Disney World

There are few places on earth that have seemed so magical to me as Disney. No matter my age or state of mind I have been able to escape, let down, and enjoy myself. I'm not sure how many times I've actually been but I can probably credit my previous visits as a child with the influence to be a theater major. This however was my first time to go with kids, with 5 kids under the age of 7, to be exact. My usual excitement was mixed with natural anxiety as I wasn't sure what to expect of the two plane rides, nap times, long lines, and total sensory overload... for all the kids and even myself. Left to forego my usual selfish tendencies to ride the thrill rides and satisfy my own whims, I prepared myself to wait in incredibly long lines to receive a hug from adults dressed up as cartoon characters. Looking down from 10,000 feet it is probably really hilarious. Our first morning we attended a character breakfast. As soon as Minnie walked in my kids flipped out. Wren was screaming in excitement and practically elbowed her way across the room just to touch the mouse. Cruz mirrored her excitement and I knew the trip was going to be amazing. There was truly something magical about the mouse.

Taking a prime position for all of the parades was well worth the 45 minute wait. All of the kids jumped up and down, waved, and yelled to get a look from Woody, Buzz, or any of the Disney characters whether they actually knew who they were or not.

The kids got their faces painted, watched live stage shows, and the little ones even got to ride a few rides.

Because Cruz is a sensory seeker, he craves constant stimulation, he was in heaven. He was never lacking adrenalin or excitement. There was constant, noise, visual stimulation, special treats, rides, you name it. When nap time rolled around we simply reclined the stroller and let them crash out. At times they'd have to cry it out but you never really noticed the volume of their cry above the roar of the crowd. My little adrenalin junkies loved the rides, even Pirates of The Caribbean. They would have gone on any ride that they were tall enough to go on. They had a blast, especially with their cousins being around all week. There was never a dull moment... literally. Even if we were back at the hotel the kids were non stop until they fell asleep. It will be fun to do this again when the smallest ones are 40 inches so that they can ride all of the rides!