Make-A-Wish Trip Day 1

Our magical, once-in-a-lifetime dream vacation began on July 30th when we flew to Orlando, Florida. My parents and my sister came with us and we were so glad to have them!

Hooray! We’re in Orlando and finally off the airplane

Airplane entertainment

The flight went really well, I’m happy to say. We sat by a man named Lymar who was touched by Jacob’s story and the reason for our vacation. He even posted on his Facebook page about us! When we landed the captain invited us up to see the cockpit. Jacob got to sit in the co-pilot’s chair and turn on the radio (Isaac was invited too but was a little too nervous). We were just beginning to learn how fun it is to be a Make-A-Wish family.

Jacob and Lymar flexing, Jacob in the cockpit

In Orlando it was dumping rain and we desert-dwellers watched with some amazement at the mini-monsoon outside the airport windows. Then we made our way to the baggage claim and met our greeters, volunteers from the Give Kids the World Village. Tom and Cheryl were so nice and so friendly and so welcoming. And we were so excited to meet them and learn a little more about “The Village” where we would be staying. After collecting our luggage (delayed an hour because of rain and lightning) Tom and Cheryl took us to rent a car. They let Jacob pick any car he wanted—that would fit our family of course—which meant he could choose anything in the whole row of mini-vans! Jacob and Isaac both wanted the red Dodge Caravan. Oh yeah! 

Tom & Cheryl from ‘Give Kids the World’ and the boys in front of the red mini-van of awesomeness (Jacob was sad about something but I can’t remember what)

Then we came to Give Kids the World—a resort just for families on wish trips. This is an incredible place, with an incredible story. This non-profit storybook village has a really special feeling. I can’t describe it, but I really loved it here. I’d heard all about it from others who had been but it was neat to experience it ourselves. There is just something about a place run by volunteers, it has a certain uniqueness to it.

Jacob & the giant cookies, my mom in front of the gingerbread house

Our villa (note the rockin’ red van)

Seriously, isn’t this place so cute? There is an-all-you-can-eat ice cream parlor open all day long, swimming, a play-ground, a castle, an arcade, a train, and—our kids absolute all-time favorite part—a carousel. They loved it and rode it multiple times every day.

I don’t think that I could over-emphasize how much they loved riding the carousel over and over and over! I think that the boys rode it half a dozen times that first night we were there. After dinner and several rides on the enchanted carousel we went to our villa where the boys took a bubble bath in their jetted tub (everything at Give Kids the World is focused on the kids so the “master bathroom” is the kids bathroom and it was huge!) The boys had the bubble fight of all bubble fights and it was fun to just let them play and have fun. The perfect ending to an exciting day.

Bubble bath fight