Let's Go to the Movies!

Anyone who knows me, knows going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do. I love everything about it – the big screen, the previews, popcorn, spending 2+ hours wrapped in a imaginary world. I just love it. The "Let's go to the movies" song from Annie always plays in my head each time I'm heading to see a show...

I've been very excited – and hesitant – about taking Anna to the movies. I wanted to make sure she was able to sit through a movie because nothing would make me more frustrated to have to leave in the middle of a movie.

So, back in January When I heard that Toy Story 3 was coming out in May, I started prepping for that to be Anna's first movie theater experience. It perfect for me because the Toy Story series holds a special place in my heart. I remember seeing the first two movies in the theater with my family and watching them countless times at home with my brother and sister. Also, I am still convinced that toys have a life of their own when we're not looking so I've always been fascinated by the concept the movie.

To get her ready for the movie, I slowly started introducing the Toy Story characters and the first movie. Well, my little dear didn't need a slow introduct – she latched on immediately and fell in love with Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang (especially Slinky Dog and Alien). Unfortunately this did mean that Jason and I have been subjected to more viewings of Toy Story than we care to count.

By the time May rolled around, Anna was psyched up and I was confident she could make it through the movie. She did not disappoint. With Alien in tow, she happily scarfed down lots of popcorn and tuned into the adventures of the movie.

She made it through almost the whole movie. With about 15 minutes left she decided she jumped off Jason's lap and announced, "I'm ready to go back to my house now." We were able to convince her to sit for the remainder of the movie and when it ended she had changed her mind and didn't want to go home yet...fickle two-year-olds. After getting her out of the theater, she got an extra bonus – "meeting" the Alvin & the Chipmunks. I guess the theater hadn't gotten rid of those props yet.

The upside to my "operation Toy Story endeavor is I believe she is going to be a girl after my own heart because she constantly asks when she can back to the "movie e-a-ter".

The downside? Now she is OBSESSED with all things Toy Story and as you can imagine, the Disney marketing team left no stone unturned. Just yesterday we were at the post office and there were posters and life-size cut outs of the characters. I don't quite get the connection, but Anna is now a fan of the post office...so I guess the marketing fairies know what they are doing...