Connor's magical expedition, by Jonathan

So, I try to come up with things to do with Connor in the day.  I happened to be near the mall after dropping his brothers off at school and decided to go in.  It was just opening up so I felt it safe to let him have some exploration time.  I let him bolt around on his own feet while I followed close behind.

He LOVED the mall.  It was filled with so many wonders.  The greatest probably was the escalator.  OOOOO Escalators.  Truly a wonder of the world.  He looked at it intently watching the steps magically come out of the floor and glide up to the top where they again magically disappeared.  He was awestruck.  I could just see the little wheels of his mind working this all out.

He even did some experiments: hanging onto something stable while letting one foot touch the steps as they came out of the floor, watching it get pulled away before pulling it back.  Touching the moving railing and watching as it pulled his hand forward.  After some time, I decided it was time to take the plunge and step on.  Connor grinned madly.  He didn't know what to look at first.  The steps that lifted him into the sky, the unknown destination that awaited him, the ground that was leaving him, or the great vista around him that grew larger and larger.... oh... how magical the world must be for him.

Once at our destination, we found the Disney store waiting right at the top of the escalator.  There a young woman was fussing with something in front of the doors.  It took some convincing to get Connor away from the escalator, but he took a keen interest in the object residing before the entrance of the Disney store.

I walked over with Connor in my arms.

The young woman stopped what she was doing and spoke directly to Connor.

"Just the person I was looking for!"  She then proceeded to go into her spiel about how the store couldn't wake up without magic, and she needed Connor's help to wake it up.  He was given a wizard's hat a la "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and was told to use his magic by waving his hands.  Connor waved, but it was more of a hello/goodbye wave rather than a magical wave.  Then she hit some hidden switch and the store lit up and came to life.  Connor found all of this amazing and hysterically fun.

After this, the young lady proceeded to wheel her pedestal containing the magic hat, magic book, and secret switch to the back of the store.  Connor leapt from my arms, ran up to her and started to push the pedestal with her.

After leaving a very gracious Disney store employee, Connor proceeded to run around the store squealing at all the wonderful items in it.  I have to admit, Disney sure knows how to make a presentation.