In the wishing room.
His star says, "Max Brimhall, our super hero"
Raising his star!
I love this little hero so much!
My sweet Grandma Marlene!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Max's Star Raising party.
Max's Star Raising party was really special. It was up at the Make-a-Wish building in Murray. We invited all our family and friends that had supported us through Max's cancer journey. Meagan, our wish granter, had a cake and a really nice slide-show of the pictures from our trip. Our guests got to take a tour of the building, as well as the very special wishing room. Sam and Max remembered everything from our first trip there. Then we enjoyed our cake and slide-show, and watched as Max raised his star to the ceiling of the building. It was a really special night for us to remember how far we have come since Max was first diagnosed with cancer in May. We are so grateful for all of the love and support we have received and continue to receive. Max will go in for blood work and scans in December and will continue to do those tests every few months for the next few years, then every six months, and then once a year for the rest of his life. We will continue to pray that those tests will always come back good. Again, I'm so proud of my little hero, Max, who has been such an inspiration to our family. We love you Max!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Max's Make a Wish trip
I hope I can give this post the specialness it deserves. This is about Max's Make-a-Wish trip to Orlando Florida. First of all, our wish granters were amazing! They made the whole experience, from Max making the wish, to waiting to go, up to the day we left very special. They gave us a box 30 days before we left that was full of presents for the boys to open each day. Things like coloring books, crayons, snacks, back pack, and slippers were in there. Things to make the flight more entertaining. They also had a card to open each day with fun facts about DisneyWorld and a chain to help us count down the days. It was really fun. They really are amazing volunteers! They have even planned a Star Raising party for Max that we are going to tonight to celebrate that he's done his wish and made it through his cancer. I will blog about that later!
The first day of our trip was mostly spent flying. It was nice because Make a Wish got us a direct flight to Orlando and we didn't fly out until 10 am, so we didn't have to stress too much getting to the airport for an early flight like we did for the Lighthouse Family Retreat. When we got to the airport, someone from Delta customer service was there to greet us and help us get our bags checked and through security faster. She even got the boys snacks and coloring books before we got on the plane. She also called ahead to the gate to let them know we were coming so we could get on the plane first and meet the pilots and check out the cock pit. Max was pretty determined to fly that plane! lol
The flight went pretty well. The boys slept for a good portion of it and only had one melt down. The flight attendants gave them special attention and brought them each a goody bag. One for Max since he was the wish kid, and one for Sam since it was his birthday that day. We got to Orlando and were greeted by a volunteer from Give Kids The World Village ( a special resort just for wish families to stay at.) She helped us get our luggage and took us straight to our rental car. She really helped make the process easier.
Once we got to the village, we checked in and another volunteer went over all the paperwork with us and had a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal for Max and a Shamu for Sam. They also had a balloon and special button for Sam since it was his birthday. And, they sent us to the castle for Sam to pick out a special present. They really go all out there!
We were directed to the villa we'd be staying at for the week, and HOLY COW! It was huge and really nice! We apparently got one of the newly remodeled villas because everything in there looked brand new. I especially like the HUGE jetted tub. That's the only thing that helped my feet feel better so I could walk through the parks every day! lol
We had dinner in the Gingerbread house (which was awesome!) They really knew how to cater to the parents and kids there. Then we got ice cream and headed over to the Halloween party they were having that night. The boys got to Trick or Treat, dance, make Halloween crafts, and meet some Star Wars characters. While they were hanging out at the Halloween party, I went to the parent orientation to get our tickets and info for the week. I started to tear up at the orientation while they were explaining all the special attention we would get that week and all the things we would get to do. They literally had thought of everything! We were given special passes that got us to the front of all the lines, paid for our parking, and all our photos at the parks. The only thing we had to pay for with the money Make a Wish gave us was to check our luggage, food at the parks, and souvenirs. It was awesome!
The first park we went to, after a hearty breakfast at the Gingerbread House, was Disney's Hollywood Studios. We had a plan mapped out so that we could ride and see everything we wanted to without having to walk back and forth from each area of the park. We had to do this for every park so we could fit everything in for the week. Make a wish gave us 7 days worth of park tickets to do in 5 and a half days! And we made it work! First ride we went straight to, of course, was Toy Story Mania. Sam thought we really shrunk down as we walked inside and were the size of all the toys. It was pretty cute. The boys absolutely LOVED the ride, which I knew they would since they love everything Toy Story. Then we went to see The Lights, Camera, Action show for Nate. The boys were pretty bored at that one, so I had to take them out early. Then we did the Disney Jr. Live on Stage. The boys thought that was the best thing ever. I loved seeing the look on their faces as they watched their favorite characters come to life on stage. It was pretty magical. Sam still says that was his favorite part of the Disney parks. I made Sam ride the Hollywood Tower of Terror. He was tall enough, and I thought I'd give a big ride with him a try. I didn't tell him what kind of ride it was beforehand. Yeah.... he was pretty made at me by the time we got off. Apparently, he will take after his daddy in not liking the thrill rides. Max, on the other hand, loves the thrill rides, he just wasn't tall enough for most of them. They loved getting their pictures taken with the characters, although, Max was a little scared of going right up to them. Except for Mickey and Pluto. He had no problem running right up to them and hugging them. We finished with Hollywood Studios by 4 pm, and were absolutely exhausted. We wanted to stay to see Fantasmic, but we didn't think we would last that long there. We ended up going back the the village to eat dinner and take a swim.
The next day was our Magic Kingdom day. We didn't take into account just how long it would take to get to the park! We had to drive to the parking lot, take a tram to the monorail, and then wait in a long line to get on the monorail. Once we finally got to the park, we of course went to the Buzz Lightyear ride first. The boys, of course, LOVED it. We had to ride it a few times. We again mapped out everything we wanted to ride and see. The boys really liked meeting the characters, riding Goofy's rollercoaster, and The Little Mermaid ride. We were a little disappointed that the Peter Pan ride was under construction, but they were remodeling most of FantasyLand. We all loved the Haunted Mansion ride and Pirates of the Caribbean. We stayed long enough to see the Electric Light Parade and watch the fireworks. That was a really magical day for all of us. We really loved the Magic Kingdom.
The third day, we went to The Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. We watched the Lion King show, which was awesome! We went to the Bug's Life show, rode the rapids, and then I rode the Expedition Everest by myself. That was an AWESOME ride! We were done with the Animal Kingdom by lunch time, so we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and then made our way over to Epcot. Sam loved Soarin' over California and rode it with Nate and then with me since Max wasn't tall enough. Poor kid, he really wanted to ride it. They thought the Finding Nemo ride was awesome and enjoyed the fish aquariums in that building. We then made our way over to the World Showcase so that I could go to France and get a pastry. Max fell asleep during that whole time and Sam was pretty bored over there. But he did enjoy his pastry, and I got to practice my french! I wish we would have had more time to enjoy each country, but I think that will have to be a trip for just Nate and I someday. We could spend the whole day enjoying each country! After Epcot, we got back to the village in just enough time to visit with Santa Claus and get a picture. Then the boys got to go pick out a Christmas present.
The fourth day we went to Universal Studios Florida. I have to say, Disney is awesome and all, but Universal really went all out for Wish Families. They were much more accommodating to us. Instead of like Disney, where our passes only got us to the fast pass line and then we had to wait from there (which was still really nice and saved us a ton of time!) Universal took us straight to the front of the line and put us on the ride. No waiting. It was awesome! Their characters took a little more time with the boys and all their employees seemed a little more excited to have us there. We first went to Harry Potter World (as Sam and I call it). This part was more for me than the rest of the family. But, Sam was picked to be "the chosen one" at Olivander's Wand Shop, which was pretty cool. He really thought he had magic after that. Of course we had to buy both boys a wand. The tour of Hogwart's castle was amazing, and the ride was the coolest ride I've ever been on. (That's the total nerd in me speaking) We tried out both types of butter beer, which the boys and I loved, but Nate wasn't the biggest fan. The pumpkin juice was gross. I don't recommend it. We visited Honeydukes and all the other shops and were just in time to hear the Hogwart's choir sing "Something wicked this way comes". Nate told me I looked like a kid at christmas! I felt like one!
After all the Harry Potter stuff, we went to Dr. Suess land and met some characters. Max was only tall enough to ride two rides over there. Of course one was a ride we got soaked on, but the boys loved it. Then we went over to the comic book part. We rode the Spider-Man ride. Sam rode with Nate first and then rode with me. Before we got on he told me "Mom, just remember, no matter what happens on this ride, Spider-Man WILL save us. So don't be too scared." That was pretty cute! Then we went over to meet Spider-Man and get a picture with him. I think that was the highlight of the trip for Sam. He even got his autograph. Then, as we were coming out of the gift shop, we bumped into the Green Goblin and Sam got to have a little battle with him since the Green Goblin thought Sam was really Spider-Man. ;) We then had lunch at Nate's favorite place, Bubba Gumps, and then went over to the other side of the park. We rode the Despicable Me ride and then spent over $100 in their gift shop. The boys are kind of obsessed with the minions. (So is mom...sssh!) We got to watch the parade, and then made our way to Simpson's land. That's where Nate looked like a little kid at Christmas. We rode the Transformers ride and met a few more characters, and then headed back to the village for dinner and relaxing in the pool again.
The fifth day, we were just kind of done with parks and needed a break, so we "slept in" went to Downtown Disney and did some shopping, had lunch at the Rainforest cafe again, and then went back to the village to relax, ride the train, swim, and go to the Pirate and Princess party. The boys had a lot of fun at that. They love pirates and thought it was pretty cool getting painted up like one.
The sixth day, our last day, we spent the morning at Seaworld. Again, they were much more accommodating to Wish Families than Disney was. Which was a little surprising to me. But we got to see the dolphin show, the Shamu show, ride the penguin ride, have lunch, and trick or treat. We didn't realize they were doing their Halloween party that day, but the boys loved trick or treating again that week. Then we spent some time in the little kids area until we were ready to head out to the airport to fly home. Warning for other parents, don't go on the giant net and tunnel area! I thought I was going to die by the time we finally got to the end of that thing! The boys loved it, and I wasn't about to let them go up there by themselves (It's huge and you could easily get lost in there) but that was a workout! We got to the airport in plenty of time to get through security, get dinner, and for the boys to have a good melt down before we got on the plane. Thankfully, they slept the entire flight home! I will post some pics on here, but if you want to see all of them, check out Max's FB page. I created an album on there. That is www.facebook.com/letscuremax
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This was such an amazing experience and we are so grateful to Make-a-Wish and Give Kids the World Village for making this happen for my sweet little Max. Give Kids the World was such a special place. I didn't write too much about it before, but they really go all out and make it a special experience. You could spend your whole trip at just the village and have a blast. They have a carousel, two swimming pools, a splash pad, horseback riding, fishing, a life size Candy Land playground, an arcade, miniature golf, a train, and activities every night. Everything there is free, including all your meals. And you can have ice cream all day and as much as you want. They have different characters visit every morning, and work so hard at making every child feel special, and make sure the parents don't have to worry about anything but having fun and spending quality time together as a family. I hope we get a chance to go back there someday and volunteer our time and help make another wish families trip special. Here is a slide-show with music of Max's cancer journey and some pics from his Make-a-Wish trip as well. Just in case you haven't seen enough of us! lol
The first day of our trip was mostly spent flying. It was nice because Make a Wish got us a direct flight to Orlando and we didn't fly out until 10 am, so we didn't have to stress too much getting to the airport for an early flight like we did for the Lighthouse Family Retreat. When we got to the airport, someone from Delta customer service was there to greet us and help us get our bags checked and through security faster. She even got the boys snacks and coloring books before we got on the plane. She also called ahead to the gate to let them know we were coming so we could get on the plane first and meet the pilots and check out the cock pit. Max was pretty determined to fly that plane! lol
The flight went pretty well. The boys slept for a good portion of it and only had one melt down. The flight attendants gave them special attention and brought them each a goody bag. One for Max since he was the wish kid, and one for Sam since it was his birthday that day. We got to Orlando and were greeted by a volunteer from Give Kids The World Village ( a special resort just for wish families to stay at.) She helped us get our luggage and took us straight to our rental car. She really helped make the process easier.
Once we got to the village, we checked in and another volunteer went over all the paperwork with us and had a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal for Max and a Shamu for Sam. They also had a balloon and special button for Sam since it was his birthday. And, they sent us to the castle for Sam to pick out a special present. They really go all out there!
We were directed to the villa we'd be staying at for the week, and HOLY COW! It was huge and really nice! We apparently got one of the newly remodeled villas because everything in there looked brand new. I especially like the HUGE jetted tub. That's the only thing that helped my feet feel better so I could walk through the parks every day! lol
We had dinner in the Gingerbread house (which was awesome!) They really knew how to cater to the parents and kids there. Then we got ice cream and headed over to the Halloween party they were having that night. The boys got to Trick or Treat, dance, make Halloween crafts, and meet some Star Wars characters. While they were hanging out at the Halloween party, I went to the parent orientation to get our tickets and info for the week. I started to tear up at the orientation while they were explaining all the special attention we would get that week and all the things we would get to do. They literally had thought of everything! We were given special passes that got us to the front of all the lines, paid for our parking, and all our photos at the parks. The only thing we had to pay for with the money Make a Wish gave us was to check our luggage, food at the parks, and souvenirs. It was awesome!
The first park we went to, after a hearty breakfast at the Gingerbread House, was Disney's Hollywood Studios. We had a plan mapped out so that we could ride and see everything we wanted to without having to walk back and forth from each area of the park. We had to do this for every park so we could fit everything in for the week. Make a wish gave us 7 days worth of park tickets to do in 5 and a half days! And we made it work! First ride we went straight to, of course, was Toy Story Mania. Sam thought we really shrunk down as we walked inside and were the size of all the toys. It was pretty cute. The boys absolutely LOVED the ride, which I knew they would since they love everything Toy Story. Then we went to see The Lights, Camera, Action show for Nate. The boys were pretty bored at that one, so I had to take them out early. Then we did the Disney Jr. Live on Stage. The boys thought that was the best thing ever. I loved seeing the look on their faces as they watched their favorite characters come to life on stage. It was pretty magical. Sam still says that was his favorite part of the Disney parks. I made Sam ride the Hollywood Tower of Terror. He was tall enough, and I thought I'd give a big ride with him a try. I didn't tell him what kind of ride it was beforehand. Yeah.... he was pretty made at me by the time we got off. Apparently, he will take after his daddy in not liking the thrill rides. Max, on the other hand, loves the thrill rides, he just wasn't tall enough for most of them. They loved getting their pictures taken with the characters, although, Max was a little scared of going right up to them. Except for Mickey and Pluto. He had no problem running right up to them and hugging them. We finished with Hollywood Studios by 4 pm, and were absolutely exhausted. We wanted to stay to see Fantasmic, but we didn't think we would last that long there. We ended up going back the the village to eat dinner and take a swim.
The next day was our Magic Kingdom day. We didn't take into account just how long it would take to get to the park! We had to drive to the parking lot, take a tram to the monorail, and then wait in a long line to get on the monorail. Once we finally got to the park, we of course went to the Buzz Lightyear ride first. The boys, of course, LOVED it. We had to ride it a few times. We again mapped out everything we wanted to ride and see. The boys really liked meeting the characters, riding Goofy's rollercoaster, and The Little Mermaid ride. We were a little disappointed that the Peter Pan ride was under construction, but they were remodeling most of FantasyLand. We all loved the Haunted Mansion ride and Pirates of the Caribbean. We stayed long enough to see the Electric Light Parade and watch the fireworks. That was a really magical day for all of us. We really loved the Magic Kingdom.
The third day, we went to The Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. We watched the Lion King show, which was awesome! We went to the Bug's Life show, rode the rapids, and then I rode the Expedition Everest by myself. That was an AWESOME ride! We were done with the Animal Kingdom by lunch time, so we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and then made our way over to Epcot. Sam loved Soarin' over California and rode it with Nate and then with me since Max wasn't tall enough. Poor kid, he really wanted to ride it. They thought the Finding Nemo ride was awesome and enjoyed the fish aquariums in that building. We then made our way over to the World Showcase so that I could go to France and get a pastry. Max fell asleep during that whole time and Sam was pretty bored over there. But he did enjoy his pastry, and I got to practice my french! I wish we would have had more time to enjoy each country, but I think that will have to be a trip for just Nate and I someday. We could spend the whole day enjoying each country! After Epcot, we got back to the village in just enough time to visit with Santa Claus and get a picture. Then the boys got to go pick out a Christmas present.
The fourth day we went to Universal Studios Florida. I have to say, Disney is awesome and all, but Universal really went all out for Wish Families. They were much more accommodating to us. Instead of like Disney, where our passes only got us to the fast pass line and then we had to wait from there (which was still really nice and saved us a ton of time!) Universal took us straight to the front of the line and put us on the ride. No waiting. It was awesome! Their characters took a little more time with the boys and all their employees seemed a little more excited to have us there. We first went to Harry Potter World (as Sam and I call it). This part was more for me than the rest of the family. But, Sam was picked to be "the chosen one" at Olivander's Wand Shop, which was pretty cool. He really thought he had magic after that. Of course we had to buy both boys a wand. The tour of Hogwart's castle was amazing, and the ride was the coolest ride I've ever been on. (That's the total nerd in me speaking) We tried out both types of butter beer, which the boys and I loved, but Nate wasn't the biggest fan. The pumpkin juice was gross. I don't recommend it. We visited Honeydukes and all the other shops and were just in time to hear the Hogwart's choir sing "Something wicked this way comes". Nate told me I looked like a kid at christmas! I felt like one!
After all the Harry Potter stuff, we went to Dr. Suess land and met some characters. Max was only tall enough to ride two rides over there. Of course one was a ride we got soaked on, but the boys loved it. Then we went over to the comic book part. We rode the Spider-Man ride. Sam rode with Nate first and then rode with me. Before we got on he told me "Mom, just remember, no matter what happens on this ride, Spider-Man WILL save us. So don't be too scared." That was pretty cute! Then we went over to meet Spider-Man and get a picture with him. I think that was the highlight of the trip for Sam. He even got his autograph. Then, as we were coming out of the gift shop, we bumped into the Green Goblin and Sam got to have a little battle with him since the Green Goblin thought Sam was really Spider-Man. ;) We then had lunch at Nate's favorite place, Bubba Gumps, and then went over to the other side of the park. We rode the Despicable Me ride and then spent over $100 in their gift shop. The boys are kind of obsessed with the minions. (So is mom...sssh!) We got to watch the parade, and then made our way to Simpson's land. That's where Nate looked like a little kid at Christmas. We rode the Transformers ride and met a few more characters, and then headed back to the village for dinner and relaxing in the pool again.
The fifth day, we were just kind of done with parks and needed a break, so we "slept in" went to Downtown Disney and did some shopping, had lunch at the Rainforest cafe again, and then went back to the village to relax, ride the train, swim, and go to the Pirate and Princess party. The boys had a lot of fun at that. They love pirates and thought it was pretty cool getting painted up like one.
The sixth day, our last day, we spent the morning at Seaworld. Again, they were much more accommodating to Wish Families than Disney was. Which was a little surprising to me. But we got to see the dolphin show, the Shamu show, ride the penguin ride, have lunch, and trick or treat. We didn't realize they were doing their Halloween party that day, but the boys loved trick or treating again that week. Then we spent some time in the little kids area until we were ready to head out to the airport to fly home. Warning for other parents, don't go on the giant net and tunnel area! I thought I was going to die by the time we finally got to the end of that thing! The boys loved it, and I wasn't about to let them go up there by themselves (It's huge and you could easily get lost in there) but that was a workout! We got to the airport in plenty of time to get through security, get dinner, and for the boys to have a good melt down before we got on the plane. Thankfully, they slept the entire flight home! I will post some pics on here, but if you want to see all of them, check out Max's FB page. I created an album on there. That is www.facebook.com/letscuremax
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