ch'rella blue dress 'e' blue shoos

friday 5.19
we're checking in. the security guard said to luci, "what's your name?" luci looked her straight in the eye, "my name is snow white." 'lijah nursed as the plane took off so his ears wouldn't hurt. when we were above the rain and the sun was streaming between the fluffy clouds, 'lij wouldn't turn away from the window. even though it was so bright. i looked at his face; he looked... homesick. "is this what heaven is like, 'lijah boy?" he just kept looking.

saturday 5.20
8:30am - we're in the car with mcdonald's to go. gary can't keep the car on the main road. he somehow keeps getting onto i-4, which means we have to find different exits to the magic kingdom.
9:15am - in line to see playhouse disney. 90 degrees. luci meets 'daddy incredible' and frozone. then we see bear, then jojo, then stanley, then pooh, then bear again, then luna! misty-eyed as they sang the goodbye song.
12:15pm - 100 degrees. beauty and the beast live on stage. luci holding tight to my head during the 'kill the beast part'. gary laughing and taking pictures. lijah asleep
1:45pm - back to hotel for naps and kfc.

5:30pm - arriving at magic kingdom. luci in the stroller this time, wearing her cinderella dress and crown. cinderellabration first round. luci hogs the water bottle with the spray.
6:30pm - cinderellabration second round. this time we're by the stage. got it all on tape. misty-eyed again as cinderella comes out of the castle and says hello. then all the disney princesses come out. i'm too into it to realize i'm sitting on bubble gum. mini-tantrum after i found both butt cheeks with brown spots. how am i supposed to dine at the castle in this? gary laughing again.
7:30pm - luci rides cinderella's carousel after a brief jaunt at phantasmic. those indoor air conditioned dark places are where i've been feeding lij. luci has a brief meltdown when she climbs into the dumbo seat. she doesn't want to get out.
8:00pm - luci meets eyore, plays in pooh's playhouse, sees minnie mouse's pink house. lijah overtly giggling and flirting with me.
8:30pm - checking in at the castle for dinner.
8:45pm- luci floats toward cinderella in the foyer. luci touches her face and dress. they're having a private moment. the photographer arranges us all around her. i feel like i've interrupted something intimate. luci is in heaven. there's definitely magic in the air.
9:00pm - dinner. fairy godmother and some mice come out. luci is enthralled. lijah is asleep.
10:00pm - fireworks seen from inside the castle.
11:00pm - we let the crowds pass us. gary and i linger by the ferries as both kids doze.
1:00am - back at the hotel. zzzzz.

sunday 5.21
mcdonald's again for breakfast. shopping for souvenirs at the outlet mall. on the plane by 4pm, except i almost miss boarding because i took too long deciding between gummy bears and gummy savers. the woman at the desk said, "ma'am, your plane is boarding." yikes. i get to the gate and gary is the only one there. bug-eyed. we all slept on the plane. in our car at lansing by 7pm. ordered a pizza for delivery on the way home. pizza on doorstep by 7:30pm.

may crowning

gary says we crashed a private party. well, we wanted to go to may crowning, but it ended up being a mass/awards party for IHM, the church down the road. oh well. it was raining like crazy. i was pulling luci's purple dress on and she said, 'where are my flowers, mommy?' then i remembered i told her that you give flowers to Mommy Mary in the month of may. 'it's raining, luci, no flowers today.' she looked a little sad. later in the parking lot i saw a lilac bush, so i pulled her hood on and dashed between cars with her in my arms. we pulled some flowers down and brought them into the church with us.

the service was really cute. a boy got to crown Mary (i always thought it was girls that got to do it...) he was wearing a royal blue cape. after all the hoopla settled down and the church was nearly empty, i brought luci to Mary. she fell to her knees at Her feet and offered the lilacs. i was surprised, proud, and slightly sad all at the same time. i also felt a little conspicuous, so i crouched down too.

sigh. the sadness comes from knowing luci will grow to struggle with her devotion to Mary, with peer pressures and nerdy parental pressure... i remember when i was in eighth grade and i was appointed by the principal to play the role of Mary at a school thing. i was so embarrassed. i had to do this lyrical dance with my hands folded. you can only imagine. but for now luci's heart is pure and i will do my best to help her stay that way.

or maybe i'm not giving luci enough credit...

white or wheat

bug eyed. gary said, 'luci, let me wipe your right hand.' she gave him her right hand. he looked at me. does she know right from left?!

'left ear!' (she points)
'right foot!' (she points again)
'RIGHT NIPPLE!!!' (she smiles big, as if to say try to stump me again, daddy)

for the record, i didn't know right from left until at least first grade. it may be genetic. my dad went to a subway and asked for a chicken breast sandwich. the fast-talking clerk said, "white or wheat, sir?" my dad gave the most quizzical lopsided look and replied, "left breast or right breast... it doesn't matter."