Happy New Year!  The Smith family had a strong end to the year.  We had a beautiful summer filled with baseball for Everett, softball for Vivian, and various Youth Challenge activities for Eva.  Eva would sometimes ask to be babysat for Vivian and Everett’s games, and would sometimes come to the games.  We kept her preoccupied with snacks, and watching one of her summer favorites, The Sandlot.  She has a very real love for mischievous characters.  This is the first summer in three years that I did not want to go back to work.  I love my job, but we really found a groove as a family and had many happy times.[...]

Well, we made it to summer! In January of the last school year, Eva was moved to a special education classroom full time.  It was a great switch for her, and she was much happier, which makes us happier.  Her teacher does an awesome job creating fun activities for the students to do, and they are still included in their grade-level holiday parties and field trips.  [...]

For awhile it felt like there wasn't anything to update, and now so much time has gone by that there are lots of little updates.  It was a difficult summer- it felt like nothing was clicking.  We never connected with a home health aide- I called five agencies, and no one had anyone available.  We connected with two people just by asking around, and neither of those connections panned out either.  Our family and friends have been innovative and take Eva on various playdates, and that gives the rest of us some time to ourselves.  [...]

Today was the most relaxing day we have had. Eva slept until 7:30- we finally wore her out! We had breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Smith, and then enjoyed Give Kids the World Village. We rode the rides, and visiting the Candy Land themed playground. [...]

Today was fun too, but we are not as peppy as we were on day 1. It was 94 degrees today, but Universal did not seem that hot. We did not wait in lines at all. For most rides, they had us go in the exit and we were on the next ride once we got there. [...]

Eva got her princess makeover! A volunteer came in for Eva and did her hair- Anna braids she sprayed orange with a white streak like Anna- did her nails, and they had an Anna dress for Eva to wear, along with a swag bag with jewelry and gloves, which she wore, despite the heat today. All three got glitter tattoos, and Vivian and I also had our hair done in braids. Viv’s hair was sprayed white with blue glitter. [...]

Another great day! Today we went to Hollywood Studios, and Eva finally got to hug Olaf. She has been enjoying having all of the characters sign her autograph book, and Olaf let her feel his carrot nose- all of the characters have been great about letting her feel their costumes. [...]

Today was a great start. Give Kids the World is the Make a Wish resort, and everyone here is so kind. We came in a few minutes after breakfast had ended, so they saved some food for us, and sent us to the Gingerbread Cafe to eat before we even checked in. Many of the people here are volunteers, and you can tell that they love devoting their time to making the kids here happy. We had a personal escort show us where the carousel  and the ice cream shop are. [...]

If I don’t get this out, I will be too far behind when we leave for Disney :)  WE ARE SO EXCITED, and I can tell everyone else is excited for us.[...]

After a long Cleveland winter, good news started coming in for Eva.  First, she now has a bike made for her needs!  Brendan's mom, Cheryl spoke with the Shriners (Brendan's great-uncle, Uncle Roger is a Shriner), and applied for Eva to be gifted a pink bike.  It has three wheels, and she can steer it, and so can we.  There is a pole that is connected to the steering wheel.  When standing behind the bike, someone can walk behind her and use the pole to guide the steering wheel.  She loves her bike, and is excited to feel the wind in her hair.[...]