Miracle Babies

Today was an incredibly busy day at work with some pretty crazy Guests. It made the day very interesting as we tried to get them to pose for photos and to not shove things in Mickey's mouth and to just generally behave. I worked with some awesome cast members and some not so awesome ones as well. But I made it through the day okay.

It was pretty emotional several times today. While I was at Pixar Place with Buzz and Woody, we had a Make-a-Wish family come up to visit. Now Buzz and Woody had just gone off set and we were waiting for them to come back. However, there was a bit of a problem in that they weren't readily available. But, this is Disney, and we can make magic happen! So within about 5 minutes they came back just to visit this family! And then they were gone again. But they made this special family very happy by coming back for a special appearance. The rest of the Guests had a little bit longer wait as the snafu was figured out but that family was satisfied very quickly which was most important!

The other really emotional moment today happened at Phineas and Ferb. I love my job but sometimes I encounter situations that make it very difficult to keep it together. This is one of those moments. Another Make-a-Wish family came up to visit. And the special child had an oxygen tank and an oxygen tube and monitor attached to him. It took me back to the hospital when Lily was born and she had her CPAP attached and all those monitors attached and we could watch everything going on with her but not really do anything about it. It made me think, this could have been Lily. Thankfully all of her issues resolved themselves and she is a healthy little girl. It brought me to tears as I took photos of this family and this little boy. And I was so worried that the photos wouldn't be good enough. I always want to take good photos but in cases like this I want them to be exceptional. 

So thank you to all the cast that support me as I go through those times and to the characters that give me the opportunity for those awesome photos!

The Force Is Strong With This Mom

Working in the Parks I see a lot of parents dealing with their children. It can be a pretty tough balance of disciplining and letting children enjoy themselves but not get too far out of control. They put in long days without much rest. So many distractions and desires out there assaulting them from every direction. And when you have two or more kids wanting to do the same thing at the same time it can be a tough thing to balance who goes first and when it's time to share.

I was taking photos at the Speeder Bike by Star Tours one day last week when a family came up with two children, a girl about 4 and a boy about 6. They both wanted on the Bike and Mom was going to take their photo together. Their names were Carson and Kylie. (At first I wasn't sure which was which). But the girl started whining that she wanted her own photo as the boy started getting on. The Mom was willing to do this so told them to take turns. I wasn't paying much attention until I started hearing "Carson if you can't cooperate then you can't get your picture." In my mind I thought good for Mom. But was thinking Carson was the boy because it looked like he was trying to get on. The girl was still fussing. Then I saw Dad come over and pick up the girl off the Bike and walk off with her, starting to cry, and the boy hopped on the Bike. He got his photo taken and off they went.

I was pretty impressed at how the Mom put the rules out there, even though I got lost in who was causing the trouble, and Dad followed allowing and they carried through together on the discipline. Both children will learn from that experience.

It was a much better than the one I witnessed last night at Downtown Disney. A little girl came up next to me by some ornaments, she too was about 4 years old. Mom came up by her and told her not to touch them. The little girl touched them and Mom said "what did I just tell you?" The little girl said nothing but proceeded to pick it up. Mom repeated what she said. Then she looked at the ornament with the little girl and said how pretty it was and walked away with the ornament in the little girls hand. The lesson that little girl learned was that it doesn't matter what Mom says, she can do what she wants.

I know both are on vacation and it may not be typical of the second Mom to do this but consistency is a much better teacher in the long run and for the duration of that vacation.

Ah well, I'm done with all that. I get to spoil grandkids now!!!

Hold Your Loved Ones Close!

So it's been a little while. It's not that there's nothing to post, it's just taking the time to do it. Friday reminded me just how precious life is as I worked in "the Happiest Place on Earth", others were experience a nightmare in the north. While I was busy shooting happy families with my camera visiting their favorite characters and talking with them about what their days would be like, others were huddling in cupboards and bathrooms hoping and praying a madman wouldn't shoot them with a gun. As I walked into the break room and heard the news it brought reality to our fantasy world which usually isn't invaded. 

And it made me refocus on the children seeing their heroes and favorite characters and standing in awe at how much love these families were able to share away from the real world out there. And reminded me how much we protect that magic while our Guests are there. We want them to feel like Buzz Lightyear and Woody have come to life. Like Wreck-it-Ralph and Vanelope really did come out of the video game world just to visit them. 

So hug your loved ones a little tighter and tell them how much you love them because you never know when you won't have that chance again.