Where Dreams Come True (if you have the right kind of dreams)

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Sure, it sounds cliche. Wish upon a star. Dreams come true. Pixie dust and mouse ears and everything that is JUST SO CONTRIVED AND COMMERCIAL ABOUT DISNEY!

I get that. I get that not everyone dreams of a Disney vacation. And even if you do, you may not dream of the inevitable meltdown your child has because you didn’t buy him that 11th souvenir that he really, really wanted. Or you may not dream of the credit card bill that comes once you return from a week away from reality. I’m pretty sure your spouse doesn’t either.

But if you haven’t been to Disney, here’s one thing I guarantee will come true.

A lifetime of memories.

Yep. There I go with the cliches again. I’m sorry but this one’s true.

As I get ready to head to Florida tomorrow for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference.

(Yes, I actually got invited this year. No, I have no idea how. No, I’m not going to ask on the off chance that it was a mistake and I don’t want them to change their minds.)

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful. Or because I’m going. Instead, feel like you’ve got someone on the inside who’s really going to let you know what it’s all about. Because frankly, I’m not sure. I just know that Disney is very generous and I’m pretty darn excited about taking the family with me. And when I get there, I’m going to be gracious and grateful and document every single thing.

If this idea makes you nauseous, you might want to check back mid next week when the Disney high will have worn off. My goal is to liveblog this event. And by liveblog, I mean post some stuff everyday. Maybe unedited video or a quick update or some pictures. But I’ll keep you in the loop.

Now. Back to the lifetime of memories.

As we are preparing to go, I was thinking about how returning to Disney so frequently may seem mundane. So I took a trip down memory lane and decided to pull some pretty amazing pictures from our last three visits. Even I’m amazed at how my little 3 year old has grown up. But I’m so happy that I’m capturing these memories with him every step of the way.

2010 – Evan is 3!

This is such a magical age for kids because they BELIEVE! His favorite things were Buzz and Woody, seeing the castle for the first time, and meeting Belle (he was the only little boy to stand in line to meet the princesses!

2011 – Evan is 4!

We were old hats at Disney our second time around. At four, Evan was too big for a nap but too grumpy to manage all day. Favorite moments were watching mom (me) get soaked as the star of one of the shows at Hollywood Studios, asking Peter Pan if he could really fly, and still believing he could actually get the sword out of the tone (he still does).

2013 – Evan is 6!

Yes, we missed a year. We packed up house and moved to a new state during 2012 so by the time 2013 rolled around, we were more than ready for a vacation and, of course, more memories. It was a year of firsts. Evan can go on all the rides including Space Mountain (see below) and Everest! We didn’t need a stroller or naps (well, my husband and I needed naps) and Evan was old enough to “drive.” While he refused to pose with me and Phineas and Ferb, he still couldn’t resist Evil Zurg.

 

He’s growing up. We’re growing older. But we’re doing it all as a family and just looking at these photos today made me smile.

Please feel free to follow along on my trip (the conference is Thursday, 5/9 through Sunday, 5/12 and then we’re taking two vacation days!) on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #DisneySMMoms and on here.

Disclaimer: If I happen to have such a good time that I feel too lazy to post, I promise I’ll do it all when I get back and you can just look at all these great pictures for now.