At the Mouse's House

Ray and I went to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for a long weekend without the kids. We had an awesome time, but missed the kids so much. Carly goes to her dad's every other weekend, but we had never been away from Wesley. We had such a fun few days, and got to spend time with our friends, Nicole and Mike, but we were ready to come home to the kids. We can't wait to go back early next year, and bring both of the babes with us. Carly is going to love all of the interactive things to do at Epcot, and my little Mickey Mouse fan is going to adore all the characters.

While Ray and I were in line for a ride at Epcot, we were behind a mother, her teenage daughter, and her younger son and daughter. Her little girl caught my eye right away after she asked her mom if she was allowed to scream on the ride. She was about Carly's age, had the same blonde hair, and She was flapping her arms as she asked. I noticed and observed that anytime she talked about or asked an excited question, she got anxious and started flapping her arms. She kept continuously hugging her mother over and over, and was so excited she couldn't hold still. I looked at Ray, and could tell her was thinking what I was thinking: That little girl has many of the Autistic signs that Carly has. In fact, she most of the same mannerisms. After chatting with the family for a few minutes we discovered that the teenage daughter was named Carly, and that the girl and boy were actually twins who were 6. The boy was about 6 inches shorter, so I never would have guessed. I asked the mom, very cautiously, if the little girl always flapped her arms. The mom said yes, and commented on how cute it was. That broke my heart. I wondered over and over while we were standing there about whether or not the little girl was autistic, and about whether or not the mom knew it. I shared a little about my Carly, hoping the mom would inquire more. I don't know if the girl was, and the mom knew it and didn't want to share, or if the girl was and the mom had no idea. Of course, the girl might not at all, which is best case scenario right?

That little girl has been on my mind for days, and I just hope that she is getting all the help she needs.

Our kids are definitely a different kind of awesome, but are amazingly awesome in their own way.
In the meantime, I leave you with a picture of a different kind of awesome-ness!