Thunk! (That's my jaw hitting the floor!)

Wow! It just doesn't cover the amazement of this place. We took 100 pictures today alone. The name of the complex where we are staying is called Give Kids the World, and it is appropriately named. They give these kids EVERYTHING and then some. But, let me start at the beginning... We left this morning at 6:30 am (on the dot!) in a Texas Limo...the decked out surburban! Captain chairs, leather seating, dvd player...we even enjoyed a little I-10 traffic. We realized today that this was Ashleigh's first ever plane ride. When we made it to Orlando, she immediately asked me if we were going to get on the plane again to get to the hotel. She loved it! The kids did not get assigned seats next to Alex and I, so they were 1 row in front of us, and across the aisle next to the window. An adult was seated on the aisle next to them and we couldn't see them most of the time, but we did hear "WooHoo" from Ashleigh when we took off! We suspect that the man sitting next to the girls was former NBA coach and player John Lucas. He is in the background in one of the pics to the right if you would like to give your opinion.

We arrived in Orlando and were greeted by Edd, a volunteer (they call them angels) for Give Kids the World. He is from the UK and we really enjoyed his accent. His wife was also picking up a wish family, and he had much fun hurrying us through the process so he could "beat" her. We ended up waiting on the other wish family so they could follow us through traffic because it was a mom and her 2 daughters, and she was very nervous about driving a rental car through a strange city.

When we arrived, several families were checking in, so they sent us to the ice cream parlor for lunch until things calmed down. Of course, we had to top the meal off with a sundae! We finally checked in (and the kids received stuffed animals and t-shirts) and off to our Villa (and a welcome bag of goodies for the kids). They have built 2 bedroom cottages on site that are sooo cute! We were able to then go to orientation (this is where you learn about all the free stuff that is going on, and receive your Disney park passes). Then we decided to explore the Give Kids the World campus (abbreviated GKTW). We spent some time in the arcade (mom, we will play some pool tomorrow!), drove some remote controlled boats, explored the Castle of Miracles, and unpacked in the villa. Because of the time change we missed the Bee Movie (my watch said 5pm!!!!), but there will be other movies (plus we can check out some any time to watch in the villa). We had dinner at the Gingerbread house, and then went to meet Dora the Exporer (she came here to see us!). Whew! I may have to post some stuff at lunch to get everything written up! It is a bit overwhelming and Alex and I are wondering if we will have time for all the activities, but Ashleigh is having a blast and that is what matters most. Thanks for all your wonderful comments!