Day 4

Our plan today was to go to Downtown Disney, where there are lots of Disney shops, and the Bippidi Boppidi Boutique is there for special makeovers!  After that we planned to go to Epcot.

We got to DD, and the first store we went into was The World of Disney.  This is a gigantic store of all things Disney, and the BBB is also in here.

We went into Goofy's Candy Co. and let the kids get even MORE sugar. 

Then we headed back to World of Disney to get to the BBB.  Aislin and Jake were going to be made into a princess and a knight!  This was planned in advance as a special surprise for them, because Hudson of course was getting a lot of extra special attention from everyone, and I felt it was important to have something just for them.  Their road has not always been easy, they have dealt with some very stressful situations with Hudson, and I thought they would love this and that they deserved it!

Our beautiful princess and handsome knight!

After BBB we headed to lunch at Captain Jack's Marina, a restaurant in DD.  They had cartoons on in the waiting area, so the kids were happy!  After lunch we left for Epcot!  We went right over to the ride Soarin', which I had heard from everyone, and had read also, that this ride was SO GOOD.  A must see.  Hmmm, well, let me tell you, it was terrifying.

I am NOT a fan of flying, and this is a ride that is supposed to simulate a hang gliding experience.  I guess the multiple signs reading IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF HEIGHTS OR OF FLYING, DO NOT RIDE THIS RIDE!  should have been a clue.  The best way I can describe it is plummeting, through the air really fast, to what can only be a bad ending.  Hudson screamed the whole way through, I thought we probably scarred him for life.  Aislin clutched her seat, looked very pale, and said she wanted to throw up.  Jake and Jakey loved it, of course!  Jakey leaned on the edge of his seat the whole time saying "This is awesome!"  Really getting nervous about that kid after this trip.

After the horror of Soarin', we got on a boat ride (can't remember the name) that took you sort of on an educational tour about agriculture, animals, and the history of Earth.  Aislin picked it, and I didn't think the kids would really like it, but they did.  Hudson was just happy we were riding on something, Aislin thought the crops were cool, and Jakey liked the alligators.  Those rides were in the Land section of Epcot.  Next we headed over to the Seas section.

At the Seas we rode a Nemo ride, where we sat in clamshells.  It was a cute ride, lots of fish!  We didn't really have any other things planned at Epcot, and many of the other areas there seemed like they'd be too slow paced for Hudson, if he's not moving he's not happy!  Since this was going to be our last night at Disney, we had planned to return to Magic Kingdom to see the SpectroMagic Parade and fireworks show at night.  We decided to go back to MK early and get in a few of our favorite rides again before the shows started.

When we got into MK we ate dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, where Jakey thought the character singing at the front was really interesting!  Then we rode the Buzz Lightyear ride again, and the Tomorrowland Speedway.  The attendant at the Speedway was very nice and let us go twice!

We rode the Teacups again! 

Aislin looks very confused here, but I promise she was having fun!

It was dark by then, so we began to go towards the Castle area for the parade.  Cinderella's Castle was lighting up and changing colors, it was so pretty.

We found a spot for the parade, it was very pretty.  We loved all the lights!



Hudson was really loving this glow ring thing!


The picture below is such a funny memory.  The Peter Pan float was going by, and Jakey got on Jake's shoulders, he just had to see Peter Pan.  He kept waving and yelling, "Peter, it's me!  Look at me!!  It's me Peter, I'm here!!"  The couple next to us was laughing so hard at it.  It was so cute.  Wouldn't you know it though, Peter Pan looked right at him and waved!  Jakey was beaming!

After the parade was over we headed down Main Street towards the Bakery, where we got hot chocolate and waited for the fireworks to start.  The kids got some light up Mickey balloons.  Hudson was in LOVE with his balloon!

The fireworks started!  I loved them, I want to live in the MK forever!  The kids thought they were very cool.



Hudson watching the fireworks, clutching his beloved balloon!

And that was the end of our time at Disneyworld!  GKTW had given us a 3 day park hopper pass, as well as a 2 day pass to Universal and a 1 day pass to SeaWorld.  We were going to try Universal and SeaWorld on the remaining days of our trip. 

I was really so sad to leave Disney.  I truly loved it, every minute.  My kids loved it.  I have never seen Hudson so happy, I've never seen any of them so happy.  They smiled smiles that were so big.  Disney made us forget about parts of our life that are less magical and focus on all the good.  The special extras and privileges that Disney provided us through Make a Wish and GKTW made it possible for our family to experience the magic of Disney.  I truly don't think that with Hudson's needs, there would be any other way for us to be able to go to the park and enjoy all there is to offer.  I am ever so eternally grateful to Disney for the love they show their Wish families.

Day 5 - Universal?