Halloween 2013

Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays, but we have a great tradition with the Grubb family to eat pizza and visit some neighborhood homes for trick or treating.  Kyle went as DeWayne Wade, David was Lebron (last minute change), and Hope was Belle.  After all the Disney fun we are all worn out.  David and Hope were home by 7 and Kyle shortly after.

Kyle, Claire, Kelsey, Tanner, David, and Hope!  We have been together on Halloween since David was a toddler. 

Hope was really into it, but wanted big brother Kyle to walk her to the door:)

Sweet Belle! After a party at preschool, lunch with friends, and then Halloween night fun, this girl is worn out!! Thankfully tomorrow is Friday. 

David and Sweet Kelsey. She is the sweetest friend to David and they have been together in class since first grade.  We called it an early night here in the Robinson house! Happy Halloween!!

Back to Reality

After  really smooth return flights home today we are back home in Virginia.  I am not going to lie, it was very hard leaving paradise.  Mike sent me and the boys to check out this morning at Give Kids the World.  He probably should have done it because when he caught up to us I was wiping away big tears. 

How do you properly say thank you to a place that has literally blessed us with this magical week?  It did not help at checkout that I was handed a DVD with 168 pictures of us on it, an official group picture already printed from our visit with Mickey, and an invitation to return anytime to visit. 

At checkout I was also handed a packet with an offer for a free scrapbook by a local Crops of Love group!  Can you believe that? If we will send them our pictures, they will make us a scrapbook (handmade with love) for free.  I started crying then and then when the guy handed our family a passport that we could use for up to a year at a huge list of attractions for free I totally lost it.   Over the next year, because of this passport we will be able to enjoy places like Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens for free! 

Upon returning to Tri Cities airport there was yet again a limo to pick us up.  The kids were so excited to ride in the limo in daylight!

They were so tired in that limo....

That this picture sums up how we all feel.  Blessed but very tired.  The alarm is going to be brutal in the morning but I am looking forward to returning to preschool just in time for halloween parties!  We also will celebrate Halloween tomorrow night in the neighborhood with friends. 

David helped the limo driver find our house!  Ha!  Good night from Virginia.  This Momma is blessed, thankful but ready for my bed!

Disney Day 6

Today was our last full day of our wonderful and magical vacation here at Give Kids the World.  I am sad to leave, but my heart is so full of wonderful family memories.  We have had a ball! 

Today we were blessed with tickets to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures.  We have never done those parks and we were amazed!  We are already talking about a return trip here to volunteer back at Give Kids the World and to visit Universal.  That place was amazing!!!

Our first stop was the Despicable Me 3D ride!  All five of us love that movie and the ride was awesome!!  I love these three little cuties!! Universal Studios is amazing to wish families.  At disney wish families are allowed to go in the fast pass line, but at Universal you are escorted by a staff member to the ride literally. 

As we were leaving the Despicable Me ride, a minion was posing for pictures.  We did not even notice him it was so busy in that place, but a staff member saw my wish button and asked us if we wanted to pose with the minion.  Can you believe that?  We were blown away with Universal-there is so much to do for all ages! 

Agent David with the Men in Black! 

Next we hopped on this Transformers ride which was AWESOME!  It was a little loud for Hope but she is fearless and begged all day for a roller coaster.  Her height is the only thing keeping her off of rides. 

As we were coming out of Transformers, Gru from Despicable Me and some of his minions were doing a dance show in the street.  David was in heaven!!

For a lunch time break we headed to the NBA City Restaurant for lunch.  Our boys were in HEAVEN at this NBA place.  Not only was the food awesome, but there were games, a store, and huge TV's on the wall.  Kyle's new career goal is to work at this restaurant.  There was a TV in each booth so you could watch ESPN while you ate. 

There was this picture booth option that the boys just had to do!  They selected the Miami Heat of course and the photographer posed them like this.  When the picture was printed Lebron, Dewayne Wade, and Chris Bosh were photoshopped in so it looked like my boys were on the team!  Great keepsake to frame for their room. 

Here are our three outside of the restaurant! 

Universal is amazing and there is this whole cat and the hat area.  David and Hope are big Cat and the Hat fans, so we spent lots of time in that area.  AWESOME!!!

Hope giggling through the Cat in the Hat ride!  We loved it so much that we rode twice! 

This picture makes my eyes mist a little-look at the joy on Kyle's face!  We have all had a total ball, but I have wondered a few times if it has bothered Kyle how much attention David, the wish child, has received.  David's agenda has kind of dictated what we have done, and sweet Kyle sat through all the Beauty and the Beast stuff at Disney, smiled through princesses, and tried to enjoy the Little Mermaid show.  He has been a great sport!  The other night on the tram to one of the parks, Kyle said to me "Mom life would be so boring without David."  He loves his brother so much even though David is not always appreciative of kyle's sweetness.  Today at Universal the lines were short and David was content to chill out in the stroller so Kyle and I hopped on lots of big roller coasters and thrill rides.  He wanted to do this water ride so bad but none of us wanted to get wet.  He begged us to do it solo and we let him.  Pure joy.  It is not always easy to be the sibling of a child with a disability who has also battled cancer.  He has missed a lot of time with us, and this smile makes me smile. 

Thanks to Jason Burris, David has a new obsession with Ironman!  There are lots of super heroes at Universal-wow!!

We got back to the village tonight for italian night at the Gingerbread House.  It was so yummy and awesome.  For our last night tonight in the village there was a birthday party for Mayor Clayton.  Here is David posing with Mayor clayton before the party! 

 There was a huge birthday cake, ice cream, games, and a dance party to celebrate Mayor Clayton's big day! David loved the music and here he is dancing with Mrs. Mary and a volunteer.  Check out that little blonde girl dancing with them-she too has DS and she was adorable!!!

 

This is the perfect picture to end our magical vacation.  David insisted on one last carousel ride here in the village before heading back for baths and bed.  I asked David while we were on the carousel if he has had fun and this was his reaction!  Words fail me too on how to sum up the generosity of Make-a-Wish, Give Kids the World, and all the 1500 volunteers that work here in the village to make this a magical vacation for the families that visit here.  We are committed to paying the kindness forward because we have learned first hand that it truly does make a difference.  We thank God for this precious family time together and all the amazing memories that will forever be tucked in our hearts.