No. It's not a "need for speed". Ugh. Puh-lease.
When I was a kid, I had a friend and this friend had access. I mean TOTAL access. He went at least once a year. Sometimes even more. He would come back with stories. Ohhhhhh, the stories he would tell me! Stories of fantastical worlds where imagination is king and the sky is the limit. Fireworks - every night! Parades - every day! You want ice cream - a kiosk on every corner! You want fresh baked chocolate chip cookies - they pipe the smell out in to the street! Roller coasters, safari boat rides, geodesic domes! Oh my.
And then, I got to go to that place.
I have not been the same since.
That place is Walt Disney World.
It makes me happy. Purely and utterly happy.
This time, I got to share it.
I shared it with my mom and dad, my middle sister and her family, my little sister and her husband.....and most importantly with Huzbend, Katie and Mikey.
To say the trip was different this time around would be an understatement. Doing WDW with kids is HARD. Damn hard. Tiring too.
From a Park Touring Commando's point of view, we did not accomplish anything. We rode only a handful of rides and saw only a few shows in each park choosing instead to head back to our resort to relax in the pool and chill out. It may have gone against every bone in my body to do this, but the results were awesome. Katie and Mikey were happy and content most (not all) of the time we spent at the parks. And that, my friends, is what I really wanted. Everyone to be happy.
Katie had a great time hanging out with Granma, Granpa, Aunties and Uncles but most especially her cousin, Joey. Her favorite thing about WDW was, "the pool" with "meeting the princesses and fairies" coming in a close second.
Mikey wasn't too sure about the whole thing but, as Mikey tends to do, he went with the flow. I think his favorite thing was eating breakfast in the morning - eggs, pancakes, biscuits and discovering orange juice. Other than that he was either being carried by me the entire time or trying to get down to run around.
Huzbend and I had low expectations for this trip. I mean, it is always unpredictable when you set foot out of the house with a 4 year old and a 15 month old. We couldn't imagine the temper tantrums and chaos that awaited us at The World. And while I can't say it was a completely meltdown free trip, it was a lot better than we anticipated.
As much as I want to recount every day we were there in detail, I'll have to pass. I just don't have the time anymore for Trip Reports and the like.
My brain will remember the awesome stuff, like:
Katie jumping into my Dad's arms when she first saw him in the hotel hallway.
Katie and Joey jumping up and down together in excitement.
Eating Mickey Mouse ice cream bars as a family.
Joey puking on the sidewalk at Hollywood Studios.
My Mom dancing with Mickey Mouse.
Katie eating chocolate chip cookies and a brownie for breakfast.
Riding Dumbo as a family.
Mikey falling asleep on me in the Haunted Mansion.
Katie falling down the stairs at the hotel restaurant.
Watching Katie talk to the Princesses.
Mikey having a diaper blow out at dinner in Cinderella's Castle and having to wear just a shirt and diaper for the rest of the night.
Watching the Main Street Electrical parade with Mikey in my arms pointing and "talking" the whole time.
Riding Expedition Everest with Huzbend (thanks to Granma & Granpa).
Enjoying Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor starring Uncle Nick, Uncle Andrew and Auntie Kari.
Katie dancing with Goofy at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Katie screaming in fear on the Finding Nemo ride.
Katie talking to Crush.
Claire de Lune totally embarrassing my Dad at the Hoop De Doo Review.
The look on Katie's face right before we met the fairies.
Watching Great Granpa and Mikey share chocolate cake.
Mikey screaming for an hour on the plane ride home.
I'm sure I've forgotten some, but we made some great memories. Disney Parks are good at that sorta thing. You know what else Disney Parks are good at doing? Getting you to want more.
As I was walking down Main Street on our way out of the park on that last day, I cried. I always do. Usually I do it because leaving means a return to the mundane, the ordinary. I admit there was a little of that in there, but I think it was because I got to spend these moments, these memories, with not only some of the most important people in my life, but with my Huzbend and my two children. And I will never, never forget it.
There are some pictures, here.
And videos, here....
