Mickey and Me...Day 3

Today was the day Cam had been waiting for for a year!  It was going to be his first time riding the Star Wars ride...all year he rehearsed how it would be for them to check his height and then to say "come on" (he would draw pictures and act it out for the past year!)  He LOVED it...he also liked the gift shop at the end (but was sufficiently convinced that he should save his money for the Lego store later in the week).  We enjoyed watching a Jedi Academy demonstration outside of the ride where little jedis helped fight Darth Vader.

Hollywood Studios is probably our least favorite of the parks simply because it lacks a lot of things for the kids to do together and also because the layout is very confusing (the maps even seem inaccurate!)  We did manage to pace ourselves well this year and think through the main things we wanted to accomplish.  Christian is into film making, though, so we have enjoyed certain aspects for him!  Our favorite thing to do is Toy Story Mania...this is Caleb (confident) before the ride.  He and I decided to ride together because we have a friendly, I mean serious, competition going :)  By some crazy maneuvers, I ended up beating him two times today..he was not happy :)  But when they get stronger than you and taller than you, it's nice for them to know you are still good at something :)

Everyone enjoyed the Indiana Jones stunt show then Corey, Rick and the older boys went to see the Car Stunt show (with headphones for Corey because it's VERY loud)...Corey came back and was so excited telling me that he saw Lightning McQueen from Cars and that he went down a ramp very fast :)  While they were doing that, Chelsea, Caelyn and Cam and I went off to explore a little bit of the art of animation side of this park.   We took an afternoon mini break at our resort then headed to Golden Corral for dinner because sometimes a week of peanut butter and jelly gets to you a bit and you long for some real food!

We returned to Hollywood Studios at night and were able to do Toy Story Mania a 2nd time, visit the Muppet Theatre and then decided to try to get across the park for the Fantasmic water/light show.  We were really surprised to find the theatre full of thousands of people.  The show itself turned out to be very scary/evil for my little ones so I don't recommend it.  We left toward the end so the older kids could go on one last ride..and told Corey "Oh the bad guys lost...Mickey won" and he seemed satisfied with that explanation! 

We were glad to get home a little earlier tonight as Chelsea has college class work to do each day via computer.  Our internet at our resort has been intermittent which is why my postings are behind so far but we are doing the best we can with it :)

Mickey and Me...Day 2

On Day 2 we headed to Epcot.   After many days of sleepless nights we all voted for sleeping in a bit this morning! Cam enjoyed posing with his new hat as he was helping us get ready for the day.  Each morning we have a similar ritual of packing one bag with water bottles, lemonade packets and juice boxes with snacks and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I try to put a mini load of laundry into our small washer and dryer here in hopes that we'll make a little progress!  I find myself asking the kids to think about what absolutely needs to be washed before we return home so that we don't have to do laundry each day while here :)

Last year we stayed at a home off site and this year, through the generous gift of a friend, we are staying at a timeshare resort just outside of Disney property.  Here are some pictures of it:  

We enjoyed riding Soarin' together as a family (and some of the adults were less frightened this year!).  We rode Living with the Land and enjoyed opportunities to talk to the little ones about how God was the creator of all we see and not "Nature."  We went up into Spaceship Earth and enjoyed the lessons in history and the advances in technology but again were reminded of how it is God who gave man intelligence (and he was created with that ...his mind didn't evolve) and the ability to be creative.

One funny moment was when Caelyn was sent to dump something in the trash and we saw her hesitate then open the door to the trashcan underneath..when we asked later about it she assured us there was no word "PUSH" anywhere..later we had to show her that not all trashcans are that way :)  What was funnier is later in the day we saw a trashcan talking to a woman and then moving..only in Epcot :)

Due to heat and tiredness we thought it would be good to take another break mid-day and rest.  What ended up happening is that we got lost a bit and it took forever to get ice cream at McDonalds after we left Epcot.  We stopped for a small trip to Target which ended up being a major souvenir shopping adventure when the kids realized they could get more for their money there :)  Our teens have money from gifts/grandparents loaded onto ING Direct debit cards and they enjoy the freedom of managing their own accounts.  Our little ones keep their money in envelopes with Mom and Dad.  Corey found his beloved Daddy size Donald Duck at Target :)

The kids LOVE the glow bracelets that we bought on Amazon for the trip (we bought about 100 for $8 so that was a great deal and it helps us keep track of them at night!)..tonight we made them into necklaces while the older kids rode Test Track.

We visited a few countries in the evening when the lights were beautiful and the weather nicer.  Chelsea and Christian enjoyed egg rolls in China. Caelyn surprised us with her knowledge about the terra cotta warriors.  She said "oh..I know about them..the Dragon King made like 7,000 of them and he thought they would keep him safe after he died..and they had horses and chariots too"  We looked at her and asked how she could know that and she said "Oh I read about it in my Magic Treehouse book"  She is so funny!

We like the boat ride inside of Mexico and the Mexican market there as well.

Toward the end of the evening we enjoyed a great presentation about our nation's history in the American Adventure theatre.  It was neat to watch the show and have Cam whisper to me "look Mom..Mayflower...Boston Tea Party..George Washington..Benjamin Franklin"..sometimes I haven't been sure this year as we've studied some of these events whether he understood but he clearly does!  

We ended the night with the beautiful water and fireworks display on the lagoon at Epcot..it was breathtaking and simply worth the time we stayed to see it through!  Epcot was beautiful at night and the show was very well done!  Our kids used their noise cancelling headphones which helped them enjoy it more.

Some things I thought about today...just the amazing creativity and diversity of God in creating our Earth and all that lives on it..for working throughout history in amazing ways to preserve His word and give man success.  As I watch each show at Disney.. I am reminded how great God must be to give such amazing talent and creativity to man and how awesome heaven must be.  Each detail at Disney from the timing, to safety to intricate details in each area of each park..all symbolic and designed with much thought reminds me often of God's intricate handiwork all around us.  Each show and each amazingly written song shows forth the greatness of God for me this Sunday..even at Epcot..I worship.

Mickey and Me ..Day 1

(These posts are mostly for grandparents who enjoy the fun ins and outs of our trips but occasionally there will be some tips for moms of large families traveling with kiddos with special needs that might be helpful too)

Cam says on our first day finally at Disney..HI DISNEY...WE MISSED YOU!!!!!

Three cheers again for Disney staff and the disability pass!  We had no difficulties gaining a pass and they seemed appreciative that I knew what I needed (stroller as wheelchair and use alternate entrance stamps).  I took a little risk this year and asked if they might allow special exceptions to the 6 person limit since we were not a group but a mom and dad with six minor children.  They did some investigating then said we would create a file in their records (which can be used again at any visit in the future) that would mention this and would allow us eight people on the pass.  This would streamline any difficulties we'd have at various high population rides (where they tended to stick to only 6 on the pass).  This proved to be a blessing to have a file as well when I misplaced the card today and they could look it up in the computer and reprint everything)  YEAH for Disney!

Today was Caelyn's Family Day!  It was cute also to watch her walking around the park this year taking her own pictures on her camera..I'm not sure what happened to my little princess ..it's been 7 wonderful years!

Cam is all ready..Mom's chai and the map!  Let's go!!  We enjoyed some old favorites at Magic Kingdom today and also went to the newer area of Fantasyland.  We really enjoyed the Under the Sea ride..it was well done and sweet without much that was scary in it!

Outside of Pooh Corner..Caelyn used some of her money from grandparents to buy a Mickey necklace with a "C" on it in honor of her family day..she is always so sweet and appreciative of anything!  We mentioned to the cashier about her Family Day and it was so nice of her to make a big deal of it and give us all "I'm Celebrating" pins which was great!

While the older kids went on Big Thunder Mountain, we took the little kids over to Tom Sawyer's Island..Caelyn and Cameron remembered our current school studies about life on the Mississippi and Robert Fulton inventing the steamboat this was pretty exciting for them!

Corey's helper/friend and respite provider, Miss Dianne, introduced him to the story of Dumbo this past year and ever since then Corey has talked about the Dumbo ride and how he hoped it was open this year (after being closed last year)  He has a little cold but started to perk up when we got in line!

Look Mom ..I found my smile!

One of the things I love about my big kids..they aren't afraid to take a picture with the little ones in an elephant...especially for their little brother!

Buzz Lightyear remains one of our favorite rides.  I don't know how it happened but there were witnesses to see that somehow I got all the high targets and got a score of 999,999 :)

We aren't complaining..but it sure is HOT here!  It's a big adjustment coming from where it was winter!  We stopped to see the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade at 3pm and love that just as much as always!

We went back to our resort to take a small break then had Pizza Hut for dinner (thanks to friends who gave us this gift card!)  We arrived back at Magic Kingdom in time for the fireworks over Cinderella's castle and this year we stood on the bridge where you could see Tinkerbell flying down from the castle to the wire near us which was a fun site!   We rode a few more rides and then  we were able to see the Main Street Electrical parade (it was not showing last year so this was a first for many of the kids!)..it was a lot of fun and we had a good view!  As we danced and laughed at the base of Cinderella's castle..Caelyn looked up at me and said "This is the best family day EVER"  I couldn't have agreed more!  

Mickey and Me ...Travel Days

This is the look of my sweetie hubby as we tried to make last minute changes in our travel plans when a friend alerted us that an ice storm was coming on Thursday night to TN..and we decided to leave within the hour on Thursday instead of Friday morning as planned.  I'm blessed to have awesome kiddos who know the Hanna way of "bugging out" and were able to shift gears and get the entire van packed quickly!

Christian made us all laugh as he pretended to board the little kids on an airplane..taking them one by one and calling out their rows..then asking them if they wanted Diet coke or Sprite (even though they were really getting water but they loved the act!) and then serving them homemade brownies that had just finished baking!  Rick and I ran around saying "this is crazy" as we tried to pull extra things that were needed out of the dryer and make hotel cancellations (one we got just in time as the last moment to cancel was in 3 minutes that day!)  We decided to pray and go to Birmingham AL that afternoon/evening...always nice when we both look at the map independently and agree instantly that that should be our goal..after 21 years of marriage I think sometimes we can read each other's minds!

The hardest thing over our two travel days was explaining how our carefully planned out countdown had changed and how it would still be a few days before we could see Mickey!  We prayed and thanked God for each step along the way as we made it on dry ground through Tennessee into Alabama..arriving at our hotel at 11:00pm.  I tried to remain calm thinking about how late they were going to bed but just slowly taking each step of our routine to get everyone tucked in and we were able to get to bed by midnight (some of us didn't sleep but God still provided strength!)

Corey surprised us with this self-portrait on the way to FL..he said it was himself and it's the first time he's drawn himself or anyone with that much detail as we can see glasses and hair..way to go Corey!

On Friday morning we left around 9am with a goal of making it to Orlando by evening.  We took a little detour to head through Albany, GA so we could see Sherwood Church (known for production of movies such as Courageous and Facing the Giants).  We ended up on some windy country roads that reminded us of home.  

One of the funniest Starbucks moments happened on this leg of the trip.  After leaving the hotel, my sweetie hubby always looks out for a place to stop for chai and I have a gift card this time from my inlaws that makes Starbucks stops extra sweet.  We pull up in our 15 passenger and I went in, only one of the ladies in drivethru must not have seen me come because she loudly announced "OH NO.. a 15 passenger van just pulled up and it's full of kids!"  I hesitated then smiled and said "oh that's mine"  She laughed nervously and then said.."oh I was worried we've have to make a bunch of frappaccinos!"  I assured her that only the adults drink caffeine and that we were headed to Disney with 6 kids and had another full day of travel to go.  Next thing I knew a bunch of the staff were asking me questions about the kids and I joyfully shared :)  The lady doing the drinks asked me if I had ever had chai w/ expresso and I told her I didn't (and frankly didn't want to ruin my routine LOL)..so then at the end she hands me a complimentary pumpkin chai w/ expresso in addition to my drink and smiles and says "I'm the oldest of 5..my mom was a great mom"  It made me smile and also was a very kind gesture that made my day bright :)  Always glad to share how much I love my kids with strangers and admit that I'm a bit nuts for taking everyone to Disney but God has provided for us to go!

 We arrived in Orlando around 8pm and everyone crashed a bit.  The younger kids went to sleep right away while the older ones at chipwiches and worked on internet (or school in Chelsea's case).

OH WELL..It is Well

Something funny and yet amazing has happened in our family..and I find each day someone saying "oh well" when something unusual happens..whether it's concerning...life changing... or just a small matter...the kids are learning to say this instead of getting upset.

I think after the trials of our Fall and the loss of our adoption, we had to take a hard look at the things that had become stressful in our lives and accept that some things we cannot change.  We cannot always change our relationships with others..sometimes we just have to pray and leave it in God's hands.  We cannot fix it when we make simple mistakes...we get back up with God's help the next day.  We cannot fix brain damage.  We cannot be perfect nor demand it of others.  We make plans but those plans don't always work out..whether it's what we planned for dinner or for the schedule of our day.  God is in control..and there's no need to keep getting upset about things that are outside of our control.  We stop and pray..we move forward trusting God when we can't always know how things will turn out or why they turn out the way they do sometimes.

It started one day when we were all shopping at Kohls and I looked down and smiled and told Chelsea "Hey I'm wearing blue socks with black shoes"...and she and I both laughed and said together "oh well."  Then I started noticing that in many ways all of us were beginning to say it.  Corey wets the bed and I feel frazzled and Cam looks at me and says "oh well, Mommy" and I think yes, you are right Cam...these are little things..God is in control and we are not.  Caelyn makes mistakes and then smiles and says "oh well" and it makes me smile.  Somehow as we've started the process of saying "oh well", what we really are saying is "it is well with my soul" because God is in control..there are many things I cannot fix but God will provide strength and help and walk with us no matter what.  Just the other day a lego toy broke at the hands of Corey, and Cam usually would have fallen apart, but instead I heard him say "oh well...we can fix this."

I thank God for being with us and that when we say "oh well" we really do mean "it is well with my soul."

God's P-E-A-C-E

This morning after a busy Christmas weekend, God used Corey to remind me of a powerful message in the midst of chaos.  He has been paying attention to words alot lately and spelling things out left to right and we are so proud of what God has allowed him to learn.  He looked at our mantle and spelled out "P-E-A-C-E" and then said "PEACE ...mama that's my name 'God's peace'"  Amazing how someone so small can minister to those of us who are older.

Lately I find my mind wandering to the "what ifs" for Corey...in God's providence He allowed us to chose the name COREY which mean's "God's peace" and now here my little 6 yr old with FASD reminds me of who is in charge..who is Sovereign and where true peace comes from..never in my circumstances but in the ONE who broke through our darkness to be our Immanuel "God is with us."

In ministry and in our own families lately I've seen the chaos of those who are struggling with deep pain, uncertainty in their futures, fear, overwhelming sadness at recent events in the news, a wearing down from the mundane parts of their lives, and just simple exhaustion from the holiday season and all the extras that come upon us because of our church/personal schedules.    We long for something we cannot seem to have..PEACE.  It's all around us in the Christmas Hallmark specials, the serene cards featuring the nativity scene but was that really what the first Christmas looked like?  We long for simple..for uncomplicated lives where families get along, trials seem lighter and we can enjoy the Christmas "spirit"

God understands.

To look at the chaos and wish for something simpler, less challenging seems to take away the heart of the gospel..the very reason we needed a Savior to break through the darkness to begin with.  Mary must have been confused to love God and to have been given a task that seemed greater than she could manage on her own.  She faced the scrutiny of what others thought and then when it was finally growing closer to the time of Jesus' birth she was forced to endure a long journey.  Then it seemed that God was not there..because there was no place to stay.  I'm sure she was exhausted and it made it all that much harder to trust God in her circumstances.  God showed up in an amazing way because it was His plan for Jesus to be born in a humble place but he added a glorious announcement with the angels to confirm that Jesus was their long awaited Savior.  Jesus was born into chaos...both in his earthly family and in the world around Him.  Soon after His birth, His family would face the trial of running for their lives to escape  Herod who would kill without mercy many little lives.  God understands.

PEACE...is only possible when we look at our chaos and invite Him in to help us in our lives to respond in a way to the trials around us that brings Him glory..to realize He didn't come to take away our darkness here on Earth but to be our LIGHT and our PEACE.  Perhaps your Christmas season is a bit chaotic...God understands.  He sent His Son to us to be our PEACE in the midst of darkness, pain and chaos.

Trust Him today with your pain, your confusion and your darkness instead of wishing for just a happier simple Christmas.  Ask Him to walk with you in your pain and for the chance to be a light by responding to our trials in way that could only be because He is helping you.

Jesus said:  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.  PEACE I leave with you; MY PEACE I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid"  (John 14: 26-27)

Fall Fun

It's been weeks since I blogged as we tried to process through all that had happened but Elisabeth Elliott's admonition to just "do the next thing" really was helpful in making myself move painfully through my new reality of a calendar with dates crossed off and the loss of what we thought God was doing in our lives through embryo adoption.

Through these last six weeks I've purposefully looked for ways to bless my family and to have fun with them.  God blessed us with a trip to Branson, MO as a family to see Sight and Sound's production of Joseph.

We found a bunch of fall fun activities to do and I learned more about cooking with whole foods at www.100daysofrealfood.com.  We made trees out of paper bags and little pretend acorns while studying the Revolutionary War time period.

I've started doing a Bible study with some other homeschooling mamas at www.goodmorninggirls.org in Colossians which has been wonderful for accountability and growth and am reading through Helping Others Change by Paul Tripp for our Sunday evening church study.  A book that impacted my life and helped me most outside of Bible reading during this challenging season was Gospel by J.D. Greear.  It reminded me that God's thoughts toward me never change and are rooted in Christ's righteousness and never in my ability to "do" something for Him.

God has been so faithful to us and each day I'm learning how to thank Him, ask for His strength to do the next thing and just cutting back and looking for simplicity until my feelings could catch up with what my head knows to be true about God.  I'm thankful for beautiful Fall weather, pumpkins, and blooming mums after a long hot summer and that God is teaching me many things about who I am in Him through this time.  Hallelujah...all I have is Christ!