I am SO excited to finally start Jake's Pre-Trip Report! I've been lurking here for a really long time, with a few posts here and there, but I've been trying not to get *too* excited as October is still so very far away! But, we just booked our Vacation Home for the second part of our trip, so I think I can allow myself to get excited now!
A little background- Jake is our 13 year old son, the second of 8 children. On June 3rd, 2010, after months of health decline and misdiagnosis's, he was diagnosed with High Risk T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After a very rough year of initial treatment, he is now doing very well on the Maintenance phase of his treatment, and is over halfway through it! He will be completely done with chemo/etc in September 2013. As a HUGE Harry Potter fan, Jake wished to go to Harry Potter World- he/we had NO idea that when he wished for that, it would include an entire week of not just US, but also DW and Sea World!! We thought about waiting for him to go on his trip after his treatment was completed, but he could really use the 'pick me up' right now, so here we go!
We will be driving down to Orlando/GKTW- I am a VERY nervous flyer, and with 8 children in tow, including a 4 year old Autistic son, I just couldn't do it. MAW graciously agreed to allow us to drive and to comp us for the gas, and the bonus is that we can come home whenever we feel like it! So, we booked a vacation home for an additional 8 days which will allow us to do everything we want at a leisurely pace! We are all so excited. This will be our 3rd trip for our family to Disney (never to US or Sea World), though the younger ones have only gone once or never.
The cast of character (pics to be added sometime, lol)-
Me/Kristie/Mom- a Homeschooling SAHM of 30-some years. I love family life, shopping, reading, writing, and movies! While I've been to Disney 3 times before and Sea World in San Diego, I've never been to Universal Studios. I am a planner and a budgeter, so parts of this trip ARE driving me a bit insane, lol, but in a good way! (more on that later!)
DH/James/Dad- Another 30-something. He is a HUGE Disney Nut and Universal enthusiast, and a kid at heart when it comes to thrill rides and such!
Samantha- Our oldest at age 17. She will be graduating next year (our only child who goes to public school), and I wonder if this will be her last trip with us to Disney. Makes me very sad to think that! She has grand plans for her future, and with her intelligence, I don't doubt she will achieve them.
Jake- Our 13 year old (will be 14 at time of the trip) Wish child. I am constantly amazed at how he pulled through last year! He is so strong and brave, and so HONEST! He loves reading, computers, and just hanging out with his friends!
Kirsten- Our 12 year old (she will turn 13 on out trip! We have plans for that!). Our most responsible child- she is almost like a small mother. She is so quiet and sweet, and would do anything for anyone- but watch out- she has a wicked sense of sarcasm!
Avery- Our 10 year old daughter (turning 11 in July). She is our goofy nut, bathroom humor being her forte, and in every sense of the word, a true Daddy's girl (perhaps BECAUSE of her humor style!!).
Sophie- Our 8 year old. She is our anxiety prone, super smart, drives us crazy child! Last trip, she wouldn't go on ANY ride (even Small World) because she was so scared. It will be interesting to see what happens this trip!
Gage- Our 6 year old. He is SO funny, SO precise, and SO active!! I think he will be able to run circles around us while we are there! He has only been to Orlando once, but doesn't remember any of it as he was only 1.
Rory- Our 3 year old son (will be 4 by the time we leave). He was diagnosed with Autism last year, though I 'knew' long before the official diagnosis. He is making HUGE strides, and has already moved up to the more advanced classroom at the school for Autistic children that he attends. While he is often the most challenging of our children (and the one I am most nervous about on this trip- more about that later), he is also the one who is most rewarding. This will be his first trip to Orlando.
Ellie- Our little caboose. She is just shy of 2 (gasp! How did that happen???), and in many ways, her arrival in to our family was the biggest blessing we ever received (again, more on that later). She is sweet and sassy, a true Mommy's girl, and a complete joy. Obviously this is her first trip as well.
Lennon- Our newly adopted Cockapoo puppy. We are unsure what we will be doing with him on our trip, though our vacation home is pet friendly if we decide to bring him along.
That's all for today, but I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you more in the months to come! Thanks so much for reading!!!!
A little background- Jake is our 13 year old son, the second of 8 children. On June 3rd, 2010, after months of health decline and misdiagnosis's, he was diagnosed with High Risk T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After a very rough year of initial treatment, he is now doing very well on the Maintenance phase of his treatment, and is over halfway through it! He will be completely done with chemo/etc in September 2013. As a HUGE Harry Potter fan, Jake wished to go to Harry Potter World- he/we had NO idea that when he wished for that, it would include an entire week of not just US, but also DW and Sea World!! We thought about waiting for him to go on his trip after his treatment was completed, but he could really use the 'pick me up' right now, so here we go!
We will be driving down to Orlando/GKTW- I am a VERY nervous flyer, and with 8 children in tow, including a 4 year old Autistic son, I just couldn't do it. MAW graciously agreed to allow us to drive and to comp us for the gas, and the bonus is that we can come home whenever we feel like it! So, we booked a vacation home for an additional 8 days which will allow us to do everything we want at a leisurely pace! We are all so excited. This will be our 3rd trip for our family to Disney (never to US or Sea World), though the younger ones have only gone once or never.
The cast of character (pics to be added sometime, lol)-
Me/Kristie/Mom- a Homeschooling SAHM of 30-some years. I love family life, shopping, reading, writing, and movies! While I've been to Disney 3 times before and Sea World in San Diego, I've never been to Universal Studios. I am a planner and a budgeter, so parts of this trip ARE driving me a bit insane, lol, but in a good way! (more on that later!)
DH/James/Dad- Another 30-something. He is a HUGE Disney Nut and Universal enthusiast, and a kid at heart when it comes to thrill rides and such!
Samantha- Our oldest at age 17. She will be graduating next year (our only child who goes to public school), and I wonder if this will be her last trip with us to Disney. Makes me very sad to think that! She has grand plans for her future, and with her intelligence, I don't doubt she will achieve them.
Jake- Our 13 year old (will be 14 at time of the trip) Wish child. I am constantly amazed at how he pulled through last year! He is so strong and brave, and so HONEST! He loves reading, computers, and just hanging out with his friends!
Kirsten- Our 12 year old (she will turn 13 on out trip! We have plans for that!). Our most responsible child- she is almost like a small mother. She is so quiet and sweet, and would do anything for anyone- but watch out- she has a wicked sense of sarcasm!
Avery- Our 10 year old daughter (turning 11 in July). She is our goofy nut, bathroom humor being her forte, and in every sense of the word, a true Daddy's girl (perhaps BECAUSE of her humor style!!).
Sophie- Our 8 year old. She is our anxiety prone, super smart, drives us crazy child! Last trip, she wouldn't go on ANY ride (even Small World) because she was so scared. It will be interesting to see what happens this trip!
Gage- Our 6 year old. He is SO funny, SO precise, and SO active!! I think he will be able to run circles around us while we are there! He has only been to Orlando once, but doesn't remember any of it as he was only 1.
Rory- Our 3 year old son (will be 4 by the time we leave). He was diagnosed with Autism last year, though I 'knew' long before the official diagnosis. He is making HUGE strides, and has already moved up to the more advanced classroom at the school for Autistic children that he attends. While he is often the most challenging of our children (and the one I am most nervous about on this trip- more about that later), he is also the one who is most rewarding. This will be his first trip to Orlando.
Ellie- Our little caboose. She is just shy of 2 (gasp! How did that happen???), and in many ways, her arrival in to our family was the biggest blessing we ever received (again, more on that later). She is sweet and sassy, a true Mommy's girl, and a complete joy. Obviously this is her first trip as well.
Lennon- Our newly adopted Cockapoo puppy. We are unsure what we will be doing with him on our trip, though our vacation home is pet friendly if we decide to bring him along.
That's all for today, but I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you more in the months to come! Thanks so much for reading!!!!
