Every new Disney trip shows me a different version of my sons. I still enjoy it, but grieve how quickly childhood went.

The author's sons still enjoy Disney trips, but the reasons have changed.

Courtesy of Kristina Wright We took our first trip to Walt Disney World when my sons were 3 and 5.

Over the years, our trips have changed.

We still enjoy it, but for different reasons.

Our experiences at Disney highlight how quickly things change.

The first time we took our boys to Walt Disney World , they woke before dawn.

They were 3 and 5, impossibly excited after months of counting down the days.

Before the sun came up, they were already filled with questions about Mickey Mouse, Cinderella Castle, and which ride we'd go on first.

My husband and I could barely keep up as we hurried through breakfast, eager to get to the Magic Kingdom almost as much as they were.

When we returned two years later, not much had changed.

Disney still revolved around the kind of magic only little kids can create.

We cheered them on as they braved the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, saw their faces light up whenever they spotted Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and planned our days around tired little legs that gave out long before the parks closed.

We never seemed to make it to the fireworks , but it didn't matter.

There would be other trips.