A Trip to the Mouse House

My folks were here two weekends ago and took one very excited boy on his first trip to Disneyland. Actually, I think my mom and I may have been even more excited than Noah. You see, we consider ourselves a "Disney" family and not just because we like the movies; every member of my immediate family has worked for Disney at some point in their lives. I like to think we contribute to the magic, haha. My mom used to be a tour guide back when they wore those cute plaid minis and totally Euro hats. She used to lead loads of tourists through the Magic Kingdom, so I figured she and my dad could handle one toddler tour. (My dad also worked on the linen crew at the Disneyland Hotel, so he had Noah clean-up covered!) Two stops on her old tour used to be Small World and Pirates. Noah went on both. Though he insisted on being on a lap while in the boat, Noah must have loved Small World, as evidenced by his continual singing of the theme song. I think it's on a 4 times a day rotation in our house. Pirates, however, was a definite bust. We thought he might be into it, considering his pirate obsession. I guess the combination of loud music and darkness made him cover his eyes the entire time. We've had to reassure him every night this week that NO PIRATES live in his closet, under his bed, in his sock drawer, etc. (I guess this makes sense considering I was still afraid of the Haunted House even when I worked there and got to see it with the lights on). Noah, did however love meeting the characters, and unlike Santa this year, each character got a warm hug from our guy. Someday I will explain to him how his Aunty Mandy and his Mama were both characters at Disneyland, and how fun it is to have a job where you get to play dress-up, but I guess I have to save that until some of the wonder wears off. Wait, what am I saying? It still hasn't worn off for me! :P Here he is holding the Big Cheese's hand:

From March 2010

He also got to meet his favorite Disney character, Minnie:
(Notice Minnie got a smile out of him)

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Noah and I agree that Minnie's house is pretty cool. Unbreakable coffee cups and all rounded corners = perfect for a two year old.

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Dumbo ride, one of my favorites as a kid.

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Of course Noah had to get the obligatory pair of first Mouse Ears (which my mom has on). Somehow he also conned them into a pirate hat. Captain Noah, indeed.

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Bri and I want to thank my parents so much for taking Noah on his first of many visits. It was a perfect introduction into the magic of Disneyland. Thank you for making it so special.

From March 2010