On a Happy Hilltop: June 2011

Let me preface this post by saying few experiences have brought more joy to my heart than sharing Disney with my son. This trip was truly amazing. I have never seen Luke more expressive, happier or more capable than he was in those 2 days at Disneyland. He had so many developmental breakthroughs, he overcame so many little things. When I worked for Disney I had never experienced what it was like to see it through a child's eyes. But it was magical. It lit a fire in my little boy and was quite possibly one of the best weekends of my life.

The Magic Begins:
Luke and I left Clark Salt Lake and got on a plane to join Andrew in LA (he had been there for a week on business. I was a little nervous to fly with Luke, the last time he flew he was only 5 weeks old. But he was a champ. He didn't understand where he was heading, but he was enjoying the ride.

He was amazing on the airplane and by the time we got on the hour long bus ride to Disneyland we were both exhausted.

Andrew joined us just a couple hours later and we all headed to Down Town Disney.

It was such a fun evening. Luke met this puppy-man and it made him very happy and we ate at the Jazz Kitchen which made Andrew and I very happy.

Luke loved all the Mickey Shapes... Yep that's what we did most of that evening. Walk and point to the Mickeys on the ground. It was awesome.

Disney Land

Right before we left we started doing a lot more signing with Luke. And from the moment we walked in the front gates it was magical. Every couple of feet Luke would stop point and sign Mickey. He was in Heaven. His favorite pass time in the world is pointing and naming Disney characters. His smile was infectious from the moment we walked through the gates.

This was probably my favorite moment of the whole trip. We just let Luke run and we followed.
Riding High:
Luke loved, I mean loved the rides. We were worried he might be scared but he seemed to do just fine. But we started to notice the moment we went into dark rides he would start to sign "milk" and "food". So I think he might have been a little nervous on the dark rides but he was great. As long as he could hold his sippy cup he was good to go.

Funny Story: We were waiting to get on Mr. Toads wild ride, (which can be a little scary) when the line winded past the loading dock to get in the cars. Luke started crying and screaming uncontrollably. But we pulled him on moving forward in the line (which unfortunately was away from the ride cars). The lady in front of us turns around and asks "Oh, is he scared to go on the ride?" Andrew and I laugh a little "no he is just angry we are not getting in the cars. He doesn't want to wait in line" She laughs and says waiting in line makes her cry too.
Disney Jr. Live On Stage...

I am pretty sure that watching this show (multiple times) was the highlight of Luke's life thus far. I kid you not, we couldn't go in that park unless we planned to see this show. He would completely break down if we went the other way. Now we watch it on Youtube and it solves all world problems.

Best Friends: