disney magic

For several months now, Caroline has been asking for a trip to Disney.  She found it unfair that her brother and sister had gotten to go, but not her.  I kept telling her that she'd already been.  I even have pictures to prove it--see?

I don't know what she was complaining about.

We were just there.

...in 2008.

Nevertheless, I did suppose that since we are spending four months in sunny southern California (before leaving the country for a few years) anyway, a visit to the original Disneyland was in order.  I was also kind of curious to see how this place measured up against several-theme parked Disney World in Orlando, which is the only Disney my kids and I have ever known.  Well, the opportunity for a weekend in Anaheim presented itself when my husband decided to go to a religious education conference in late March that was to be held only a stone's throw from Disneyland.  I thought this would be a great chance for me to enjoy a couple of quality days with the kiddos, while my husband took some time to nourish both his intellectual and spiritual appetites.  Some friends worried that I'd be overwhelmed (pregnant and all) with being alone with the kids in a busy theme park for a couple of days.  I'm so glad they were wrong.

We were fortunate to start our time at Disneyland early on a Friday, since the kids had a day off from school and we were lucky to complete our classes by Thursday evening of that week.  Our early morning, breakfast-in-the-car, dash-to-the-hotel-to-catch-the-shuttle proved well worth it when we arrived at the gates of Disney right at their 8am opening time.  We were rewarded with the freedom to truly enjoy an unhurried pace as we went from ride to ride with practically no waiting for the first two hours of the day.

I was a bit concerned that the caliber of the rides may be a bit too "young" for Joshua's liking, but he was flexible throughout and seemed to enjoy our time as much as the girls did.

And while I am admittedly a bit of a wimp when it comes to roller coasters, I do have one favorite ride, the Mad Tea Party, and I was so pleased to learn that my kiddos loved it as much as I do.

It was a great first day, filled with an ease of being together, joy at all the sights and sounds and new experiences, and, thankfully, smiles like these:

I also learned that my rule-following first child has got quite a bit of protectiveness over me and his little brother-to-be.  When we were in line for Autopia, a race car ride, we learned that it's not recommended for pregnant women because of the risk of being roughly bumped from the car behind on the racetrack.  One of the Disney staff suggested that I have Joshua ride behind me and act as a buffer to prevent other cars from hitting us too hard from behind, which sounded like a perfect solution to me.  Joshua, however, felt that it was too risky, he didn't want me to do anything that might jeopardize the baby's safety, etc.  After several minutes of negotiating and reassuring him (this is my fourth pregnancy!  hello--I'm a pediatrician!  I would never do anything that I considered unsafe for my children) as we waited in line, he finally and somewhat reluctantly agreed to drive Caroline in his car, while Madison and I rode just in front of them.

Here's my view of my still-concerned boy, who happily but carefully drove the course

...while my little driver had a blast negotiating the bumps and turns while also learning that "driving is a lot harder than it looks."

(and of course, we all emerged from the ride feeling just fine, and as of the 20 week ultrasound I had this week, our littlest Powers is growing and rocking along as well :)

I found myself appreciating over and over the simple gift of time with my sweet children.  Yes, Disney is a pretty fantastic place and yes, it's got a lot of fun stimulation and new experiences.  But what I was reminded of throughout our time was that my investment of being fully present to them, listening to them and laughing with them, was such a worthy and precious decision.  Even now, with my husband and I spending much more time with the kids while we are in mission formation, we continue find our lives busy and full.  There are still meals to be cooked and laundry to be washed and homework to be completed.  I don't really see our lives slowing down much in the near future, either.  But what I am learning time and time again is the importance--really, the vitality--of giving my quality time to our family.  There is a huge difference between just being around and being truly present.  And we all know that it's so easy in our fast-paced culture to try and hurry things along, complete the task at hand, move on to the next thing, etc.  But what if the best thing is standing right in front of you, pulling at your sleeve and asking for a few minutes of your undivided attention?  

These experiences with our babes also remind me of the incredible gift of friendship and time offered to us by our Heavenly Father.  He doesn't ask us to hurry along, get to the point, make it snappy.  He's not tapping His foot or checking email or sending a quick text (or any of the myriad multitasking activities I find myself still embroiled in!) when I try to talk to Him.  Instead He welcomes us to sit for a spell, take our own sweet time, nurture that most important relationship from which all others grow and thrive...perhaps even just be silent for a bit.

So I am learning, day by day, the importance of slowing down...and seeing these precious people...and hearing what they are trying to tell me...and learning oh-so-much in the process.

Luckily, however, despite all that inner reflection, there was plenty of time for much fun and even one more spin through this favorite spot before our day was over.

 The next day brought more good times at California Adventure, which I would say is most similar to Orlando's MGM park, with lots of characters and shows, but also has a number of adventurous rides and all the magic of Disney at every turn.

Of course our experience wouldn't have been complete without a quick shot with this guy (luckily with only a ten minute or so wait):

We had another wonderful day with some favorite new rides (Toy Story Midway Mania!  Ariel!  California Soaring!), an amazing Aladdin musical, and even time for some old-school fun:

And some new fun, too :)

I'm ever grateful for the time that we had and the memories that we made there.  I'm just as grateful for my wonderful husband who packed snacks and lunches for us each morning, happily received my text/picture updates throughout each day (as he tried to pay attention in his conference :), joyfully listened to our stories of Disney fun, and dutifully took over as I collapsed into bed with my exhausted and yes, rather pregnant, self each night.  

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 

Mark 6:30-32