After Years of Dreaming We're Finally Going to See the World-Nicholas's Wish Trip PTR

[Redwavess]

Yuck for car repairs!!! We had an issue with our recently and we took it in to the shop 4-5 times. Each time they would tell us they found the problem and fixed. Each time we paid and went on our way. And each time the issue was not resolved. It's an old car so hopefully they were really repair something that was broken and not just guessing and charging us. When my husband wanted to take it AGAIN last week I was beginning to believe that my husband was a car hypochondriac!!! Well this last time they finally found and fixed the issue so that we no longer can feel the hesitation when the accelerated is pressed. Hooray!!! But it is so hard to wonder if we were scammed or not at the car repair shop with all the other costs.

Anyway I'm crossing my fingers for you that your husband will be able to fix the issues!!!!!

Hooray for birthdays!!! I hope that you all had a great time!!! Feel free to share pictures... hint hint hint!!!

Hooray for picking dates!!!! I'm super excited for you all!!!

Madeline

 

[aprylann28]

This was the first year that Nicholas has really understood what Halloween is and has been able to tell me what he wanted to be. Of all things, he wanted to be Toodles from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I am not a very crafty person, but after a lot of research online, I finally came up with a way to make a Toodles costume - I couldn't find one to buy anywhere. We also had a witch and a Jedi Knight. I wanted to post pictures for everyone to see. For some reason Mary did not want to wear her witch hat in the group picture, but she made a pretty witch:

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Thanks.

 

[Redwavess]

Your little Toodles is adorable.

What a creative idea!!! I've never seen a Toodles before.

Thanks for sharing the pictures!!!

Madeline

 

[Maman3boys]

Did you guys pick a date to go on your trip??
Have you heard anything more from the sunshine foundation??
This must be so exciting for you guys

 

[aprylann28]

Hey everyone. It's been so long since my last post, I hope I still have some readers out there. The beginning of October through the end of January are always super busy times for us because of the holidays and all the birthdays we have during those months. So this is the first time I've even been able to get on the DIS for a couple of months.

Nicholas's birthday is Saturday, and I cannot believe my little man is going to be 4 already. Thanks to his therapies, he has come such a long way from where he was on his birthday last year. He is talking so much more, and we can understand about 85% of what he says now. He is starting to try different foods. He still doesn't like most of them, but at least he's trying them now. He can go up and down the steps by himself now. He's no longer terrified of a small slide, and just this week he even went down the big slide at therapy. He's starting to listen and follow directions better. And, he's wanting to start doing things for himself now, too, like a big boy. Sometimes I wonder if a lot of this is just an age thing and not related to the autism, but I don't know. Our next big issue to tackle is potty training. I would love to have a fully potty trained child for Disney World.

I have also been away from the boards for a while because I have spent most of my free time over the last few months looking for a new job. I was fired from my job at the end of October. I don’t want to bore anybody with all the little details, but they tried to say that I was not doing my job. But, after an investigation the unemployment office even came back and said that the company could not provide sufficient proof that I was unable to complete my required job duties, so they considered it an unjust termination, and I am able to collect unemployment.

My getting fired was a good thing anyway. We are now getting SSI money for Nicholas, which we would not have gotten before because we made too much money when I was working full time. So from a financial view point, we are struggling slightly, but not much more than we were when I was working.

The really good part about it is that I get to be home with Nicholas now. In January I was going to ask my company if I could go part time, but I don’t think they would have let me do that anyway. My mother-in-law has dementia, and it’s getting bad to the point that Chris and I don’t feel it’s safe for her to watch Nicholas for long periods of time anymore. We are also concerned about how much longer she will be able to take care of her own self. So I was going to start seeking part time employment so that I could be home with my mother-in-law and Nicholas for a good part of the day.

I have really enjoyed being home with Nicholas over the last few months, but I do have to get a part time job because I can’t collect unemployment forever, and we need to start saving for our Disney trip for the things that the Sunshine Foundation won’t cover.

I have not heard from the Sunshine Foundation since our original conversations in September. I am going to try to call them this afternoon and find out what’s going on and where we stand. If there is anything to update, I will post it next week along with some pictures from Christmas and Nicholas’s birthday.

Now that our busy season of life is almost over, hopefully I will be able to start posting more often. I look forward to getting back in touch with everyone. I am also looking forward to getting back on the boards and reading all the updates about fastpass+, DAS pass, and anything new that I have not heard about.

I will talk to you all later.

TTFN.

 

[Redwavess]

Hi again,

So happy to see you!!

I know what you mean about the Holiday season!! It's totally fun, but very busy at my house too and now it's all a happy blur!!!

Sorry to hear about the challenges you have had with your MIL and your job. I will say some prayers for you and your family. I love that even though you are going through a tough time you are able to look at the positives that have came from it... that's a good reminder!!! Thanks!!! I know in the state I live they will pay a family member to provide care for an ailing child or parent. I think this is because it is often cheaper than if the state has to pay for nursing home care. Is this a possibility in your state if your MIL needs full time care?

I hope you were able to talk with the Sunshine foundation and that you have some news to share with us!! Oh an I'm anxiously awaiting the Christmas and Birthday pictures when you have a chance to share!!!

Be back soon,

Madeline

 

[aprylann28]

Wow! Life is so crazy I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I cannot believe it has been almost two months since my last post. I knew it had been a while, but I was shocked when I logged on today to see that my last post was in January. This is the first time I've even been on the boards since that post.

Anyway, I got a new job working 4 hours a day in the afternoon at a daycare center. I am working in the preschool room. They are understaffed right now, but as soon as they get some more teachers hired, they will be able to allow more children to come in, and once that happens, I will be able to take Nicholas there with me in the afternoons. It doesn't pay much, but every little bit helps. That is one reason I have been away for so long. I work in the afternoons, but I spend most of my mornings trying to figure out what I can teach these kids and how to do it in a fun way.

I don't have any pictures with this post because we are having problems with our computer. Noah watched a streamed movie from Netflix one night, and later that night we started having problems. We have been getting a lot of pop ups and the computer is really slow. I don't think it is anything Noah did because he and Mary have watched streamed movies on Netflix many times before, and we've never had a problem. I don't know if someone or something just got into our computer while the movie was playing or if we somehow got a virus or what. But whatever is going on, I cannot get the computer to upload my photos to Photobucket. So it may be a while before I have some pictures. I may see if I can use my mom's computer to get our Christmas pictures on here.

Anyway, I did manage to call the Sunshine Foundation since my last post. I found out how much we are going to get for food. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the amount here, but it is not much. We think we are going to limit our Disney restaurants to Chef Mickey's and Cinderella's Royal Table, and eat all other meals off site or at the Sunshine Foundation's Dream Village. I found out the dream village cottages do not have full kitchens, but I am allowed to bring my crock pot. I am more willing to cook on vacation if I can do it in the crock pot and have it done and ready when we get back from a tiring day at the parks. Plus I have discovered a lot of new and great crock pot recipes in the last month since I have to work until 6:00 at night now. I'm not sure if we will be allowed to use the crock pot at a hotel if we extend our trip, but we will figure something out.

I also found out that right now it looks like we will be going in June 2015. That is their estimated time of when they will get down their list to us. It's not the Christmas trip that we wanted, but it might work out better that way anyway. The parks will be open longer, making it easier to go in late or take afternoon breaks. We know the weather will be warm enough for swimming so we can plan a day or two for that. That was something that we knew would be up in the air if we went in December. Also, we won't have to take any of the kids out of school. This was something we had gone back and forth about for our planned December trip. CJ will be getting ready for his first year of college by then, so it will be easier for him to go in the summer than to miss important classes. And Noah will have just finished the seventh grade, and I've heard that once the kids are in Junior High it's harder to pull them out for a family vacation than when there in the lower grades. So all in all I think a June trip may work out better. The only thing that worries me is the heat and the crowds. But we will do the best we can. I will just have to work harder to convince myself that it will be okay if we don't get to do everything. The point is to get to go and to have fun while we are there.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. I have many questions for the Sunshine Foundation, but I am trying to space them out so as not to seem overly anxious. As I find out new information I will keep everyone here posted about what I find out in hopes of helping future Sunshine Foundation candidates. Once I get settled with this job and get some good lesson plans under my belt, hopefully I will be able to visit the boards more often. I'm glad I still have some readers, and I hope everyone sticks with me until June 2015.

See ya soon!!!