A life changing experience.
I honestly don't know how else to describe our trip to Disneyland.
From the moment we arrived at our hotel, we felt like we entered into a fairy tale.
The weather was perfect. Our accommodations were incredible. The entire atmosphere at the resort was unbelievably positive.
But it wasn't until that first morning after we arrived, that I was truly overcome with joy.
It was when we went to check-in at the FSMA Conference registration. That was when I was blown away.
We weren't the only family there. There were others. Many others. Other parents. Other children. Other families.
Families just like us.
For the first time since Ella's diagnosis, we felt normal. At this conference, it was normal to be affected by SMA. And it was OK.
I could never put into words how incredible that felt. How full my heart was with the purest joy.
And I've never seen Ella as happy as she was. There is no question that she felt it, too. She fit in.
The conference was amazing. There were several social gatherings and many workshops to attend. We learned so much from the presenters as well as the other families!
We were honored to be able to meet many of the top clinicians and researchers working diligently to find a cure for our children! I was totally star-struck :)
And then there was the Kids Room. Oh. My. Gosh.
The Kids Room was a GIANT room filled with many, many tables. Each table was covered with toys and activities that kids could only dream of! There were arts & crafts, dollhouses, playdoh, Wii stations, bubbles, movie stations, cars & trains, and the list goes on and on. They also had a HUGE room for infants with Bumbo chairs, Boppy pillows, Pack n' Plays, and all of the baby toys you could imagine! And if that wasn't enough, they had performances by magicians, puppet shows and storytellers!
And the entire Kids Room was run by volunteers. Some of the most caring and loving people I have ever had the privilege to meet.
So while Michael and I attended the many workshops, Ava, Henry and Ella had the time of their lives in the Kids Room :)
We had the most incredible time during the conference and we were very sad when it came to an end on Sunday morning. We knew those feelings of "fitting in" would quickly fade.
But we still had a few more days to spend at Disneyland Park and California Adventureland Park, and we were all very excited!
We were able to make it to each of the rides and attractions that we wanted to do and we all had a blast! Everything was so magical, and I definitely got tears in my eyes a few times :)
When it finally came time to leave, all five of us felt the same. We didn't want the magic to end. But throughout the conference, we were filled with so much joy and inspiration that we think it will carry us through to next year's conference in Washington, D.C.!
We took so many pictures throughout our trip, so rather than posting them all here, I made a little video capturing our magical moments...enjoy! :)
