Dr Seuss

we all know dr seuss and have read his imaginative and strange books.  sometimes i'm not sure about cat in the hat, but if we miss curious george in the morning it's what the little lady watches so one of us can shower.  take a right into Universal Islands of Adventure and you are transported into your very own dr. seuss book of Seussland.  i have to say i'm very thankful for this little section of the park.

sleepy time on the bus

ready for the ride!! i am.

charis and dollie on the carousal

Monday was our second park day, but 3rd official day in Florida (w/o a nap).  Charis dragged out of bed like a teenager and declared she wanted to stay and sleep.  but we had to keep going.  this was our family vacation.  the bus held two irritated parents, a tired little girl and a loving ready to serve volunteer friend.  the sky threatened rain from the very beginning.  day 2 was not looking good.  walking into the park the excitement from the day before was noticibly lacking.  charis was being a tired 2 1/2 year old...yes i want to ride, no i want to lay with dollie, no i don't, yes i do....you get the picture.  for adam and i we had already had a pretty full morning in our group session.  we weren't prepared to handle all of this.  and it all came boiling over at once...our mini family meltdown.  sweet jessica gave us space as we faltered and cried and got mad.  then it was done.  and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish awaited us.  the three of us got into our "go straight to the front no waiting line" and piled into a purple fish.  and we laughed.  we laughed as it went around and each time adam lowered our fish it was directly into the water spray.  it made us scream and laugh more.  it was just what we needed.  Seussland had everything we needed...a funky creature carousal, a train ride and this ride.  i wouldn't recommend the cat in the hat ride.  as charis says, "it spins around and we don't like that."  then the rain came and we took cover.  charis cuddled in her stroller with blankie and dollie.  when it let up we ran over to Spiderman so adam could ride it, it's his favorite.  then we walked around the park to explore.  we got to see a dinosaur in jurassic park.  we drank (well, they) butter beer in harry potter land.  then we decided to head back to the hotel early.  it was a good call.  we just vegged out and ate goldfish.

making hilarious faces...this makes me laugh every time

the rain!

cuddled up in stroller

eek! a dinosaur!

something to do with Harry Potter

butter beer mustache

tonight was a special night.  these folks have thought of everything.  it was "kids night out" which really meant date night for us.  but before we left we had the opportunity to meet with one of the child counselors and make our Legacy video.  we had planned to go to dinner with my brother and his family, who drove in from Tampa.  since it had been such a "rough" day we requested Charis go to bed after dinner at a normal time.  and our sweet friend did just that and apparently Charis was wiped.  they stayed in our room until we got back from our date.  Seeing my brother, John, and his family was great.  they've been away (overseas) for a lot of the past 10 years, so having them closer is great.  and i have to say that we've grown even closer these past couple years.  see, he's almost 10 years older than me.  and i was a little 7 year old when he left home to join the Army.  now we are adults with families and getting to know each other.  i know they love me and my family.  and i love them too.  we had a yummy dinner and a great night out.  what a gift that was to us.

post feast!

2 very good looking couples

sadly, i can't remember what each group session was.  but this morning we heard from Angela.  Angela works for IOH and has a sweet story to share with parents.  her daddy was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was five and died when she was 10.   she talks about those 5 years and the way her daddy was intentional with her to make memories she'd remember.  she also told us about a notebook he kept with notes and letters to her both serious and funny that her mother found after he died.  she talked about how this tangible item has meant so much to her throughout the years.  she talked about how this is the story God wrote for her, and it included losing her dad as a child.  she is the woman, wife, daughter, mother, and friend she is today in part because of the pain of losing her daddy as a little girl.  she spoke of her capacity for joy is so much greater because of her experience with pain.  i get this.   i loved hearing her story.  because one day that could be Charis.  i realize that this isn't just about me, or adam and i.  it's about all of us.  God loves Charis more than i could ever imagine and i trust Him with her.  whether i live or die, she will be uniquely her because of the joy and the pain of this trial.  i am thankful for the gift of Angela's story.  and you can imagine why it was hard to jump right into Seussland after a morning like this.  yet, it was so well orchestrated.   we laughed a lot.  laughing is so good.