Nathan's Magical Wish Trip- Pre-trip report

[mistymouse5001]

Life with 4 boys? LOUD!!!! But loads of fun. I always thought I would have 2 boys/2 girls. I REALLY wanted a girl- not that I would trade any of my boys. I just want to experience everything that motherhood has to offer. Plus I would love to have someone to go shopping with, get our nails done, fix their hair, etc. I made the boys promise they would keep having children until I had at least 1 granddaughter!

I am very curious to see the differences between Dl and WDW. I do know that DL is a bit cheaper! I also like the fact that at DL we can park the car when we get there and not have to get in a car/shuttle/bus until we leave. It just seems much more intimate than WDW. To tell you the truth, WDW overwhelms me a bit....actually a lot!

I know just what you mean. I'm dying to buy something pink. It's been 9 years
of Thomas the train. 4 boys and a hubby is just too much testosterone

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Well, I haven't really been anywhere-life just got busy so I haven't posted for a while. I work in the school system so I had to start back to work-boo hoo. But things are pretty good here. I don't think I posted this here ( but I feel like I posted this somewhere, but now I can't find it!)- but Nathan's cardiologist doesn't want him to do PE anymore. We thought he would have one more year- his PE teacher was great and VERY cautious with him. Nathan is supposed to self limit his exercise- listen to his body and not push it too hard. When you read about athletes collapsing and dying suddenly it is usually from a form of the same disease Nathan has- just undiagnosed.
The problem is, Nathan rarely limits himself- he says he feels fine. So a coach or a teacher pushing or "encouraging" him to do more would be dangerous. We found out shortly before school started that they moved PE teachers around and the one Nathan would now have we were very familiar with- he used to work with the older elementary kids, so my older kids had him. He is known for pushing kids very hard and not taking any excuses. So we decided no PE. Nathan was very upset at first- he loves PE. But now he is thrilled. All the other kids hate it now and Nathan gets to stay in the class and play on the computer! When they all head off the PE he calls out, " Hope you make it back alive!" Last week, his teacher told him to go check in the gym to see if they were done yet. All the kids were having to run laps. The PE teacher saw him walk in and yelled at him, " Why aren't you running?" I asked Nathan what he did. He said, " I ran.......out of the gym!" We are going to have a little talk with the PE teacher- I guess no one has told him why Nathan isn't in there!

Just found your TR. Can't wait to read more. I have 3 boys. Love seeing all of your boys. Gives me glimpses of my life in the future,lol. Any advice?

When I found out my 3rd was a boy, my husband ( thinking we would stop after 3, so " knowing" we would have only boys), sent me flowers with a card that said, " I promise I will teach our boys how to treat a lady right." He has done a wonderful job of that. I am the queen of the house. I never have to open a door! I am a talker and a sharer of feelings- I was worried that I would miss out on that special parent/child bonding time if I didn't have a girl to sit and chat with me. I was so wrong. I am very close to my boys. We talk about everything. Who better to learn about girls from than someone who used to be a girl! They each have their own way of communicating ( especially about girls). Every night, Tucker has me come in and "tickle" his back in the dark while he opens up about everything-girls, friends, fears, goals, God, etc. Sam is very similar to Tucker. William, on the other hand, is not much of a talker. But we have a rule that I am allowed to read all texts, messages on MySpace, Bebo, emails, blogs, etc. William will say, " I'm off the computer for a few minutes, you can have the computer." That means, " There is something written that I need advice on- go read it and come get me." I read, he comes back in, gets on the computer, doesn't look at me and I talk. Then I say, " Does that make sense?" , he nods and acts like it never happened. With Nathan, life is an open book-he'll talk to anyone, anywhere at anytime about anything. Well, almost anything. He saves his deep fears about death and life being unfair for when he is going to bed. I guess what I am saying, is just because they are boys, you can still have that close relationship- even when they are teenagers!

I do sometimes really crave all the girly stuff- I miss pink, and bows and frilly dresses. The boys tease me when they do sports trivia because I don't know anything ( which is why I have switched our car riding past time to Disney trivia) and sometimes I listen to sports radio in the car coming home from work just so I can "amaze" them with my knowledge. Boys are loud- they break ceiling fans in a pillow fight, everything becomes a sword, they wrestle in a moments notice, they love potty humor, they fight and then completely forget that they ever fought, there are balls of some sort in every room/cabinet/drawer in my house, they eat a lot!

But boys are incredible. My boys are still snugglers and huggers- even if they won't hold my hand in public anymore. But be forewarned. When they get taller than you, and all 6'1"/185 lbs of muscle hugs you, they will knock you over!

Phew! That was long! Sorry, guess I'm just in a mushy, sentimental mood.

 

[oklamomof4boys]

We were notified a couple of days ago that we have been chosen to be part of the Big Give ( I think I called that the right thing)

We are very excited and honored. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to announce it before we were verified by our wish coordinator. I love so much of the stuff I have seen posted. I just wish I had younger children or girls for some of the stuff- but I'm sure they will find something for my young men! I'm not worried!

 

[GoofyDoo]

Congrats on getting to be part of the BigGive! I'm excited to see what those DISboutiquers make for your boys. They are so creative!

I loved what you said about your boys. You're such a great mom! That's obvious. After my Madison was born (she's my first) and we were ready for #2, I truly wanted another girl because she'd been so much fun. But God said otherwise and I got Ty. I never dreamed boys could be so sweet to their mamas!! I love having both, but it really doesn't matter. Once they're here they are a part of your heart, no matter whether boy or girl. And I am willing to bet that you are going to be blessed with lots of grandaughters and some amazing daughters-in-law!

I'm glad Nathan is out of PE. I've known lots of coaches/PE teachers who push that way and it sounds like you've made a safe decision! His running away from that coach made me laugh!!

 

[hollybearsmom]

Jumping in to follow your trip report. Your boys sound great, and so does your husband. I had a girl, who hates pink. So I still don't get to do bows or polish. We love them all just the same don't we!
I'm glad Nathan is out of PE. We have a new teacher this year too, so it was back to the nurse and principal to get my daughter out of the heat and strenuous "health test". She has an AVP that can lead to her passing out when she is out of breath or overheated. We love our cardiologist, but we have to drive almost three hours to get there for appts. So I understand!!!!!
Can't wait to hear more about your planning for WDW!

 

[adaygaby]

Great report!!

Can't wait to read about your planning for WDW!

 

[HeatherSue]

I've only read the first post so far and had to comment. I am bawling like a baby. I can't imagine what your family has been through.

Okay, now I'm going to read the rest.

ETA: I just read everything and I love your family! You seem like such a wonderful mother. I got all sappy and teary again reading about how much you love your boys and how each of them communicate differently. It's so wonderful to hear from a mother who is so in tune with her kids!

We're so glad that your family is part of the Big Give!!

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Warning! This post is pretty much off topic-really not about MAW. I guess I just feel the need to vent/express/share- or whatever you want to call it. I used to blog and that was very therapeutic. But I haven't blogged in quite a while- I can't even remember what the address is. So now I will just write here. I hope that is okay. This will be long- feel free to skip it.

With 4 kids, it is rare that they are all in a "good place". It rotates around-when all is right in Tucker's life, it isn't in William's. Or William and Nathan will be happy but Sam is down. The boys are close-but this also means that when one is down, the other's feel their pain. And while the opposite is also blissfully true ( they excite in the achievements of each other and feel quite a bit of family pride) the inevitable jealousy often creeps in. Let's start with Tucker's life right now.

Tucker is a deeply sensitive, insecure, 16 year old over achiever. I know I'm biased, but he is such an incredible young man. After 9th grade, he decided to quit football. This was a very difficult decision. In our small town, football is everything-the players are virtually celebrities. But football takes a ton of time. Tucker is also in band, jazz band, key club pres, student council pres, academic team and was in baseball. Even though the coaches tried to change his mind, football just took too much time. Then at the end of last year his baseball coach told him, " Decide, baseball or band". Tucker chose band. He is a terrific trumpet player and has always dreamed of being in the marching band at OU. I am very proud of his decisions. But when he decided not to play sports, he became very worried about getting out of shape. He has always been insecure about his body shape. He is also very jealous of William who has terrible eating habits but is very lean. So he became very vigilant about healthy eating and working out. He is leaner and stronger than ever. He is also insecure about never having had a girl friend. He has had girls interested, but not the ones he liked. He had very high standards, which I say is a good thing. But Sam has had the same girlfriend since 3rd grade ( which is kind of funny, they just recently started to talk to each other. Sam's class is very boy/girl crazy and I really think it was his and Laci's way of saying, " We don't have to play that game-we're taken). And William, who is incredibly shy had a girlfriend for a while. Even Nathan had a " girlfriend". Tucker was upset that he was the only one who had never had one. Well, all that has changed. Tucker's self confidence has started to soar. The 3 oldest went to church camp this summer and all reports from other church kids confirms that Tucker was a " chick magnet". This has followed him back home and he has all sorts of girls clamoring after him. He feels good and confident. Hooray for Tucker, right? But William and Sam are terribly jealous. They've never seen Tucker with all of this attention.

Then there is William-quiet, incredibly shy, extremely funny classic middle child that thinks life is unfair to him. The good- he had his first girlfriend, he discovered a way he feels comfortable communicating with people ( messaging on myspace), he was asked to march with the HS band ( he is a talented 8th grade trombone player) and his big brother lets him go work out with him and his friends-now William actually has some muscles on that skinny little body. But......the girlfriend broke up with him because he was to shy to talk to her at school. This was 5 months ago and he still agonizes about it. He decided not to play football this year ( this was no surprise to us, we were actually shocked last year when he decided to play). He is still happy about his decision-he loves basketball and gets to go to basketball off season. But he feels very left out from his friends who are all in football right now. And while he thinks it is so cool to be with the older kids, Tucker doesn't want him around ALL the time. I've tried to explain to him that Tucker lets him hang around them more than most big brothers, but they are Tucker's friends. William feels lonely and wants them to be his friends. I've told William to have some of his friends over on the weekends, but he is very insecure about calling someone to come over.

Sam- just a year younger than William and have always hung around each other most of the time. Sam has always been the most athletic of the boys- it seems to come very naturally to him. His baseball team one state a year ago. Sam lives, eats and breaths sports. He has also always been very confident and a bit of the class clown. But in March, he severely broke his leg above the ankle-nearly lost his foot just by landing wrong on the trampoline. For a long time, he just felt very fortunate to still have a foot. And he loved all the attention from being in a wheelchair for 2 months. But then is start to hit him, all the things he had lost. Of course, no baseball this summer. Also no football this fall ( and possibly ever)-his first year of school football. His surgeon doesn't even want him on the sidelines-too risky for him to get run over. But he does get to go to offseason basketball and if things look good in October, he will get to play games. But offseason basketball isn't so fun when all of your friends are at football. He too feels very left out. Sport has always been such an integral part of his life and it was all taken away for awhile. And 2 months of inactivity in a wheelchair, and 2 more months of limited activity and no sports, combined with all the sympathy candy and junk food that he received has left Sam's body in a less than ideal shape. Offseason is a lot of working out-his leg still swells and aches ( they said it would for another year or more) and the extra pounds on top of that just adds to the misery. His body just won't do what it used to do yet. And he is so jealous of William getting to go march with the HS. I pointed out that I am sure he will get to go next year ( Sam is a good trumpet player) but most of Tucker's friends are Seniors and won't be there next year. I let William go to dinner last night with Tucker's friends after practice ( I didn't realize that Tucker wasn't going because he had homework). William was on cloud nine- it was good to see him happy and not feeling so lonely. But Sam cried. He thought it was so unfair. I walked upstairs last night and found William and Tucker flexing in the mirror. It was hysterical. I ran and got my camera and took their picture. Sam found out and said, " You wouldn't want me in the picture, I look terrible!" It broke my heart. I often wonder what I did to give my boys such a bad body image. I have NEVER told them they were fat or out of shape or anything. I try hard to hide my own insecurities about my weight. I tell them all the time how wonderful they are- not just their accomplishments or looks-but they are truly wonderful boys. Why can't they see that? But back to Sam. It also doesn't help that he got braces in July so playing the trumpet is not nearly as easy. He has had a very tough 5 1/2 months. Also, he entered middle school this year. Typically that isn't the easiest under the best of circumstances.

Last, but not least, Nathan. He worries about his memory. He really compensates well for it-but he forgets that he is able to compensate! So he worries constantly that he might forget something. He had a sub at school the other day and he worried all the night before that his memory would be a problem. But once the day was over, he realized that he could handle everything just fine. But he is also getting to the age where he thinks it is very unfair that he has to take all these pills. I point out that things could be much worse. He is lucky because, with the pills, he really feels pretty good. He is becoming more and more aware of his heart disease. I know the day is coming when he is going to ask, " Am I going to die?" How does a mother answer that? I don't want to lie-but I'm certainly not going to let him know the statistics of this disease! I tell myself that I will remind him of what a good job the pills are doing and how medical science learns new things ever day. I know God will guide me but still it scares me. I remember when he was 3-shortly after we found out his heart was worse and this was a life long issue-every time I would hug him and say, " I love you" he would say, " Don't worry mommy, I'm not going to die!" We had NEVER mentioned death to him. Did he pick up on my worry just by my body language? I often thought that it was God talking to me, reassuring me through the words of a precious 3 year old. I am supposed to be the strong one comforting him.

That is why we need this trip. We got back from DL not too long ago. That was wonderful, but I know this trip will be even more magical. No band, no football, no basketball off season, no friends or girls-no jealousy. Just us as a family, enjoying each other's company at a magical place. Getting into the holiday spirit.

Thank you Make a Wish for making it possible. Thank you disboutiquers for adding to the magic. Thank you disboards for giving me new friends who understand what it is like to be in my shoes. Thank you God for giving me 4 of the most incredible ( albeit sensitive) boys that I have the honor to worry about everyday. Finally, thank you to all of you for not fussing that I used this pre-trip report to express some of the the things that have been swirling around in my head all day.

Carol

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Warning! This post is pretty much off topic-really not about MAW. I guess I just feel the need to vent/express/share- or whatever you want to call it. I used to blog and that was very therapeutic. But I haven't blogged in quite a while- I can't even remember what the address is. So now I will just write here. I hope that is okay. This will be long- feel free to skip it.

With 4 kids, it is rare that they are all in a "good place". It rotates around-when all is right in Tucker's life, it isn't in William's. Or William and Nathan will be happy but Sam is down. The boys are close-but this also means that when one is down, the other's feel their pain. And while the opposite is also blissfully true ( they excite in the achievements of each other and feel quite a bit of family pride) the inevitable jealousy often creeps in. Let's start with Tucker's life right now.

Tucker is a deeply sensitive, insecure, 16 year old over achiever. I know I'm biased, but he is such an incredible young man. After 9th grade, he decided to quit football. This was a very difficult decision. In our small town, football is everything-the players are virtually celebrities. But football takes a ton of time. Tucker is also in band, jazz band, key club pres, student council pres, academic team and was in baseball. Even though the coaches tried to change his mind, football just took too much time. Then at the end of last year his baseball coach told him, " Decide, baseball or band". Tucker chose band. He is a terrific trumpet player and has always dreamed of being in the marching band at OU. I am very proud of his decisions. But when he decided not to play sports, he became very worried about getting out of shape. He has always been insecure about his body shape. He is also very jealous of William who has terrible eating habits but is very lean. So he became very vigilant about healthy eating and working out. He is leaner and stronger than ever. He is also insecure about never having had a girl friend. He has had girls interested, but not the ones he liked. He had very high standards, which I say is a good thing. But Sam has had the same girlfriend since 3rd grade ( which is kind of funny, they just recently started to talk to each other. Sam's class is very boy/girl crazy and I really think it was his and Laci's way of saying, " We don't have to play that game-we're taken). And William, who is incredibly shy had a girlfriend for a while. Even Nathan had a " girlfriend". Tucker was upset that he was the only one who had never had one. Well, all that has changed. Tucker's self confidence has started to soar. The 3 oldest went to church camp this summer and all reports from other church kids confirms that Tucker was a " chick magnet". This has followed him back home and he has all sorts of girls clamoring after him. He feels good and confident. Hooray for Tucker, right? But William and Sam are terribly jealous. They've never seen Tucker with all of this attention.

Then there is William-quiet, incredibly shy, extremely funny classic middle child that thinks life is unfair to him. The good- he had his first girlfriend, he discovered a way he feels comfortable communicating with people ( messaging on myspace), he was asked to march with the HS band ( he is a talented 8th grade trombone player) and his big brother lets him go work out with him and his friends-now William actually has some muscles on that skinny little body. But......the girlfriend broke up with him because he was to shy to talk to her at school. This was 5 months ago and he still agonizes about it. He decided not to play football this year ( this was no surprise to us, we were actually shocked last year when he decided to play). He is still happy about his decision-he loves basketball and gets to go to basketball off season. But he feels very left out from his friends who are all in football right now. And while he thinks it is so cool to be with the older kids, Tucker doesn't want him around ALL the time. I've tried to explain to him that Tucker lets him hang around them more than most big brothers, but they are Tucker's friends. William feels lonely and wants them to be his friends. I've told William to have some of his friends over on the weekends, but he is very insecure about calling someone to come over.

Sam- just a year younger than William and have always hung around each other most of the time. Sam has always been the most athletic of the boys- it seems to come very naturally to him. His baseball team one state a year ago. Sam lives, eats and breaths sports. He has also always been very confident and a bit of the class clown. But in March, he severely broke his leg above the ankle-nearly lost his foot just by landing wrong on the trampoline. For a long time, he just felt very fortunate to still have a foot. And he loved all the attention from being in a wheelchair for 2 months. But then is start to hit him, all the things he had lost. Of course, no baseball this summer. Also no football this fall ( and possibly ever)-his first year of school football. His surgeon doesn't even want him on the sidelines-too risky for him to get run over. But he does get to go to offseason basketball and if things look good in October, he will get to play games. But offseason basketball isn't so fun when all of your friends are at football. He too feels very left out. Sport has always been such an integral part of his life and it was all taken away for awhile. And 2 months of inactivity in a wheelchair, and 2 more months of limited activity and no sports, combined with all the sympathy candy and junk food that he received has left Sam's body in a less than ideal shape. Offseason is a lot of working out-his leg still swells and aches ( they said it would for another year or more) and the extra pounds on top of that just adds to the misery. His body just won't do what it used to do yet. And he is so jealous of William getting to go march with the HS. I pointed out that I am sure he will get to go next year ( Sam is a good trumpet player) but most of Tucker's friends are Seniors and won't be there next year. I let William go to dinner last night with Tucker's friends after practice ( I didn't realize that Tucker wasn't going because he had homework). William was on cloud nine- it was good to see him happy and not feeling so lonely. But Sam cried. He thought it was so unfair. I walked upstairs last night and found William and Tucker flexing in the mirror. It was hysterical. I ran and got my camera and took their picture. Sam found out and said, " You wouldn't want me in the picture, I look terrible!" It broke my heart. I often wonder what I did to give my boys such a bad body image. I have NEVER told them they were fat or out of shape or anything. I try hard to hide my own insecurities about my weight. I tell them all the time how wonderful they are- not just their accomplishments or looks-but they are truly wonderful boys. Why can't they see that? But back to Sam. It also doesn't help that he got braces in July so playing the trumpet is not nearly as easy. He has had a very tough 5 1/2 months. Also, he entered middle school this year. Typically that isn't the easiest under the best of circumstances.

Last, but not least, Nathan. He worries about his memory. He really compensates well for it-but he forgets that he is able to compensate! So he worries constantly that he might forget something. He had a sub at school the other day and he worried all the night before that his memory would be a problem. But once the day was over, he realized that he could handle everything just fine. But he is also getting to the age where he thinks it is very unfair that he has to take all these pills. I point out that things could be much worse. He is lucky because, with the pills, he really feels pretty good. He is becoming more and more aware of his heart disease. I know the day is coming when he is going to ask, " Am I going to die?" How does a mother answer that? I don't want to lie-but I'm certainly not going to let him know the statistics of this disease! I tell myself that I will remind him of what a good job the pills are doing and how medical science learns new things ever day. I know God will guide me but still it scares me. I remember when he was 3-shortly after we found out his heart was worse and this was a life long issue-every time I would hug him and say, " I love you" he would say, " Don't worry mommy, I'm not going to die!" We had NEVER mentioned death to him. Did he pick up on my worry just by my body language? I often thought that it was God talking to me, reassuring me through the words of a precious 3 year old. I am supposed to be the strong one comforting him.

That is why we need this trip. We got back from DL not too long ago. That was wonderful, but I know this trip will be even more magical. No band, no football, no basketball off season, no friends or girls-no jealousy. Just us as a family, enjoying each other's company at a magical place. Getting into the holiday spirit.

Thank you Make a Wish for making it possible. Thank you disboutiquers for adding to the magic. Thank you disboards for giving me new friends who understand what it is like to be in my shoes. Thank you God for giving me 4 of the most incredible ( albeit sensitive) boys that I have the honor to worry about everyday. Finally, thank you to all of you for not fussing that I used this pre-trip report to express some of the the things that have been swirling around in my head all day.

Carol

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Not sure how this posted twice! How do I delete one? HELP!

 

[jessica52877]

God will be there to guide you! You had me crying reading this. I have never cried so much as when I read these pretrip reports!

Just remember there is always a bigger power looking over us.

 

[mistymouse5001]

Not sure how this posted twice! How do I delete one? HELP!

Just leave it. We all know how to scroll.

You have wonderful kids! Let them have their phases and emotions. Just keep doing what you've been doing! It's obvious that you do it right! I hope my boys do as well! You should be giving us newbie moms pointers! We were all teenagers once! You're a really good mom!

 

[teresajoy]

Carol, I'm sorry, I would have swore I posted on here the other day.

But, I wanted to tell you that you had me bawling like a baby reading about how much you love your boys, and then reading about what's going on with them today, you had me again! You are such a wonderful caring mother, who knows her boys so well! Every child should be so lucky.

 

[mom2lilnick]

Just wanted to offer up some hugs! You do deserve it, I can't wait to hear about your trip. I love how you describe your middle, makes me realize that my middle is such a "middle child" How does that happen? The whole life is so unfair syndrome.

You are an awesome mom. Hugs, hugs and more hugs.

 

[bigdisgrandma]

Carol,

Thank you so much for sharing your feelings about your family. It is incredible to me how what strong families there are out there. Even though I have 3 girls to go with my 4 boys, I must say that reading about your sons reminded me so much of mine. I also know how hard it is to talk to a child about dying. Two years ago August 17th, right after Karlyn's last open heart surgery, our youngest son who was 22 years old died in an industrial accident. We had always known that the time would come when we would have to talk to the grandchildren about dying because we have known that it was a real probability that Karlyn would not have a long life expectancy. When Ryan died, regrettably, our sweet little grandchildren had to learn a very difficult lesson, maybe one that will help you and your family to talk about it if you need to. No one knows when they will die, we just know that we need to do everything we can while we can to show each other how much we care and love one another. We can not dwell on when or how, we must live the best we can and it will all work out. When one of the kids asks if Karlyn is going to die, we always say "Everyone will eventually die but we will not worry about when she or anyone else is going to die. We will all just enjoy what we have today!" They also know that my faith in God carries me through those things I never thought I could endure! Sorry, I didn't mean to take over your PTR. My thoughts are so much with the wonderful Wish families here and their day to day struggles. No one can imagine the struggles that so many have endured with grace, dignity and smiles!

Have a wonderful weekend. Hug your boys and do what I do everytime I talk to one of my children...Tell them you love them!

Denise

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Thank you everyone for all the encouragement, support and kind words.

Bigdisgrandma- no need to apologize. Your story really helped. I am so sorry about the loss of your son. I was with my best friend when her youngest boy ( and Nathan's best friend) drowned in a neighbor's koi pond and with her at the hospital when they pronounced him dead. This was only 3 weeks after we found out Nathan's heart was worse. I witnessed ( and still do) her pain and I wondered at the time if Nathan would join his playmate in Heaven. This was 6 1/2 years ago-Nathan still talks about Aaron. For a long time Nathan kept saying that Aaron was coming back from Heaven. I kept telling him that wasn't going to happen. One night when Nathan was 4, I was putting him to bed. Nathan turned to me and said, " When I was a baby, I went to Heaven for a little while, but then I came back." Then he looked at me quizzically and said, " Did that happen?" When Nathan was a baby in the NICU, he crashed, flatlined and was resuscitated. We had NEVER told him, his brothers ( or really many other people) about this. It was a horribly painful event- my husband and I sat and watched as doctors and nurses frantically revived him as the rest of the NICU staff gathered around his glass isolation cubicle. So I was in shock, but not doubting that Nathan very well might have gone to Heaven and come back. Through tears in my eyes I had to tell him that very few people go to Heaven and come back and certainly after nearly a year, Aaron wasn't coming back.

Sorry, I didn't mean to share another sad story ( and maybe I have even shared it before- I can't remember). But to me, it isn't sad anymore ( well, except about Aaron. We still grieve that loss). As long as I'm sharing about Nathan's very spiritual side, I'll tell you about Nathan's guardian angel. It was when he was about 5. I was singing to him as I put him to bed. He was looking behind me. I asked him, " What are you looking at?" He said, " Don't you see her?" I asked, " Who?" He said, " My angel. She's around a lot of the time, and always when I sleep!" Again, we had never talked about guardian angels before. Nathan doesn't talk about his angel much anymore, but personally I'm sure she's still around.

 

[twob4him]

I really don't know what to say....I am in awe of you and your wonderful relationship with your beautiful boys and hubby! I love how you can express yourself and of course your faith and your strength are so encouraging to everyone! Thank you so much for sharing and I am really looking forward to hearing all about your pre-trip and trip....don't let the size of WDW scare you....as long as you have a plan and your dining ressies....its very easy to get around and I know you will enjoy yourselves!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

ahhhhhhh disboards isn't working so it's not "keeping" my multi-quotes even though I tried 3 times!
Ohwell- I guess I'll just say "ditto" to what a few others have said about you. You sound like a very awesome mom and someone I hope I DO get to meet on the 12-25-09 cruise!

I've often wondered how some people "manage" with multiple boys- but I can see now I'm only thinking about the energy, noise, etc. that my ONE boy can manage... (and I laughed out loud at your one post about the balls everywhere, etc. Sounds just life with my son!) but I'm forgetting that having more than one boy also means multiples of the great stuff like their hugs and how they can be more loving (at times) to their mom than the girls are/etc. Thanks for clearing that up- I guess it wouldn't be too bad to have multiples of my little boy after all!

If you don't mind me asking- what is GTKW? I've just never had the opportunity to see that abbreviation before so I have no idea what it is when I see it in your posts?

I'm glad you had a good time at DL and I hope you all have a fantastic time on your upcoming wish trip!

 

[oklamomof4boys]

ahhhhhhh disboards isn't working so it's not "keeping" my multi-quotes even though I tried 3 times!
Ohwell- I guess I'll just say "ditto" to what a few others have said about you. You sound like a very awesome mom and someone I hope I DO get to meet on the 12-25-09 cruise!

I've often wondered how some people "manage" with multiple boys- but I can see now I'm only thinking about the energy, noise, etc. that my ONE boy can manage... (and I laughed out loud at your one post about the balls everywhere, etc. Sounds just life with my son!) but I'm forgetting that having more than one boy also means multiples of the great stuff like their hugs and how they can be more loving (at times) to their mom than the girls are/etc. Thanks for clearing that up- I guess it wouldn't be too bad to have multiples of my little boy after all!

If you don't mind me asking- what is GTKW? I've just never had the opportunity to see that abbreviation before so I have no idea what it is when I see it in your posts?

I'm glad you had a good time at DL and I hope you all have a fantastic time on your upcoming wish trip!

You're better than I am- I don't know how to do multiple quotes.

We will have to make sure we get to meet up on the cruise- and I hope our boys get to meet also. Mine can be a little shy at first but then they open up.

GKTW is GIve Kids The World- it is a resort just for wish kids. It looks really incredible-has free breakfast and dinner, an ice cream shop, pizza delivery, merry-go round, pools, horseback riding, movie theater-and much more. Too much to list it all. Plus there are incredible acitvities every night and we get to stay in a 2 bedroom suite. Everything is completely free. You can check it out at GKTW.com From everything I have read, it is a very magical place.

 

[oklamomof4boys]

I am going to attempt to post a picture that isn't quite as big as what I have been posting. This is a picture of my husband-looking like quite the tourist at Disneyland.