Not long ago we gathered to celebrate our daughter Courtney’s birthday, enjoy lasagna and strawberry pie and plan a family vacation. We asked our children and grandchildren if they would like to spend some summer days in Florida with Mickey and friends. We, I am speaking of Mike and myself, are Disney people. We think it is a magical place and it is our sincere wish to experience it one more time and see it through the eyes of our grandchildren.
We are a family of thirteen so lots of planning is required. On the actual day of reservations there were three or four people on different phones and/or internet connections for many hours. We acquired a large number of confirmation numbers, a lengthy itinerary and hopeful dreams for a memorable trip.
Some weeks ago we got to spend some spring break time with our grands. Our three year old granddaughter, Grace, smiling and eyes sparkling told me, “I’m going to Disney to see all my Tinkerbelles”, her word for all the princesses. One of our reservations is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a place little girls have a princess experience. I can’t wait for her to meet the Tinkerbelles. Our youngest, Gabriel, is only twenty-two months old but very clearly says “Mickey Mouse” and even TV Mickey makes him smile. I am already imagining his excitement when they are face to face.
Our older two grandchildren, Colton and Kinsey, are five and nine years old, surely perfect Disney ages. Since our vacation announcement we entertained Kinsey and Colton with the vintage Disney movie Mary Poppins. It was their first time to see the movie and I think they both enjoyed it. Of course their favorite part was learning a new word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It took a lot of practice for them to say all of the syllables correctly but they were up to the task. They both tried hard to understand its meaning and asked for its definition many times. My five year old princess in training later told me the strawberry pie her mother requested for her birthday celebration was, yes, you guessed it, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
At a dinner with our adult grandchild, Tyler, a body building police officer, we found him excited to talk about the trip. I had just days earlier noticed (on Facebook) a small change he had made in a cartoon photo where a very buff body builder asked a little boy where he wanted to go, the little boy responded Disneyland, and Tyler changed it to Disneyworld. This will be his first family vacation but he seems eager and we are truly hoping Disney doesn’t disappoint.
We have weeks and weeks to plan, comfy shoes and clothes to purchase, and many more Disney movies to watch. I’d like to plan for our trip to be “perfect” but I know that’s not possible, we are thirteen different people and we all have different ideas of what “perfect” is. I do think we share a sense of family and the love that entails, surely that will help each of us to strive for a “perfect” week. I want us to create memories that last a lifetime. I want my children to relive and relove Disney, my grandchildren’s hearts to be touched by Disney’s magic, and my Disney “newbies” to have the time of their lives. I want everyone to return home saying only one word could describe their vacation, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
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