SOOC: Wishes, Birthday & Others

First, Happy 55th birthday to Disneyland -- a place that really understands wishes ...


... bright colours & fun ...



... and how to treat kids with special needs like every other special and loved child who comes through their gates:



I've loved it before my first visit in '77. James' big sister had her first visit when she was 18 months old and we were expecting him. James' father had many childhood visits, and shares a birthday with the Haunted Mansion. James' first trip where he could see everything was when he was 6 months old. He was such a cutie that I came off a ride with my daughter and found a crowd of picture-snapping tourists around him. My husband said he thought it was a group from China.



I have found that one either gets the Disneyland warm fuzzies or ... they don't. I'm in the first group. Add to that:

• Watching my kids grow up, meeting family and friends, smiling wonderful smiles.
• Being in a place where I am temporarily trade in wishes for effective IEPs, helpful services for James, and hopes for a verbal son who isn't stigmatized for wishes to share good memories, rides and laughter with those I love.
• Remembering my still largely non-verbal son saying an unexpected early sentence from the back of the van "We're going to Dis-nee-lan' -- Yayyyyyy!!" as we headed to the parks.
• Watching the characters interact patiently with the small cute boy who doesn't seem to respond to their greetings and social questions, but who afterward treasures the memories they helped create.

And yeah, Disneyland is a magic place to me. I really like these photos, which are hardly Kodak-worthy, but capture for me the feeling of what it was really like to be there with the kids:




James' ability to tolerate certain rides fluctuates, but his big loves remain constant: Mickey Mouse and ... the Small World ride:





So thank you, Disneyland -- for being a great place to visit and to feel like we have more in common with other parents and families than not. Thanks for understanding the kinds of wishes children and grownups have, and helping them come true.

The Slurping Life is taking a trip down Memory Lane too. Visit Melody and check out SOOC Saturday/Sunday entries past & present. No cropping or fixing -- it's life, straight out of the camera.