Daniel's Make-A-Wish Trip

We had such a wonderful time on Daniel's Make-A-Wish trip.  SO many wonderful memories.  For months he asked us to take him to "World" so he could give Goofy knuckles, kiss Minnie Mouse and see Jake's boots!  :)  I am happy to say that all of those wishes came true and many, many more!  While on the trip, he actually added a new character to his list of favorites, Pooh!  Pooh has always been a favorite of mine too.  These are just a handful of the 889 photos we have to remember the trip by.  Disney sent us 489 and we took over 400 ourselves!  I am thankful we will be able to look back and remember this time spent with Daniel in one of his favorite places on earth.

Here he is with his suitcase...he actually ran down the ramp to board the plane!  That is a Jake and The Neverland Pirate's suitcase that he received on his 4th birthday!!  When he came home it was filled with all of the treasures he received on his trip...

Daniel got to be the co-pilate of the airplane before we took off.  He asked the pilot to make the "guns" go over and over.  He loved when it shook, and his laugh and enthusiasm made the flight crew laugh too.

Our first stop was Epcot, as we had reservations at one of our families favorite restaurants "Teppen Edo" in Japan.

We met Mickey, Minnie and Goofy right away the first morning.  I love the photo of Mickey being "cool" with my teenage boys! :)

Later on that day we headed over to Hollywood Studios and a highlight was meeting Buzz and Woody! Daniel loved Woody's boots...

We ran into Minnie again over at Hollywood Studios and captured some of my favorite photos of the trip.

This photo of Daniel will be on a canvas for sure.  Forever on my wall. And the memory forever in my heart.

The Tower of Terror is one of our favorite rides...I'm the only Jackson who holds on for dear life though!!

Animal Kingdom is a family favorite.  We all love one or more of the attractions at this park.  The Lion King being an overall family favorite.  The girls were thrilled to be chosen to be a part of the show this time!!

The Very Merry Christmas Party is where some of my very favorite moments of this trip occurred...

Daniel meeting Tinkerbell was definitely a highlight.  Before he hugged Tinkerbell he hugged the photographer (which made the photographer's day!) and then threw his arms around Tinkerbell and after that he went over to start hugging those who were waiting in line to meet Tinkerbell.  Our little buddy has so much love to give!! And everyone in the room was laughing and enjoying this joyful moment!

This is him running to give the photographer a hug!! :-)

Hugging the people waiting in line...

Later on we met the Frozen characters!  Daniel loves "Let it Go" so this was a favorite not only for him but the girls too!!

In this photo, Daniel is telling Anna "I have to wear this wristband to be at the Christmas party...it's not for the hospital." After or before hugging most all of the characters at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party he would explain why he was wearing this wristband to each of them, I think more to reassure himself that it was a "fun" wristband and not for the hospital.  He has spent so many days there, it is hard for him to believe there could be a wristband for any other reason. The characters were so sweet to take the time and listen (With me helping to interpret what he was saying).

After explaining to Anna about the wristband, he threw his arms around her and hugged her so close. About 20 seconds into this massive hug Anna pulled back to talk to him and Daniel hugged her tighter. This dear, sweet lady playing Anna tried so hard to stay in character and eventually said, "Daniel, you give warmer hugs than Olaf!"

There are so many more photos I could share, but I am going to end with Daniel's new favorite character Pooh and his friends...

We had such a wonderful time, and I am forever grateful for the memories made.  Daniel's smile in these final photos say how he felt about the time we spent at Disney World.

I love this boy more than words can say.  I am so happy he got to "Make-A-Wish", it was amazing to be a spectator and watch it come true.  Thank you Jesus.