Ryan went to Disney Part I - and we have no real pics - but great memories

Ryan giving a hug to a Disney Cast Member - she sang a favorite tune, "Right Down the Middle of Main St. USA"

Hi! Late again...wanted to get something posted with Disney pics, but I am relying on the kindness of family members to send pictures, because like CA, I did not bring a camera.  We did bring the video camera.  As many of you already know, Ryan REALLY enjoyed Disney.  Who would think a 10-month old would dig the Magic Kingdom?  I was a little wary but hopeful he could hang all day.  He was a trooper, and Captain Chaos (as we call him) enjoyed the frenetic change of pace.

We loved the Magic Kingdom.  It really is a magic place and great fun to share with the family. There is so much to tell, but here are my top 8 favorite memories with Ryan:

1) Ryan meeting Goofy - Ryan's second cousin, Caiden, saw Goofy (Pirate Goofy, as we were in Adventureland) and wanted to meet him.  We stood in line too, wondering what Ry's reaction would be.  Ryan loved Goofy and Goofy loved Ryan.  Goofy even touched his heart indicating that he loved Ryan.  It was cool - Ryan was like "awesome, a giant stuffed animal. - where have my parents been hiding THESE guys?"

No video or pics of Ry meeting Goofy and hoping Cousin Sean will send a link to the pics he did get of this experience.  Here are Daddy and Ryan before entering the Pirates of the Caribbean though:

2) Watching a Main Street Disney performance -  At home, we listen to a few songs on a Disney Sing-A-Long DVD, and the song "Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA" is the 3rd song in...It was great to see a live performance on Main Street. Ryan met one of the performers after they finished - she came right up to him.  See pic above & below of this event (Thank you Cousin Meghan for taking these!)

Watching singing and dancing on Main Street - see Ryan was intently watching the show

3) Riding theWinnie the Pooh attraction - We thought it fitting that Winnie would be Ryan's first ride, so we picked that for him. Ryan liked the handle on the ride. Ryan liked the handle on ALL rides.  He cried after getting off the rides because he had to let go of the handle.  After the Winnie the Pooh ride, like all good Disney rides, it let out into a gift shop. Naturally, Ryan left his first ride experience with a stuffed Winnie the Pooh doll his parents bought him.

Here are two videos taken at "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" - the first one is as we sit down (see him grab handle) & the 2nd one is poor quality, but you get sense of what is going on...this is a dark ride, so stop the video after about 20 seconds...it is pitch black!)

4) Dancing in front of the Castle - when crossing over from Tomorrowland to meet the family for lunch at The Crystal Palace, we ran into a big Disney Dance Parade/Street Party, and OMG, am I glad we did. Looked like we had landed in Rio during Carnival. I put Ryan on my shoulders, and we danced.  He was so cute jamming to the music.  A woman came up to us and told me that she had more fun watching Ryan. Awww...

5) The Crystal Palace - seeing Ryan get soooo excited when he met Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore, and Tigger made me & Dave happy. Not positive, but I am pretty sure Tigger and Eyeore were his favs.

Here is Ryan meeting the his new friends-video of Pooh, Eyeore (MY FAVORITE because Ryan is so stinking cute meeting him), and Tigger only:

6)  The Monsters Inc., Laugh Floor - Ryan clapped and laughed through almost the entire performance.  It was really, really funny. "Surprise..."

7)  Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin - Ryan seemed to like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.  He squealed with glee when we saw Buzz Lightyear on the way into the ride.  He was a cool cat on the fast-paced ride, and even let Mommy and Daddy have fun shooting the aliens.  Daddy beat Mommy,  but barely.

8)  Opening the Park - It was great meeting up with my family and entering the park together on Saturday morning.  Seeing Mickey and crew come in on the train & having my own little boy there to share it with was very sweet.

Overall, we were delighted with how the day at the Magic Kingdom turned out.  The whole trip was wonderful for our entire family, and we can't wait to go back.  Even Dave had a good time!