Disney Moments

End of 2012/Beginning of 2013 Catch Up!

We waved goodbye to our friends, shoved our coats into the bottom of the suitcases and headed to Florida for a Mickey Mouse fix and to check item #1 off the Bucket List: Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Some of our more memorable Disney Moments:

1. A Moment of Thanksgiving

I made the reservations for this trip right after Rick's MRI appointment in December, still high on the good news that cancer was behaving itself.  The Disney travel agent asked if we were celebrating anything special on this trip and I started blubbering like a baby telling this perfect stranger about Rick's scan.  

When we got to the registration desk at the hotel, Rick was presented with a button declaring that he was celebrating Life!  I said many little prayers of thanksgiving during this trip for my wonderful husband and the blessings we have been given as a family.

2. A Super Mom Moment

I didn't realize until we got back to our hotel room after the first day at WDW that Soren had walked like a trooper all over the park... 

with his shoes on the wrong feet

3. A Random Act of Kindness Moment

Because our Disney trip was tacked on to the end of our Asheville trip, by the time we got the Florida we were already going on a good, solid week of irregular bedtimes and calling cotton candy a meal.  So it wasn't too surprising that on Day 2 of WDW, everyone's behavior started to deteriorate.  Soren was throwing a particularly stellar temper tantrum right in the middle of Tomorrow Land- screaming, crying, going limp, the whole nine yards.  I'm sure most people in the immediate vicinity (including myself) wanted to turn and walk quickly in the other direction.  

A young woman came over, held out three trading pins and told Soren that these were her favorite pins, but she could tell he was having hard time and he could pick one to have if he wanted.  Tantrum instantly forgotten, he picked a Mickey Mouse pin.  We put it on his shirt and for the rest of the day I couldn't get him to look at the camera for any pictures because he was gazing at his special pin.

4. Celebrity Moment

For the first day at Universal Studios, we donned full Harry Potter regalia.  

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was amazing.  

In every way.  

I'm sure we were walking around with our mouths hanging open.  And every so often we were stopped by fellow visitors who asked if they could be photographed with Soren Potter and Will Malfoy.  It felt a smidge like a bad idea to let my children be photographed by strangers, but I really couldn't think of reason not to, so in another Super Mom Moment, I let them.

5. Magical Moment

One of the must-do's was visiting Olivander's Wand Shop where Olivander himself recommended a birch or holly wand for Soren Potter and an elder wand for Will Malfoy.  In the end, though, we know that the wand chooses the wizard.

6. Malaprop Moment

 It turns out there are other exciting thing to see at Universal Studios.  One of them was a really fun ride based on the Despicable Me movie.  Soren became really fascinated with Gru's minions.  Hysterically, he kept calling them his cousins.  I shushed WIll every time he started to correct Soren and now we all call them cousins!

7. Whew! Glad To Be Home Moment