A boy and his mouse

I had to share this with y’all.

Those of you who were around almost four years ago may remember our first family trip. (McIntosh Family 1st Trip: A Tale) So many of you, like @SallyEppcot, @Outer1 (who I haven’t seen on here recently) @Wahoohokie, @alitig1, @LoveBug53, @JustKeepSmiling, @B-squared, @splashmommy, @brklinck, @Ellen1976, @PrincipalTinker, @atomic, @JJT, @BearsMom2011, @kristenabelle, @kellymouse5, @theredhead, @catdrj, @FlyerFan1973, @MagicMN, @amyscherz, @Jedilogray, and many many others, were so generous with your advice and support and cheering our family on.

That trip, as you may recall, was for our 3 dear daughters and princess lovers: Cora, Nola, and Vera.

You may also recall that my DW, Ashley, was pregnant with our 4th while on the trip. God help her.

We found out just a month after returning from Disney that our unborn baby was a boy - definitely a first for our family! He was born on May 23rd of 2015, and we named him Harry after Ashley’s dad who passed away just a few months earlier.

Well, Harry is now 2 and he is a passionate lover of Donald, Goofy, Stitch, Woody, Buzz, and even Elsa… but out of all, his highest affection is reserved for Mickey Mouse.

This has been a hard season for us as a family, but we are setting our eyes on a family trip at the end of May, primarily so Harry can meet Mickey Mouse on his 3rd birthday.

And I’m sitting at work right now, a little distracted, trying not think about the details of our Fastpass reservations (which I will get to book in the morning) and Ashley just sent me this picture with the caption:

“He has to have all the Mickeys today.”

I thought you guys would appreciate it…

Yup, don’t let the long locks fool you (mom can’t bear to cut his hair), that’s my buddy, and he is so ready for his first trip to “Di’ney Woll” (well, his first trip outside the womb, that is.)

Harry’s face and his love for Mickey are what inspire me on hard days. He helps keep the magic alive in our home, and I wanted to share some of that with this community that has been so awesome to me.

What inspires you on hard days?

Love you, Liners!
-Jonathan

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Wow, I am sitting in my office- crying. What a lovely post! Harry looks like he is ready to leave today!

What inspires me? So many things! I will say this community and the love and support so many willingly share is on my list. Thanks for the post!

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Jon, I have to tell you that your trip report from 2014 was the best thing I’ve ever read on this forum. So good that my whole family read it aloud together! It just so happened that we had been at WDW the same time as you guys and we could relate to so many things…especially the day it rained so much while ya’ll were in HS. We were in AK that day and decided to try and wait out the rain in a gift shop. Well, the gift shop flooded with water so deep it was up to our ankles. The CMs handed out plastic bags to wrap around our shoes. What a memory! I guess we could have been upset that we waited hours for EE to open so we could ride or that KRR was down because of lightning, but we all remember nothing but fun from that day. It’s that mysterious Disney Magic, I tell ya!

P.S. Already can’t wait for your trip report this year! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Oh my gosh @JonMcIntosh, look at that kid! You are going to have ALL THE FUN.

I agree, your posts are at the top of my favorites here too, and I read them all to my wife.
Our kids’ first trip was right around yours, although mine were a couple of years older I guess and it was fun to read yours as I was thinking of my own trip reports.
(I suspect my wife thinks I’ve gone off the rails on my reports, but she hasn’t let on officially.)

Looking forward to your reports on this next trip!

May All Your Annas Be Free of Elsas.

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:laughing: @JonMcIntosh while I empathize with the stress it must have been at the time, your story of Anna in the Elsa was one of the best things I’ve read on here.

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Yes! Hilarious!

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What inspires me?
The look on my son’s face after Splash, Speedway, Soarin, Test Track, aaand also…
The HOPE he’ll get on TOT with me this year! (I know he’ll love it!)

It’s our last year with a 9 year old. Doubt we’ll be back until he has kids.
Universal is next, then we’re done with Orlando for a long while, I think.

(I think you could bring those Mickey’s somewhere like CM’s, and I bet Mickey would come over for a VERY special visit - especially for a birthday boy with a bunch of mickeys? I’d bet on it.)

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Thanks for the mention here (though, I don’t recall doing anything special to warrant it!). I haven’t been on the forums much lately. I stopped by yesterday for a short time and maybe will spend some time looking around again while snowed in tomorrow.

Great question. I’ll confess that I’ve been somewhat lacking in inspiration lately, so it’ll help me to hear how folks respond here.

I have taken some time today to peruse your trip report from 2014 and it was a great reminder of why I used to enjoy reading the forums. So many familiar names, some of whom have since become real-life friends and some who I only know from Touring Plans, that shared the joy of planning for and visiting Disney World. Your report was written in such a thoughtful and entertaining manner, sharing lessons for all of us among your experiences, while acknowledging the struggles that we all face. I guess there’s some inspiration in seeing your example there!

Also, I’ve just come across a mention of a trip report I started to write, which I regret to say remains incomplete :frowning:

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This makes me so, so happy - can’t wait for Harry to give Mickey the biggest hug in real life.

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Hello! Harry is adorable . :heart:

Kindness inspires me. I appreciate silliness and snark and beauty and quietness and wise advice, but kindness inspires me to keep going, especially on hard days.

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So cute!!!

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@JonMcIntosh, I loved that trip report, I read it several times. Harry is soooo cute he will definitely enjoy seeing real Mickey. I love the smile on his face.

What inspires me (aside from my kids) everyday is the innovation that is before us. The 4th industrial revolution and internet of things just blows me away with the possibilities. While time is slowly upon me to pass the employment torch onto the next generation (and I am counting the days 1500 to be exact) I will watch the world explode with new ideas, inventions, innovation the likes of which we have never seen before.

Now what I long for is a daughter in laws and grandkids. Hope they come soon

PS. Maybe Harry’s first haircut can be at MK

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@JonMcIntosh I just read your trip report and wanted to say thanks for being so candid! We’re (ok, I’M) planning our first family trip and have all girls who will be 8, 6, and 4 when we go. I’m already thinking of going back to our touring plans and redoing them all to allow for less rides, more down time, more rests, and so on. Looking forward to hearing how your upcoming trip goes and what you change/do different after the last trip!

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Flooding to your ankles? That’s crazy! I knew that day felt like an insane amount of rain.

@rckstrscat @NoCapes So, so funny, @JJT. I can’t believe you guys remember that!

I’d love to read it one day… if you ever finish it.

You know, I’ve already mentioned that to his mom, but to no avail!

I think I need to go back and listen to my own advice on this as I plan our upcoming trip. I think that I’ve left plenty of rooms for breaks, and moved the needle to “relaxed” on our walking settings, but honestly, it’s still probably too much for our family.

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Wow. Am not here as I once was but I was happy to be tagged. I am so happy for your family.

Harry is adorable. a liner in the making.

I am sure your next trip will be great. you put so much into your last trip. P!ease tag me along for your trio reports. They were awesome.

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Haven’t been here in so long and this was a nice thing come back to @JonMcIntosh

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I remember your first trip so well! Looking forward to your next adventure (Harry is adorable!!). Thanks for sharing with us! :grin:

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