So, here we are. At the part that is commonly known as "The End." (I imagine readers breathing a heavy sigh, mopping their brows and uttering "Finally!")
So much has changed since that first trip, in May 2005. The six, four and two year olds I wrote about in this report are now seven, six and threeannahalf. That might not seem like much of a difference, but if you know or have young children, you know it's huge. The freedom from diapers
alone makes it a big deal, without all the other countless ways in which these kids have grown.
Since that May trip, we've made one other trip as a family, and Doug and I have made a kidless journey to the Food & Wine Festival, and met a bunch of crazy Viking friends to boot. As this Christmas approaches, we have just informed the kids that we'll be going back to Disney in January. Conor is reading his very own guidebook, making park plans, and debating with me the merits of staying at Beach Club Villas rather than somewhere else. He'd call and make the ADR's if I'd give him the Disney Dining phone number. Piper is all about the magic; she can't wait to see Spectro and Wishes and wants to meet Mulan and Pocahontas. Sydney still claims she is too "nervous" to meet any characters because "they're too big." That may be true, but at her age there's still a lot of room for change in the next 6 weeks.
We had a wonderful, dare I say Magical, time on our trip. We had our little bumps in the road, the minor glitches and scrapes but nothing that was a deal breaker. And even the blemishes have made it into our book of family lore and inside jokes.
Attention: shameless DVC promotional plug ahead!
I am so glad we took the big plunge and bought DVC. Aside from the rooms being spectacular, with plenty of room and added conveniences like laundry, kitchen, and Jacuzzi tub perfect for bathing 3 kids at once, I believe it made a big difference to us to know that we will be back. That Disney is our home away from home, now and forever. Or for the next 50 years, anyway. It meant that we were not devastated by missing something we had wanted to see. It meant we could brush off the fact that Sydneyralla was probably too young to benember it, because we'd benember for her, and help her make lasting memories in the future. It meant we were setting a baseline on that trip, establishing our roots at Disney as a family, and preparing the way for some fantastic memories to come. The AP discount is not so shabby, either.
You may open your eyes and resume reading; the plug is over. When I snap my fingers, you will call DVC and tell them Kimmie from the DIS sent you.
As for the supersecretsurprise element. I think it was a hit. It was a ton of fun for me to plot and scheme and brainwash my babies. They always love a surprise, whether it's an unexpected box of Popsicles in the freezer or a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. In future, I look forward to sharing the planning and pre-trip excitement with them. That's why I told them about the current upcoming trip. That, and I grew tired of lying and telling them "oh, I don't know..." when they would ask when we were going back.
So go ahead and plan your trips. Plan surprises, big and small, and find delight in the scheming as well as in the presentation. Enjoy each day, don't let the small stuff bug you too much, and try not to drop your kid on his face on the floor of a bus.
I thank
all of you for reading, for your comments, encouragement and for sharing your own stories as well as your car make and model.
You're all part of a gift for my kiddos now, just by posting here and being part of this oh-so-lengthy process.
And, in the spirit of not letting things bug me, I will say that if we had NOT had the Magical Mixup on the Disney Express, we wouldn't have been sitting around snapping pictures on that balmy, breezy afternoon and we would not have gotten this.
Happy, tired, and a little more pink than pasty-white, the kpKrew is heading home.
Cheers!
But are a very wonderful mom to write about your family the way you do! What a delight!
and then tomorrow I should be clear to write that epilogue.
Great job. You keep hearing this, but you are a terrific writer. Keep going.
Congratulations on finishing a wonderful report! I wish I had found it sooner! All I have to say is...
Even just a short story to RD. I laugh way too hard!! 
You'll have to start another TR soon!!!
Ready to publish? 
