The big screen is a big hit

Yesterday afternoon, I made a last-minute decision to try taking Owen to the movies. I had recently finished a discussion with some friends about whether or not our kids were ready for a theater-going experience and I had just about decided that I should probably wait a bit longer to give it a shot. However, on a whim, I decided we should go...a little mommy-son date at the movies. He had, afterall, woken from his nap in a good mood and declared " Mommy, I did a gweat job at wunch" (referring to our playgroup's masochistic display of taking all the really wound-up, post-playtime kids to an impromptu lunch at a busy pizza joint). And yes, he really had done a pretty great job at lunch. So, off we went to test fate at the movies. I almost backed out when I looked up the Charlotte's Web listing and learned that it was nearly 2 hours long! Ackk! Well, I thought we could give it a shot for the first hour or so.

I showed him the trailer for the movie on the computer and asked if he wanted to see that on a big, big screen at the movies. "Oh yeah, mommy!" I explained that we would have to be quiet and sit in our seats while watching. "Oh yeah, mommy!" Okay then, what more could I do to prepare?




















He was really excited by all the surroundings and I was afraid he would think the lobby of the theater was the main attraction. He wanted to be in charge of our tickets and immediately found the refreshment counter where we bought a popcorn and ICEE to share.



















We walked into our theater just as the lights were dimming and the previews were already underway. He led us nearly to the top of the stadium seating, picked our spots himself and crawled up into the seat with a big grin on his face. I sat down next to him and spent a minute or so readying all our stuff in case we needed to make a quick exit.

Well, it was a HUGE successs! Owen was so, so great for the entire time…almost 2 hours! He was so excited and just sat next to me, totally engrossed in the movie the entire time. We shared the bag of popcorn and the ICEE and had a fabulous little date. He laughed and giggled and appropriately commented on various scenes. He sat in that seat for all but the last 15 minutes when he stood for about 10 minutes and then walked down the steps and sat in the front row by himself for the last 5 or so minutes. I was amazed. I was also just a tad bit sore since I had to contort my pregnant self for the duration of the movie. Owen's little body just wasn't heavy enough to hold down the seat when he sat all the way back and his legs would fold into his chest whenever I let go of the seat edge!


Today, he's still talking about the pig and the spider and the BIG movie called "Shaw-its web."



















Fabulous time for us both and an all-around great memory for me. (or should I say "Terrific?" Perhaps, "Radiant?")