Cody’s Walt Disney World Birthday Surprise

I knew before we left Walt Disney World in early May of this year that we would go back again very soon. We had never been twice in one year before, but this year is special because Cody turned 18 and I couldn’t think of a better birthday surprise than to take him to his most favorite place on Earth. I planned our dates, bought a magic-your-way package, booked flights, and secretly counted down the days with Paul. I’m still not sure how we managed to keep it to ourselves, but we didn’t spill the beans until late Thanksgiving night. We had told he and Nick that we were taking a special weekend trip to Boston for the long weekend, but when we arrived at the hotel, which happened to be right next to the airport in Boston, we just couldn’t hold in the surprise any longer. I had packed each of the boy’s Mickey Ears in their suitcases and had Cody open his to “reveal” his big birthday surprise, but I think he was more confused than anything because he had a puzzled look on his face as he was trying to process why those ears were in his suitcase for a weekend trip to Boston. Nick, on the other hand, knew right away what that special little headgear signified and he even got a little emotional, which then made me emotional, but somebody still needed to explain everything to Cody. It went a little something like this……”CODY YOU ARE GOING TO WALT DISNEY WORLD FOR YOUR 18TH BIRTHDAY! TOMORROW MORNING!” And then he paced around the room wearing an excited smile with his arms in the air like he had just been called down as a contestant on his favorite game show.  I’m pretty sure none of us slept well that night, but nobody had any trouble getting up before 6 a.m. the following morning for our early flight to Orlando.

I swear our plane couldn’t fly fast enough and the driver of the Disney’s Magical Express bus couldn’t speed fast enough, but we finally arrived at our resort and got checked in as quickly as possible so we could get Cody into the Magic Kingdom and begin his birthday celebration. I have to admit, I have always seen people in the Disney parks wearing buttons to denote that they are celebrating something special, like a birthday or an anniversary, and I have always wanted to plan a trip around a significant day for our family so that someone could wear one of those very buttons and feel a little extra special. Well this was THAT day. After the cast member checked us in she mentioned a note in our reservation that stated we were celebrating an event. I exclaimed that YES we were, told her what the special occasion was and she immediately pulled out 4 buttons, 2 that said “Happy Birthday” for Cody and I (yes we share a birthday) and 2 that said “I’m Celebrating” for Paul and Nick. Aren’t they just plain awesome?? I think I’ll keep them forever.

I can’t put into words how truly special it felt to have many, many cast members(and even other park guests) wish Cody and I a “Happy Birthday” throughout our entire day visiting the Magic Kingdom. I had gotten to the point that I forgot I was even wearing a button when another person would wish us a Happy Birthday and it brought an instant smile to my face. Wearing that little button exceeded all of my expectations in so many ways. I would have loved to wear it every single day of our trip, but I refrained because it just didn’t feel right. I can tell you this, though, it made the first day of our vacation even more magical than I could have ever imagined. I have to warn you, though, I have so much more to share about this unforgettable trip, so please bear with me as I write just a couple few more posts about our magical vacation.