Trip Update-We are Home!

We got home today at 530pm, and we are so exhausted! Sorry for the lack of updates last week, our villa didn't have Wifi. I have been in Blogger withdrawal, I will have to catch up on all of my blog reading soon. Our trip was magical and amazing. There were also some rough moments; we are homebodies usually, and 7 days away from our routines and family was a little much;) Luckily the fun kept us occupied. A quick list of what we learned: 1. Tucker LOVES carousels, playgrounds, and roller coasters. Put him on any of these in any park, and he is happy. Try to get him to leave, and he is not! 2. Tucker hates shows. Make him sit through a show, even a show that stars his favorite characters, and you have a very bored Tucker on your hands. 3. Mommy does not love rollercoasters, or really any ride that goes faster than 1 mile an hour. Daddy loves all the crazy rides; He rode several, and Tucker did not like hanging out with Mommy during this time; that was way too boring! 4. Tucker loves meeting characters, and feeling their fur and eyes. He also liked getting them to sign his autograph book, even though I'm not sure he understood exactly what they were doing. He was not too thrilled that we made him turn around and look at us for pictures each time. He would rather look at the character than us:) 5. The theme parks and volunteers in central Florida are amazing. The cast members at all 3 parks saw Tucker's wish button or our Guest Assistance Pass and treated us like the only guests at the park. We waited in extremely short lines, had front row seats to any show or event, and met characters within minutes of arriving. We got free parking, free stroller rental (a MUST for a mito kiddo who needs to conserve his energy), and so many more perks. It was unreal. 6. Tucker likes to ride airplanes when they take off and when they land. The boring part in the middle is not for him! But then, having to sit with our seatbelts fastened for almost 2 hours wasn't really for us, either. 7. Give Kids the World is a place that does just that: strives to Give Kids the World. The 3 of us enjoyed one of the best weeks of our lives thanks to a place (mainly run by volunteers) that works to give kids and their families the best experiences. The second day we were there, and the first morning, we went to breakfast at the Gingerbread House. A volunteer named Roger brought our food to our table and set us up. I offered to help him, and he said, "Now, let me tell you something. There is a time in your life to be a good giver, and there is a time to be a good receiver. As parents, the time to be a good giver is all the time. You are the parents of a special needs child, and no one else understands the sacrifices you make and all that you have done and given up to care for your child. Now that you are here with us for one week, you have to let us take care of you, and be a good receiver. Let us give to you, that's why we are here." So I sat back, and from then on, the 3 of us were very good recievers, and we really enjoyed it! Now we are back to reality, and I start my new job tomorrow. So we all have to switch gears and get into a new routine. I hope to post lots of pictures and many more stories about our trip very soon.