THE BIG ONE

A year ago, I had the opportunity to go to Disney World with my sister-in-law right before Christmas. I was OBSESSED. I knew that it was an experience that I wanted to give to my family, so I started planning. After convincing the mr., we decided to plan our trip for November. More specifically, the week of Thanksgiving (so we could minimize how many days of school the kids had to miss). For months, I planned. I planned the clothes and the food and the rides. I planned the souvenirs and the experiences. I planned EVERTHING. And guess what? That was an entirely fruitless effort. Our trip didn't look like I had imagined (which was something that I had to reconcile with while we were there). There was definitely magic and excitement! But there were also tears and frustrations. The weather - which I knew could be unpredictable - threw us off despite tracking it for weeks. Rain out of nowhere, often requiring ponchos. Then, when the random bursts of rain finally eased up for our last day in the parks, the temperatures dropped by a solid 15 degrees (which is also when the wind picked up). The crowds - which I knew would be larger than when I went with my sister-in-law since the parks were operating at a higher capacity - were beyond what I had anticipated. Most rides had a wait time of 90 minutes while others had wait times of up to THREE HOURS (which was when we opted to pay for Genie+ and skip some lines). And the children. Managing six kids on ANY day is rough. And being in Disney World did not magically change or erase behaviors and attitudes. In fact, it had the opposite effect at times as everyone was over-stimulated and experiencing quite a few big firsts. Would I do this trip again? Not exactly. Do I have regrets? Not exactly. Knowing what I know now, I would do things significantly differently. But the kids have wonderful memories of the trip, which I hope that they hold onto (and that they'll forget most of the rough moments... or that they'll at least laugh them off). Things that I want to remember most from the trip:

our first cross-country flight NOT having in-flight entertainment (and everyone somehow surviving) * personalized magic bands * the first time seeing our resort, Art of Animation * our Little Mermaid themed rooms (and getting creative with dresser space) * Disney Springs the first night for dinner * fish and chips from Cookes of Dublin * visiting Erin McKenna's Bakery for a BUNCH of gluten free treats * riding the Skyliner to get to Epcot * riding Remy's Ratatouille Adventure * tasting different foods from various countries around the world * running into friends of ours while at Epcot * dinner at The Regal Eagle * riding the Test Track before closing * getting the kids to bed after midnight that night * seeing the castle at Magic Kingdom * riding The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train * Cheshire Cat tails * being so excited to ride on the People Mover (but crying because parenting was ROUGH) * running into one of my favorite Disney Insta Influencers next to the castle * eating dinner at Jungle Navigation Co. (and crying two more times) * the evening turning around after dinner and Pirates of the Caribbean * eating Dole Whips as we walked to the other side of the park * getting my husband to FINALLY ride It's A Small World * ending the night on The Haunted Mansion (Disneyland's version is better) * starting our Animal Kingdom morning in Pandora * the AWESOME Avatar ride and then the crappy one * the stupid rain while in line * Night Blossom drinks * eating lunch with my oldest so I could have gluten free churros from the Nomad Lounge * the safari ride (which could never be as amazing as in Kenya, but the closest the US will ever get) * riding Expedition Everest (which blows The Matterhorn out of the water) * buying lightning lane passes for Rise of the Resistance (because we didn't want to wait in line for 3 hours) * playing Heads Up while in any long line (mime version was hilarious) * being so cold I had to buy myself and my youngest joggers/leggings * sticking an inch worth of napkins in my youngest's shoes to make her tall enough for the Aerosmith Rollercoaster * three of the kids BAILING at the last moment before Tower of Terror * shopping at Disney Springs (and having to buy a bulk of things on the website because the store selection was lame) * the lines at the airport the day before Thanksgiving * the plane having in-flight entertainment for the flight home (but one screen wasn't working and it had to be for my second oldest, which caused issues) * the man next to my two oldest boys giving us a homemade Dutch sandwich cookie (which we later tossed because... well, you don't eat food from strangers) * riding the Sky Train to meet my parents (and it being the most convenient thing EVER)