Cocoa Beach

First thing Monday morning we got to Julie's Safari Theater where they had Pluto, Goofy, Marry Poppins, and Mickey & Miney Mouse. The fun part was that we didn’t have to stand in line like you do at Disney World to see these fun characters. Payton had a good time chasing Goofy around and pulling on Pluto’s nose.

Next we headed over to The Castle of Miracles. Every Wish child receives a star to write their name upon. They then bring this treasured star to the Castle to meet the enchanting Star Fairy. The Star Fairy greets each child, directing them to place their star in the treasure chest. Once the Star is placed in the chest, she “flies” in, causing the treasure chest to shake and light up and she retrieves their personal star. They then ask the Wish child to make a wish. At night while the children are sleeping, the Star Fairy magically soars into the Castle Sky giving each start a permanent home. Each Star that twinkles in the Castle of Miracles sky bares a code individual to the Wish child it shines for. Payton was super excited to put his star in the treasure chest.

Also in the Castle of Miracles the kids were able to make a dream pillow. The dream pillow is infused with good wishes and magic. The kids were both so excited to receive their own individual pillow. The Castle is such a magical place and I am totally amazed at the many hours and hard work that is put into it.

We then took a picnic and headed to Cocoa Beach. We had the most incredible day at the beach. I really spent some time pondering and thinking of all of the many blessings and miracles that have occurred in our lives. I had a wonderful time with Payton rolling up our pants and walking in the sand. He wanted to play dare and see how close we could get to the water. Usually Payton is not one that likes to get wet, but he didn’t care a bit. Payton also wanted to carry me, so I would pretend like I would get on his back and he would drag me into the water and then run away and laugh. This is a day that I will always have to remember. It was a bit cold but the water actually felt wonderful. Savannah thoroughly loved walking around picking up seashells.

Back to the village and we ended our evening with a Double Dare show in Julie’s Safari. They served popcorn and drinks. Savannah especially thought this was fun. Afterwards we took the kids on the carousel again (definitely one of Payton’s favorite things to do). The whole way to the carousel Payton would say “I want to ride the chicken this time, please.” It was so cute. What a wonderful place Give Kids the World is. My kids would be content just staying here and never getting out.

Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios

We stayed so busy that the kids crashed hard at night. We spent our Sunday going to Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At Animal Kingdom we went on a Safari Ride and saw many cool animals. We also went to a showing of Lion King. Discovery Land was neat as well and we went on a Dinosaur ride. I was amazed at how well Payton did on all the rides. I thought that he would be too scared and he did great except for the dinosaur ride was a bit scary. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios we saw a High School Musical Show and went on a cool Stars Wars ride along with several other neat things.

Later that evening when we arrived to the village we went to the Castle of Miracles. Savannah enjoyed dancing around (which you do not see her do very often) and Payton enjoyed coloring with one of the volunteers. Payton is super big into coloring these days and you get him started on a picture and it is hard for him to stop. His teacher Mrs. Robertson said that he has come a long ways with his drawing. She said that when he first started Pre-K she could not make out what he was drawing and now she said that she can. I am so amazed at how far he has come in such a short amount of time. Have I expressed how much I love my kids? I am really enjoying every moment with them.

Magic Kingdom

We spent Saturday at Magic Kingdom. It was Chad and I’s 12Th Anniversary. What a wonderful way to spend our day with our kids at Disney World. The kids absolutely loved Cinderella’s Castle and enjoyed all the fun rides there. Payton especially loved The Buzz Light Year Ride and The Pirates of the Caribbean area. We also got to see Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade. It was truly a magical day that I will always remember.