Disneyland 2022

“There’s no place like home,” said a  very famous, gingham clad young lady and let me tell you, I couldn’t agree with Miss Gale more than right now.  We arrived home a week ago from our nearly two-week trip to California.  Every human in our family feels as though a ball of tension has been released into the stratosphere.  My lovely Atty is thrilled to be back playing with his bestie cousin.  The girls are finally able to tootle around the house knowing every nook and cranny. And my littlest boy who has so much trouble with change can sleep in his own bed knowing that he is back to his much-loved routine. The only one who is still out of sorts is Trav and that is totally reasonable considering he has a full workday today with very little rest. We are not not homebodies.  And we may need a vacation from our vacation now.  But this is in no way a reflection of the wonderfulness of our trip.  This was the first time we had returned California since our unceremonious departure exactly as the state closed for shelter in place.  There were all of the people to see, two gorgeous weddings to attend, quite a few trips to Amy’s Drive thru that were necessary, and of course, a long overdue trip to the happiest place on earth.

What feels like a million years ago, we planned a family vacation to Montana.  Trav was scheduled for his month-long sabbatical promised after his five years at his job.  We were to begin on the 15th of March 2020 at Disneyland.  We could not be more excited.  Let me explain few things about our family and Disneyland.  I have always been a total Disney fanatic.  I fell in love with Ariel at age five and never looked back.  (I was soo obsessed, in fact, that I thought when my dad bought a VCR for the first time, it was because he had gotten me “The Little Mermaid” on VHS and I had to be able to watch it.)  But it wasn’t until my twenties when I started to attend Disneyland in true earnest.  And then there was a lot stopping me, not even Trav’s initial reaction of horror.  I dragged him along until he stopped kicking and screaming and embraced the magic.  We even honeymooned there.  And kept up the tradition of visiting as often as we could.

We folded the kids into our tradition.  Atty’s first visit was at ten months old.  Jasper’s at one.  In fact, the girls are lagging behind at 13 months.  Atty’s fifth birthday was celebrated there with as much family as we could drag with us.  And it was with that trip that we folded Haleryn and family into our tradition.  We have been waiting on tenterhooks to return in all of our Buck/Dunlap glory. So, we did.  Our first trip back with the whole gaggle.  At this point, we were returning to Disney with three babies, 13 months, and three months, two toddlers, two and three, and two big boys, eight and nine.  This was going to be no small task.  But Disney is worth it and so the first leg of our trip was planned and booked.  And we were counting the days.

Now everyone we told were going to attempt this looked at us like we had lost our minds.  And, maybe we had, a little bit. But as self-proclaimed Disney experts, we sure we knew how to handle it.  We adjusted our expectations and made plans to slow down. There was much discussion of pool time.  We were ready.

There are very few things more magical for a parent than to see your children’s eyes light up at the true wonder that washes over their faces when arriving at the happiest place on earth.  Say what you will of Disney but there is really nothing truly like it.  The attention to detail and meticulousness with which the park is maintained is truly exceptional.  This was the first time that Jasper got to really experience it.  Now, to be fair he was wildly overwhelmed and more than a little mercurial but, that did not lessen his true joy.  Jasper is completely obsessed with the “Cars” franchise.  We have watched the movies more times than I can even begin count and since we booked this trip, I told him that he was going to be able to meet Lightening McQueen.  Needless to say, the anticipation was high.  As we walked into Radiator Springs, I could feel my excitement to show him the world he has loved for so long swelling to the brink.  I grabbed his little hand and rushed over to the Cozy Cone Motel where the legend himself was.  His little eyes widened, and I could feel his grip tighten.  But when I asked him if he wanted to meet his hero a very firm and nervous “no” was quickly uttered.   We patiently watched as the cherry red race car passed by us and his nervousness was washed away, and joy overcame.  That joy carried through the rest of the visit to Car’s Land, even on “Radiator Springs Racers” which he was just big enough to ride and could not have possibly loved more.

Last time we were all in Disneyland, Atty and Morgan were five and six years old, respectively, which seems so little now that we have kiddos closer to pre-teen hood than birth.  Last time there was still hesitation and tentativeness in their choices of rides.  But this time, they charged ahead.  My sweet Atty went on rollercoasters and rides that I didn’t go on until I was in my 30s.   I was able to take him on my second favorite ride, Indiana Jones. And though he seemed to be more than a little frightened, he whooped and cheered with the excitement that the ride warranted.  Watching this boy who was so recently tiny and totally dependent, wander in front of me his unexpectedly long legs carrying him through the crowd on his own, independent, and carefree.  He has grown so big and yet, he still holds my hand when we cross the street, won’t go to bed without being tucked in and crawls into my lap, all limbs and feverish energy, spilling adoration for Momma.  This was a special trip; it won’t be long before he doesn’t want to be seen with me and certainly won’t cling to my arm when the rides get overwhelming.  Soon he will run out in front and not look back but, this time I got to share in his delight and sprinkle him with the magic I have always loved.

Disney has always been something truly special to me for my entire life.  It symbolized beauty, and adventure, and music, and magic and I loved it to my very core.  As I have become an adult, my view of life was colored a bit darker that my original rose-colored glasses but still my joy in fairy tales shimmers.  I think about how happy I was as a child; how safe and kind life was.  That magic gave me something that was unique and special.  Now that I know more that I am the one doing the protecting, I want nothing more than to give my sweet children all that I experienced and more.  I want them to know the security of a childhood that is only truly achieved when they know no fear and only the wonder of being a child.  I will do everything in my power to give them that.  And taking them to Disney, sharing the love of it, and with the family we love is only one pf the ways I give them that gift.

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Up North: The Rest of the 2022 Summer Vacation, Part One

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Summer Break: Day 1