Florida, Part II: Disney World

“Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.”

― Walt Disney

I love Disney World.  The rides are thrilling, the parades are magical, and the ice cream shaped like Mickey Mouse's head is just about the most wonderful thing I've ever tasted.  I've been there countless times, and yet I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see Cinderella's castle peeking up over the trees from the windows of the Monorail.  And since I was lucky enough to marry someone who also refuses to grow up, you can imagine how excited we were to take Ava to the "Happiest Place on Earth".

Now, anyone out there who's ever had a toddler in their lives knows that any given situation - even the ones that are seemingly guaranteed to make a kid happy - can go any number of ways.  Will you be rewarded with smiles and laughter, punished for your efforts by an epic temper tantrum, or simply met with an indifferent, befuddled stare?  We walked through the gates, held our breath, and awaited the verdict...

Our timing couldn't have been better. A parade was underway, and whose float should be going by at that exact moment, but Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Our girl was hooked.

We didn't want to lose any momentum, so once the parade was over we hot-footed it straight to Fantasy Land for some rides.  First up?  The Teacups, of course!

Ava loved it.  The faster that silly cup twirled, the bigger her smile got.  And for the next 4 days, girlfriend's life was good.


Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride



Ava and Grandma Sally checked out the fish tanks while we waited for "Turtle Talk with Crush" to start.

We were even lucky enough to score a meeting with Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog (Ava adores that movie).  She was about to wrap it up for the day when the security guard took pity on us and gave us one of the final spots in line. 

The rides and parades were great, but it was something else entirely that threw the whole trip over the top. Thanks to Grandma Sally's insatiable love for ice cream - often in lieu of an actual meal - Ava got to indulge her sweet tooth at least once a day. 


Mickey Mouse's head = Chocolate-covered heaven.



Yup, that's lunch. 

 One of the coolest attractions was the Nemo musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Ava actually sat (relatively) still for the entire 45 minute production, clapping, laughing and waving at all the right times. 

That was our last day at the parks, and our sharp parental instincts told us Ava had finally had enough.  

A big thank you to Grandma Sally and Grandpa Mac for helping to make this whole experience so incredibly special.  We love you guys. 

We're going to make this an annual thing, right??