The Happiest Place on Earth

We just returned from Walt Disney World where we stayed for a week. As much fun as it was, it was equally as much work. The trip to Florida will be remembered, by me and Erik, as the trip that would never end. Matilyn cried nearly the whole time. And it was in the middle of the night! Reagan did end up sleeping a little bit, but really, is two hours enough in a 24 hour period?

So, we arrived in Orlando at about 9 am, exhausted yet excited to be in Disney World. Since our rooms weren't ready we headed straight to the Magic Kingdom. Our first surprise of the vacation was that our hotel was about a 15-20 minute drive to MK on a bus, that at times, was so packed we couldn't see across to the other seats. We then went to FantasyLand, which is where the majority of the kiddie rides are. We did Small World first, which is lovely. No lines...long ride...in a tunnel... Lovely... and the kids loved it. So, we went to Dumbo. This was the first place that I realized that Matilyn Grace does not do lines. She wanted to walk right up to the front, after all she could duck under everything. And when I held her, she threw fits. Once we got onto Dumbo, she loved it!

And by the way, the weather was weird. We all expected about 60's during the day, so imagine our surprise to arrive in 80 degrees and what felt like 85% humidity! (I'm sure the actual humidity was like 10%, but we're spoiled here in Phoenix. It's a dry heat...) Oh, we were hot. And tired. And cranky. So, as soon as possible we went back to the hotel.

I just wanted to be detailed about the first day since it set the tone for the whole week. Over the next few days I struggled with Mati. She wanted out of the stroller to walk, but didn't want to hold our hands. So, I would put her back into the stroller. She would through a fit. On and on... And I saw vision; a child walking with a back-pack type thing on its back and the parents holding what looked like a tail. Not a hand was held. And the child thought he was free. Everyone was smiling and happy. That was what I needed. I attempted to buy one a couple of times off of moms I saw. The conversation went like this, "So, do you like that thing?" Mom, "YES! I love it. And he does to!" Me, "Wow, that's great. So, where did you buy that?" Mom, "Walmart." Me, inwardly, darn it! I should have checked before we left!, outwardly, "How much was it?" Mom, "about $16.99." Double-darn it! I was willing to buy it off people for everything I had on me! (Which was like $40.) But still, I was desperate. And then, one day, I was in the gift shop at our hotel and low and behold I see it! THE TODDLER TETHER! I grab it up and pay for it with a few tears in my eyes. I knew it would save my sanity.

The first time I put it on Mati we were in line for Spaceship Earth at Epcot. (Yes, it is closed but we were fortunate enough to get in for a soft-opening!) And she didn't really like the tether, but I didn't care. I didn't have to hold her! And she couldn't go further than 39" from me!

That was on day 4. The rest of the trip was pretty good. We ate wonderfully all over the park. (And surprisingly, didn't gain any weight!) We rode some great rides like Test Track at Epcot and Mt. Everest at the Animal Kingdom. We had a wonderful time. We must have rode Small World 5 times!




And the weather got cold! All of the sudden the temp dropped from 80 to 50! Wow! This is what we were prepared for!

The return trip was about the same as the arriving trip except that it was at a normal hour. But, yes, Matilyn cried for me from Orlando to Atlanta, and then slept for Nana on the trip from Atlanta to Phoenix.