Friday, May 30, 2008

Our Trip to Disney World!

It was amazing. It was a dream come true. In fact, it was many dreams come true. It was magical, and every single day held something unforgettable.
I suspect that I will need many days to blog about this trip in its entirety, but I shall begin with some of my favorite pictures.
Our Family, in front of Cinderella's Castle
I'm not sure who was enjoying the parade more: Tucker and Tyler, from their elevated seats, or Robb and me, as we listened to them giggle and point to their favorite characters.
Finally, Tucker met Mickey Mouse.
This was one of my very favorite moments, of the entire trip, but it was almost one of the worst. As we waited in line for our turn, Tucker nearly had a full-blown meltdown, prompted by sheer anticipation. He could see Mickey, he could see Minnie, and he kept shouting, "Hug! Hug the Mouse!" He watched other families leave, and suddenly, he was overcome with fear that someone might take him away from his shining moment. Seriously, it was almost catastrophic; picture all the things a two-year-old is capable of, and that was Tucker in that moment. I didn't know if he could handle it; I was afraid he would lose his mind in the sheer joy of the moment, and he would so something to Mickey we might all regret.
Finally, it was our turn, and Tuck was a total pro. With complete poise and confidence, he walked right up to Mickey and fell into his arms.
Old friends met for the very first time.
Sadly, Tyler slept through it all.
But Ty was awake for our introduction to Pluto, and this is now one of his first words: "Ah-doe!"
I loved watching my children watch the parade. Tucker especially lit up over every float, every character, every everything.
The look on his face was worth all the late nights, editing at the computer.
My children are utterly in love with the magic of Uncle Rob. Every child should have an uncle who lives at Disney World, mingling everyday with Mickey's finest. Some of the most elite Disney World guests hire a private guide to take them through the parks; we have the very same benefit, with someone we love and want in all our pictures. My brother.
He spent the entire week running ahead of us, paving the way, and making sure our every experience was perfect and just above what we might have hoped for. If I didn't already adore him for simply being the best childhood companion a sister could have, then he would have stolen my heart with all the magic he brought to my children this week.
Unbelievable, from beginning to end.


We stayed at Disney's All Star Sports Resort, and it was the very perfect choice for our family. We loved the atmosphere, the kid-friendliness, the food court, the swimming pools, the great big everything. We'll be back, All Star Sports.
And when we weren't busy chasing Mickey and his friends to the far corners of the park, we soaked up the sunshine in the swimming pool, too.
All of us are sprinkled with freckles.

It was a perfect trip, from start to finish.




5 comments:

my3boys said...

That Uncle Rob is a treasure to those two cute little boys! Glad you are back and had a wonderful time!

Anonymous said...

How awesome!!! I'm so glad you made such wonderful memories!!!

Nicole said...

Now I am dying to visit! It's only been 25 years since my last stay!

I bet you were choking back tears of joy more than once. What a blessing!

Sherie said...

So glad you had a great experience!! You know Disney very well, but it is so much fun with those precious little ones. Welcome home!

Kyle Estepp said...

Seeing your pics has done two things for me: 1) Made me SOOO excited for our family trip to Disney World next March, and 2) REALLY made me miss Y-O-U-! I love you so much, girl, and can tell by looking at your pictures how much you enjoying loving on your boys... all three of them! You are such a wonderful mother (a terrific writer, nothing has changed there), and a dear friend whom I truly miss. I'm so glad you had a great time! Please tell your whole family Hey for me, and it was so great to see your brother in some of those pics. I hope he and everyone else is doing really well. Love and miss you, Twish! XOXO