And She's Off!

My daughter flew to LA yesterday to spend 12 days with my aunt and uncle. She is presently getting spoiled rotten at Disneyland. Getting undivided attention and adoration from two people who are so excited to be surrogate grandparents!
A little explanation: My aunt and uncle have two children. A daughter two years younger than me, and a son my brother's age. Their children were diagnosed with Friedriech's Attaxia when their daughter was 5 and when their son was 10. Friedriech's is a devastating disease. April died when she was 20. While I was pregnant with my second child. She had lost her vision and was losing her hearing. Friedriech's robs the body of everything, except the mind. Stephen is still living in assisted living, as he grew to be over 6 feet tall, and my aunt was having difficulty caring for him. His wheelchair is ENORMOUS! At any rate. My aunt and uncle will never have grandchildren. Last Mother's Day weekend, they came to my parent's house while they were on their way to Reno, and the kids and I dashed up to see them, and say hi. I made my aunt a Mother's Day gift and the kids got her a card. She was touched to tears, because she hasn't gotten a card from a little kid in years. That opened a door. I asked them if they would be willing to be surrogate grandparents to my kids. No kid can have too many grandparents. They were all to happy to accommodate them. So, R is on her first trip to visit them on her own. My aunt has more activities planned than you can imagine. Disneyland, the tea gardens, Solvang, the beach, the mall, and so on. I am so glad to be able to offer my children to them to enjoy.

I had to put R on the plane (her first time flying...ever) yesterday in Sacramento. She was nervous and excited. I am so glad that she gets to go enjoy herself for the week. She really wanted to go on the 8th grade Washington DC trip, but I couldn't afford it, so, I offered her this in exchange. I know she'll have lots of fun.