Orlando!

The kids are asleep and Israel is busy watching an "Andy Griffith" episode so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about our trip to Orlando.

We left first thing Thursday morning in style - in a white stretch limo. The girls were dressed in blue Cinderella skirts and tiaras and carried scepters. They looked like true princesses!

After about eight hours of traveling we finally arrived at "Give Kids The World Village" resort, a marvelous place exclusively for children with life threatening diseases and their families. There we were greeted with smiles and gifts - and our dream week began.

Our villa was a spacious two bedroom, two bath place with a jacuzzi tub. The resort offered free unlimited ice cream, mini-golf, train rides, carousel rides, special events, and meals. There the girls attended a Pirate & Princess Party where they were pampered and officially crowned princesses in a special ceremony. On another evening they participated in a life size Candyland Game. They also got to meet Mickey & Minnie Mouse and Sponge Bob!

Although we could have spent our entire week at GKTW, they also provided us with tickets to all the most popular Orlando theme parks and a number of lesser known attractions. We didn't even have time to use them all! In just five days we visited Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Gatorland, Island of Adventure, and Sea World. The girls met the Disney Princesses, fed dolphins, watched the Nemo musical, played in Suess Landing, and touched a baby crocodile. They played in Pooh's Playful Spot, interacted with European deer, and met the Suess characters. We couldn't have imagined a more splendid week of family fun and adventure!

But the most beautiful thing is that we were on vacation as a family, enjoying one another and relaxing after nine long, hard months of hospital visits and medications. Even Anya said that her favorite thing about our trip was, "Being together".

It was also very special to be around other families who are facing situations similar to ours - where children being bald, riding in a wheelchair, or having scars was the norm. It was wonderful to be able to share stories and hurts with other families, and even to cry with another mother or two. And I was reminded that we are not alone, that we are not abnormal, and that we are blessed.

It is simply impossible for me to describe our week in a blog. But like Israel wrote in an email to his mom, "In short we had a marvelous time, with all of our expectations being exceeded. It really was like being in a dream the whole time, like taking a break from reality for a week."

Our trip ended in style with a limo ride home from the airport and a friendly reception by my parents. And now we're back to real life, and thankful for the precious life we've been given.

Thank you to Make-A-Wish (www.wish.org), Give Kids the World Village Resort (www.gktw.org), Anya's medical team, and the numerous donors and volunteers who made our trip possible. And thank you to BabyHawk (www.babyhawk.com) for donating a baby carrier for me to use with Isaiah on the trip!