Absolutely every day is filled with magical moments. I realize that. And some days I actually take time to reflect on the magic in the everyday. Some days I take in the sunrise. Or reflect on our glorious wedding day or the miraculous and life-changing birth of our children.
Of course, it is not everyday that we appreciate these moments. Some days we don't see the magic. Some days we forget to look around us and capture the simple-every-day moments. Sometimes those moments only make us smile upon later reflection. I look back at some many pictures of my duo as toddlers and wonder if I was smiling in the moment or if I can only truly smile now. It is so hard to appreciate each and every moment without the benefit of perspective.
But for all those huge life-altering moments and all the small moments you weren't expecting but nonetheless take your breathe away, I still have to admit: Disneyland provided some of our most memorable magical moments.
I will never forget the awe of it all, as seen through a 2 1/2 year-old's eyes.
The dreaminess.
The fantastical.
The pure fantasy around every corner.
It's as if there are bubbles in the air.
Every moment was electric.
Every encounter a first.
I will absolutely never ever forget the first time Little Miss Thang met Belle, her favorite princess. And this was no chance encounter. We waited in line for hours. It was, of course, worth every single second. She ran to Belle when given the green light. They embraced. And then they shared this {somewhat} private moment. I have no idea what words were shared. But I do know that it was a moment of pure bliss for Little Miss Thang. And for me.
You see, she thought this princess was Belle. To her Belle was a real living, breathing princess. It was not just a fairy tale and a girl in a costume as she now sees it. At that precious moment in time it was . . . pure magic.
I will also never forget the end of our first day -- with the anticipation of two days still ahead of us -- as I tried to temporarily quell the excitement and tuck in an entirely too exhausted, but yet completely and utterly enthralled, little boy embracing his new Eeyore while wearing his personalized Mickey ears.
It's easy to see the magic in these moments. Even at that very moment.
Six years later, Mickey ears since crumpled, Eeyore long-ago discarded, and princesses dresses passed along to younger friends, the magic is still abundantly evident to me. Despite the passage of time and maturation of the subjects, these magic moments are seared in my memory for all eternity.