The Magic Kingdom

There is something magical about this vacation.

And it’s not just the allure of the cartoon characters come to life, the princesses in their glittery ball gowns, or the ability of a $20 bill to disappear quicker than you can say “abracadabra.”  Those things are all magical.

I’m not just talking about the commercial, Disney type of magic.

I’m talking about the things you can’t quantify by tickets, astronomically high prices or wait times in horrendously long lines.

There is the magic in spending quality time with just our daughter.  And seeing it all through her eyes.

There is magic in seeing her joy and amazement in little things I used to take for granted when I traveled.  Flight attendants serving pop from beverage carts – and they even let you keep the whole can!  Mini bottles of lotion in the hotel bathroom.  Pop machines and ice dispensers on every floor.  Eating room service in bed, and not worrying about spilling anything on the covers.

There is magic in 5 hour plane rides where the only things to do are to watch “The Princess Bride,” read countless Shel Silverstein poems and ponder the big questions in life.  Questions like “where does the poop go when you flush on a plane?”

There is magic in watching her ride on Jay’s shoulders, her sticky little blue fingers running through his hair over his head.  She beams as she clutches a bag of cotton candy.  For the first time in a long time, she doesn’t have to share it with anyone.

There is magic about floating in the pool with my daughter… her tiny hands clutched around my neck as she makes big wet splashes with her feet.  “I’m swimming!” she exclaims excitedly.  And I let her think she is.

There is magic in the anticipation of taking my child to a place my husband and I had such vivid memories of when we were little.  He will do the teacups with her, so that I don’t blow chunks.  But Bobo and I will rock “It’s a Small World” by ourselves.  And, later, we’ll all yo-yo-ho with the Pirates of the Caribbean.

There is magic in having to put the proverbial beat down on my daughter because, the night before, she is too excited to stay in bed.  There is a tingle in the air, and we can all feel it.  I’m having trouble falling asleep, myself.

The three of us… crammed into a tiny, cluttered hotel room together… trying to drift off to sleep together.  The last time we all slept in the same room was when she was less than a week old.

Tonight, I watched her twirl a lock of her hair between her fingers as her eyes slowly closed shut.  I heard her breathing become slower and more rhythmic, interrupted only by the sporadic sounds of her thumb sucking.  The thumb sucking finally stopped, and she finally fell asleep, exhausted.  No doubt dreaming about tomorrow, and the Magic Kingdom.

Tomorrow, we will spin.  And ride.  And laugh.  And, hopefully, not blow chunks.

It will be magic.

And I can’t wait.

15 thoughts on “The Magic Kingdom”

  1. Your not gonna blow chunks tomorrow? Um, there is a great dirty joke in there, but, since you are in the Wholesome Capital of the World, I will not say anything about how unhappy Chunks is gonna be tomorrow. (D’oh! Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.)

    Have fun!

  2. Your writing always makes me laugh and think. How nice to spend some real time with your daughter. I yearn for that with my oldest. I can see that he realizes how much of my time the baby takes and it’s created a bit of a gulf between us that sometimes makes me cry.

    I tried to comment on your last post about 12 times but each time was either called away to play or shutdown by a newly mobile baby who loves punching keys on this laptop and if the mom knew how to use windows vista things would be different. Sigh.

  3. Wowwy, ALONE time with mommy and daddy at the most magical place in the world? That is so great! I hope you all have a wonderful time and no one gets to the point where they think they’re going to hurl.
    🙂 Sandra

  4. Must be because of the magical dust that Disney pumps in the air. You know that they charge you for that as well? Nothing is free in Disney except for the smiles and love and excitement on your child’s face…yea I just got sappy on your ass

  5. Disney is really magical…I had the same experience with MB last year. It makes the money seem worth it….or at least I spend it a little more freely. Enjoy the magic…and I love the new colors on the header!

  6. Oh, how incredibly sweet! Disney and family vacas through a child’s eyes! I’m glad she had such a magical time!

  7. Magical. All of those things, when seen through your kiddo’s eyes. And I’m not even a big Disney person but I’m with Bethany. Why does this post make me teary?!

    Love this..

  8. We love Disney! For us, it’s all about experiencing it like a kid. Seeing them light up is just the greatest.
    I am reading backwards tonight.(Just read your post about the sick trip home) I hope you didn’t jinx yourself with all this talk of chunks blowing!
    Glad you made it home okay! That trip home sounds perfectly hellish!

  9. Magic. Magic. Magic. Magic. That’s what I’ll keep saying in my head as I hand over all of my money to the mouse in a few years.

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