July 6, 2010

This is the day I did something with my children that made me feel like we'd finally joined a majority of parents. It was nice to feel like I was finally sharing a common experience with my friends who have kids. Annalise, Bennett, and I went to a MOVIE....in a movie theatre! Now, for those of you who are up to date on your Milk & O's history, you remember that G&G J got movie tickets for A, along with a hard copy of Horton Hears a Who for her 4th birthday, but she proceeded to run from the theatre only minutes into the flick. This time around, we also laid the groundwork for a successful movie-going experience by watching Toy Story and Toy Story Two (VHS tapes borrowed from The Three Kings- thanks!) about a week prior to our movie date night. On the way to the theatre, we talked about how the sound might seem really loud, but they'd get used to it, and we also talked about how it wasn't real, and if they got scared they could cover their eyes, or snuggle on my lap. We had popcorn and Milk Duds, and I brought juice boxes for the kids. They did really well! Bennett kept his eyes on the screen the whole time, shoveling in handfuls of popcorn, and loudly asking for more. I had to go to the bathroom near the end of the film, courtesy of Large Diet Coke, and asked the kids if they needed to go. Annalise came with me, while Bennett insisted on staying to watch the movie alone. We ran down the hall and back, and Bennett wasn't even fazed that we had left him. He of course wasn't able to tell us how the toys got into the garbage truck, but Annalise and I had a pretty good idea of what we had missed. We really enjoyed Toy Story Three, and it was so much fun breaking it down on the drive home, and listening to the kids relay the story to Daddy on our bed after everyone was in jammies. They were so excited to tell their favorite parts, they could hardly wait while the other was talking. I don't know when another movie will come along that I think our delicate crew will be able to handle, but I hope it isn't too far away- now that we are a tried-and-true movie going bunch, I'm excited to go again!