Birthday Relay

On the eve of Julia's birthday, we attended our local Relay for Life event. It seemed such a suitable way to kick off her birthday weekend.  The theme of Relay this year is "Celebrating More Birthdays" and we are about to celebrate one more. 

 There were fun games set up and the kids jumped right in to the action.

 It rained on and off all afternoon, but it all goes on despite the weather.  It all seemed very symbolic to me.  The journey through cancer is like that.  There are moments of clouds when everything seems to be bearing down, times of downpour when everything seems to be falling apart, and moments of sunshine when HOPE springs a new and laughter floats easily.  You have to learn to carry on through all of them, running forward with HOPE.  That is exactly what was happening.

The rain had a powerful impact in forcing people to seek shelters under others tents.  From those moments came conversations and opportunities to touch the lives of strangers.  We ended up spending a long time under the popcorn tent talking to a sweet couple and their kids.  They had this simple game set up to pass the time where you swing a ring and try to get it on a small hook.  Carter was hooked :) He played for over an hour and came so close to getting it.  I love the way he swung his leg each time to encourage the ring to swing!  

Julia was very excited to be participating because after our last event she understands all the activities.  When they called all the survivors up to recognize them and start the Survivor's Lap, she looked at me with a smile and shining eyes and said, "Mom, all these people are beating cancer just like me!"

It was an emotional lap, watching her bubbly joy and seeing all the other families, friends, and supporters lining the track.  In those few moments I am overwhelmed by how far we've come and how Julia's health has been restored in such an amazing way.  God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.  

We walk to celebrate the victories in Julia's life thus far and the gift she is in our lives. We walk to remember all the courageous angels that have gone one before us.  And we walk to honor those who are fighting right now.  Some fighting just to live one more day here with us.  Vinny, Ellie, Lily, and Kate we are storming the gates of heaven in prayer for all of you.  We will never give up this fight.  We will carry the HOPE forward one step at a time.

May Mayhem

So, we've been home from Florida for two weeks now- wow.  That's hard to believe! It took me most of the first week just to figure out what day of the week it was :)  We have been on a roller coaster of activity ever since.  It has been crazy, fun, and full of excitement.  Here's a brief peek...

We've enjoyed picnics with friends...

The start of baseball season!! This is huge in our house.  Carter is in his element.  Can't you just feel the intensity?

 ...which also means nightly training camps in our yard :) Julia is hitting pitched balls really well this year.

And we finally made it to a Grasshoppers game.  This is our latest trip ever, but it was great to be back.  We are all big fans and love our Sunday nights with the Hoppers.

Summer usually appears overnight around here.  The kids go from pants and long sleeves to begging for the pool in a day's time.  This year was no different and they've already broken out the slip 'n slide...

 

It wouldn't be the start of summer without popsicles!

We've also had some wonderful playmates.  Rachel, Leah, and Nathan's mom is hospitalized on bedrest with their baby brother and we're loving having them join us to play.  The more the merrier rings so true with this bunch...

We were all excited to have playgroup at our house.  Our sandbox has really missed all the little bare feet :) 

 
And a brief health update...

First for me, I have finally gotten my thyroid levels in check and I'm excited to report that there have been some positive breakthroughs recently.  It was hypothesized by one of my specialists that my thyroid removal might possibly cure my heart condition, only time would tell.  (I was diagnosed with SVT at the age of 16 and had to be put on daily beta blockers at age 25 because of frequent, uncontrollable bouts of tachycardia.  I have been on that medication for the past 9 years.  I have faithfully taken it because missing even one dose left me feeling horrible.)  In late March I began having weird symptoms- fatigue, low blood pressure, weakness, urinary issues, weight gain, numbness in my limbs, weak heartrate, etc.  It turns out my daily dose was now toxic and I was having overdose symptoms, after 9 years of the same dose! The decision was made to wean off of it.  I was hesitant, but felt so bad it was worth a try.  I am now excited to say I am off of it completely and have not had any major issues! Huge praise!! I have not had my follow up EKG yet.

Also, I went to the eye doctor for a regular exam and found out my vision has actually improved and my prescription was reduced.  He said this is another effect of curing the Graves' disease by removing my thyroid.  Another plus! 

It has been so encouraging to have these positive results.  This journey through Graves disease has been trying to say the least.  The past four years have been a roller coaster of health struggles, diagnosis difficulties, surgeries, medicine adjustments, and lots of patience- on all of our parts.  It is wonderful to reach this place four long years later.  And the bonus prize? I've lost 7 lbs since coming off the Inderal two weeks ago!

And for Julia, she is doing great.  We took her in for a checkup when we returned from Florida.  Her troubles with dehydration left us all wondering if we were missing something.  The docs wanted to get a CBC and check everything out to be sure.

A quick fingerprick and we had some answers.  Everything looked great.  For the first time in a year her white blood count was actually within the normal range.  The catch is, when they did her exam they discovered a raging ear infection in her ear with the remaining tube.  So the question remains, was her WBC back to normal? or is it high (for her) because of the infection? Only time will tell.  Why does it matter? We need to get an accurate baseline so we are able to determine what "a high WBC" is in her case, as an infection indicator.  Some antibiotic drops and stickers and we were on our way.  We'll recheck her labs at her 4 year well-check at the end of May.

We are excited to say she has been feeling great.  Back to her normal self again and full of life and energy.  We have begun the potty-re-training process over the past week.  She has done amazingly well.  The very first day she was peeing consistently, completely independently.  Yay! she remembers! The bowel issues are a little more complicated.  She is still on Miralax and still re-learning to control all those muscles.  She has had some great success, but some struggles too as we find the right timing and amount of her medicine.  It is encouraging to see how excited and proud she is to be so grown up.  We follow up with GI in late July and hope to have great news to report by then.

And that's just the beginning.  More to come soon!

Heading Home

Monday, May 11 (DAY 7 GKTW)...

Monday morning it was time for us to check out and get ready to leave for home.  GKTW lets families stay as long as they can the day of their departure to enjoy their vacation to the very last minute.  So here goes all our "lasts" of the day... 

After breakfast, we headed to the pool for one last swim...

Now time for one last relaxing bath in the big tub...

"Goodbye Villa #225, thanks for the amazing stay.  We'll remember you always!"

We visited the Castle of Miracles, one last time, to find Julia's star among the tens of thousands...

Can you spot it?

The Castle is a fun place to play and just hang out, too

Then it was time for one last trip to the Ice Cream Palace.  Carter loved the rocking horse in the restaurant.  It was donated by a village family, in memory of their daughter. 

Such a sweet ending to a fun vacation.

Then it was time to check out and say our goodbyes.  They give every family a CD of all the pictures taken at GKTW during the week, as well as their star to take home.  They also make everyone promise to come back and visit.  They love to watch their alumni kids grow up and ask them to bring back their spouses when they get married :)  Carter's new friend Josh was getting ready to leave, too.  These two had a great week together and were two peas in a pod...  

 Then it was off to the airport to wrangle all our gear back home.  Car seats make air travel so interesting.  Thank goodness for the luggage carts! The bags worked great for both the seats and the double jogger.  Everything survived unharmed.

The first flight the kids were both wound up and talking nonstop from all the excitement.  By the second leg, unfortunately the shortest, they finally fell asleep.

Julia was out cold.  She slept on the flight, through the airport, and for the ride home.

When we arrived home we plopped her down on the front porch while we unloaded.  The 35 degree temperature drop was quite shocking to the system.  The trip was amazing, but it did feel good to be back home again.

The kids were excited to play their new GKTW Candyland.  They have played it daily since we came home.  It is such a perfect way to keep the memories alive and remember our favorite places.  Every time we play a new story comes out from someone about our week stay.

And apparently all the heat was good for Julia because while we were gone, she grew her first pigtail!

A true answer to prayer after many "pigtail prayers".

Thank you will never seem like a strong enough word for all we have received and experienced this week.

Thank you for setting us on the path to being ourselves again.  When our road diverged a year ago we learned to live life minute by minute, then hours, then days, then weeks.  As we have begun down this new "out of treatment" road, we have stumbled almost daily.  We are learning to fly again, but man, is it ugly at times. This vacation gave us all the time for some soul healing.  We were free from our commitments and old habits at home.  We had the time to just enjoy each other and celebrate how incredibly far we've come this past year.

Thank you GKTW for the infusion of HOPE and the countless opportunities of joy.  We feel privileged to now be a part of the GKTW family.  God has given us a front row seat to some amazing ways He is working and we feel blessed and honored to find the role we are called to play in the future of this place.  We plan to turn our last day into a new beginning.  So instead we'll say, "see you soon".  God bless you Give Kids the World and Make A Wish!  

A Very Happy Mother's Day

Sunday, May 9 Mother's Day 2010 (DAY 6 GKTW)...

Okay, hang onto your hats! We are about to cross continents, eras, and theme parks in a single bound!

No, seriously, it was a FULL day.  I recommend you get a snack and make a bathroom run before you start reading this post :)

This was going to be our last full day in Florida and we wanted to make it one of our best.  We decided to make it adventurous and also a "greatest hits day" to revisit some of the highlights from the past week.  (Park Hopper passes are wonderful things.)  Thankful that we took Saturday to rest, we were all refreshed and ready for fun on Sunday.

We decided to start the day at Animal Kingdom.  It's such a beautifully done park with all the landscaping, animal environments, and shade.  There were only a few things we planned to see there, but we knew the safari was worth the trip itself.  It did not disappoint- WOW!

They have done an amazing job recreating the habitats of these animals into a natural and safe environment where they can all coexist peacefully, seemingly unaware of the spectators around them.

We had the chance to get to know one of the Safari volunteers who also volunteers at the GKTW village.  She gave us a behind the scenes perspective of it all with her funny stories.  Someone thought it would be a good idea to give the rhinos old tires to play with so they could use their horns as much as they wanted.  It worked great, well mostly.  Guess what happens when the pickup truck arrives with their daily meals?

Julia's favorite animals are giraffes and she was so close to them she could almost pet the giraffe!

The elephant calf was just born in January, so sweet.  Did you know elephants have the longest childhood of any animal?

She also told us stories about the warthogs.  The pair they have are actually trained as well as dogs.  They sit, roll over, and play dead.  Right now they are actually teaching them to pee in a cup to make things easier on the vets! She also told us about the ostriches.  Did you know an ostrich eyeball is larger than it's brain? This has an obvious impact.  They are very difficult to train.  These particular ones also revel in making a nuisance of themselves by autographing the new trucks with their beaks.  They also like to stand in the road and block traffic.

The kids loved the safari so much we actually rode it twice!

Then it was on to the Festival of the Lion King show.  On our way over we actually had a live snake cross the path!! Apparently the natural surroundings here are not a facade.

The show was great- music, dancing, acrobats, characters, and performers.

When we walked out of the theater we found ourselves face to face with Chip and Dale! Turns out Camp Minnie-Mickey is character greet central.

We didn't realize how much the kids were going to be into all of this.  In the past they have been rather timid around anyone in costume.  They prefer to watch from afar, but after our experiences as GKTW, that has all changed.  They both consider it such a magical thing to meet these characters.  We didn't originally plan to go around and meet them all, but the Disney cast members insisted on it.  I am so happy we did.  Everyone of them really takes time to interact and play with the children, while remaining completely in character.

Julia's favorite is Daisy Duck.  She has asked each day of we thought we would find her.  We hoped it would happen, but couldn't promise her anything. We walked around the corner and there she was.  I love this series of pictures.  They truly capture her awe and joy in the moment...

a sweet kiss on the beak...

During our stay, we've been reading storybooks about Bambi and friends at bedtime.  When we turned around and saw Thumper and Ms. Rabbit, the kids went nuts...

Then it was time for lunch at the delicious Pizzafari.  After we ate Carter crawled up in my lap to cuddle.  This has been one very happy Mother's Day so far!

Then it was time for a trip back in time to see the dinosaurs.  The kids loved the Triceratops Spin (like Dumbo only on a larger-scale).  Some fun playing the Boneyard and we were ready to go. 

On our way out, a Disney castmember told us we could take the kids back to see Pooh and friends.  They were giddy! It will never cease to amaze me how these people are able to do the unique signature for each character while wearing a suit like this.  They don't even have fingers! Apparently they are able to hear inside because Pooh signed their book, "To my friends Carter and Julia".  They loved it.

Tigger was adorable as always bouncing with the kids, hiding things with his tail, and playing games with them.

After our morning at Animal Kingdom, we decided to head back to Hollywood Studios one last time.  The car ride gave us some time for snacks, drinks, and air conditioning.

Of course the Toy Story Mania ride was on the top of their list and it was just as fun the seventh time :) We all love that ride.  On the way out we were shocked to find out Woody was available for pictures.  When we walked through the door, Julia was in shock...

Thanks for the memories,Woody!

When we finished with pictures it was time for the Block Party parade, so we decided to watch it again.

Carter got his groove on again- this time with Mr. Potato Head...

By now the heat was getting pretty intense.  Julia was starting to get dangerously overheated.  Carter really wanted to see the stunt show again, so we used that time to get Julia more settled.  She had dehydrated again and was starting to sweat profusely and cry.  It took us some time to get enough fluids in her, but she did turn the corner and then promptly fell asleep.

Julia got in a good nap while we headed back to the village for the nightly festivities.  We started at the Castle of Miracles...

This one building houses the carousel, spa, star room, and playroom.  After a hot day at the parks, Julia decided a little spa-time was in order.

She loved having her nails painted purple and her make-up done.

Carter and his friend from the village, Josh, decided they'd rather have the air-brushed tattoos.

Then we headed out to ride the carousel a few more times.  Julia was joined by Murphy, the gingerbread man.  He loves to be funny and rode the entire ride backwards making faces at her.

Then Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry came by for some hugs...

We headed into the Gingerbread House for our last dinner of the week.  The chef does such a great job with the food and the hundreds if volunteers that help him daily.  Not only does he prepare meals, but the offerings always include dairy-free and gluten-free options for those who need it. Such a fun place to eat...

Sunday night's party is The World's Largest Candyland Game at Matthew's Boundless Playground.  This playground was sponsored by Hasbro to bring the game to life for gives of every ability level.  It sits right in the center of the newest phase of family villas.  If you have ever wondered what it would be like to step into a game world, this is it...

The volunteers walk around the board with the card deck for the kids to pick from.  The trail winds through the entire playground with all the stops... Peppermint Forest, Mr. Gloppy, etc.

At the end you receive a lollipop and do a little happy dance in front of King Candy's Castle.

Not only did Hasbro create this amazing playground, they also sponsor Christmas every week by donating 18,000 toys a year to the toy workshop for the kids to choose from.  They also wanted to help families be able to relive the magic of their stay, so they created GKTW Candyland.  Every family receives one when they leave.  And you can have one of your very own, too!

*A neat fact: Did you know Candyland was invented in the 1940s by Eleanor Abbott to entertain children with polio, from which she too was recovering?

After several rounds of the game, it was time for snow cones and dancing.  The sweet father/daughter pirate pair were back to get the party going.  We had a night full of laughs and giggles line dancing in the streets.  It's so fun to teach the kids and get them into it, too.  Carter loved dancing with Princess Lolly and Queen Frostine!

By this point we are all ready to crash! The great part is the park was right in our backyard.  We got everyone cleaned up and in their jammies because tonight they had a special visitor coming to tuck them in. 

Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry go around to the villas to personally tuck in the kids one night during their stay.  They said this is the most often mentioned memory by GKTW alumni kids.  He even has his jammies on! He fluffs the pillows, kisses all their animals, bounces on their beds, hugs them, and tucks them in tight.

Sweet JuJu was already asleep when he finished! It's been a long day.

This is definitely a Mother's Day I will remember always.  Thank you GKTW and MAW for giving our family time to relax, play, and laugh.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  You have brought so much joy into my children's lives and ours- priceless.

I had the chance to enjoy some quiet time Sunday evening.  The village is such a peaceful place to be, especially after bedtime.  I had some sweet time with God in the village chapel...

 

This week has been overflowing with gratitude.  I will never cease to thank God and praise Him for His tremendous providence over our lives this past year and the blessings He has revealed along the way.  We have all grown, learned, stretched, and cracked over the past year; but God's faithfulness through it all has never waivered.  I also had a chance to intercede for the dozens of families we have met and those back home facing devastating hardship right now- some whom are GKTW alumni families themselves.

God, your HOPE in this place is thriving.  I pray that every life touched here carries that HOPE to every person they meet.  You are bigger than all these things.