Disneyworld is similar to childbirth. The parents do all the work, pay all that money, and the kids get the exciting ride of their life.
After the birth of my first child, I told Mr. Fantastic that we would have to adopt the rest of our children. Likewise, after the first time we did Disney, I said I was never doing that again. Then we went a second time, and I said definitely never again.
But here we are packing for another trip to Disneyworld. I should just go ahead and tattoo the word “Sucker” across my forehead.
Last night I looked through our old photos of Disneyworld and I am actually getting excited. (See? Just like having babies!)
It’s been almost four years since the time we tromped through Disneyworld in the icy rain. We were miserable with the wet and cold, but there were no lines, no people, and no problems otherwise.
It wasn’t ideal, and almost all of us cried at some point, but now the memory is sweet and we amuse ourselves by retelling it.
Boy 1 accidentally got in a Space Mountain car all alone, and no one had told him it was a roller coaster in the dark, and he spent the entire ride in fear of falling out. “What’s at the bottom to catch you if you fall, Daddy?” he asked afterward.
Boy 2’s umbrella broke in the park and in a moment of maternal failure, I casually tossed it in the trash. “My Wightning McQueen umbwella!!!!!” was screamed at least 129 times. It took an hour for him to calm down.
Boy 3 was in a bad mood all day. Oddly enough, soggy socks, a less than adequate jacket, and a long day of standing in line didn’t help Mr. Grumpy Face cheer up.
The Lady stayed in the Moby wrap all day without making a peep. She only needed one diaper change in the park. Can you say perfect baby?
Then two years ago we did it again.
I spent every day like I was on Sesame Street, and the day was sponsored by the number 4.
“1,2,3,4,” I counted children in Fantasy Land.
“1,2,3,4,” I counted children in Tomorrow Land.
“1,2,3,4,” I counted children on Main Street.
All day I counted heads. In case you’re wondering, I really didn’t have very much fun. The kids did have fun and I didn’t lose one of them, and I guess that’s the point.
(Incidentally, when I left them with Mr. Fantastic and went on a ride, he lost two of them for twenty minutes. The man is practically a genius, but obviously can’t count to four.)
So here we go, packing our sunscreen, rain ponchos, and breakfast bars.
A week of new Disney memories await us.
1,2,3,4….
