-10. We arrive and they throw a parade - during our first family trip in 2010, this happened more than once. One could argue that it was related to our post-nap-break timing return to park, but we think they were just happy to see us. We stepped onto Main Street and the parade came around the corner. Magical.
-9. “Ring-side” seats at FOTLK - during our family trip celebrating my DH’s 40th birthday (gosh that was a minute ago by now) we were gathered in what is now Pandora by Camp Mickey Minnie waiting for entry to the theatre. A CM saw his birthday button and said, “Follow me, please.” We weren’t sure what was happening - we were yet naive to magic that sometimes happens when you wear a birthday button - but she escorted us past all the people and into the (still empty) theatre where we were given front-row seats to the show and throughout we enjoyed a lot of interaction with the cast and show. Everyone knows I love AK, but this might have been what made me fall so deeply in love with FOTLK
-8. An unexpected room upgrade - we had stayed at AKL-Jambo a few times already and knew we liked this one particular wing when not staying in a savanna room because it is right next to the bus stop. We put in a room request to be in that wing in a standard view room as we had paid for. On arrival, we were gifted with a pool view room in that same wing! The only upgrade we have ever received 
-7. A great last second fireworks spot - My kids have not always been huge fireworks fans in general. I, a nearly fourth of July baby, have a deep love for them. When they were finally old enough that we didn’t have to miss them, I sneakily managed to keep them in the park until, oops, the fireworks are starting we may as well stay! Under the guise of trying to exit before they began, I wound our way through the walkway by Adventureland and past Crystal Palace. It was almost impossible to keep going (oh darn) so we snagged a spot near a stand of trees right in front of the baby care center. Aside from the odd parent with the kid on the shoulders, it was a perfect spot and we didn’t camp out all night waiting for it. Also? My kids fell in love with the show and it became a must do for them too!
-6. It’s Mom’s 40th - Let’s Focus On Her! – we had the best CM at one of our farewell dinners at Chef Mickeys during the trip that was celebrating my 40th birthday. She was great anyway but once she learned it was my birthday she doted on me to the extreme. A complimentary dessert, a special mention to Minnie Mouse, and just a general mom-to-mom-I-see-you vibe that made me feel like Queen For A Day. I still think of her whenever we are at or near Chef Mickey’s!
-5. Imaginary Friends Become Real - I have so many friends in my life that I simply would not know if not for Disney. Those of you who have met others “IRL” probably get how weird it is to those who have not. But real relationships have come about because of a shared passion for the Mouse and his Bubble and if that ain’t magic I don’t know what is. Every single time I have the privilege to meet a new friend “IRL” with whom I’ve developed a friendship outside of the parks it just makes my heart grow! And that’s true regardless of the interaction: a quick hello outside of Splash Mountain on the way to get Dole Whips, drinks at the Sacred Spaces, a “kidnapping” outside of the Rat Ride, watching a parade together at a DVC kiosk, or a lengthier meetup in the CR lobby. I love adding “reals” to my life!! I haven’t yet met a single person who isn’t completely fantastic - different as they all are - and I am so fortunate to know them all! Yes, that means you, too 
-4. Transportation Cards - my son was at one point really into collecting the Transportation Cards. He asked every single Transportation CM he encountered that year and they were always very pleasant and happy to give them one if they had one. He got a wooden one from a ferry operator which was wicked special! None of them ever considered him bothering them or being a pest (even though I was worried he might be) and many of them asked what he already had so that they could avoid giving him duplicates where possible!
-3. The Boy Is A Beast - My son gets picked for everything. Literally everything and while I think it’s pretty awesome, it drives his sister crazy LOL. Probably my favorite time he was picked for a thing was when he was chosen to be Beast in Enchanted Tales with Belle. He was already deeply in love with that princess by then, and when he danced with her at the end of the skit you could see it all over his face. It’s one of my favorite pics of him at WDW ever. I hope he finds a real princess (or prince!) to share his life with someday and looks at them with that same look on his face!
-2. SeaRaycers With My Best Girl - One of the most fun things I’ve ever done at WDW was to rent a SeaRaycer at the Poly with my DD. She was only 14 then, but she was thus old enough to drive it and so after I had a turn we stopped at Ft Wilderness to swap places. It was one of the first times I really had this enormous sense of that she was becoming a young lady and would be doing All The Things soon and I was just so proud of her and happy to have that 1:1 time with her. It became a memory I clung to during some darker days for her that followed a year or so later, and I was always so happy to have that magical moment to look back on. (She’s all good now - 100% acceptance rate to colleges at which she applied, excelling at school and in her dance studio, and working part time too!)
-1. Cinderella steals our hearts and guarantees we would become lifers. MSEP was the first WDW parade my kids ever saw which I loved already because it had also been my first WDW parade way back in 1985. My daughter, then 5, had procured a plush Cinderella doll that same day. Ugly thing, honestly, but she loved it. As Cinderella passed by in the hub, Julia held that plush doll way up in the air and shook it all around jumping about and generally expressing extreme excitement. Cinderella points right at her, says (as I read her lips) “I love your doll!!” Julia turns around BEYOND excited and says, “Mama! She said she loves my doll! She said she loves my doll!” And I started crying over this magical moment and I’m pretty sure I started planning our next trip that very moment. It was for sure the moment that “sealed the deal” for us and is one I’ll never forget!
Longtime readers please note that I did not let the Forum gods win with this list 
On most M&Gs I’m really just there for the kids, but I HAD to cuddle Baloo myself.
