Ever since Maia was born, Jackie and I have hoped and thought about taking her to Disney World. It fit for us for many reasons - we took our honeymoon to Disney World a little over 10 years ago, and then went back 2 years later. Those both remain two of the best, most fun trips we've taken during our lives together. They were so much fun that it was both of our desires to make such a trip a somewhat regular occurrence, every couple years or so.
And then life happens, and its been over 8 years since our last trip there. So, naturally, when Maia was born, Disney World was on our brains. With our penchant for choosing trips and adventures, it seemed obvious to us to tie in a trip to Disney World for Maia's birthday one year. Early on, we thought right after Maia turned 4 would be a great age for her first trip - old enough to do most/all of her own walking, but still young enough where the magic of Disney World will be truly magical for her to experience; and for us to experience vicariously through her eyes.
Happily, everything has worked out and we have a trip booked this coming December (285 days away, not that we're counting), right after Maia's birthday, and going with Jackie's parents to boot. Jackie and I being the way we are (planners by nature), we have spent a great deal of time thinking through our days - where to eat, what rides/experiences to prioritize, how to structure our days, etc. We have also started introducing Maia to relevant characters (Mickey and the gang) and movies that will, we believe, contribute to her experience there.
In furtherance of this, this past Saturday we travelled to Fort Wayne to take in the "Disney on Ice" show. We wanted to give her a chance to see some of the characters she will see in person at Disney, help familiarize them so she isn't fearful of the big characters, and so on.
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| Sorcerer Mickey of Fantasia! |
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| Nothing like a circle of fire to grab everyone's attention. |
We think the show was successful on all fronts. She was quiet for the first 15-20 minutes of the show, just kind of absorbing it and taking it all in, then she started talking about the characters throughout, and by the end she was dancing to it. She liked most of the characters, knew about half of them, and was the most excited when the Toy Story characters made their appearance near the end.
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| Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, and even Ham! |
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| Toy Story remains her favorite. |
These are good memories for us, and planning for Disney this year provides a welcomed distraction from the busyness of life that has been particularly challenging at times lately. And if Maia had this much fun at Disney on Ice, I can't wait to see the excitement and joy at Disney.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9rkARIGg7s&w=320&h=266]
285 days and counting.
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