A First!

Our big boy went to see his first movie on the big screen today! Months ago, I made the mistake of telling him that there was going to be a new "Cars" movie. This was a huge error, on many levels. One was that Nikos doesn't really get the concept of "a few months from now," and was devastated we couldn't see it right away. The second was that I (mistakenly) assumed that the movie would be sweet like the original, and totally appropriate for his first theater experience.

Well... Once I saw the trailers, I was horribly disappointed. It sure seemed like a lot of shooting and missiles and violence for a children's movie! I honestly don't know what Pixar was thinking, taking something as poignant as the original "Cars" and turning it into (basically) a James Bond movie. That just seems downright wrong!

Anyway, I was bummed, but Nikos still had his heart set on seeing it "in the theater with Daddy!" So, we talked about it, and he's a good kid. He knows that shooting is not nice and "not safe" (his words), and that it hurts people. And that it's not okay in our house. With that, he woke up early this morning, scrambled into our bed, and exclaimed that today was the day he was going to the movies! He was SO EXCITED!

So, Gus took him. And he did great! He loved the theater itself, and was particularly fascinated by the arcade games in the lobby. He liked that the chairs went "up and down a little," and declared that it was dark and spooky when the movie started. He loved the Toy Story short that aired before the feature, and sat quietly the entire time snuggling with Bear (who Gus brought along, "just in case"-- they probably could have done without, though). And Gus, at my request (since I was home with Maya), snapped this photo of our Big Boy in his seat at the theater:

After he got home and had a late lunch, he could not be convinced to nap. Instead, he talked about the movie, played outside, and then suggested we bake cupcakes. Well, that sounded like fun, so we mixed up one-third of a recipe. And, feeling patriotic, I decorated them myself with red and blue sprinkles. Aren't they purty? They taste good, too!

Later on, he got Maya involved in arranging all his "Cars"-movie cars (not to be confused with the 5 billion Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars) for the Big Race! Here you can see the racers lined up at the starting line, while the spectators are off to the side.

That's the rug in front of our sink, by the way. I managed to wash dishes without breaking my neck, which is my accomplishment du jour!

Tomorrow promises to be full of adventure, since we will be out of the house while the cleaning lady comes. Our agenda right now includes breakfast at a local cafe, mostly aimless shopping at various places, and possibly a stop at the library. Here's hoping everyone wakes up in good moods!