Bibbity Bobbity BOO!!

A few weeks ago we went to Disney World with a 2 other families that we have gotten to know through Kindermusick, TOPsoccer and dance.  We went on a Friday afternoon so we could take the kids to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party that evening.

After arriving and getting settled in, the kids (and some of the big kids) put on their costumes, and we were ready to head out!!

 Sam did not want to wear a costume, so he begrudgingly agreed to a Mickey t shirt.

Even the trolley ride from the parking lot was filled with excitement and anticipation!!

Mmmmh...Heroes and Villains...where do you think we were parked???

The castle.

 The people.

Lots and lots and lots of people...

I know those feet!

I would know those Crocs anywhere!

Studying the story.

 Hey there Pooh.

Waiting patiently.

Every one's favorite ride.

Can you guess??

I know you know it!

We even had the company of a giant banana.

They even had singing and dancing platypus platypi  platypuses platypus.

 Sam really enjoyed the 3D Philharmagic show.

Who isn't wearing the correct eye wear???

 Everyone had fun on the rides and trick or treating.

One brief and scary moment when we lost Sam.

Thank heavens it was brief!!

The next day was spent in the pool.

Sam loves the waterproof camera.  He took it over and snapped a few photos himself.

That's me, by the way, not Sam!  He snapped the shot.

This one is Sam.  A selfie.

Sam making a splash on the water slide.

After a busy afternoon swimming, we got changed and headed off to dinner.

 Chuy's Mexican Restaurant.

Great food, great service, great company.

A great weekend.

Big thank you to the Tucker family and the Dobson Family.

But wait.

I am not quite done.

When we arrived, Sam went out on the balcony and what did he spy on the next building??

Air conditioners.

26 Air conditioners to be exact.

Made the hotel "perfectly perfect".

On the way home we stopped at the Orlando Temple.

As we were zipping down the interstate Sam noticed a Target Superstore at the Haines City exit.  Because we are Stay Puff Marshmallow parents, we stopped and let him count the price checks.

Finally, we headed home!

The Power of 3 Words

This isn't the blog post I planned for today.

I am trying to get in the habit of posting something every day.

I have tried this before and failed.

Miserably.

So, we will see how I go this time!!!

This will actually be shorter than what I had planned.  Hallelujah you may say!!

When Sam first started to talk, he developed like any typical child.  The only thing that seemed truly "odd" was that he would not wave bye-bye like most babies eventually do and he would never say,

"I love you".

Eventually his words started to just go away.  If he wanted to tell us something, he would spell it out with his foam letters or the alphabet magnets on the refrigerator. 

Still, every day I would look in Sam's eyes and say,

"I love you."

Every day for years.

 

Sam had some wonderful speech and behavior therapists and gradually, his words started to come back.

 He also had a wonderful dog named Blue.

 Sam would talk to us through Blue.

If Sam wanted us to know something, he would tell Blue.

Then one day, I was sitting on the bench in the hallway, putting on my shoes.  We were about to head off to school.  Just like I did every morning, I said, "Sam, I love you."  But, this time, not like every morning, Sam turned to me and said,
"I love you too."

I cried.

This afternoon I also cried.
We were driving along in the car, listening to the radio.  Sam said, "Mum, I have something to tell you."  I said, "What?"  Sam said,
"I love you."

I remembered.

The Wheels on the Bus Go...and go...and go...and GO!!

Yesterday was Sam's first piano recital.  He has been taking lessons for a little over a month.

Sam loves learning the piano.

It was held at a nursing home here in Brandon called Hawthorn Village.  It was crowded, a little loud and all new for Sam.  That threw him off his game a little, but he came through and played his piece.

 Sam did not co-operate for a before performance photograph.

 Open your eyes Samuel!!!!

 There we go!!!

Now for the grand performance!

Sam had a headache and paused in the middle to tell Ms. Linda.

But, I think you will agree that he did great after only playing for a few weeks.

 Waiting for his turn was extremely grueling for Sam.

Possibly grueling for his parents as well.

Possibly for a few people sitting by us.

But, we were seated by/in the kitchen and Sam helped himself to popcorn and a few of my cookies.  That made the wait a bit more bearable. 

 Afterwards, everyone received a medal.

Very proud of our boy.

Stay tuned for more.