Disneyland final photos

No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to figure out how to post descriptions under each photo. Anyone out there who does know how, please tell me and I'll do it! I think I've done it before once or twice. But, can't seem to figure it out for this post! Anyway, here are the last of the Disneyland photos! Jorie and Josh playing with giant water ball, the family at Captain EO, Joshua on his favorite ride, Jorie with her Minnie ears on and lastly, Daddy and Josh in front of Josh's first roller coaster! It was a memorable trip for sure! But, we will do things a bit differently next time around!

Thirteen Years Ago

Tomorrow marks 13 years since Aaron died. Wow. 13 whole years. Steve and I still talk about him, we still remember him and yes, even after all this time, we still miss him too. I will never forget this day. Probably as long as I live. It was one of the most painful experiences I've ever had in my life. I remember the feeling of loss so vividly. Nothing I did or said would ever bring him back. It just seemed so final. But, of course, it is not final. We will see him again one day.

Build-a-Bear!

While we were in California, I set aside a morning to take Jorie to "Build-a-Bear". It's such a neat experience; especially for little girls. They get to actually build their own stuffed animal, choose a noise for them to make when squeezed and even decide just how fluffy they want them! After building their animal, they then get to pick out clothes and accessories for them! I have been promising to take Jorie here for so long. And since they had one in Downtown Disney, it worked out perfectly. We had a good time just the two of us. Also pictured is Jorie inside a giant lego in front of The Lego Store. It wast just right across from Build-a-Bear.

Sick :(

Asking for prayers for Ryan. Jorie was sick with a mild cold this week. But, tonight, Joshua has come down with it. Only he actually has a fever with his! I'm hoping it stays mild like Jorie's has. But, you never know as viruses can sometimes present differently in different people. Please pray that we are able to keep this bug away from our fragile boy, Ryan! Thanks!

Disneyland trip (part 2)

While we were in California, we took one full day to visit the beach. We received Ryan's new beach wheelchair days before our trip and were so excited to try it out. Ryan has never been able to really play on the beach (aside from when he was really young and small and we could just carry him onto the sand). Powerchairs just don't drive on the sand AT ALL! So, it was a pretty big deal to be able to get our boy out and onto the sand to enjoy the beach with the rest of us. Unfortunately, Ryan didn't care much for the wheelchair. It was uncomfortable for him and since his spinal fusion surgery 5 years ago, nothing has ever been the same for his body and we have to be extremely careful in how we position him. Even the slightest nudge can hurt him. We are hoping that once we get all the kinks worked out that we can give it another shot at the beach this summer.

On our way to the beach, we stopped at a very nice outdoor mall. Jorie and Joshua enjoyed playing near the many fountains they had. We also decided to eat lunch here before heading to the beach.

Trip to Disneyland

Our family took a trip to Disneyland a couple weeks back. But, I have been so busy and overwhelmed with life that I haven't had a chance to update the blog until now. We always take my parents (or even just my mom) when we go on trips that include Ryan. Just caring for him alone is a 24 hour a day job. We were joking about it before we left when looking at our packed vans that we wouldn't be able to take our entire family for more than a day or two anyway without an extra van! Ryan's equipment alone takes up most of the back of the van and then his chair takes up the front part! This time, we also took a second chair to use while out on the beach. This chair is so large that there would be no way to transport it without taking two vans. One for Ryan's powerchair and one for the beach wheelchair. Sadly, this trip was not what we had expected and had many rough spots. Although we tried our best to make the most of the trip.....we soon realized that Ryan could not go on any of the rides and he didn't really enjoy the experience. Joshua didn't enjoy it much either being out of his normal daily routine and missing his nap time, he was tired and cranky for much of the trip. Jorie, however, LOVED it and I think Steve and I had it right when we took her to DL alone in 2008. I think if we are to return, it will be with just Jorie or we will wait until Joshua is a bit older.

When we were out at the park, it was usually in three separate groups. I was usually the one to stay behind with Ryan and Joshua while the others went on rides. Or I stayed behind with Josh while my parents took Ryan and Steve took Jorie. Because of this, many of the pictures while inside Disneyland only include Joshua because I am the main photographer of the group! We spent an entire week in California and visited DL at least 3 1/2 days. We also took one full day to travel to the beach. The kids enjoyed visiting the Lego Store inside Downtown Disney. They had some pretty incredible lego creations! They are pictured next to one of them, Darth Vador. They also had a giraffe made out of legos that reached all the way up to the ceiling!

More to come on our Disney trip later!

Joshua turns 3 today!!!!

Here is a little montage I made for Joshua in honor of his 3rd birthday. We will celebrate tonight with family! Happy Birthday Joshua! :)

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