Disney World - Act 4

November 16, 2011

Disney World - Act 4

Tuesday was a special day. We were able to sleep in and relax in the morning. My mom and I went shopping. The kids went to the pool with Grandpa and Daddy. Oliver was thrilled to be in the water. We then headed back to the Magic Kingdom. They had arranged for the kids to have a private Meet& Greet with Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother. All of Waverly's favorites were there and once again she went straight for Minnie Mouse. The Fairy Godmother was lovely and so kind to the kids. Afterwards, we were led to a special seating area for the parade. We had lunch at Crystal Palace with the Pooh characters and later that night we attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - complete with snow on Main Street and hot cocoa. The special night time Christmas parade was a real treat and we have front row seats for it. It truly was a magical day!!

Oliver playing in the spray park

Waverly & Oliver splashing in the water

All aboard the choo-choo train

Oliver taking Grandma for a spin

Waverly "kissing" Minnie Mouse

Our family with the characters

Daddy trying to show Oliver he doesn't need to be afraid

Waverly & Pooh

Waverly getting a kiss from Pooh

Oliver hugging Pluto

Oliver is getting a little more comfortable with the characters

Waverly adores Pluto

Waverly is all smiles

Our family on Main Street USA

I love her smile!!

Waverly & I in front of the castle

Waiting for the parade to begin

A beautiful kiss from the Fairy Godmother

Comments

Welcome to Holland

By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.