The Magic of Disneyland

As you may have read on Carrie's blog, we took the family to Disneyland this weekend. Wes, Wyatt, Carrie, my mom, and my grandpa all spent three days in the Magic Kingdom.
I have so many memories of Disneyland as a kid. We would go twice a year...once on Labor Day and again around Christmas. I remember the first time I went on Matterhorn the first Electrical Parade I saw, the first time I met Mickey Mouse, and the first time I spit on people from the skyway. What was great this weekend was experiencing some of those "firsts" from a dad's perspective.
We've been to Disneyland many times in the past, but it was different this time. I think it was different because there were four generations of my family present. My grandpa talked about the things he remembered the first time he went: the stagecoach ride, Autopia, and the tea cups. My mom talked about the things she remembered as a child: riding the tea cups on my grandpa's knee, E-tickets, and running free on Tom Sawyer's Island. We thorougly enjoyed ourselves!
One of my favorite moments came on Saturday night. I remember as a kid sitting on Main Street waiting for the parades to begin. I would dance with the Disney characters in the middle of the street then plop down next to my mom and wrap up in a blanket. The lights would go down and the music of the Electric Parade would come on. That cheezy, synthtic music that you had to clap with. Wes and Wyatt got to experience that for the first time. I absolutely LOVED watching Wes' eyes light up when he first saw Mickey and the gang on the first lit up float. Then came the blue fairy, the train, those weird catepillars and mushrooms, the cheshire cat, Pete and his Dragon (remember that movie?), and, of course, the salute to America float. Wes was in awe of the technological advances of the 1970's, especially the way the turtles talk. Almost like Crush in California Adventure!
However, my favorite moment had nothing to do with a parade or a ride or a meal. My grandpa wanted to go to the water front to watch the boat. We wheeled him down there next to Wes in the stroller. The two Wesleys sat, side by side, watching the ducks and the boats and the people on Tom Sawyer's Island. I happened to get a picture of it and plan to have it framed someday. I asked Wes what he was doing with Papa Wes down by the water and he replied, "Nothin'. Just watching stuff with my Papa Wes. He likes to watch stuff like me."
It was great weekend all in all. We went on rides, saw shows, ate at Goofy's Kitchen, got Pluto and Goofy's autographs, got pictures with all sorts of characters, and had lunch at the Blue Bayou.
Disneyland is a magical place for all children. But it is just as magical, or even more so, when you see it through the eyes of your own child.