Princess Savannah's Magical Make A Wish Trip

[DMGeurts]

Love you too friend! Thanks you for teaching me to "multi quote" as I sit across from you this very moment on Mimi and Papa's patio. Our story would not be the same without you!!

ROFL - I love this picture!!! All the ladies surfing online... At least one of you was on The Dis!

D~

 

[mrsksomeday]

I am so happy to read this PTR. I have been following your blog for over 3 years and just have to say you are a fantastic Mommy. The kids are so lucky to have you and Brian both.

Bill was so worried about me the other day, he was working and looked over at me - I was in complete tears . He didn't know I was watching Savannah's story. She has been through so much but hasn't let it get to her. She is so happy an the pictures of her and Finn just melt my heart.

I can't wait to read more. I am loving the picture of everyone on the laptops, too cute .

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

This was Sebastian in 2008...

this was Siennah...

And this was our newest blessing Savannah...

Isn't that the most darling little custom you have ever seen? Cathy made a set of Toy Story outfits for our kids! It was one of the Big Give blessings.

Here are the girls in darling outfits made by Tom...

We had Sebastian's Make A Wish Send Off Celebration at a local Mall called Plaza Fiesta. It was such a great party!

This was the marquee...

This was Sebastian and our Wish Granting Team...

Brian and I love these incredible friends...

Sebastian and his best buddy Phalen (Marianne's son)...

Me and my better half...

And this was our sweet little Savannah. At Sebastian's party she was quite sick...

She went into the hospital for the first time that weekend...

Brian's parents brought Big Give boxes to the hospital and it brought us so much joy. Here is Savannah in an adorable outfit made by Jeanne...

And Sebastian in overalls by Jessica...

Sebastian and Savannah both had surgery two days before Sebastian's wish trip. Here they are in recovery together...

After many hurdles we finally arrived in ORLANDO!!! Here we were greeted at the airport...

Sebastian was in heaven at Give Kids the World...

We all LOVED the Ice Cream Palace!! Just look at those faces!!...

Sebastian made his star for the Castle of Miracles...

We settled into our villa and went for dinner at Down Town Disney's T-Rex...

Sebastian's shirt was made by Benita and she made Siennah and Savannah beautiful Cinderella dresses...

On our first day we went to Animal Kingdom. We had a great breakfast at Tusker House that morning where our family was given a set of photos signed by Donald and his pals. After we rode the safari that morning Sebastian had his face painted for free. Didn't he make a cute tiger?...

And Siennah got her face painted like a zebra...

 

[maroo]

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures!!

Did I mention that I LOVE the pictures?!?!?!


I barely remember them being that small! And I had forgotten that you guys were already doing "dueling" hospital visits BEFORE you went on your big trip!

I can't wait for you to start planning this one!

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

This was the first set of Disney customs that I ever designed and sewed…

Everywhere we went the interaction with the Disney characters was incredible! Here we had ran into Chip and Dale in Camp Minnie Mickey and they called us over to take some festive photos with them…

Sebastian and Siennah were chosen to be a part of the Lion King show. Which led to no shortage of smiles…

Next we had an INCREDIBLE day at Hollywood Studios!
It started off with Sebastian’s wish to hang with Buzz Lightyear coming true! We had a private Meet and Greet with Buzz and his best pal Woody before they opened to park guests…

I can’t look at these photos even now without tearing up…

Even more magic followed as we went to the Beauty and the Beast show. We were seated up in the front and told to sit tight and stick around after the show. Once everyone had a left a cast member led us to the hall next to the stage where the ENTIRE cast of the show was waiting for us. Here Siennah is running into the arms of her beloved Belle...

This was such a special moment…

Siennah was over the moon!

Next up we got to dance in the Pixar Parade…

And we met the Incredibles. This started a tradition for us! I made these Incredibles shirts for our trip and have made them for every trip since.

Besides Mickey and Buzz Sebastian really wanted to see Lightning McQueen. We were able to make this wish come true too…

And he even got chosen to be in the Jedi Training Academy! This was before the que-sign-up system was introduced. His love of Star Wars exploded after this...

The kids were not the only ones getting chosen to be in shows! Brian was a very good sport in the Indiana Jones show...

We also had special seats for this show and were told to stick around after. We got to meet Indy and he even gave Sebastian his hat to keep! To this day it is one of Sebastian’s most treasured possessions…

Sebastian rode Tower of Terror for the first time on this trip. At 3 years old and 40” inches he just made the height cut-off! Brian and I baby swapped and Sebastian rode it twice!...

Our Savannah was such a little sweetheart! She was so sick on this trip vomiting all over Disney and yet she was all smiles! I loved her little Incredibles bib that kept her clean and matched our outfits…

The end of a fantastic day!...

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures!!

Did I mention that I LOVE the pictures?!?!?!


I barely remember them being that small! And I had forgotten that you guys were already doing "dueling" hospital visits BEFORE you went on your big trip!

I can't wait for you to start planning this one!

Thank you Maroo!!! I just posted another set. I was VERY excited to post them because they are from the point that I never got to post about and all the neat stuff that happened. I love being able to finally share and relive those memories. Do you remember the bracelets you sent? We were wearing them.

 

[DMGeurts]

I loved seeing all of your photos! The customs were all amazing - you did a great job on yours and all the others are just fantastic!

All of your kids are just precious! I love all their huge dimples! I admit I need to go read more about Sebastian's and Savannah's story - I know a little bit about Savannah because of Marianne, but I have not read anything. I will try to get to that asap!

Loving all your updates, thanks for sharing.

D~

 

[sahm1000]

Hey Amber! So glad you're getting a wish trip for Savannah! Cannot wait to see what you plan for his trip! I will be faithfully following along, I love to watch your family!

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

Hey Amber! So glad you're getting a wish trip for Savannah! Cannot wait to see what you plan for his trip! I will be faithfully following along, I love to watch your family!

Thank you! Hopefully Savannah wil get a wish granted. We still have not heard anything back from the folks at Make A Wish...it's been a few weeks. Please keep your fingers crossed for us that we hear something soon. Savannah has been talking about it...A LOT! Meanwhile we'll continue our stroll down memory lane.

 

[maroo]

Thank you Maroo!!! I just posted another set. I was VERY excited to post them because they are from the point that I never got to post about and all the neat stuff that happened. I love being able to finally share and relive those memories. Do you remember the bracelets you sent? We were wearing them.

It really isn't possible, I don't think, for me to GRIN any more than I am now!

My face hurts!




LOVE the pictures!


I am so excited about all of the magic you guys got your trip! Awesome!!!!!

 

[sahm1000]

Meant to say this not his trip!

How long does it usually take for them to get back to you? I cannot imagine that Savannah wouldn't qualify for a trip. She is such a sweetie and her struggles are so great but she continues to persevere and is such an inspiration!

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

The next morning we met up with some of our favorite Disney characters right at Give Kids The World...

These pictures of Siennah and Belle just melt my heart. Once again she went running right into Belle's open arms...

We went to Islands of Adventure that day...

But rain and Savannah vomitting cut our time there short. Not to worry though because more magic was in store at the Give Kids The World Christmas Party that evening. Give Kids the World has a Christmas party every week but being that it was close to Christmas time they had an even bigger shin dig than usual. We had the good fortune to meet Pamela Landwirth, wife of GKTW founder Henri Landwirth.

Mickey, Minnie and Pals were there to light the Christmas tree and dance with the kids...

Cast Member chefs from the Disney restaurants came over and helped the kids decorate giant gingerbread houses and cookies…

We got to meet with fellow wish kid Lydia…

(They were all clad in awesome outfits by Tom)

And even Santa Claus...

Santa had toys for all the kids…

We ended the evening with a special tuck in by Mayor Clayton…

Give Kids the World is such an amazing place! We made sure to spend some time there the next day exploring.

The kids absolutely loved the carousel at the Castle of Miracles...

and the train at Amberville Train Station…

That evening we went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…

The next day was our last in Disney. We headed to Epcot where we visited the various special lounges that are available to the wish trip families at Mission Space, Test Track and Spaceship Earth.

At each place the kids enjoyed refreshments and a neat behind the scenes look at the rides and then we were walked onto the ride via a special entrance. Here we are riding Test Track...

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

I am so happy to read this PTR. I have been following your blog for over 3 years and just have to say you are a fantastic Mommy. The kids are so lucky to have you and Brian both.

Bill was so worried about me the other day, he was working and looked over at me - I was in complete tears . He didn't know I was watching Savannah's story. She has been through so much but hasn't let it get to her. She is so happy an the pictures of her and Finn just melt my heart.

I can't wait to read more. I am loving the picture of everyone on the laptops, too cute .

Yay! Yay! I'm so glad you subscribed Tracy! I hope our paths cross at Disney. That would be awesome.

I loved seeing all of your photos! The customs were all amazing - you did a great job on yours and all the others are just fantastic!

All of your kids are just precious! I love all their huge dimples! I admit I need to go read more about Sebastian's and Savannah's story - I know a little bit about Savannah because of Marianne, but I have not read anything. I will try to get to that asap!

Loving all your updates, thanks for sharing.

D~

You are quite welcome D. Thank you for reading along

It really isn't possible, I don't think, for me to GRIN any more than I am now!

My face hurts!




LOVE the pictures!


I am so excited about all of the magic you guys got your trip! Awesome!!!!!

Just posted another one Maroo! And our last day at Disney (up next) was pretty magical too. In a small way this is like doing a little trip report. I have hundreds and hundreds more photos but this gives some idea of what a great week it was.

Meant to say this not his trip!

How long does it usually take for them to get back to you? I cannot imagine that Savannah wouldn't qualify for a trip. She is such a sweetie and her struggles are so great but she continues to persevere and is such an inspiration!

A little boy in our neighborhood who has the same exact diagnosis as Savannah has already recieved a wish and this past year when the Holiday giving campaign pamphlet came from Make A Wish it featured a child who has Mitochondrial Disease (I was SUPER excited because it brings great awareness for mito!). We've known since early on that she would qualify but it's a matter of getting her mito specialist who is 3 hours away and one of the only ones in the state (making her very busy) to sign off on her paperwork. With Sebastian's wish it took less than a week from the time that he was reffered to when we heard from Sebastian's Wish Granter's that they would be granting him a wish. BUT Make A Wish here also told me that they work with Blume Hematology and Oncology Clinic all the time so I'm thinking they have the process with them down pat. We continue to pray that great things will happen for Savannah too.

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

Next we hopped over to the Magic Kingdom via the monorail. We got to ride up in the very front...

We took in Cinderella's Castle with our brave, brave boy...

The Wish lounge in the Magic Kingdom provided the perfect place to take a break and nurse Savannah. The staff there was incredible to us. It started to rain while we were there and one of the Cast Members brought our family a set of Disney Ponchos.

Since it was our last day at Disney we asked Siennah and Sebastian what one thing they each wanted to do. Siennah really wanted to meet the Princesses Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. She had been very patient all week waiting to see them. All Sebastian wanted to do was get to see Buzz Lightyear one last time. So made our way over to see him in Tommorowland.

But when we got there we were informed that he had blasted off to outer space. We waited and waited for him to return but he didn't come out. We were running out of time to go see Siennah’s princesses (Cindy, and Aurora). An awesome Manager CM noticed our predicament and made some quick arrangements. First they whisked us over to the see the Princesses...

AND then they took us in to see Tinkerbelle and the Fairies Iridessa and Silvermist. This was right after the Pixie Hollow Meet and Greet opened in Toon Town...

Next the team of CMs took us behind the scenes to the part of Disney that guests don’t usually get to see. It was super exciting to us! A driver named Mike came to pick us up and we loaded into a very nice van. Mike narrated our drive with all kinds of information about the operations of Disney and such. He was awesome! Here we are in the behind the scenes area of our destination Hollywood Studios...

Sebastian got to say goodbye to his hero Buzz afterall. Just look at his face upon seeing him!...

It was amazing! We were overwhelmed by all the unexpected magical moments that happened all week and this was just the icing on the cake. Disney bent over backwards to make us feel special. I will treasure this exchange between Sebastian and Buzz forever...

A manager over in the Pixar area then walked us all right onto Toy Story Midway Mania ride and she and Mike rode with us twice!

Siennah's face captures how we all felt!...

They gave the kids pins and ooohed and ahhhed over Cathy's beautiful Toy Story outfits...

Mike then drove us back to our van that was parked at Epcot. The kids had fallen asleep on the short drive all tuckered out from their amazing last day at Disney...

We transferred to another hotel and over the next two days visited Universal and Sea World. It was a great deal of fun but nothing compared to Disney for us.

The kids saw Barney...

and got giant swirl lolli-pops while we watched the Macy's Holiday Parade at Universal...

At Sea World the kids got to feed and pet the dolphins for free…

and after the Shamu show Sebastian got to meet the trainer…

On our last morning we had breakfast at Chef Mickey’s…

And then we took one last ride on the Monorail around Walt Disney World before heading to the airport. When we got home our Wish Granters greeted us at the airport with welcome home signs.

From start to finish it was an incredible trip! Soon Savannah would be in the hospital again and our medical misadventures would continue. But we will always have this special week to look back on and we had discovered the powerful hope that having a trip to look forward to gave us. So much so that a month after Savannah was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease in 2009 we would return to Disney. Photos from that trip up next.

 

[kimmylaj]

i love all the pictures. in the first trip at mickeys backyard bbq you already had a jump start on the awesome coordinated clothes, and to see how little sebastian and siennah were, absolutely awesome. then the wish trip pics I just love to see them all and the magic that disney made happen was amazing. thanks for sharing, cant wait for the next go round . i'll have
some while we wait for the wish granting

 

[mrsksomeday]

Amber, from seeing Siennah run to Belle, Savannah with Tink and the look on Sebastian's face seeing Buzz I am a puddle of tears again. So amazing that they would take you to DHS to make sure Seb got to see Buzz. One of the many reasons I love Disney, they go above and beyond to keep the magic.

Those pictures should be in WDW's ads.

Yay! Yay! I'm so glad you subscribed Tracy! I hope our paths cross at Disney. That would be awesome.

We booked BWV today for Feb. 20 - 26 and we hope you are there at that time. Today I was telling Bill how many DISers will be there when we are he said "what about Amber, are they going to be there too?" I told him hopefully and his face lit up. Your family holds a place in our hearts even though we have never met you, all of you have deeply touched us with your love and your faith, it's amazing.

 

[twob4him]

I am overwhelmed with emotion! Speechless. What a trip and the kids faces and all that you got to do....just soooo soooo magical. I love the pictures and I hope to make a few new sets for Savannah's very well deserved trip!!!!



I would just like to say to everyone reading this that Amber is like my hero. She is unstoppable! She is so smart and talented and obviously, her and Brian, are the best parents!!!! They are raising three incredible children and it is such a blessing to be part of their lives.

I wish you all many blessings on this Wish Trip!!!!

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

It really isn't possible, I don't think, for me to GRIN any more than I am now!

My face hurts!




LOVE the pictures!


I am so excited about all of the magic you guys got your trip! Awesome!!!!!

I just went back through and read and looked at the photos and I'm a puddle. Really was special. I'm glad you enjoyed it too Maroo!

i love all the pictures. in the first trip at mickeys backyard bbq you already had a jump start on the awesome coordinated clothes, and to see how little sebastian and siennah were, absolutely awesome. then the wish trip pics I just love to see them all and the magic that disney made happen was amazing. thanks for sharing, cant wait for the next go round . i'll have
some while we wait for the wish granting

I'm working on 2009 next!

Amber, from seeing Siennah run to Belle, Savannah with Tink and the look on Sebastian's face seeing Buzz I am a puddle of tears again. So amazing that they would take you to DHS to make sure Seb got to see Buzz. One of the many reasons I love Disney, they go above and beyond to keep the magic.

Those pictures should be in WDW's ads.

We booked BWV today for Feb. 20 - 26 and we hope you are there at that time. Today I was telling Bill how many DISers will be there when we are he said "what about Amber, are they going to be there too?" I told him hopefully and his face lit up. Your family holds a place in our hearts even though we have never met you, all of you have deeply touched us with your love and your faith, it's amazing.

Aw thanks Tracy! Pleas keep your fingers crossed that we hear back from MAW and that we can get the dates we'd like. I'd love to meet up with you and Bill!

I am overwhelmed with emotion! Speechless. What a trip and the kids faces and all that you got to do....just soooo soooo magical. I love the pictures and I hope to make a few new sets for Savannah's very well deserved trip!!!!

I would just like to say to everyone reading this that Amber is like my hero. She is unstoppable! She is so smart and talented and obviously, her and Brian, are the best parents!!!! They are raising three incredible children and it is such a blessing to be part of their lives.

I wish you all many blessings on this Wish Trip!!!!

Cathy, this post totally made me tear up AGAIN....I know I'm a mess. But thank you for all your kind words and for sharing your talent with us. Can't wait!

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

As I mentioned in my previous post, we came home from Sebastian’s Make A Wish trip in December and not too long after Savannah went right back into the hospital. Pretty soon into 2009 we realized that we needed something positive to set our sights on again. So we decided to take advantage of a free dining offer and book a trip to Disney with the Martinez family for September. Rey and Ashley Martinez are Savannah’s godparents. When Savannah first went into the hospital it was the day after she was baptized. The Martinezs had come up from Florida for the Baptism and Sebastian’s Wish Celebration and they ended up going to see doctors with us and watching Sebastian and Siennah while we were at the hospital with Savannah. (The story is in Sebastian's PTR actually)

In June we took Savannah to Atlanta for a muscle biopsy and extensive testing with one the leading Nuerogeneticist diagnosticians in the World. It would take weeks to get the results back from this testing so I decided to take the kids down to Florida and hang out wish Ashley and her kids to get my mind off the anxiously awaited results.

It was just a few short weeks before our September Disney trip that I opened my email and read words that completely changed our lives yet again.
“We have excellent criteria for the diagnosis of Mitochondrial Disease.”

I cannot begin to tell you what a blessing it was to have the Disney trip on our horizon. The timing could not have been better as it provided the prefect distraction for our hearts that were still raw with grief at this new life-changing news. This Disney trip, just as the one in 2008 was beacon of light and positivity in the rough seas that we had been sailing.

Here are some of my favorite memories from that 2009 trip…

We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort. I did my Sterlite way of packing for the first time at Disney. It was a great success!...

The Martinez and Greenawalt crew were quite a sight with our gaggle of 4 adults and 6 kids in coordinated outfits with 4 stollers! Here were are on our first day at Hollywood Studios...

Siennah at three was in heaven at Disney. I loved her in the "punk" Minnie outfits I made...

Savannah too, was a doll. Here she is at Animal Kingdom.

I made the same animal print outfits again for everyone…

I love this photo from the one and only time we've taken the kids on the Dinosaur ride. It is, in my opinion the most scary ride at Disney…

Sebastian and Mason…

Our pack of wild animals...

Savannah ready for a day at the Magic Kingdom...

Her face lit up riding Dumbo!…

Siennah on Cinderella's Golden Carsouel...

The way she called the monorail the "motor-ater"...

Bright orange outfits you could spot easily in a crowd...

Dinner at Cystal Palace…

Husbands that are SUCH great sports to wear whatever custom I made without complaint and always willing to get silly. Here are Brian and Rey jumping rope as we wait for the Spectromagic parade...

 

[carebearkidney]

Which is more beautiful:

A - the kid's smiles
B - the wonderful outfits
C- the way you celebrate life
D - who am I kidding...it's all the above!

Can't wait for more!!