Sunday night after our final day in the parks at Disney World and I’m absolutely exhausted, which is how I should be! It feels like we just got here, but after breakfast with the families tomorrow, Kidd’s Kids 2014 is officially over.

It’s been a really great trip. I loved taking Penny down Splash Mountain. I loved letting Declan take me on a drive around the Tomorrowland Speedway. I don’t care what he says, it was an official date. It counts! I loved watching Angel laugh as we went up and down and up and down again on the Tower of Terror. I loved taking Lillie on the Kilimanjaro Safari and then watching her and Emma Kelly bond and plan future FaceTime dates. I loved being challenged by Jocelyn, who almost dared me to make her smile. It took an entire Lion King show, but I finally succeeded! I loved the smart-alecky humor of little Connor. I loved the necklaces Braeden gave to all of us. There are so many more little smiling faces dancing around in my brain right now. Despite the rain and the sore feet and my tragic humidity hair, our time at Disney World was beyond magical. I’m honored to share a little part of life with these kids and to get to know so many of their stories.

It’s truly unbelievable what some of our families have to live with on a daily basis, and they do it with a smile on their faces and a hero’s courage. Every year, I always say the same thing — I’ll never complain about anything ever again and I’ll thank God every day for giving me a child who tries my patience but who doesn’t have anything to worry about other than seasonal allergies. But before I know it, life kicks back into gear and those promises I made to remain constantly grateful and complain nevermore get pushed to the side in favor of griping and petty complaints. My goal this year is to hold that off as long as possible.

Thank you to everyone who donated to make Kidd’s dream continue to be a reality. And thank you to all the Kidd’s Kids families to letting me be a part of this adventure with you.