Who Could Ask For Anything Moore? ...: Have a Magical Day!

I woke up early Tuesday morning to hit the gym for an hour before getting the boys up. I needed to bike and the gym only had one, ancient recumbent bike so I made the best of it and read my free USA today while I was biking. I read a lot of Olympics coverage which was inspiring as I pedaled away. After my workout, I got the boys up and we all got ready for our first magical day at the Magic Kingdom. First stop – McDonalds for breakfast before hitting the park. First, let me extol the virtue of McDonalds yogurt parfait – it is awesome! Breakfast was pretty stressful because Tyler (who woke up in a perfectly happy mood) was being very difficult and he kept screaming and crying for no reason at breakfast. Nothing was making him happy and I was getting pretty frustrated, which was only exacerbated by the looks I was getting from other patrons. I have learned to never give “that look” when a child is having a tantrum or a baby is crying because now I am empathetic instead of irritated. Point of clarification – I still get very irritated when parents let their children run wild, but that is a different situation.

After breakfast we headed to the park. First you park and then either walk or take a tram to the ticket center. Then you take a ferry or the monorail to the actual entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Uggh. Could they have made it any more difficult? We clocked how long it took us to leave the park the next night and it was right at an hour.

When we finally got into the Magic Kingdom Andrew set his eyes on the train that crosses right at the entrance and he decided that he had to ride the train. Right then. Doug stopped for a second to adjust the stroller and Andrew was practically dragging me towards the train. So, we got on the train – yeah! And then Andrew said the words that parents hate to hear – “I have to potty!” Translation – I am about to pee in my pants because I have had to potty for the last 30 minutes and I am just now getting around to telling you about it so I need to go right NOW. Thankfully, Mommy was smart enough to bring a change of clothes for both boys. Andrew actually did a great job of holding it, minus a couple of dribbles.

With the train ride behind us, Andrew was a bit calmer and we set out for Fantasyland and Toontown. The day itself is really a blur … we didn’t leave until after 11 pm, a very full 12 hours later! Highlights of the first day included visiting Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in Toontown, Andrew getting to ride his very first roller coaster, The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, two spins in the teacups (the last one had no wait because it was 10:45 p.m. and we couldn’t resist), Peter Pan’s Flight, Cindarella’s Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a play stop at Pooh’s Playful Spot, watching “Dream Along with Mickey” stage show, the 9 pm parade and the fireworks display.

Lest you think we are mean parents, we did stop along the way for snacks and an early dinner. Tyler napped twice on my back in the Ergo (best invention ever for children!) and Andrew rested (but did not nap) in the stroller when it got dark.

We had a great view for the parade because one of the Cast Members that I stopped to ask a quick question ended up giving us a choice spot, and then to top it off, played ball with Andrew while we waited for the parade (we watched from the spot where the parade ends). The fireworks display was awesome as well (note – don’t even bother trying to maneuver through the park when it is happening because people camp out to watch it and because it is dark it makes it nearly impossible to get around).

We also did our souvenir shopping and Andrew picked out a Mickey Mouse light saber / sword and a light up Buzz Lightyear toy. Tyler got a Mickey stuffed animal and I got them a hat/t-shirt combo. Plus, we got the boys Mickey ears, of course!

Andrew fell asleep in the car before we left our parking spot. He was snoring before we left the parking lot. Tyler fell asleep shortly after Andrew. It was the easiest I have ever gotten either of my boys to bed! Not taking a nap sure has a way of exhausting a little boy!

Andrew on his first ride of the day - the tea cups!