Affinity Dinners

One of the great things about Magical Families is that our adoption stories span the globe. Some of our kids were born in the USA and found their forever families domestically, while others were born in other countries and traveled across the world to become family.

To celebrate the unique connection adoptive families have with their children’s countries of origin, the Magical Families Gathering will feature special Affinity Dinners on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Meet for dinner at one of the following pavilions and enjoy meeting and eating with other Magical Families. (Each family will pay their own tab.):

• Domestic Adoption: America Pavilion … Meet at Liberty Inn (counter service restaurant).
• Asia Adoption: China Pavilion … We have such a large number of families with this affinity that we went ahead and made reservations at Nine Dragons (table service restaurant) for this group.  Families wanting counter service can still gather at Lotus Blossom Cafe but we’ll have the reservations available in case there’s not enough room. 
• Central/South America Adoption: Mexico Pavilion … Meet at La Cantina de San Angel (counter service restaurant).
• Africa Adoption: Morocco Pavilion … Meet at Tangierine Cafe (counter service restaurant).
• Russia Adoption: Italy Pavilion … Meet at Via Napoli (table service restaurant).

Anybody attending who has adopted from an area not listed? We can add more! Contact us at magicalfamilies@gmail.com.

Magical Families Man Night at ESPN Club

Fathers of Magical Families … Assemble!

One thing I’m most excited about during the Magical Families Gathering at Walt Disney World is the Guys Only Event at the ESPN Club on Disney’s Boardwalk. If you’ve never been to the ESPN Club, think sports bar on steroids. A “guys event” simply can’t go wrong when you combine great food and drinks with dozens of flat screens showing post-season baseball.

So here’s how it will work … on Friday, October 7, sometime between 4 and 7, come by the Boardwalk Inn for the Magical Families meet and greet. Get your welcome stuff and meet other families. Then, around 8 p.m., send the family off to a Park or bed and make your way over to to ESPN Club (also at the Boardwalk) for a relaxing evening hanging out with the guys … and a plate of Macho Nachos.

This man night is not just for adoptive dads. It’s for any guy who is a big fan of adoption and taking part in the Magical Families weekend.

And don’t worry moms, you have your time too. Check out Melissa’s previous post about the Mommy Meet-Up on Saturday afternoon.

Matt Mehaffey is one of the Magical Families Weekend coordinators. You can read more about his adoption journey at www.daddymatt.com. Read more about the ESPN Club.

New Discount Rates for Magical Families

We have important information regarding reservations! Our friends at Pixie Vacations have announced new discount packages and one of them runs right over the Magical Families weekend dates. 
So now we are recommending that families make their reservations through Pixie Vacations. 

What does this mean?

• Check out the packages available through Pixie Vacations: http://pixievacations.com/index.php/2011/05/13/disney-epcot-food-wine-festival-vacation-discounts/
• If you haven’t made your reservations yet, contact Lisa at Pixie Vacations at Lisa@PixieVacations.com or (678)815.1584 for resort reservations, park tickets and dining plans. Be sure to ask for Lisa and ask for the Food and Wine Festival Vacation Discount!
  ASAP. They can help you with resort reservations, ticket purchasing and meal plans.
• Pixie’s discounts are for the following resorts:
  • DISNEY’S ALL STAR MUSIC RESORT (Value Resort)
  • DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS RESORT – RIVERSIDE (Moderate Resort)
  • DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT (Deluxe Resort)
  • DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN (Deluxe Resort)

So, let us know if you have any questions or if there’s anything we can do to make this Gathering the most magical experience for celebrating adoptions.

Weekend Packages and Registration

We’ve designed the Magical Families Gathering so you can participate in whatever way works best for you and your family. Take advantage of the full weekend package (resort accommodations, park tickets, dining plan and “IllumiNations” Dessert Party) or participate in some of the events but stay and dine elsewhere.

Pixie Vacations has significantly reduced packages for resort stay, park tickets and Disney Dining Plan. You can purchase each of these options separately as well. Check out Pixie Vacation’s packages here.

To participate in the Magical Families Gathering, you’ll need to do the following:

• Register on our event Web site so that we know who’s attending. On this site, you can also register and pay for the “IllumiNations” Dessert Party.
• Contact Lisa at Pixie Vacations at Lisa@PixieVacations.com or (678)815.1584 for resort reservations, park tickets and dining plans.
• If you plan to participate in the Saturday night IllumiNations Dessert Gathering, tickets are $30 per person, ages 3 and older. If you wish to take part in this special event, register on the Magical Families event site.

We look forward to seeing your Magical Family this October!

Featured Magical Family: The Larsen’s

As we look towards our Magical Families event, we thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of some of the families that are going to be joining us. Meet our next featured “magical family” – the Larsen’s!

If you’re planning on joining us for our Magical Families event and would like to be a featured Magical family, let us know by commenting on this post with your name and email!

MAGICAL MOMMY MEET-UP

Calling all Magical Families Mommies…this blog post is dedicated just for YOU!

Let’s face it, motherhood is hard work. I know we’ve all shed our fair share of blood, sweat, tears…and hopefully lots of giggles, tickles, and kisses too! We pour our energy into creating safe and loving homes for our children. We spend countless hours preparing, planning, strategizing, cleaning, cooking, carpooling, and the list goes on. We often times go to bed tired and wake up the next day and do it all over again. And, if we are honest, even when we are resting, our brains are still working around the clock thinking about lunches that need to be packed, laundry needing to be washed, and Cheerios needing to be vacuumed up from the carpet.

Motherhood is hard work…but so worth it. Being a mommy is one of the most important jobs on the planet. One of my favorite parts of motherhood over this last year (we brought our son Ethan home from Taiwan in April 2010) is teaching Ethan how to blow kisses, seeing him run up to his Daddy with pure excitement when he comes home from work, and singing to him every night before bed. What sweet joy. Sweet, hard-working joy. Can anyone relate?

So, what would a magical weekend at Disney be without a MAGICAL afternoon out…just for the Mommas!! Can I get a high-five, amen, and a yes please!?!?!

Photo courtesy of: www.disneyfoodblog.com

We invite all Mommies to join us for some time away from our husbands and kiddos on Saturday afternoon. We will enjoy some desserts and refreshments at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, but better than that, we will enjoy some time with each other…distraction free. Oh, I can’t wait!

So, mark your calendars and get ready for some much needed mommy-only time…we can’t wait to celebrate the hard-working joy of motherhood with you!

Can’t wait to see you there…keep rockin’ it Mommies!

Love,
Melissa *Elswick
mommy to Ethan, adopted from Taiwan (April 2010)

Melissa Elswick is one of the Magical Families Weekend coordinators. You can read more about her family and life as a mom at www.melissaelswick.com.

IllumiNations Dessert Party is a GO!

by Matt Mehaffey

Every day at Walt Disney World’s Epcot is capped off with a spectacular
fireworks celebration called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. I have been a fan of this show ever since I saw it for the first time nearly 10 years ago. It’s a powerful show that celebrates the diversity of people everywhere while at the same time casts a strong vision of peace and unity.

Ever since my wife and I adopted two boys from the other side of the globe, IllumiNations has taken on an even greater meaning for us. While others might view our Magical Family as “different from normal” we rarely recognize those differences. Our boys may not look like us but they are us. Watching IllumiNations with our boys is always a special experience.

The only thing I do not enjoy about IllumiNations is the waiting. In fact, to get a good spot to view the fireworks you might have to wait upward to an hour or more. Try doing that with little ones and it’s even more insane.

But what if you and your family could get the best seat in the house in a roped off area and not have to jostle with the crowds?

What if you could be enjoying delicious desserts and hot coffee specifically catered to you while watching the show?

If you are looking for a special way to “plus” your Magical Families weekend then the IllumiNations Dessert Party is the perfect add-on. We’ve reserved the viewing area at the United Kingdom pavilion (see photo), which is certain to be the ideal spot for viewing the show while enjoying the company of other Magical Families.

Tickets for this part of Magical Families costs $30 per person, ages 3 and older. If you wish to take part in this special event, register on the Magical Families event site.

IllumiNations Reservations

Hey Magical Families! We need a few more families to commit to attending the IllumiNations Dessert Gathering in order to keep it on the schedule. This event promises to be a spectacular highlight for the whole weekend.

No need to make your hotel or ticket plans yet. You can make and pay for those later. We just need to have 25 reservations by the 24th in order to secure our fantastic spot to view these amazing fireworks alongside our Magical Family friends.

So go ahead and reserve your IllumiNations spots, then continue planning and dreaming about this magical gathering.

Featured Magical Family: The Mehaffeys

As we look towards our Magical Families event, we thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of some of the families that are going to be joining us. Meet our next featured “magical family” – the Mehaffeys!

If you’re planning on joining us for our Magical Families event and would like to be a featured Magical family, let us know by commenting on this post with your name and email!

Make Your Illuminations Reservation Today!

As you’ve seen on the schedule, the Magical Families Gathering features a lot of events for families to connect. But our “showcase” event – the one time when the largest number of families will be together – is the IllumiNations Dessert Party.

Don’t worry about camping out for an hour to reserve a spot for this amazing fireworks event. We’ve reserved the United Kingdom pavilion viewing area just for Magical Families!

But … in order to secure our venue for this event, we need to have 25 paid Dessert Party reservations by Jan. 25. If you are planning to attend Magical Families and want to ensure this party stays on the schedule, reserve your ticket today!

 

(You can always make your hotel/travel plans later. It’s just the IllumiNations Party that we need to secure reservations for at this time.)

Epcot IllumiNations Dessert Party

• Saturday, October 8, 9:30 to 10:30 p.m.
• Epcot’s United Kingdom Pavilion Viewing Area
• Cost: $31.74/person (children under 3 are free)
• “Featuring breathtaking fireworks, laserlight effects, dramatic fountain barges and a stirring musical score, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is an inspirational nighttime spectacular bursting with surprises for the entire family.”
• Enjoy decadent desserts & coffee while experiencing this premier nighttime laser and fireworks spectacular from an exclusive viewing area.