Recipe for a Practically-Perfect-in-Every-Way Weekend

Begin with a garden-variety family of three.

Add two fantastic friends.

Marinade them in ocean water (preferably from Hungtington Beach).

Stuff with four more-than-generous helpings of (scrumtrulescent) lard and sugar from Ruby's until you notice significant swelling...
 
Over 24 hours add a pinch of gut-wrenching fear...

 ...a healthy dose of creativity (apparently ravers from across the country planned to gather at Disneyland that day - I must have missed that in the newsletter. Kaylinn was brave enough to ask one of them what was going on. My rave experience is limited to that Saved by the Bell: The College Years episode where Zach needs money and, as we all know, the only way to make money is to paint our walls black and host a rave in our dorm room. This looked nothing like that.)...

...a splash of colour (I had a moment while we were watching World of Colour. You know, one of those moments that you wish you could freeze time right where it is. I tried to be discreet wiping my tears away, but Mark caught me. Between the beautiful colours, lights, water, Disney music & clips and holding my captivated baby in my arms it's a wonder I wasn't hysterical!)...

...a dash of enthusiasm...

 

...and a heaping spoonful of magic. (I wasn't sure how Teagan would react to The Big Cheese himself, whether she's still too young to recognize that something was a little different about him. She took it totally in stride and shook Mickey's hand for an uncomfortable amount of time. He was very sweet to her.)

 

Be sure to wear protective eyewear while mixing. Chill in the morning, roast in the afternoon (the weather was all over the place!)

 

Yields one wonderful weekend and 5 incredibly happy, slightly emotional, extremely exhausted friends, including one couldn't even muster enough energy to bring her binkie to her mouth.

I know, I know, enough with the analogy - I took it too far. If you didn't catch all of that, we had a practically-perfect-in-every-way weekend with some of our dearest friends in the happiest place on earth. Mark & Kaylinn were wonderful about taking care of Teagan so we could enjoy lots of the big kid rides. Thanks again, guys!

 

Buddy and I being Buddy and I, we didn't have to stop much more than usual for feedings even with a 7 month old. But the diaper changing was new. And while it was different than previous trips, it was all the more amazing to share the fun with a wee one.

Call us crazy, but we felt like we had to get Teagan a little something to remember her first out 'o' the womb trip to Disneyland, and her very first set of Mickey ears seemed like the perfect souvenir. She was good enough to bust out The Smolder/Blue Steel as she modeled it. 

And lest you think we'd forgotten to take a jumping picture...Hooray for a wonderful weekend! Thanks Morrells!