Thursday, February 21, 2008

Disneyland!

Lily and I made our first trip to that American Institution in the West, Disneyland. While part of me is kind of tired of the commercialized nature of everything Disney, and I really do wonder what is next in the advertisements on the rides (It's a Small World, brought to you by Botox, maybe?) I have to say that the place itself is magical. I spent most of the day watching Lily's face as she reacted to the sights around her and it was wonderful!


Once I got Lily past the excitement of waterfalls and stairs-there are A LOT on the Tarzan treehouse-she started to get into the new experiences surrounding her. Clearly, she is certainly her Momma's girl. Her favorite ride of the day was Pirates of the Caribbean. I was sort of wary of taking her on it at first, but eventually we went for it. My dearest friend, Sharon, was our Disney buddy for the day so we figured we could talk her through as much of the ride as necessary. In the end, Lily loved it so much that she asked more than once during our day there to "go back and see the pirates."



Another highlight was when one of the "crew members" working at the Haunted Mansion (after giving me a dollop of Purell to wipe on Lily's hands after she touched everything in sight) gave Lily a 1st Visit button. Lily was so proud of it and checked it frequently to make sure that it was still prominently featured on the front of her coat.

Andwhat would a first trip to Disneyland be without Mickey Mouse ears? I told Lily that she could choose any pair she liked and was certain that she would pick the pink ones with a tiny tiara perched on the top. Nope. She wanted the ones with the fairy on them. So appropriate since she is kind of saucy like Tinkerbell.





Lily did all the classic kid things that day: ate her weight in sugar, stared in amazement at the size of Goofy in real life, squirmed mercilessly in line (thankfully we didn't have many of those) and crashed into the nap wall while Sharon carried her from one ride to the next.








All in all, the commercialism of the business really doesn't overshadow the wonder in your kid's eyes the first time they see Sleeping Beauty's castle or Mickey Mouse walking down Main Street. And the wonder in my kid's eyes is enough to make me love it all the more.

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