Looks like we can't get in any earlier than 4:00 for
MNSSHP, even if we have reservations at one of the restaurants, so Cinderella's Table is out. Sarah Anne would like to eat here, but she doesn't want to take any time away from the Halloween party, so we'll have to change these plans. I think we'll plan to eat sandwiches for lunch at the townhouse since we'll most likely be swimming at the resort this afternoon. Then we'll plan to eat breakfast with the princesses at Akershus on the Epcot day.
Ah, Character meals...
Her whole life, Kate has been terrified of characters. That's Terrified. With a capital T.

She was 2 when she saw her very first character. We were walking through the mall and Build A Bear had some kind of promotion with a big "Bearamy" Bear at the entrance. I was excited to show him to her--my older kids always loved that kind of thing. Sarah Anne ran over to hug him and I turned to Kate to say "Look!". Kate literally froze, like a deer in the headlights. Bearamy gave Sarah Anne a big hug. Kate's eyes got wider. I think she was screaming inside of her head, "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY SISTER! " Bearamy waved at Kate. Kate wrapped her arms around my legs. We couldn't get out of that place fast enough for her. For months afterwards whe would bring it up out of the blue...
"Mom, remember that BIG Build A Bear?"
"Yes, Kate."
"Mom, that was a BIIIIG Build A Bear."
"Sissy gave that Build A Bear a big hug, didn't she?"
(Silence.)
"Mom, remember that BIG Build A Bear?"
"Yes, Kate."
"That big Build A Bear was not my favorite." (A Kate-ism for "If I ever have to be in the same room as that Build A Bear, I will scream bloody murder.")
Next we took Kate to her first South Carolina football game and she saw "Cocky" for the first time. Cocky was dancing and waving his arms directly in front of our seats. Not a fun situation to be in for the 3 hour football game. So we told her that she didn't have to look at him if he made her nervous. She took this advice to heart and spent the entire game with her eyes closed.
Ah, the old "If I can't see them, they can't see me" trick.
Fast forward to the Disney trip. We had tried so hard to get her to warm up to the characters, to no avail. Our very first activity at Disney was breakfast at Chef Mickey's. We had prepared her ahead of time, telling her that we would see Mickey and his friends at breakfast. Kate happily hopped off the monorail as we headed to our breakfast, when suddenly she stiffened then stopped dead in her tracks. I looked around. We were near the entrance of the restaurant, but no characters were around. We tried to continue walking and she dug her heels in. I swear, she could sniff those characters out. I picked her up and carried her into Chef Mickey's while Will and Sarah Anne happily posed with Donald.
She spent most of the meal on my lap. With her eyes closed.
Just as she got comfortable enough to sit in her own chair, Minnie started working her way to our table. Uh Oh. Close eyes--QUICK!
Actually, it's not just characters that make her nervous. It's anything that she's unfamiliar with or out of the norm. Here she is at Imagination Movers at MGM.
It took her until the very last song to get comfortable and start dancing, something she wouldn't hesitate to do at home if Imagination Movers were on TV in the comfort and security of her own home.
By the time we saw the princesses, she knew what to expect, but that didn't keep her from getting grumpy about having to be in an unfamiliar situation.
(This look was dubbed "The grumpy princess wave.")
She missed posing with 2 of the 5 princesses, including Belle--her favorite--but at least we have some pictures. As long as I held her in them.
This past Easter we went to brunch and, once again, she sniffed out a character. We were happily walking in to be seated when she started walking slower and slower. (Are we sensing a pattern here?) I could "feel" her tense up and I turned to look at her. She had this look on her face as she turned the corner and, sure enough, there he was. The Easter Bunny was tucked away in the corner, kids crawling all around him. How did she know he would be there?!
It has been almost 2 years since we first saw that first Build A Bear character. Since then she has seen Santa (never on his lap, of course.) She's seen Cocky many times and has graduated to waving to him from a distance while averting her eyes (So as not to look directly at him.)
Characters to Kate are now something akin to the sun. You can enjoy their warmth from a distance, but if you look directly at them you'll be blinded and if you get too close you'll get burned.
Recently she told me that she would hug the characters when she turns 5. Well, she'll be 4 1/2 when we go. Can I talk her into enjoying them even though she won't yet be a brave and wise 5 year old? We'll see...