The most magical place on earth

I was "encouraged" by a friend to update my blog, so I guess I best get to it.

I have recovered from vacation. That laundry is all caught up (though that stuff keeps coming back, you know) and almost all the souveniers have found a place to belong. I downloaded the 1000 pictures, deleted a handful and poured over them, relishing each wonderful day and memory. We treasured the time as a family, away from news and internet, just enjoying the magic Disney had to offer us every day, all day, for a week.

This was Jacob's first trip. Seeing it through his little boy eyes, the recognition of his favorite characters and movies played out in grand Disney World style- gosh, it couldn't be beat. His first plane ride, which he loved. Sleeping at "Cinderella's house" was pretty exciting, too. His absolute favorite ride was Finding Nemo at Epcot. His least favorite ride was "the fast slide" (Malestrom in Norway) at Epcot. He surprised us by being such a trooper, never having a meltdown, falling asleep when he needed to, going on rides he wasn't sure about only to say "that was fun" at the end. He wasn't going for the characters though. No way. The big fuzzy ones he would just watch but not talk to or get near. The human characters, he eventually would take his autograph book to but didn't want to stay for a picture. The only way to get Jacob to be still and quiet was to have him watch a parade or big show. I can only imagine what his brain was processing watching it all.

Beth still remembers her first trip last year and looked forward to doing some of the same things again this trip. There were plenty of firsts on this trip. Beth is tall enough and getting braver every day. She got to ride some bigger rides with Kevin- a thrill for both of them. She had no problem meeting all kinds of characters, though she sometimes didn't want to slow down to stand in line and would rather just skip it to go to a ride. She turned into a *more* beautiful princess, enjoying every minute of pampering (and was quite thankful to return to comfy clothes and shoes after lunch at the castle). I had done some research about special treasure hidden within the normal realm of the park, things easily overlooked. Beth enjoyed finding these- like the special horse on the carousel, Cinderella's horse. Despite the big firsts, she acted like a pro, telling Jacob about something we were going to do or explaining "Disney magic" along the way.

It was an incredible week together. I truly treasured the moments of joy we shared with the kids. Disney is fun, even more so through their eyes. My favorite moments were the ones away from the parks, honestly. Waking up to the sounds of whispers and giggles from the other bed and hearing a sweet little voice wonder if I had "anymore presents today" (I gave them a small present each morning, Disney themed of course). Our now traditional room service pizza picnic is another favorite, just recapping the day we ended early, knowing it's okay not to go from sun-up to sun-down.

We're already dreaming about another trip. It seems that no matter how long you go, you still can't manage to see it all. Until then, I relish the magical memories we created as a family.