Day 5 and THE MAGIC KINGDOM

(This post may be a bit confusing - Amanda wrote the start and I wrote the end.)

When we walked into the Magic Kingdom and she saw the castle she literally was in awe. I couldn't wait to get her inside to see Cinderella. Millie was so excited and I felt incredibly lucky to experience it with her. My baby deserved this!

This was an amazing day, truly amazing. We surprised Amelia with breakfast at The Royal Table at Cinderella's Castle with the princesses. I can't even begin to explain how emotional this was for me and how spectacular it was for Amelia. One of her 3 wishes as Brady mentioned before was to eat with the princesses and they were all incredibly sweet to her. She told every single one of them that her wish was coming true and they all made sure to spend some extra 1 on 1 time with her. Cinderella wasn't there while we ate, but we went and met up with her later and they danced while all the other kids waited to get their pictures taken. Cinderella was lovely and couldn't have been more sweet to grant yet another wish, dancing with the princesses.

She couldn't believe she was seeing Cinderella's castle. It was adorable.

She was so excited, that she had to show us a "princess dance."

Before her breakfast, she met Cinderella's fairy godmother, and told her that she was going to eat breakfast in the castle.

A princess doesn't walk, she gets carried.

The princesses were so nice to her. Snow White had her come up and help with Amelia's magic wand.

Millie and sleeping beauty.

And of course, Cinderella!

Dancing with Cinderella.

We are so grateful for the many wonderful things that the fine people at Disney World did for us.

Now the Rides!

(This portion written by Brady)

It was so hot and humid, we had to get her out of her princess dress. We started with a classic - Dumbo! She loved getting to control the up and down movement!

Checking to see if Austin is the king. Turns out he's not, but he is pretty dang cute!

Meeting Peter Pan and Wendy!

Millie right before going on Splash Mountain. She said she didn't like it, but then insisted on going a second time. She likes the thrill rides just like her mom!

Aladdin and Jasmine were so much fun with her. Millie had colored a picture for each princess. Jasmine asked her to autograph the picture, and told her it would hang in the palace, and that Millie can come see it anytime she wants.

Austin taking a nap in the stroller. He didn't sleep well as we hustled him around the park, but he certainly had fun, and got to go on a lot of rides.

We happened to be walking by when a show was going on in front of the castle. The Disney characters were all there (Mickey, Donald, Goofy, etc.), and suddenly out came the princesses and princes to dance. Millie LOVED it!

They have a special room for wish kids, so we were able to cool down, let Millie rest, let Austin out of the stroller to crawl around, and watch some cartoons. This was yet another amazing thing that Disney World did for us. We needed the rest (we were at Magic Kingdom for over 14 hours that day).

Another Disney classic - the teacups! She giggled the whole time and always wanted to go faster!

Millie got to meet Tinkerbell and her friends. She had gold pixie dust her hair for days.

Austin got his first kiss - from Tinkerbell. Thataboy Austin!

Naveen and Tiana (from the Princess and the Frog) were done and about to leave, but when the saw the magic button showing that she's a wish kid, they stuck around to talk to her. She gave Naveen a kiss, and was so happy to talk to them. She smiled and giggled the whole time.

Is she loving this or what?!

Who doesn't love a parade? The light parade was a lot of fun, and both Millie and Austin loved it!

We capped off one of the most perfect days ever by watching the fireworks. We were all exhausted by the end, but it's a day we'll never forget. We are so very grateful for all those that made this possible for our little princess.

To thank Millie for coming to breakfast, Cinderella sent her a Cinderella Barbie (Amanda bought it and left it for her with a cute note signed by Cinderella). What a great mom she has!

Day 4 and MORE Universal

We started out our 2nd day at Universal visiting ET. I LOVED this ride. I really think it was one of my favorites. I admit I was a bit emotional on this trip with so much going on, but I totally teared up when our bikes started flying through the sky. Millie also loved it. It was fun to experience it with her. My little man Austin is named after my older brother Austin. He passed away when he was 5, ET was his favorite movie. I think it just made it a little more special for me. Millie will be 5 in about a month and I just pictured how much he would have enjoyed it.

Brady with ET

George was outside when we walked out of the ride. One of Millie's favorite shows is George. She kept asking me if he was really real.

"I like to Movie It, Move It"

Next it was off to explore Fievel's Play Land. They had a tube ride that got us all soaked. I was a good mom though and took her on it again.
Me thinking that if I flinched I might not get as wet, It didn't work.

Once again it was RIDICULOUSLY HOT so we let Millie run around and play in the water in George's town. This picture makes me laugh.

I'm not a huge Simpson's fan, but it was fun to get a Squishee from the Kwik-E-Mart and there was an awesome virtual ride. It really scared Millie at first but once Brady showed her that it was fake and there were other cars, and people around them she liked it a little better. Well, she must of since she went on it again with me.

BUSTED!

She's tall enough!

After our long walk to the car we got home, rested for a bit, and then headed to a Pirate and Princess Party at the pool in the GKTW Village.

The Mayor and his wife, Mrs. Mary were there dressed up as well.

After Mrs. Mary changed out of her Princess Costume and into her PJs, she came and tucked Miss. Amelia into bed.

Good Night Miss. Amelia, tomorrow is going to be an even BIGGER DAY!

Day 3 Universal and LOTS OF FUN

Thursday morning started out with a visit from some of the Disney characters at the village. They never know beforehand who will be coming, but Millie was sure to bring her Micky Mouse along just in case he'd be there and both Millie and Austin had on their Minnie and Mickey PJs. She wanted to be twinners.

On her way to see who came to visit

GUESS WHO CAME: BELLE (Millie's very favorite Princess), Pluto, and Goofy

We also ran into Minnie and Mickey. It's so fun to meet the characters at the village. They really make sure to make the kids feel extra special. Minnie and Mickey took pictures and played with Austin and Millie inside and then brought her out to play and skip around. She loved it. When we were getting ready to head back home to get dressed Belle saw Millie and pulled her aside. She asked Millie if she would come meet her at the carousel and go for a ride with her. Millie lit up! She couldn't believe it. We had to hurry home and get her Belle costume on so they could match.

There were lizards everywhere. Millie was excited to hold the baby. Can you see it on her thumb?

After changing and eating breakfast Millie met up with Belle. When she got back I asked her how it was and you could tell she was overwhelmed by the experience. She didn't want to talk about it, it was almost like it was to special to share. If you Amelia what her favorite part of the week was she will saying riding with Belle on the carousel.

Look how happy she is!

After leaving the village we headed to Universal Studies. We were so grateful to have cousin Sherry come along with us to help with Austin and she also played navigator. I think Brady and I would have been completely lost all the time if she wasn't with us.

Millie ridin' the waves

Millie LOVED Seuss Landing. It was the 1st time we really rode any real rides. She looks so little in this picture.

Not the best picture, but she had to ride the Seuss Carousel and Austin was happy to get out of the stroller.

Brady and Millie on the flying fish.

Millie posing like the Grinch

After Seuss Landing it was off to HOGWARTS! The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter was AWESOME! It was so dang HOT and you walked into Hogsmeade and as you looked up and saw the snow on all the roofs it looked so real it almost made us feel cooler, as least for a second. The pictures don't do it justice. It really was amazing. We didn't go into any of the stores since there were crazy long lines (not sure if our special button would have worked) and Millie didn't care about them.

The Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry

We did go on one ride while we were there; The Flight Of The Hippogriff. Millie LOVED it! The line was sooooooo long, at least a 2 hour wait and we walked right up the exit and onto
the ride. Since we had to take turns (Austin couldn't go on it), Millie got to go three times! We felt a little bad since so many others were waiting to go.

Millie trying to talk Brady into letting her go AGAIN! We had to say NO. At some point it's just rude.

Sherry and I enjoying our Butter Beer. It tasted like Cream Soda with a Butterscotch twist, YUM!

After one more ride in Universal, Pteranodon Flyers, we needed a break from the heat and headed back to the village. I thought I would melt before getting back to the car. It's a LONG way out of Universal Studios.

GKTW (Give Kids The World) does a really cool thing were they give every child a star to write their name on and it goes on the ceiling of their castle. It will always be there and if we ever make it back to Florida they can look up where Millie's star is and they will light it up.

Millie writing, "Princess Amelia Flamm" on her star

Next it was time to eat and then see SANTA CLAUS! That's right, Santa comes every Thursday to the village and bring presents for all the kids. We also went on a carriage ride. So cool!

Last but not least Brady Lost His Tooth AGAIN! Austin headbutted him at dinner and the temporary snapped. It was nothing a little super glue wouldn't fix...

DAY 2 Animal Kingdom and Cirque du Soleil

There's a lot to blog about after Millie's wish trip, so Amanda and I are taking turns. Tonight is my night, and I'm looking forward to documenting it.

First, a little about Millie's Wish(es):

When Millie was first asked what her wish would be, she said "Eat at Olive Garden!" When we explained that it should be something more special than salad and pasta, she suggested "be a cowgirl," before settling on the following: 1) Have a picnic with princesses 2) Swim with princesses 3) Swim with dolphins (they suggest kids make multiple wishes in case they can't grant the first). After talking about it, Amanda and I felt that the best solution would be a trip to Disney World to see all the princesses. Little did we know, ALL her dreams and wishes would come true on this trip.

Now, back to the action - Here's day two, our first full day in Florida:

Twice a week volunteers (of which there is an army of at Give Kids the World Village) bring horses in so the kids can ride. Millie got to go before breakfast!

They gave her a cowgirl hat and and a certificate authenticating her as a cowgirl. Check out the pink button pinned to her chest. This shows that we are staying at Give Kids the World Village. The button told everyone at Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld that Millie is a VIP.

The first thing we did when we got to Animal Kingdom was go see the Lion King. Millie loved it. They sat us in the front, and upon seeing her button, many of the characters would come give her a high five during the presentation. She was beaming! We really enjoyed the show. It makes us want to take Millie to see the full Lion King play one day.

When Millie saw Minnie and Mickey Mouse were signing autographs, she just had to meet them. This was before we learned that her button meant that we got to walk right up to them. She was really happy to see them.

Here she is with Rafiki later in the day. She was so cute with the characters the entire trip - running up to them and giving them hugs.

Millie was so happy to pet and brush the animals.

Austin would get so excited when I'd hold him up in the air by the fans.

The highlight of the day was the safari. I thought this would be cool, and it was better than I expected. The safari area is 800 square miles, so it feels like you're seeing the animals in their natural habitat instead of small pens at a zoo. My favorite were the giraffes roaming through the savanna.

Millie loved seeing the hippos swimming.

Millie was so excited to have her face painted! The girl who did it was so nice, and refused to let us pay.

We finished the day by going to Cirque du Soleil's resident Disney World show La Nouba. This was an amazing experience for us as my cousin Dustin is in it. In the ad above, he's the character in red, the Pierrot Rouge. He's a different character now, but that's him in the ad. The show was beyond amazing, and despite Millie being very tired from a hot day at Animal Kingdom, she LOVED it!

Dustin was great in the performance, as usual, and took the time to give us a backstage tour. All the performers were so nice to Millie and she loved comparing makeup with them, as they were made up like clowns, and she had a unicorn on her face! It was a great day. Thanks again Dustin!!!

Make A Wish DAY 1

As I sit down to begin the daunting task of trying to write about something that is so dear to my heart I feel overwhelmed. I know if I wait any longer to post about our Make A Wish Trip that it won't happen and I want to have this memory written down for Millie to look back on and to share with all of the others out there that helped make this happen. Brady and I decided that the best thing to do would be to blog one day at a time, so here is DAY 1
It was a LONG day of traveling. We had to wake the kids up around 4:30 am to be at the airport. They did alright on our 1st flight, but we had a layover in Denver and the second flight wasn't quite as smooth. Austin was DONE with being restrained. We made it though and there was a volunteer from Give Kids The World waiting for us with a HUGE smile on her face. She took us to our rental car, gave us directions to the village and sent us on our way. We were starting to get a glimpse of how great this trip would be. The employee at National Car Rental was so cute with Millie and asked for her autograph, and then let Millie pick which minivan we would take. Millie felt so special right from the beginning.

We arrived around dinner time so after being showed around the village by another volunteer, Victor, we unpacked a little and got some food. This place is AMAZING. They really make sure that there is no stress on the parents. They have 2 different locations for breakfast and dinner and then we were provided with money to eat lunch away from the Village since most people are at the parks. Millie's favorite part was the carousel that runs morning and night. She rode it over and over again. The village really is completely geared towards children. It was a blast.

We had to ride the carousel the 1st night (from then on she always wanted to ride the unicorn, which she at first named Rose, but within a day or two, it was Rosabella) and eat ice cream! Millie was so excited to be there she just wanted to play, but we had a BIG day ahead of us, so we headed back to our villa for bed!

Sneak Peek

I know everyone is waiting to hear how our Make A Wish trip to Disney World went but I am very overwhelmed at the thought of posting about it. There is so much to say and so many pictures! It was one of the most amazing weeks I have ever had in my life. One day I know I will never forget is Saturday, Aug 7 for a few reasons:

1st Millie had BEDHEAD for the 1st time since she lost her hair. I wish I had taken a picture.

2nd we got to eat breakfast with the princesses and it was amazing. They were all so sweet to her. Cinderella even made one of her wishes come true by dancing with Millie.

3rd we spent the day in The Magic Kingdom. I will talk more about all of this later, but I thought I should get on and blog a little about Millie.

I never had a chance to write before we left but Millie was so tired the weekend before we left so I decided to have her blood counts checked on Monday. Everything looked alright except her ANC was only 200. That is soooooooooo low. I can't believe they actually let us go to Disney World, but our nurse said, "Go and have fun". They did take Millie off all of her chemo for the week and we retested her counts today. Her ANC was up some, but still lower then we'd like at 900. One of her doctors decided to put her back on her chemo at 1/2 the dose. We cut her 6mp in half and only give her 3 out of the 5 pills of her Methotrexate. She is doing well, but she tires easily and is ornery.

I promise I'll post about Disney soon, but not tonight.

Here's a sneak peek

Millie rode the carousel with Belle over and over again.