Disney World (day 3) & real life still follows you when you travel

I carried around a big camera bag.  With three lenses.  I was crazy but I knew that before I left for the trip.  I knew it would be amazingly hot, and I knew I would hate carrying around that thing at times.  But I wanted to remember every detail of this trip. 

We started out day here.  I love It's A Small World. 






I wanted to remember how they looked when they stood in line with their autograph books and pen in hand.





Okay, so when your blog title is "Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust" you know I was excited to meet Terrance and Tinkerbell in their little fairy world.  I wasn't the only one.


Abigail's meet a character face cracks me up










I wanted to remember how they wore their hair at 6 and 10. 







I wanted to remember their silliness.











I wanted to remember their scared or excited expressions when they met a princess.





Love this one of Anna. 




Oh I adore Abigail in this one. 






And Anna's favorite one to meet.  It shows on her face!


And can I just thank Rapunzel for being the sweetest best princess at Disney World.  She hugged Abigail but then really really hugged Anna. 


I wanted to capture every detail and so I carried around that bag for eight days, day and night.  And I'm oh so glad I did. 

This third day was wonderful as they all were but even when you leave home issues follow you.  And this day they really reared their ugly head.  I wasn't so sure I'd share these pictures or these details but it was part of our trip and it's a part of our lives.  (I promise to keep it brief) Of course one of the huge issues we knew we'd be facing on this trip so far from the comforts of my own kitchen were Abigail's allergies.  She can't eat any dairy, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, or fish.  And as "wonderful as Disney is with allergies"  there were many many times we had to search for food that was safe for her to eat or wait and wait at sit down restaurants for the chief to become available to help us.  But Abigail was AMAZING.  She ate whatever the chief would make her without any choices.  While Scott, Anna, and I got the chance to search through a menu to see what we were in mood for she had to eat.  Eating for her is simply for survival; it's fuel.  It's not an enjoyable part of life or vacation for that matter.  But she smiles and just eats what's given to her.  She blew us away on this trip.  We're still talking about it. 

And then there's Anna.  (big sigh here)  Anna has struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since, well since she was in the orphanage.  When she was in first grade Scott and I went for counseling sessions to find out how 14 months in institutional care affects a baby.  And boy it does.  She's come a looooong way.  She no longer hurts herself or me like she did when she was little.  But her heart is still fragile and certain situations bring us right back to those hard trauma days with Anna.  All of the therapy that we learned back then we still do, daily.  Travel and unexpected situations are very very very very hard for Anna to handle.  And she did beautifully on this trip.  We were so proud of her.  But there was this one day.  This picture is not of a child over tired from her parents pushing her too hard.  She is not being poorly behaved or having a tantrum.  She's not overheated or hungry she was just broken and couldn't get herself out of it. 


And being in Disney World it was very hard to do the simple therapy that we do at home to help her.  So we did the best we could.  I asked her here to be my helper knowing what she was in the middle of. I told her she could take my big camera and take some pictures.  But she insisted in being in these.  I'm not quite sure why.  This is what not having any touch, interaction, or love for 14 months does to you. 

Do you see her neck in this one?  Poor thing. 


Abigail who has grown up with this usually acts like nothing is happening and then is so sweet to her big sister filling her with love and comfort as if she attended the therapy we did before Abigail was born. 


But after a while she was okay.





And we all take a deep breathe and relax. 


And we had a lovely afternoon and evening at Epcot.







Watching Illuminations at Epcot.







And so I carried that huge camera bag for eight days for the hard moments I captured because that's my life too. But so is this.

Watching Illuminations with her Daddy. 




And this...



Fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian are the best! 


And life is good.