These pics always make me smile....

Back to positive fun times.... You all are probably thinking OH MY... how many pictures of this trip does this women have... lol... but hey like I said it was a trip of a life time and we were going to enjoy every last second of it... and I think we did that even when the storm started to roll in... This folks is the start of Tropical Storm Nicole, she was preventing us from landing at Castaway Cay.. so we went back out to sea, and would try again tomorrow... and then went on to enjoy our day on the ship....

  

 Lane got a private party with Mickey and the captain of the ship, along with all the other Make A Wish families... I would say there was probably 8 families that attended the party, and maybe some others that didn't, I am not sure, but it was a fun chance for lane to spend with Mickey.. They also took a professional pic with our family and provided us with the photos for free....

 This is our kids, as you can see the older to boys are never jumping for joy when I pull out my camera lol...  

 This is Colin... he was our Make- A - Wish host on the ship... He was GREAT... he sent Lane little food trays everyday, A Captain Mickey stuffed animal, tickets for events on Castaway Cay (if we ever make it there) as well as pictures... He really LOVES his job and he was soooooo awesome... We love Colin....

 Cain

 Taylor and Lane

 Hey lookie there we found Taylorville....

 Nick and Lane

Lane, Captain Hook, and Taylor

More fun moments.....

I just thought this pic was cute, the sink and mirror are all at his size, it was the cutest lil bathroom located in one of the children's centers.... Several parents were able to leave their children there so they could go off and have some adult time.. Of course we were not going to leave Lane to be babysat on his own trip (not to mention Lane enjoys our company alot and doesn't like to go ANYWHERE without us lol), but he did want to go in and see what it was all about, so we went in and played with him..... It was really a neat little place.. The kids seemed to all be having a good time, and they give you a pager in the event you actually WANT to leave your child so that they can page you at anytime throughout the ship, perfect for those parents who have children that would like a break from their parents lol lol... look he is even making a face at me in the mirror, that funny lil boy...

And this my friends is the arcade, one of Lane's favorite places.... it was a very small arcade but he just loved it....

Toy Story the Musical....

After arriving back on the ship from our wonderful trip to Nassau, and the Black Beard Cay, we got a bite to eat and headed off to see Toy Story the musical.... It was AWESOME...... We also went to the movie Toy Story 3D while we were on the ship... It is amazing all the neat things going on....
  

These are Buzz Lightyear glowing things that were in our drinks right before the show....

I just love love the spiky haired babydoll, oh and the aliens... This was an AWESOME production...

Ahhhh The Straw Market...... What a find....

Ah the Straw Market.... What an awesome, some what freaky find.... I had read about it before our trip and was so delighted to see it was right off our port, even closer than I thought it would be.... Now if you do not know about the Straw Market, it has small (very small) little booths set up next to each other, totally over crowded, and all under a large tent, where locals are able sell neat little trinkets of the Bahamian culture... Lane got a Rain Stick, a little turtle that winds up, a Tom Tom, a hand made straw Mickey Mouse bag with his name put on it, a straw sponge bob wallet.... Best part was that it was barter time, you were able to barter for all the items paying very very little.... Including the awesome Coach bags one could get for as little as $35... Surely Counterfeit but believe me the best counterfeit you would ever find ( inside and out they appear so authentic) ... Be careful though, you are only entitled to bring one counterfeit item  (per person) back through US Custom's (we researched customs prior to our trip)... So overall I think we ALL enjoyed the little Straw Market, it did get a little overwhelming though with each booth owner BEGGING you to make a deal... Many of them sell the same items, making it extremely competitive....  And once in the middle of the tent it starts to feel a little overwhelming, and quite claustrophobic.. One vendor even followed us ALL the way back to the ship trying to get us to have my daughters hair braided, pleading that her place was clean and licensed, hmmm not feelin it, although it was quite a bit cheaper than hair braids on the ship... That my friends is going a bit far lol...... Yet the experience is well worth it.... :) If you ever plan on making a trip to the Bahama's then you will NOT want to miss out on the Straw Market.....  Just keep your kids close and your pocket books closer lol..... 

WE LOVED THE BAHAMAs STRAW MARKET!!! 

More Beach Bumming....

Lane just loves LOVES the beach..... He could stay there forever..... This is a port adventure we chose to go to Black Beards Cay...... Awesome choice... Exactly what Lane wanted to do.... Play on the beach....

It was just so beautiful...

Lots of dunking dad lol...

It was not crowded at all, we felt like we had the island to ourselves lol....

Coconut tree

Shells for sale..

Nick

Taylor

Cain

and me I guess I was on this trip lol lol...

Jewelery for sale...

Time to go back to Nassau.... That water is just so awesome....

These lil Footprints in the Sand...

This is my favorite picture.... Lane's footprints in the sand.... It is also an emotional picture for me.... We do not take this journey alone, I have handed it ALL over to God... God is our Rock, our Strength, our Provider, and our Hope.... He is the Almighty, Omega, the One and Only, and without him I could never make it through this journey... This picture will constantly remind me that we are not alone.... Many people do not understand this life - the life of a CFer or the life of a chronically ill child... We live it day in and day out, it never goes away, it follows Lane everywhere; to school, to play, to sleep, on vacation, to dinner, its everywhere.... In every medication, every treatment, in all the finances, at every appointment, in every prayer, in every dream it is there... There is no escaping it... On the good days, I am able to see beyond the CF and know that God knows our path, and there are no mistakes, he has purposefully made Lane an amazing little boy with a spirit that ALWAYS keeps me laughing, and I am soooo grateful for all we have learned, and for the many wonderful things the Lord has in store for us.... and then on other days I am just sad and on some days I am just so angry that it is ALWAYS there.... No reprieve, no end, just another day.... Another pill, another neb machine gone bad, another bill, just another day.... I do not know how anyone could do this journey without him.... and when I look at this picture it will ALWAYS remind me that we are never alone.... God IS and WILL ALWAYS carry us through this.... These little footprints in the Bahama sand are oh so incredibly precious to me...

These pictures are the best souvenir I brought home from our trip, little footprints in the sand that will ALWAYS remind me that GOD WILL ALWAYS CARRY US THROUGH...

And my hope is that everyone feels that same love and peace from God, that no matter what your journey is, no matter how difficult your path my be, God will ALWAYS see you through it...