The Mickey Adventure Day 3

We woke up on Saturday morning bright and early and so excited to get going again! We also found some caffeine sources to start each day.  Rick made breakfast burritos at our home in the morning for us to eat before we headed out.  On our way into the Disney World system, we changed our minds about heading to the Hollywood Studios and decided that since Magic Kingdom was open until midnight that we would head there for more Mickey magic for the day!

On our 2nd day actually in Disney we finally started catching on to the tram system and how to get around better (it's always a challenge to unload the stroller and get it folded and on the tram in a timely manner while  making sure all of the kids get on with us!).  Each time they take you from the parking lot they remind you of place where you parked..like Simba 123.  The first day it was easy to remember but as time was going on it was funny that we suddenly couldn't remember the details about where we parked when the end of the day came!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post...we went straight to City Hall to obtain and Guest Assistance pass which was amazingly wonderful and made the day very special for us while cutting down on our wait times!  It was an unbelievable day filled with a lot of fun memories!  

One of the many reasons I love my husband..he is willing to sit in a tea cup even when he hates spinning around just so that we'd have enough adults riding :)  Corey loved spinning and afterwards came and told me "I dizzy and dizzy and dizzy..."

Christian started it..the sugar fest :) He found a place where you could buy colored flavored sugar in a tube...

Then Chels and Caleb found a place in Frontierland at the General Store where they could buy jelly beans of all different flavors by the pound...it's vacation..and you can eat candy if you want :)  It's fun to see the teens act like little kids some days :)

Caelyn did a little shopping and found a Mickey necklace.

While Corey talked with us about which size Mickey was the right one for him :)

Christian was the only one to brave Splash Mountain (he's the only one who wanted to get wet) while the rest of us found some shade and ate our daily peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fruit cups while waiting for him to return.  We all enjoyed the train ride around the park.  The older kids enjoyed Space Mountain while we took the kids on the People Mover ride in Tomorrowland which was very neat.  We actually got to go into Space Mountain while the older kids were riding it and the little ones felt that they were a part of things! We were able to use our "Corey pass" to ride our favorites all over again today at a record pace.  A favorite that we all rode was the Tomorrowland speedway and the little kids loved that they got their own driver's licenses!  I appreciate my older kids so much and that they often sacrificed on this trip to be there for their younger siblings..whether it was holding their hands, giving them a piggy back ride, letting them drive the cars, playing in the pool, pretending to talk to a toy to entertain, or going on Winnie the Pooh for the millionth time. They never complained and always let the little kids lead the way and offered at each ride to take one of them with them to sit next to them.  I love my big kids and appreciate their servants' hearts on this trip.

Since we are not staying too far off site, we decided to return for naps and for Chels to work on her college class.  But someone little fell asleep on the way back and then heard the boys playing in the pool so he asked to go out..and we said YES :)  We ate pizza at our home for dinner then headed back to Magic Kingdom.  It took longer than we had expected and we arrived by ferry just as the Wishes fireworks were set to go off again.  This time it was neat to watch it from in front of the castle..the noises were less although the crowd was pretty intense (we don't know why but this day was unbelievably crowded..almost summer type crowds).  We had planned to meet up with a friend from Columbus who lives nearby but it almost took an hour to find her as we were literally stuck swimming upstream against the crowd!  Chels was so excited to see her friend Megan again!

Since Megan knows her way around Disney well we had her be our tour guide.  We rode on Aladdin's carpets and the Jungle Cruise ride (which seemed a bit scary to our little ones at night time!).  We debated about leaving the park but the kids were doing well so we kept on going..redoing some of our favorites like the People Mover and Buzz Lightyear.  We stayed until 11:30pm and the kids were going strong due to their naps today!  Caelyn's favorite part was walking up into Cinderella's castle.  My favorite thing was the peaceful beautiful calm that came over the part toward the time for it to close.  We just strolled down Main Street enjoying the lights and stopping on occasion to look at something.  We purchased Corey's Mickey mouse on the way out.  It was simply a magical evening and we were exhausted but so thankful for the fun memories that day.

FASD and Disney World part 2

On our second day at Disney, I decided to go to City Hall to ask what we could do to obtain a Guest Assistance Pass to help provide some support for Corey during the long lines (as well as some of the stimulus overload)  I brought a letter from our doctor about Corey's FAS diagnosis but it wasn't needed. I explained that Corey needed some help due to sensory issues and large crowds and that we had tried to use the regular route the day before but it was very challenging for him.  I had done a little research to know what to ask for and they stamped a card for us to carry that allowed us to use: A. Our stroller as a wheelchair and B. To use an alternate entrance when possible.  The only negative about the experience was that they wrote a limit of 6 people on our pass...looking back I should have explained that we weren't a party of 8 but rather a family of 8  with 6 children, as we've had some difficulty on certain rides (although even those rides allowed the extra 2 to use the Fast Pass lane instead of the long waits so it worked well).  We were given a special sticker to place on the handle of our stroller with a timeframe of how many days we would be in Disney and we can use our pass at any of the parks.

This pass was an amazing blessing.  We used it on the Buzz Lightyear ride first and we were allowed to enter the ride with no waiting via the Fast Pass lane, with Corey safely in his stroller and then escorted down a hall way to a separate loading station.  Because we could pick Corey up out of the stroller or even have him walk onto the ride, they took our stroller for us and kept it in a special waiting area for us after the ride (an amazing blessing if you've ever had the joy of trying to find your stroller after each and every ride).  At many rides and shows we received special treatment due to this pass and Corey was blessed by not having to have so many transitions in and out of the stroller and not knowing what to do with his body amidst the confusion and chaos of most rides.  Even my teens found a way to thank God for Corey in a new way..realizing that even though we hate FASD and what it does to our little man, we can find rays of sunshine and this was one of them for our older kids.

I am not sure what a family with a child with FASD would do if your child was older but I'm sure they could still get a pass that would allow them to at least use an alternate entrance for the rides (therefore bypassing the regular lines and the sensory overload those are and it would be an amazing help to your child).  I am so thankful for my friend Dorothy who suggested looking into this as I had no idea it even existed and it has been the most amazing blessing for our family!

We gathered a few tips that might be helpful to others who visit Disney with a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  As I mentioned in another post, we decided that our first experience with fireworks at Disney shouldn't be among a seriously large crowd so it was a great decision to watch it from the back side of the castle..which then allowed us to hop on a few rides in Fantasyland afterwards with no people around!  We also waited for a while after the fireworks before attempting to exit the park since that would allow for the crowds to thin a bit before heading home.  We used sound reducing headphones to help the little kids not be overwhelmed for fireworks and shows with loud noises.  Having Corey in a harness in his stroller also helped him feel more secure, and we often allowed him to carry a lightweight backpack with enough weight to it that it functioned like a weighted blanket or vest does at home...always trying to be conscious of things that might have a calming effect while in a sea of crowds, lights and noises at Disney.

Safety is always a concern so we used bright ID tags (bought in large packs on Amazon.com..called Tyvek bracelets) with our names and cell phone numbers on them in case one of our littles got separated from our family.  We used roleplay to show them how to approach a Disney cast member and show them the bracelet and to say "I need help finding my mom and dad."

Cam also has some special needs and although I never understood why parents put their kids on "leashes"..I do now.  Cam is 5 1/2 years old with some delays and challenges added to a caring, sparkling, on-the-go personality.  He wants his freedom and insists all of the time that he's a big kid (I told the teens to remember to brush their teeth after breakfast the other day and used the term "big kids" meaning the teens..I came and found Cam busy brushing his teeth..he keeps telling me that he is "one of the big boys now").  Using a "love handle" harness (found HERE) has been the BEST thing for Cam because it allows him freedom with safety.  He's adorable and kept up the entire 2nd day at the Magic Kingdom walking for miles because he was BIG. Corey would not do well with a harness because he has difficulty with coordination and would easily wander so a stroller is the best way for him to be safe, but this has worked well with Cam as he's independent but needs some supports.   I've learned a lot over the past few years..about judging others without understanding because now I see and understand more fully the challenges.

Overall so far Corey has done very well.  We've had backpacks full of snacks and paid attention to his subtle cues that he might be hungry or thirsty and kept up his timed potty times because he does not tell us when he needs to eat or drink or use the bathroom.  We haven't really had any kind of schedule while here and have stayed up way past bedtime and he has done well.  He told me he loved the "boat ride" which is "It's a Small World" ..I think because it's calm :)  We have been careful during shows to remind him that things he's sees are just "pretend" because the thought of these characters being so large or doing dangerous or bad things is very concerning to him.  If I remind him that they are pretend and not real it seems to help him a lot.  We also did a lot of research using the book "Walt Disney World with Kids" and really looked at which rides/shows would be too much for the little boys and split up when necessary to accommodate that.

I think one of the surprising blessings of the rides particularly is the free OT it provides!!!  Spinning, rocking, bouncing..all of those things help Corey at OT and are probably part of why Disney can be great for kids who need those things!  OT in a teacup..who would have thought!

It's so funny at the end of each night..because Caelyn and Cam pass out in the 1/2 hr drive back to the vacation home and Corey becomes more animated...telling us funny stories about how Donald Duck put the piano down really hard (reference to Mickey's Philharmagic)...it's adorable as he tells us all that his mind is finally processing about what he saw and did.  

The Mickey Adventure Day 2

Stopping at Starbucks for chai is a fun travel tradition and Cam has a special place as Mom's helper now..he goes in with me and gathers 3 sticks..one for each of the little kids to have!  We finally remembered to take a picture of this :)

We had a good night's sleep in Valdosta, GA and woke up to a hotel full of teens on a college tour which made getting breakfast quite interesting :)  We began our final leg of the trip to Disney with only 4 hours to go...I couldn't contain my excitement and each time we made a rest stop I found myself unable to resist the urge to tell cashiers (and other people who probably didn't really care to know...) that this was THE DAY I was going to see MICKEY and it was a GREAT day.  The kids will tell you that after so many hours of gloomy weather the day before, we literally crossed the Florida state border and the sun shone through the clouds..it was kind of amazing!!  We enjoyed the drive and seeing all of the orange trees along the way (a first for all of us).   We decided to stop at Golden Corral about a 1/2 hr from our vacation home since we hoped to go right to Magic Kingdom and just see what we could before it closed that evening.

(Rick laughs about this picture because I was very tired and a bit frazzled and said "kids ...say Cracker Barrel"..they too began to laugh because clearly we were at Golden Corral.

I could barely contain myself as we approached Magic Kingdom..I kept telling myself that I'm an adult and should act like one..but I really found myself ready to break out into the "It's a Small World" song right then and there!  Really..it was magical..we all kept thinking..we finally made it ...after years of planning and thinking and praying some day we could go there...we were finally HERE!

The next few hours were amazing as we entered the Magic Kingdom just in time to walk up to see the afternoon parade!

We then spent the next 6 hours riding as many rides as we could!  Our family favorites were: Buzz Lightyear, It's a Small World, the carousel, Peter Pan's Flight, Mickey's Philharmagic  and Winnie the Pooh.  We also enjoyed the Liberty boat and the Hall of Presidents.  We quickly figured out the FastPass system and used it as often as possible.  We decided to try to watching fireworks from the back of the castle which allowed us to be away from the crowds..although the special overall view wasn't as great from there it was a wonderful way to enjoy the fireworks (with headphones to block out some of the noise) without tons of people and then we could enjoy the extra hour afterwards to ride a few more of the rides.  We had very short waits in line but those were still challenging for Corey and Cam so we decided that the next day we'd have to have a better plan.

Chels got over her 11 years of fear of Winnie the Pooh..she rode this ride back in 2001..the only other time we went to Disney and was terrified :)

PS I think I might have ADHD because I could not focus on anything else but the fact that Cinderella's castle kept changing colors!!!!!!

What a magical day it was...we still felt like we were in a dream..and couldn't believe we were finally here!

The Mickey Adventure Day 1

(Note: This journal of our Disney World adventure is mostly for a memory keeping thing for our fam and also for the grandparents who wanted to hear all about it...but feel free to read along if you love Disney or like to see the adventures of a large family in Disney!  I am also hoping that some tips I might have to share might help others who have children with disabilities to navigate long trips and Disney with their kids as well.)


Our Disney trip is entitled "The Mickey Adventure" because that is what Cam named our trip before he could get the words "Disney World" out to tell people at church :)  We left on Thursday at 6:30am which was an amazing feat for our family..people said it couldn't be done but we did it!  We had packed for many days and had things pretty well organized with sandwiches and snacks all prepared and then put into the cooler.   We left our home in fog and rain and prayed for safety since we knew a large storm system was moving through the entire south.  We spent 13 hours in the car together.  Highlights of our day included stopping at a McDonald's playland right outside the airport in Atlanta, GA where the planes were flying right overhead.  We looked like a bunch of country folks oohing and ahhhing over each plane that passed.  We had looked forward to a small break but when we took our laptops in to check the weather status on the internet we realized the area we were headed to in Georgia was under a tornado watch.  We had already had extreme fog through Tennessee and were concerned.  So in typical Hanna style we raced everyone to the bathroom and got back on the road praying we could get as far as possible before it hit.  God was gracious to us and although there were many times on this trip that the weather was really scary, we made it safely to Valdosta, GA on Thursday evening.

The kids did well in the van all of those hours.  One of the best things we did was to plan ahead a little for bags of things to do and I would distribute them every few hours.  We found a lot of items on the clearance dollar section of Target post Christmas that helped to make the trip more enjoyable.  One of Cam's items was a squishy toy elephant that he named "Droidika" (inspired by Star Wars of course).  Corey had a lemon squishy caterpillar he named Lemon (because it kind of smelled like one..and Corey sniffs everything as his main way of approaching something new!).  The best find that worked well in the car were window clings..gingerbread men and cookies found in the post Christmas clearance.  As long as your child has NOT been exposed to Jello jigglers, you'd be ok using these for fun (if he/she has..then you might want to refrain since these could easily be mistaken for something you eat!).  They have a squishy texture and Corey liked them once he got used to them!

A little miracle occurred on our trip and Corey fell asleep!  He has done this only a handful of times and we were thankful to figure out that he needs a heavy fuzzy blanket to help him sleep in the car (once we got him used to it at home when it's bedtime).  It's blurry but he's so stinkin cute :)

And last but not least, this is the AT&T building in Nashville, TN where Cam said "MOM take a picture..it has eyes and ears..it's scary"  I agreed with him..it reminds me a bit of Batman (but Cam has never seen that show so he was seeing this on his own..he's a very observant and creative little person).

The good mom...

Makes meals from scratch
Homeschools her kids
Reads Bible stories before bedtime
Makes sure the kids have matching outfits on Sunday
Rarely sends her kids to babysitters
Doesn't let her kids watch TV
Is always patient and kind
Keeps her home clean and organized
Shows hospitality by having others over often
Plays games and makes crafts with her kids
Is frugal in all areas
Talks about God throughout the day with her kids...


I used to be that Mom but now I'm not in most areas (praise God the last one I still am able to do!!).  I think it's one of the most humbling, difficult things for me in my life right now to face that I cannot do it all...nor do I have to.   I am struggling to release what I thought my life would be to what it really is and to smile at the future even when it looks difficult.  A good Mom loves God with all of her heart and accepts each days challenges as falling under His sovereignty and good plan for us.  A good mom has to learn to live moment by moment trusting God for a future that is uncertain.  A good mom makes difficult choices through prayer and her husband's leadership about how the family needs to go...even if it's a different path than others say they should take.

God has been answering prayer.  We have respite services through people at our church who we pay to help for a few hours a week with Corey.  He is receiving OT services again 2x/week to work on sensory issues.  But it still is so hard to accept help...to admit that you need it and can't do it all anymore.

On the bright side, Chels is doing well with double college classes these first 8 weeks of the year. Caelyn celebrates 6 years home tomorrow from Korea and had the joy of going to a cake decorating class at church last week.  Cameron is obsessed with lego star wars and making us all smile with his memorization of the books of the New Testament this week (an amazing miracle from a little man who couldn't talk much last year!).  Corey thinks he is a Muppet...he likes to be called "Waffle the Muppet" ever since we went to see the Muppet Movie a few weeks ago ..he is one funny man!  Christian enjoys flying his remote control helicopter around the house and is getting quite good at working with toddler boys in the nursery of our church.  Caleb is busy constantly with school but is enjoying the BJU DVD curriculum (what a blessing..one of the "a good mom..." things I had to let go of this year and do something different with him!).  And tomorrow...we leave for Disney World (please don't tell the kids that Dad is really taking Mom..and that they are just allowed to come with us....)

The counterfeit

I always wondered what it would be like when my husband became my pastor and honestly it's been a wonderful experience....to have him to love and teach me at the same time!

This morning Rick's sermon was about the importance of God's word and truth in our lives and one thing he said really hit me where I am in my struggles at time.  He spoke of the time when Jesus was worn out and Satan came to tempt him and promised him glory and power and His needs to be met...without the suffering of the cross.  And Rick said "Satan offered something that he had no authority to give"...the counterfeit..the lie..that has been going on throughout all time...that he has the easier way out.  And when I look at Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest"...I remember that true rest, peace, joy are only through following God's ways and only HE can grant that.  Satan often offers us wrong ways to deal with our stress and our pain and our suffering...but his lies lead to brokenness, confusion, heartache...not true rest or peace.  It really helped me a lot to remember that Jesus had walked the road of suffering and even while famished He chose to focus on God's word...His truth..not his feelings or an easier way...and when He hung on the cross for me in anguish...He remembered to keep His eyes on the Father and His glory.  Oh I want to be like Jesus!

A song we sang today reminded me too of the freedom we have in Christ..to say no to sin...because we are free and we don't have to live in slavery to those lies:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night
Thine eye diffused -- a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
Amazing love!  How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Daily bread or lifeboat?

I've been thinking lately about how I've been viewing our search through the new territory of special needs to find some outside assistance for little man.  I often feel exhausted at the end of the day, as if I've been swimming and swimming and then at the end of the day climbing onto a lifeboat..waiting for rescue.  Although researching, praying and calling places has been part of the journey and is, at times, exhausting I'm starting to wonder if I need a new way of dealing with what looks to be a long journey before we have answers or help.  I know in my heart that day to day God sustains us..whether it's by Corey having a better morning or Rick coming home a bit early to take him for a walk around the block...He is our sustainer.

I love the story of George Mueller who is known for his deep faith in God and his love for orphans.  Many stories are told of how he had needs but lived day to day...literally trusting God sometimes for "daily bread" when he had no idea how God would show up.  I think my focus needs to shift toward thankfulness and expectation...that no matter what TODAY God will be there...it may be hard but He will send just what I need when I need it.  I don't need to feel that in my desperation for answers and hope and help that I need to keep swimming til I'm exhausted each day.  Instead I need to be still and wait patiently for Him while continuing to press on in Jesus' name to the job before me each day.  I am thankful that in His word God promises to give wisdom to those who ask Him for it (James 1:5).  I want to look forward to each day waiting for God to show up and provide daily bread instead of being lost in the sea of swimming and praying for rescue because I know He has a plan for me that may involve me never really knowing the plan but trusting Him with everything I have :)