Family Vacation--Chapter Two

Day Two:  We're at Disney World! The guidebooks all tell you, "Get up early. Be at the park when it opens." What they don't tell you is how to convince a four year old and a seven month old that the bell does in fact toll for them.  And their parents. No amount of alarm clocks could roust my twosome in time for opening. Not that I tried too hard. I don't do mornings. Mouse or otherwise.

But, we did have a breakfast date with the Mouse. And his girlfriend. Breakfast at Chef Mickey's isn't for the faint of heart. Or the hungover (not that we were--drinks aren't prohibited per se, but the Magic Kingdom isn't exactly pouring appletini's over at the Starlight Cafe). There's just a lot of noise in Chef Mickey's restaurant. Particularly at 7 CST.

But RJ was tickled. He ate real food, breakfast pizza with eggs! He took his autograph duties seriously. Each and every character signed his book. RJ signed his own book too. "Look! It's Minnie!" He's a man after all. Minnie is cute, and she wears high heels.  GiGi was tickled too; or rather, she was a tickler. She tickled Pluto's nose and charmed Goofie too.

We took full advantage of the magic that day. GiGi and I dressed alike (courtesy of grandma of course). We Tink'ed it out, and I felt as pretty as all of the miniature princesses that ran into my knees all day long.

Day Two: (It just keeps going): RJ has worn a shag since he was about 10 months old. I cut his hair. Only one thing could cause me to get him a real hair cut: Disney World! They have a barber shop! We had RJ's first real hair cut done on Main Street. He was brave (he didn't even ask for a lollipop). He did, however, tell his barber that he didn't want sprinkles (glitter) in his hair. It worried him. Secretly I think every father hopes that his son is worried about glitter in his hair. Mommy was brave too. But she was kind of wishing for an appletini. Or maybe some sprinkles in his hair. He looks so grown up! But, his four years old now. Just ask him. He'll tell you.

The hotel pool was RJ's favorite part of the trip--aside from the airplane ride. "What's your favorite ride, RJ?" "The airplane!" Swimming with GiGi, I looked up, and up, and up. There was an adorable little boy going down a three story slide. Holy moly! That's my adorable little boy!

Day Two: We did battle. I severely underestimated the number of people. They traveled in packs. And they carried packs. Packs of water. Packs of fairy dust. But no packs of gum. Disney doesn't sell gum. Just lollipops. We discovered the race cars. RJ earned his driver's license--a good thing since we rode the race cars nine (NINE) more times.

Day Two: Peter Pan lives in Never Never Land. It is no coincidence that Peter Pan's flight lands him in the Magic Kingdom where days never, never end. If you're really, really careful, and you listen closely at about 9:30 pm, you can hear the sounds of fairies giggling. They're laughing at you. You just got trapped by the Main Street Electrical Parade. We rode the race cars again. And we snagged a seat on the Buzz Lightyear ride too. RJ was terrified. The guidebooks describe it as a mild ride appropriate for toddlers. Maybe so, if your toddler is accustomed to nightclubs where each booth is equipped with its own laser shooter. By the end, even RJ was excited. He's seen one Toy Story movie, and I promise he didn't really know who Buzz was. But he sure knew he wanted a laser shooter from the gift shop. (That or another lollipop. I like his teeth. He got a laser shooter.).

The laser shooter saved the day. RJ used it to shoot the fireworks. I love fireworks. I mean, I love fireworks. There's just something about them that makes me feel like I'm 10. Add a Disney castle, my two babies, and my husband, and it was a perfectly magical night (yes, my husband was actually on the trip too).  And, while we thought the day would never, never end, it did. And thanks to Google, we found our way home by foot, avoiding the packs on the monorail (and their scooters too).

"This hotel room seems smaller? Is it getting smaller?" Nah. I'm imagining things.

The pictures:  

He really, really went down this slide. 

He ate! Real food!

Chef Mickey made him a special birthday cake. 

And, Mickey sat down and visited too. 

(Do his eyes look a little sunken and beady to you? Nah. Sleep deprivation. It's Disney World!)

I am pretty certain that RJ had no idea who Donald Duck was until precisely 7 seconds before these pictures. But he was thrilled just the same. 

Baby's first haircut. Renee was from Chicago, and she was wonderful. We were duly impressed by the employees at Disney World. They must feed them sugar and syrup for breakfast, lunch and dinner for them to be that energetic and sweet. Because, the day never, never ends. 

See, I told you my husband was on the trip too.

Day Two: The double stroller has a missing occupant. She wants a lollipop. She can't have a lollipop. He wants to touch her. She doesn't want him to touch her. She is now in the front pack.

We didn't manage to pull the sword from the stone.

Lollipop, lollipop, oh lollie, lollie, lollie, lollipop!

We Tink'ed it out. 

GiGi Tinks better than Mommy. 

At this point, he has not slept in two days. 

RJ loved the giant ball. No shocker there. 

His driver's license. Fortunately for Mommy (and the rest of us on the highways), the real thing is still a few years away. 

There's still a missing occupant. But rest assured, RJ has saved the world from the fireworks. 

To be continued...because it's Disney World! (and the days never, never end).