump on the monorail back to the TTC to our car and realized we were on the long route. We had to first stop at the Grand Floridian, then the Magic Kingdom, then the Contemporary. Owen took a nice long nap during our long detour, and we got to relax a bit. When we finally reached the TTC, it started to downpour. Ha! All I could do was laugh. No more letting Mommy call the shots.

We finally made it back to the van, then to Walmart to buy some snacks. The Gingerbread House wouldn't start serving dinner for another hour and we were starving. After we got to our villa and chowed down on crackers and cheese, we decided we were too tired to go to dinner. Thankfully, GKTW offers the option of not only Katie's Kitchen deliver, but pizza delivery to our villa as well. We ordered two pizzas and drinks that were delivered to us super quickly. I wouldn't give the pizza more than 2 out of 5 stars, but it does fill your belly after a long day.


It was around 7:30 when I asked the kids if they wanted to go grab an ice cream cone and explore the village before bed. Owen already had his jammies on and I had washed my makeup off. Carson was done for and was already snoring in bed. We grabbed a chocolate cone for Owen, mint cone for Kam and then heard loud music coming from Julie's Safari Theatre. We started walking in that direction and found Village Idol going on!!

One of the volunteers (more pretty girls), asked Owen if he wanted to sign up to perform his "Baby Oh" by Justin Beiber. Apparently, he was serenading the ladies at the Candyland game on the first night. He said "Sure.. I want to sing!" I asked him multiple times if he was sure and goodness was he SURE!! "YES.. I am sure.. I want to sing on stage!" He grabbed his number 25 and we went backstage to wait his turn.

When they announced his name, he walked right on stage, Mister Confident in his pajamas and bare feet. They started playing the music and he didn't miss a beat! Kamryn was laughing hysterically!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/VillageIdol251.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/VillageIdol255.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/VillageIdol246.jpg
They had a karaoke screen with the words on it, but since he can't read, that didn't do him much good. He just went off memory and rocked it out!

Thanks to the Wizard for taking these great pictures for us!! At the end of our trip, GKTW gave us a CD with the video from Village Idol as well as all the photos they took during our stay. It was a sweet surprise. I didn't have my camera with me this evening as we weren't planning on more than an ice cream cone. I was so glad they were prepared!!

It was about 9:30 before we got back to the villa and in bed. Carson was wondering where we disappeared to for hours. We had a great day at Magic Kingdom and evening at the village, but were so exhausted and ready for bed!!

Next up.. Animal Kingdom and Christmas at the Village.

Glad that I was able to meet up with all of you at GKTW! You're welcome for the pics! It was my honor to be able to take them!

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Wow what a great trip so far can't wait to read moor of it

[spiroff.natasha]

I am loving this so far! Sounds like you guys had a great trip :) When I was living in Orlando I volunteered at the GKTW Village...such a great place! Can't wait to read more :goodvibes

[blessedmom4]

Andrea, GREAT report for your Ten days of Christmas! Mine is more like the Ten Months...:rotfl2::lmao::rotfl2:

The pictures are bringing back some awesome memories for me. :goodvibes

http://dl10.glitter-graphics.net/pub/1835/1835670h9hurhjb2p.gif (http://www.glitter-graphics.com)


http://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/f.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/i.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/v.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/e.gifhttp://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/empty.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/m.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/o.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/r.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/e.gifhttp://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/empty.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/d.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/a.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/y.gifhttp://text.glitter-graphics.net/star/s.gifhttp://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/empty.gifhttp://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/empty.gifhttp://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/empty.gifhttp://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/empty.gif (http://glitter-graphics.com/myspace/text_generator.php)

[dianemom2]

Your Magic Kingdom day looks like it was a ton of fun. How frustrating about the debit card and entry ticket issue. It still looks like you did a lot that day and got to see nearly everything! You were there the perfect time of year to avoid the crowds. We were there when my kids were younger in preschool/kindergarten at that time of year. Early December is awesome at Disney. Hardly any crowds and lots of pretty decorations. Owen singing in the Idol competition is so cute!

I showed my DD12 the pictures from Harry Potter World. She was so excited and can't wait to go next week. She wants to know if the butter beer is good? She tried some recipes she found on the internet with her friends and they were all disgusting. Kind of like slimy, buttery rootbeer! YUCK! She also wants to know if Kamryn got a wand at Olivanders?

Can't wait for the next day's report.

[Moodyzblu]

Jayden is following along on your TR too and is loving it ! He thinks Owen is cute and looks like he is having a lot of fun. :love:

GKTW looks so cool and they always have something fun going on ! Can't wait to experience it ourselves. :thumbsup2

[reelmom]

Joining in. You have a beautiful family and Owen is precious!

[WDWJonasGirl]

Subscribing!!

[Peace Mickey Lovers]

What an inspirational story your family has. God bless your little boy. What a great way to make memories as a family in Disney World. You look like you ae all having a great time. Can not wait to read the next installment.
Happy Holidays
Lisa

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Loving your trip report.You have had quite the pixie dust so far! That is awsome!

[hey_jude]

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6866.jpg


It looks like the Mickey Bag found a good home on the back of Owen's stroller. I hope it came in handy!

We're loving your trip report and all of Owen's and Kamryn's smiles. It looks like you had an amazing trip.

Judy

[jessica52877]

Loving the trip report and alll the pictures! Kamryn is a GREAT big sister!! And Owen is such a cutie!

[Owensheart]

Your Magic Kingdom day looks like it was a ton of fun. How frustrating about the debit card and entry ticket issue. It still looks like you did a lot that day and got to see nearly everything! You were there the perfect time of year to avoid the crowds. We were there when my kids were younger in preschool/kindergarten at that time of year. Early December is awesome at Disney. Hardly any crowds and lots of pretty decorations. Owen singing in the Idol competition is so cute!

I showed my DD12 the pictures from Harry Potter World. She was so excited and can't wait to go next week. She wants to know if the butter beer is good? She tried some recipes she found on the internet with her friends and they were all disgusting. Kind of like slimy, buttery rootbeer! YUCK! She also wants to know if Kamryn got a wand at Olivanders?

Can't wait for the next day's report.

Kamryn DID get a Harry Potter wand at Olivanders!!
It looks like the Mickey Bag found a good home on the back of Owen's stroller. I hope it came in handy!

We're loving your trip report and all of Owen's and Kamryn's smiles. It looks like you had an amazing trip.

Judy

Judy.. the bag was perfect!! I used it every single day and got a bunch of comments. Loved it!! Thank you!

[Owensheart]

We woke up to a chilly morning on Thursday. The rain the night before had brought cooler temperatures to Orlando. Our first stop of the day was a quick visit to Mickey and Minnie. Twice a week, these famous mice make their way to GKTW to visit the wish children in Julie's Safari Theatre. This was our first time visiting with Mickey as we hadn't found him at Magic Kingdom the day before.

Owen loved showing them his light up Darth Vader shoes!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6907.jpg
Then it was time for a quick picture!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6911.jpg
The characters can't talk, but they are all so expressive anyway. Owen was telling them that we were on our way to Animal Kingdom!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6915.jpg
As we were headed to the Gingerbread House for breakfast, we ran into Goofy and Pluto!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6918.jpg
We had a big breakfast at the village and then we were off to Disney's Animal Kingdom for a (half) day of fun!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6919.jpg
The center of the Animal Kingdom is the giant tree of life. You can kind of see it blown out in the background.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6920.jpg
Our first stop of the day was the must see Lion King production. We all loved it so much!! We had great seats until they realized we had oxygen and we were sitting right where the flame thrower does his act. Not good. :) So we moved to Pumba's section.. a little back from the action. Owen's favorite was the Monkey "gymbtastic" act.. it was great!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6923.jpg
After the show, we were on the hunt for binoculars for our African Safari. They proved difficult to find, but we found a couple pair just outside the ride.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6928.jpg
We found Goofy dressed up in his Christmas gear and Owen was SO excited to see him twice in one morning! ;)
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6926.jpg
We hardly waited in line before we were on our African Safari. They took us in Jeeps and it was like we were on another continent. Very cool. Disney doesn't miss a detail. These alligators were way cool.. and a little too close for comfort.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6935.jpg
Kamryn loved having her binoculars to check out the animals, even though they were just feet away from our jeep.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6940.jpg
There were elephants. giraffe, rhinos, lions and hippos roaming free. It was pretty cool.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6942.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6943.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6950.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6951.jpg
The safari lasted about 20 minutes and that was about all there was to do in "Africa". On our way to "Asia", we found these cool African instruments to play with.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6956.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6957.jpg
Kamryn took this picture of the back of the "Tree of Life". I love all the carvings of animals... again.. lots of details.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6958.jpg
I love this picture of Owen. We were waiting for Daddy to grab an Ice Cream bar for the kids.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6960.jpg
There it is. Owen eats the chocolate off the outside, Kamryn eats the vanilla ice cream.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6966.jpg

[Owensheart]

Next up was Kali River Rapids. It was FREEZING at the park on the day we went. Ok. I use the term "freezing" because we live in Arizona and we are used to heat. It was about 65 degrees out. This was Owen's first rapids ride and he LOVED it. Kamryn and I were soaking wet after the first trip down the mountain, but Owen really wanted to go again, so off we went to get soaked a second time! Owen and Daddy stayed dry.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6967.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6968.jpg
Our next ride was Expedition Everest. It was so. much. fun. Kamryn and Daddy went on it while I fed Owen and took a potty break. Then Daddy took Owen to Dinoland so Kam and I could ride it twice in a row. We had the GAC so we had automatic tickets to all fastpass entrances. Otherwise, the line was long.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6969.jpg
In Dinoland we found this crazy little coaster. Daddy and Kam took a turn while I took Owen on the Triceratops (dumboish) ride. Then I took a turn on this one with Kam and I about puked. You spin in circles while going up and down like a coaster. No thanks.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6970.jpg
Owen decided that he loved the Triceratops ride and we rode it about four times total.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6973.jpg
After Dinoland, we headed to Flame Tree BBQ for counter service. Carson found the best little spot to eat. It was quiet on the water and the kids chowed down on bbq ribs and chicken. The food was pretty great.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6978.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6980.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6982.jpg
We decided to call it a day at around 2pm. Owen was tired, there was a chill in the air and we had Christmas at GKTW in just a few hours.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6983.jpg
When we got back to the village, I took a picture of the House of Hearts. This is the lobby for GKTW.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6984.jpg
That evening, we changed into our Christmas clothes that we received from the Big Give. Owen wanted to ride on the carousel and we were so surprised to find Santa wanted to join in on the fun. How many kids get to ride a carousel with Santa? It was great! I have some fun video of Owen chatting him up.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6988.jpg
Next up, we decided to meet Santa at Julie's Safari theatre. Then went to Santa's closet to pick out a gift.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6996.jpg
Kamryn picked out Catch Phrase and Owen got a Bumble Bee Transformer.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6999.jpg
After that, we decided it was time to ride the horse drawn carriage ride around the village. We jumped on before there was a line and the cutest little guy was on there with us. He reminded me of Forrest Gump as a child with his accent (without the stutter).. such a sweet boy.

Then we headed to the Gingerbread House for Christmas Dinner. We saw Mrs. Clause, The Gingerbread man and had a great turkey dinner.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7000.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7005.jpg
Before we knew it, we were back to the House of Hearts for cookie decorating, the parade and dancing with more characters. Owen loved these little Village activities so much.. I'm glad we made it a priority to get back to GKTW so he could enjoy them.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7018.jpg
Loved Rudolph and Frosty.. they were so great to spend time with each kid.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7023.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7024.jpg
Kamryn was chilling with Daddy and enjoying the craft tables. She wasn't as excited to dance and hug on characters.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7028.jpg
Then there was snow. Oh.. the snow! Owen has never seen snow before and you would have thought it was gold blowing out of the machine. He went crazy and it was really just bubbles.

Sidenote.. we have plans to visit a cabin next month to sled and enjoy some powdery white stuff!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7030.jpg
On our way back to the villa after our long day. After the kids took another long bubble bath in the jet tub, they crashed hard.


This is one of my favorite photos from the trip!! Owen's wish was to go to Disney and see the characters. He just adored them all so much!!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6925.jpg

[SandalwoodMomof3]

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip!! Owen's wish was to go to Disney and see the characters. He just adored them all so much!!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_6925.jpg

This is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. You are such a beautiful family and I am enjoying your trip!

popcorn::

[Moodyzblu]

Such wonderful pictures !! It makes me so happy to see Owen enjoying himself SO much.
You got some great shots during the safari ! My favorite part of AK. :thumbsup2

Wonderful trip report so far !

[hey_jude]

Judy.. the bag was perfect!! I used it every single day and got a bunch of comments. Loved it!! Thank you!

You are very welcome! I've had that basic design in mind for a while, just waiting for the right Mickey-loving family to give it to. I do have to give credit to Heather for the design of the Mickey gloves, though. They really do make the bag!

Judy

[dianemom2]

Looks like you had another awesome day full of great fun! I love the picture of Owen kissing Goofy's nose. I can't ride the spinning roller coaster at AK either. It totally makes me sick :sick: I love the safari ride. I totally forget that I am in Florida. It really feels like you are in Africa. Disney did an amazing job with that ride!

[Peace Mickey Lovers]

Enjoying all your photos and your trip report!

[Owensheart]

We woke up to a beautiful morning on Friday. We had to get up and on the road in order to make our 9am reservations at Confisco's. We were excited to eat breakfast with The Grinch, the Who's and the Cat in the Hat! The first Who that came around was a familiar face from our first day at IOA. He was the manager that arranged Owen's super cool meeting with the superheros. He totally remembered us and was showing Owen some magic tricks.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7035.jpg
This was Kamryn's plate.. eggs, waffles, and a rice krispy treat Grinch mountain. Yum.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7034.jpg
The Cat in the Hat is a big hit at our house. Owen watches him every morning on PBS kids.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7036.jpg
There were a few Whos around the restaurant and I have no idea how they get their noses to look so realistic. Way cool!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7037.jpg
Speaking of make-up.. introducing the Grinch!! He was HILARIOUS, a little disgusting and totally had us cracking up!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7039.jpg
He jumped in Daddy's lap and was calling him "Besties". Then said our shirts were "SOOOO Unoriginal". I love how he stayed in character the entire time!! This was such a fun breakfast!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7040.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7042.jpg
We had a quick family shot with the Grinch before he turned around and made the photographer get a photo of his buns.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7044.jpg
My kids loved the Grinch and later we were back to watch the Merry Grinchmas musical in Dr Suess Land. It was so great!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7047.jpg
After breakfast, we decided to head over to Universal Studios to check it out.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7049.jpg
We started with the Shrek 4D show... then had a quick meeting with Shrek and Donkey. They were as silly as always.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7054.jpg
It started getting warm and we had to change out of our jeans and put on shorts. I had to take a picture of Kamryn in her jeans first. We had no less than 5 people stop us and ask where we bought them!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7052.jpg
We headed over to the ET ride, but Owen was not a fan of the alien being captured. The woody woodpecker rollercoaster saved the day and we rode it three times in a row. Then we found this bunch that we had the pleasure of seeing at GKTW a few nights prior.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7057.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7059.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7062.jpg
Next up was the Simpson's ride.. ugh.. none of us were digging that motion ride. It was CRAZY!!! We needed a real thrill ride so we headed to the Rockin Rollercoaster when this nice man stopped us. He wanted to give Owen a guitar pick necklace, just because. He made him a necklace right there at his shop and wished us a good day! So sweet. :)
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7063.jpg
Here is Daddy and Kamryn getting strapped into the Rollercoaster. It was seriously SO fun!! You can pick your own music and it then goes straight up 90 degrees before dropping you into a serious of corkscrews. My kind of fun!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7065.jpg
Kamryn went on three times in a row before we were done. They didn't make us wait at all. Universal was amazing!!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7066.jpg
It was getting hot and humid so we decided to leave Universal and head back to Islands of Adventure. Then we found Tim!! Owen loves Despicable Me and even had a Minion party last year and was a Minion for Halloween. He was SO excited to see the little yellow tatertot, as we call them.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7067.jpg
Oh Tim.. you were an unexpected surprise that made Owen a very happy boy!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7069.jpg
Cat in the Hat was the first on Owen's list when we got back to IOA. Owen LOVED this ride and they let us go a couple times in a row.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7072.jpg
We then very cute and silly Suess inspired carousel ride. It passed the time until we could get into the next Merry Grinchmas show. After the show, we rode on the fish ride from Day 1 and I got soaked again. Good times.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7080.jpg
We stopped for a few souvenirs on our way out of Universal and decided to head back to the village.

[Owensheart]

Daddy had blisters so we headed to the House of Hearts for bandaids. When we got there, we found out there was a package waiting for us.. more Mickey Mail!! I'll leave it a surprise until tomorrow.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7087.jpg
Owen rode on this boat forever and then went inside to play with the touch screen computers. He could have been happy at the village the entire week!!

Before dinner, we headed to the Star Castle to find Owen's star. It's on the upper left corner of the circle in the new star tower, by the bumble bee. Tough to see, but we know it's there forever!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7088.jpg
Daddy was exhausted and called it an early evening after dinner. The kids and I were ready for the Princess and Pirates party by the pool!! Each kid got a bandana and Owen got a beard. We danced and danced for at least an hour. SO fun!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7092.jpg
As we were leaving, we found pirate Shamu!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7096.jpg
It was a great day and our last night at Give Kids the World Village. We had to check out the next morning. We were sad to say goodbye. The kids took a long bath in the Jet tub and it overflowed with bubbles. Then I did a final villa clean up before bed.

[Owensheart]

I woke up early this morning and finished up any last loads of laundry. It was packing day as we had to move out of Give Kids the World. We were all sad that our stay at the village was over. We took our last walk past Old Elmer.. the snoring tree. Then we had our last meal at the Gingerbread House. Owen got to ride the carousel one last time and we headed back to the villa to load up.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7098.jpg
We got to the House of Hearts about fifteen minutes after check out time. They gave us a CD full of our village pictures and Owen's village idol video. Then we got a passport to the world which will allow us to visit many themeparks in the nation for free over the next year. On our list is Six Flags, Magic Mountain, and Legoland California. It was very generous of them!!

I can't explain how sad we were to leave GKTW, but we will be back to visit in the future!! In a few years, I would love to bring the kids back. We can never stay at the village again, but we can visit anytime and enjoy the amenities.

We made arrangements with our rental car company to switch out the credit card on file to extend our van for the remainder of our stay. There is a car center at Disneyworld which made the transfer convienient.

We had the option to extend our Make A Wish trip, out of pocket, up to seven days. We took full advantage of this opportunity, which allowed us more down time during our trip. I booked a Disney package at Port Orleans French Quarter and the promo rate was a Free Disney Dining package for the entire family.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7100.jpg
Our new hotel was so adorable. It was themed after New Orleans and Mardi Gras. There was a very animated man at the front door that would hand out coin tokens each day and they were always handing out Mardi Gras beads. It was so fun!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7101.jpg
We got checked in and they were so kind to upgrade us to a riverview room on the first floor of building 5. Building 5 is the closest to the lobby, restaurant and all the action. We had the best room in the entire hotel. There were cobblestone walkways, a man made river and a ferry that passed by every 20 minutes taking guests to the Port Orleans Riverside resort and Downtown Disney.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7103.jpg
We got our oxygen tanks, luggage was brought down by the bellhop and we got settled into our room.

After a long rest, we headed to the Ferry dock to get a sunset ride to Downtown Disney.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7104.jpg
This was our hotel on our way down the river.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7105.jpg
The boat ride was long and relaxing.. Downtown Disney was not. It was a madhouse!! We were letting the kids buy their souvineers for the trip and we planned to grab some dinner.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7108.jpg
The Lego Store did not disappoint. Owen is starting to get interested in Legos and so we had fun looking around at all the creations.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7109.jpg
This giant dragon was made of Legos.. how cool is that??
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7113.jpg
After a stop at the World of Disney, we headed to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. It was so yummy and we experienced our first free meal. :) Here is my attempt of getting a photo of Downtown Disney District on our way back to the hotel.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7126.jpg
I was so glad to have a slower day like today. The theme parks are all fun, but it was so nice to have a few days to just relax.

[Owensheart]

We slept in Sunday morning and made our way to the restaurant at our hotel. They had great counter service options for breakfast. Why does free food always taste so much better? Anyway... after we finished eating, we decided to explore the hotel a bit.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7138.jpg
We loved the alligator marching band statues between the playground and the pool. I didn't get a photo of the pool, but it was a giant dragon with a huge waterslide for the tongue.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7139.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7140.jpg
This is the ferry dock outside our hotel room. You can see the ferry in the background that we rode the evening before on our way to Downtown Disney.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7141.jpg
Our hotel room is on the bottom left hand corner, first floor. I loved opening all the blinds to see my river while we were relaxing in our room.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7142.jpg
It was around noon before we finally loaded up and headed to Epcot!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7145.jpg
Kamryn was totally excited to visit Epcot and the countries. We started out by stopping at Guest Services so I could get a renewed "stroller as wheelchair" tag for Owen. While there, the manager saw our expired GKTW GAC and renewed for for me! She changed the end date of our trip and put her extension on there in case we were given any trouble. The GKTW GAC allowed us front of the line access to all character greetings and automatic Fastpass entrance to all the rides. It was very generous of her to extend it for us!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0117FourBySix.jpg
We started out with the Finding Nemo ride and it was way too slow for us. We headed to Soarin next and the kids LOVED it!! Owen had never been on it due to the height requirement, but this trip, we went on it twice in a row.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7148.jpg
We decided to head to Germany to see if we could get into Le Cellier for lunch, but that didn't happen. I called WDW dining and made reservations in Norway for a character lunch at 3. It gave us plenty of time to head to the big Epcot ball for a ride through the history of technology. It was very cool! I remember this ride from our last trip to Epcot when I was 10. That was a long time ago!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7149.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7151.jpg
Towards the end of the ride, the computer asks you a series of questions about your future. Apparently Kamryn and Daddy were scuba divers? Owen and I took a space ship while we traveled the world.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7153.jpg
We jumped off the ride and decided a snack was in order. Owen asked for popcorn kernels, not the popcorn, but the kernels. He is strange like that. The cast member said that is one request she had never heard before, so she gave Owen his own cup of kernels. Kamryn had some strawberry slush that was super yummy.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7154.jpg
If you look really carefully, you can see the giant Epcot ball in the background.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7155.jpg
We took a ride on Test Track and it was fantastic!! Rumor has it that Test Track inspired the new Lightening McQueen ride at Cars Land in California Adventure. I sure hope so.. it was so fun!!

Next up, was Mission Space. I skipped this one and sent Daddy and Kamryn on their way.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7158.jpg
It was time to start heading to Norway for our lunch, but first, stopped to take a picture of the World Showcase. It's a bad photo, but you can see some of the countries in the background.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7159.jpg
On our way to Norway, we had to explore Mexico and look who we found. We hadn't found Donald in any parks yet, so this was a special treat.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0136FourBySix.jpg

[Owensheart]

We notified the restaurant that we had arrived and it took only five minutes before we heard "The Royal Simmons Family.. your table is ready!"
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7160.jpg
Akshersus was really yummy! The princess interactions were way cool, if your kids are into princesses. Owen liked Cinderella, but she is blond, and he has a soft spot for blonds.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7161.jpg
He even let Cindy kiss his forehead and leave him a lipstick souvenir.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7163.jpg
Kamryn was a little cool for the princesses, but she had a good time anyway.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7165.jpg
The kids got the glowing straw cups with Buzz and Tinkerbell. Owen thought that was pretty great!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7167.jpg
Kamryn's favorite princess has always been Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7168.jpg
Ariel was sweet, but my kids were ready to eat and not pose for pictures.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7170.jpg
Snow White got dissed. She was so sweet and had the softest voice and Owen wanted nothing to do with her. He doesn't know this princess and was totally not interested. I'm sure she recovered just fine as there were a bunch of little girls dressed up as princesses so excited! Kamryn was that age once.. what happened? Ha.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7171.jpg
Our waitress brought out a desert sampler and there were chocolate sticks on the chocolate mouse. Owen loved it so much and asked the waitress for one more. She then brought Owen an entire to go box full of chocolate sticks!! This was what was left at the end of the night.. Owen ate them all! I need to find these at a store somewhere.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7174.jpg
When we left the restaurant and walked into the pouring rain. The kids had their ponchos in the stroller and Carson ran to buy some for us. Kamryn really wanted to visit France and see the Eiffel Tower. It turns out it's just a prop on top of a building and you can't really see it.. bummer. We did find Marie though!! My kids LOVE Marie!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0146FourBySix.jpg
Here is Kam's photo in France. We'll make it to the real Paris one day!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7172.jpg
Our day at Epcot was cut short when the thunder started. We were tired and couldn't wait to get back to our hotel, dry off, and watch some movies. I ran down to the hotel restaurant to use up some of our snack credits on Beignets, salad and pizza and brought it back to the room. We watched The Grinch on tv and everyone fell asleep early!

[reelmom]

Too funny about the popcorn kernels! Publix sells a wonderful chocolate ganache cake that has those chocolate sticks on it. Maybe you can ask them to just sell you the sticks. :)

[dancer4one]

I have enjoyed looking at your Disney pictures! You have a very sweet family!

[jessica52877]

Kamryn could be Sleeping Beauty! She is so pretty and favors her.

[Owensheart]

We slept in until 9am on Monday and planned to kick around all morning. Remember the Mickey Mail we received at GKTW? We received Tye Dye Mickey shirts, in Christmas colors of course!! I was so excited that we had another Magic Kingdom day planned!

We started our morning with a big breakfast at our hotel. I loved the festive Mardi Gras masks all over the ceiling.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7179.jpg
After breakfast, we headed to the hotel gift shop to grab some souvenirs. I tried to get Owen to buy the Santa Mickey ears.. but he wasn't having it.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7180.jpg
I loved this festive tree in our hotel lobby.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7184.jpg
We had reservations for lunch at Crystal Palace, so we had a lot of relaxing time before heading to Magic Kingdom.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7186.jpg
The entrance to Magic Kingdom...
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0153FourBySix.jpg
I know I've said it before, but there is just nothing as perfect as Disney at Christmastime.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0158FourBySix.jpg
Their was rain all morning, but it was starting to clear up by the time we got to the park.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7187.jpg
We had round 2 at Crystal Palace and this time we got to see Tiger!! My kids LOVE Tiger.. but who doesn't?
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7188.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7189.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7190.jpg
Eyeore was there again too, of course!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7191.jpg
Oh.. and our favorite little Piglet!! We missed her the other morning as well.

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7192.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7193.jpg
The lunch buffet at Crystal Palace was pretty delicious!! The deserts were Owen's favorite and I found chocolate shavings on the chocolate mouse to put on top of his ice cream.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7194.jpg
Kamryn liked the Hazelnut cannolis.. yum!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7195.jpg
Owen was chillin out with Daddy feeling his scratchy beard. I love this photo!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7197.jpg
After a very filling lunch, we headed to Tinkerbell's Forrest to find Vidia. She was Sassy and totally in character!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7198.jpg
Tinkerbell was so sweet and Owen thought she was cute.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0180FourBySix.jpg
Kamryn has always loved Tinkerbell and the fairies. She read the entire series of Fairies books when she was little.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0184FourBySix.jpg
When we left the magical Forrest, we headed right into the Tiki Room. I know this can be kinda lame, but we love the Tiki room. I was bummed that we were just way too full for the Pineapple Dole Whip.. one of our favorite traditions.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7202.jpg
Owen was being crazy from all the ice cream he ate at lunch. Can you say Sugar High?
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7205.jpg

[Owensheart]

We decided to skip pirates as it was just not as cool as the POTC is at Disneyland. We wanted to try and get Owen on Splash Mountain since he missed it the week prior. Sure enough.. he was 40" and we went on the ride twice in a row!! He LOVED Splash Mountain and was telling me the entire story of the Fox trying to catch the Rabbit.

We then went over to Big Thunder Railroad and road that twice in a row. My kids are so fun on rollercoasters!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7206.jpg
I heard that the Haunted Mansion was very cool at Magic Kingdom and it did not disappoint. We enjoyed the graveyard and the ride was super spooky. Loved it.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7207.jpg
It was already getting dark at this point, so we headed to Fantasyland. After a ride on Dumbo and Teacups, look who we found. There was an hour wait to see Rapunzel! They let us go right in and I was so bummed to realize I had my camera settings wrong. We had been looking the entire trip for a stuffed Pascal for my niece and couldn't find one anywhere. Rapunzel was cute and said.. he does like to play hide and seek!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7214.jpg
Our next stop was the Astroblasters in Tomorrowland. They have the cool ones where you take the elevator up and ride in the sky. They did away with those at Disneyland, so I was excited that my kids got to experience the real rockets that I remember when I was little!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7221.jpg
Daddy and Kam wanted to ride Space Mountain again, so Owen and I played around.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7242.jpg
Owen's last pick was Buzz's Astroblasters and it was as fun as always.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7246.jpg
I tried to take a picture with the castle and I could not get my camera to get a nice shot.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7249.jpg
Then we found a photopass photographer to take our picture. As you can see, Owen was exhausted. We all were, but Owen was ready to crash.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0190FourBySix.jpg
Daddy took Owen straight back to our hotel room to crash, while Kamryn and I went to the restaurant for some water bottles and snacks.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7252.jpg
This is our hotel lobby..
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7254.jpg
I love my girl!! She adds so much joy to our family!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7256.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7258.jpg
Look what we found in our bathroom when we got back. I have no idea what it is, but it's cute.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7259.jpg


We were all sound asleep by 9pm. I was a little sad that we missed the Wishes firework show at Magic Kingdom, but we just couldn't keep going. I told Owen we only had two more nights in our hotel and he said "I want to stay on my Make A Wish trip forever!!" Me too buddy. Me too.

[dianemom2]

Your trip report is coming along great! Each day looks like so much fun! The picture of you all in the tie dye shirts is great! My girls really liked the Princess meal at Akershus too. I liked it better than Cinderella's Royal Table which we ate at when they were little.

[Moodyzblu]

Loving your report and pictures !! I plan on extending our stay so we can have some down time too and be able to enjoy GKTW and not feel SO rushed.
How cool that they extended your GAC !

What a great trip !! Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup2

[mommyof2princesses]

Am loving your trip report! I cannot wait till we are back at POFQ! 33 days till we are there!

[reelmom]

What a great family picture in front of the train station.

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas.

[miprender]

:surfweb: All caught up. Love seeing all the great photos.

We loved POFQ too when we stayed there in 2009. It is such a quaint hotel and we loved coming back to relax after a busy day in the parks.

[kimmylaj]

what a beautiful family you have. i just read your report and love it. it seems like you had a wonderful time, looking forward to more updates

[sweetmarieT]

THANK YOU so much for sharing your jourey with us. Our wish starts Feb. 3rd,2012. I wish we could extend it for a week. Cassie's wish is being provided by THE CHILDRENS WISH FOUNDATION here in Canada but because of insurance reasons we cannot extend our stay. Take care and best wishes for your family.

[tricia]

Happy New Year!!

So are you coming back to finish soon?

[Peace Mickey Lovers]

Happy New year, hope to hear from you soon.

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I love ur family

[Owensheart]

Hey guys.. Christmas is over and it's time for a new year!! I have my Trip Report typed up, pictures uploaded and I will get it all copied/pasted tomorrow!! Days 9-11 are on their way! I am sad our trip is over, but am already planning DISNEY 2012!!

We have a trip to Stanford for Owen's cardiac cath in Feb and then I'll start working on Disneyland for December. They are opening the news Cars Land at Cali Adventure and my kids are so excited to check that out. Goofy's sky school is open as well we Little Mermaid ride. All new stuff for my kids at DL.

I hope you all are having a great start to 2012!!

[Moodyzblu]

Happy New Year !! party:

Looking forward to your update !! :thumbsup2

I need a Disney fix !!

[Peace Mickey Lovers]

I just came back from Disneyland at Thanksgiving and my daughter loved the Goofy school roller coaster. Had lots of fun there and are planning to go back for my daughters "13th" birthday in January of 2014.
Good luck next month at the cardiologist.

[WDWRids]

Your family is just ADORABLE!!! Such a fabulous trip and great memories for all. Owen is an adorable kid - love the character photos!!!

Can't wait to see other updates!

Have a great day!

[Owensheart]

Our last full day at Disney was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studio! Again, we slept in and enjoyed our morning by the River. It was quiet and relaxing. We didn't make it to the park until around 1:00 to make our 1:30 reservations at Hollywood and Vine.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7261.jpg
Since we don't have Disney channel at home, my kids had no idea who the characters were. I'm glad we had 9 days of Disney at GKTW and POFQ so they recognized these characters faces. Here is Oso the Bear!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7262.jpg
We watched a few episodes of Jake and the Neverland Pirates that morning, so Owen was excited to see Jake. Kamryn was just a bit embarrassed. :)
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7263.jpg
Owen thought he was a cool pirate and loved seeing him.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7264.jpg
Owen used to watch Little Einsteins so he knew June. Hollywood and Vine was loud and fun.. we really enjoyed it!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7267.jpg
Here's Handy Manny.. or Bob the Builder.. as Owen called him. Ha! Manny got a kick out of that!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7269.jpg
Our first ride of the day was Star Tours!! Owen loves Star Wars and Darth Vader, so he was really excited!! While in line waiting to board the ride, I asked the cast member if she knew of a Darth Vader meet and greet. She said "he doesn't do greets, autographs, or photographs.. only the Jedi training show." Owen was too little to sign up for Jedi Training, so we thought we'd just catch a show later.

As we exited the fabulous ride, there were several members of management at the exit. They had us come outside and said they couldn't promise anything, but to come back to the Jedi Training in a couple hours. They were going to see what they could arrange.


We went back to the gift shop because Owen saw the "build your own light saber" station.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7272.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7274.jpg
We decided to head to Muppets 3D next. My kids have wanted to see the new Muppet movie, but we haven't had a chance. They were excited to watch this one.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7276.jpg
Here's my pretty girl posing in front of the Miss Piggy fountain after the show.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7279.jpg
Look who we found around the corner from Miss Piggy...
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0202FourBySix.jpg
We went to find Mike and Sully, but they were at lunch. We went back towards towards the Star Wars area and the kids so kindly posed for me.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7280.jpg
Jedi Training was so cute!! There were so many little guys swinging their light sabers.. the Jedi trainer had to say "Darth is not a pinata." Owen was jaw dropped in awe of the show. Before the show ended, management came over to grab us. They led us through the back entrance of Star Tours and told us to wait there.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7281.jpg
A few minutes later, the storm troopers and Darth Vader rounded the corner. Owen was startstruck!! I almost set off the waterworks when Darth Vader handed Owen a red light saber that was personally autographed!! He was SO thrilled!! I am so thankful for the amazing management team that made this happen for Owen. He was just so excited and it made him so happy!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7284.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7285.jpg
The Storm Troopers guided us back for another ride on Star Tours.. seriously.. such a great character interaction!!

It was hard to top that experience, but we went to find Mike and Sully again! Both my kids love Monsters Inc.. who doesn't? Kamryn had a Baby Boo doll when she was little and I wish I would have kept it.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7287.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7289.jpg
We were going to ride the backlot tour, but realized there was a ton of fire and figured oxygen was not a good idea. So we headed over to Toy Story Mania. I made Kamryn and Carson stand in front of the Coke first.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7290.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7291.jpg

[Owensheart]

We found Buzz and Woody in Andy's room.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7294.jpg
Then made our way to another of our favorite rides.. Toy Story Mania!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7296.jpg
We were waiting in a 15 minute line, the longest so far, and we were bored. Ha.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7302.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7303.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7304.jpg
After the MANIA, we headed to the Animation center and found some Incredibles!! Another one of my kids' favorite movies. I still think they should make a sequel.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7312.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7313.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7315.jpg
I have no idea why my kids were giggling so much. :)

Kamryn got picked to go into the Art of Animation class where a real Disney Animator teaches the class to draw an Animation of choice. The classes were packed and Kamryn was SO so excited to be a part of this!! They drew Pluto, and I may be biased, but hers is FANTASTIC!!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7327.jpg
We found Daddy and Owen taking pictures with Sorcerer Mickey and Winnie the Pooh.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0236FourBySix.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0242FourBySix.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/Photo0253FourBySix.jpg
When we finally left, with some Animation souvenirs for Kamryn, we were met with rain! Kamryn and Daddy went to ride Aerosmith's roller coaster, while Owen and I played with drumsticks. We met up just in time to ride the last ride of the trip.. Tower of Terror. That was until the Cast Member refused to let Owen on because it is a "very dangerous ride". That was his reason. He said it was "the most dangerous ride at Disney!" We argued momentarily, almost requested management, then realized we were too exhausted.

We missed Osbourne lights because our feet hurt and we were really ready to get dry and rest. I still had an evening of packing to do as our trip was ending.

[Owensheart]

This morning was an early one as we had to be checked out of our hotel and on the road by 7:30. We took a few last minute shots by the river and loaded up the van.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7328-1.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7329.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7332.jpg
We had 8am reservations at Chef Mickeys for a character breakfast and to say Goodbye to Mickey.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7334.jpg
The food was really yummy and we saw Goofy.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7335.jpg
Then Mickey.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7338.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7340.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7341.jpg
Minnie Mouse too.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7344.jpg
Donald was there.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7352.jpg
And Pluto swallowed Owen up!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7356.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7358.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7360.jpg
We had a fantastic time and the experience was the perfect way to end our trip! My Chef Mickey shirt ripped when I put it on in the morning.. bummer. :(
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7361.jpg
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to make our long trip home.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7362.jpg
When we arrived at Sky Harbor, Owen's Make A Wish granter was waiting for him with a 'Welcome Back' balloon! We waited for Daddy to get all our luggage and we headed out to the curb.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7366.jpg
We found our driver and the amazing Make A Wish limo waiting for us!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7369.jpg
Owen said "this was the best Make A Wish trip ever!!"
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7370.jpg
Kamryn thought it was pretty amazing too!!
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7373.jpg
We are so thankful for this amazing experience through Make A Wish! Owen has been through so much since birth and he will never be cured. His heart condition is severe and we live each day aware of how fragile his body is. We are so grateful to have this opportunity to create life long memories with our little guy and to forget about real life for an incredible 10 days!!

We are so blessed.

[jessica52877]

Okay, I am a bit confused, ToT a really dangerous ride? Unless it has something to do with his oxygen I don't get it at all. Not a great way to end the day but wow did your day sound awesome! I love what Disney did for Owen at Jedi Training! How awesome for him!

Love all the pictures. I think MI is my favorite and the drawing of Pluto is PERFECT! Wow! I can't believe how really perfect it is!

[newdrama12]

Fantastic trip report! Glad that you guys had an awesome Wish Trip. I enjoyed meeting you and your family and hanging out with you for a little bit.

[billwendy]

Loved the picture of Owen with Pooh and also with Pluto!!! Glad you had a great trip!:thumbsup2

[Moodyzblu]

What a fantastic report !! I love all the pics. I love the one where it looks like Pluto is swallowing up Owen and I love that he got to meet Darth Vader !!
I'm so glad that your family was able to go on this best trip ever and seeing Owens smiling face is just amazing !

May your family stay blessed and I pray that Owen gets bigger and stronger and that some day they will find new and better ways to help out our heart kids. :goodvibes

[kimmylaj]

loved reading about your trip, it seems like you all had a wonderful time. thanks for sharing

[Peace Mickey Lovers]

thank you for sharing your special trip with us.

[miprender]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us. :goodvibes

[nesser1981]

Wonderful trip report! Looks like you had an amazing time! We can't wait for our Wish trip in 44 days!

[newdrama12]

Just stopping by to say hi! Hope that all of you are doing well! I met one of Owen's friends in the Village the other day. Sorry, I don't remember her name though. I asked them to tell all of you hi for me!

[carebearkidney]

Loved your trip! How wonderful and magical and memorable. Your kiddos are beautiful and their personalities just shine. Thanks for sharing!:hug:

[Owensheart]

Just stopping by to say hi! Hope that all of you are doing well! I met one of Owen's friends in the Village the other day. Sorry, I don't remember her name though. I asked them to tell all of you hi for me!

Hey!! You probably met Grace!! Cute little gal with dark brown curls?! She just had a major open heart surgery and is in ICU at Stanford. Prayers for her! :)


We also have some friends coming in this next week. Max is their Wish Child.. same age as Owen... cute mohawk. Mom is super pretty blonde lady.. big Sis and baby bro Hudson. Cute family and so so sweet. You'll have to find them. :)

On the 26th, our other friends fly in. Wish Kid Alexandra. Also Owen's age.. little Sis is Aria. Super fun family as well!! :)

Oh.. and another family from PHX is coming in eight days. So back to back wish trippers. All cardiac kids from PHX. I'll tell them to look for the wizard!
:wizard:

[Owensheart]

Hey everyone!! It seems like forever since I updated, but I have been around. It's only been two month since our trip and it still feels like yesterday. Owen asked the other day when we are going back to Disneyworld?! Ha.

Thankfully we have a trip to Stanford planned for his cardiac cath next month and it just happens to fall during Spring Break. So we were lucky enough to plan a trip to San Diego on the way up and back through Oceanside on the way home. Lots of beach time and we have lots of family traveling to California the same week. It's going to be AMAZING, but not Disney. :)

We are planning a huge family trip to DisneyLAND this coming fall/winter. We are so stoked to see the new Cars Land that is set to open in the summer.

My kids got a HUGE surprise last week when we checked the mail and found MICKEY MAIL!!! They were both in shock and SO excited!!!

The package came from disname:abhoehn123.. aka Amy. We were thrilled to find a Disney Scrapbook!!!! LOVE IT!! Now I have no excuse not to print all our trip photos and get them scrapbooked. Check out how amazing this scrapbook is...
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7678.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7679.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7680.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7682.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7683.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7684.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7685.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7686.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7687.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7688.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7689.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff514/biggive2011/IMG_7690.jpg
We are SO in love with this gift! Thank you so much Amy!!! :) We appreciate it very much. I'll take some photos of the kiddos and the scrapbook when we get the pictures in it.. hopefully this week!!

[ALLMama]

Love the scrapbook! How sweet!

Oops! Sorry I thought I was in a different thread. :)

[Shannon84]

I just found your TR and read through it this morning, I have loved every minute of it!! It made me smile and tear up, what a sweet family you have!! It looks like you all had so much fun!

[Momto15]

Awesome scrapbook! I love it!

Sarah
PRINCESS Angelinas PT Report (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2797616)
http://www.myvacationcountdown.com/tickers/gzjrczgvn5ufao6m.png (http://www.myvacationcountdown.com/)

[blessedmom4]

LOVED the SCRAPBOOK! Reminded me I have one to post...:rolleyes1

Praying for you as Owen has the cath, glad you get to have some fun too!
http://dl7.glitter-graphics.net/pub/2685/2685407dkcqmyroxi.gif (http://www.glitter-graphics.com)

[petals]

Just read your trip report. Looks like you all had a fab time. I love the pic where Pluto is eating Owen :lmao:

[newdrama12]

Hey!! You probably met Grace!! Cute little gal with dark brown curls?! She just had a major open heart surgery and is in ICU at Stanford. Prayers for her! :)


We also have some friends coming in this next week. Max is their Wish Child.. same age as Owen... cute mohawk. Mom is super pretty blonde lady.. big Sis and baby bro Hudson. Cute family and so so sweet. You'll have to find them. :)

On the 26th, our other friends fly in. Wish Kid Alexandra. Also Owen's age.. little Sis is Aria. Super fun family as well!! :)

Oh.. and another family from PHX is coming in eight days. So back to back wish trippers. All cardiac kids from PHX. I'll tell them to look for the wizard!
:wizard:

Sorry that it took me so long to reply back. But I totally think that it was Grace! I will pray for her and hope that she recovers quickly! I did meet Max!! He was awesome! Hope that all is well!

[Owensheart]

I just wanted to come by and check in! Owen has a cardiac catherization coming up on the 13th of March. We will be traveling to Stanford in Palo Alto for his surgery and taking a little side trip up the coast of CA. This cath will determine if he qualifies for the Fontan, the next stage of heart surgeries for his single Ventricle. He has never qualified for this procedure, and it would be so great if he did. Prayers for Owen as he is getting older and understands all too well what is upcoming. Thanks.. I will keep ya'll posted!!

[newdrama12]

I just wanted to come by and check in! Owen has a cardiac catherization coming up on the 13th of March. We will be traveling to Stanford in Palo Alto for his surgery and taking a little side trip up the coast of CA. This cath will determine if he qualifies for the Fontan, the next stage of heart surgeries for his single Ventricle. He has never qualified for this procedure, and it would be so great if he did. Prayers for Owen as he is getting older and understands all too well what is upcoming. Thanks.. I will keep ya'll posted!!

I will keep Owen in my thoughts and prayers as well as all of you!

[Moodyzblu]

I pray all goes well for Owen. I know now that Jayden is older it's much more stressful for him when he has procedures done.
Please come by and let us know how it all goes ! :goodvibes

[reelmom]

Lifting all of you up in prayer.

[jessica52877]

Praying for you all. I actually was thinking about Owen yesterday and hopped over here before you posted!

[newdrama12]

I thought about Owen today as well. Kinda funny though, it was right as the NASCAR race coverage started. I forgot that the race was in Phoenix. Hope that everyone is doing well!

[WDWRids]

Hope everything has gone well w/ Owen!!!

[aym4Him]

Hey there,

I found your PTR in another thread and read it and your TR the majority of the day today. You have a fantastic family and I loved EVERY MINUTE of your updates!! My son is a heart kiddo as well. He's 3 and has TGA/VSD.

His "heart brother" is Owen Blutrich. He and his family moved out to PHX a couple of years ago. I emailed Vanessa today to see if you guys knew one another and she said yes! Small world- well, not really, when you get CHDs involved.. They somehow make a small world even smaller.

I will be praying for your sweet Owen. He is such a handsome little boy! I hope my Ethan has as much fun on his wish trip (in November) as Owen did! You guys truly made the most out of EVERYTHING!

Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I resurrected this thread.

If you get a chance, please stop by and let us know how Owen is doing.

Thanks!

Amy