Back At It

It's back to business as usual around here today. All the girls started back to school...which also means the afternoon activities resume. It's always bittersweet for me. We definitely thrive on being in a routine and things usually go smoother when we're in one. But I sure have enjoyed everyone being at home. It's so nice to wake up and know that there's nowhere we have to be. Yesterday was the last day of freedom, and of course we had to make the most of it. I fully intended our plans to be a surprise, but by the time we were ready to walk out the door the cat was out of the bag. I'd bought tickets for the early matinee of Tangled at the Monaco, and Bethany got us there safe and sound and just in time. I was super excited about it because I'd heard lots of good things about the movie. And besides seeing Up two summers ago when she was really young, it was Cate's first real trip to the theater. I knew going into it that it could go one of two ways and was hoping for the best. But if you've ever watched a movie with Cate, you would know you either need earphones or duct tape. She asks questions the entire time. We first noticed it when we watched The Santa Claus with Tim Allen before Christmas. When Santa falls off the roof and onto the ground, his clothes stay there but he's gone. Seeing that led to this:

Why did he fall? Did he hurt himself? Where did he go? Why are his clothes on the ground? Is he naked now? Oh no, what if someone sees his hiney? Is he walking down the street with no clothes on? Isn't he gonna be cold? Will he find more clothes? Oh, I bet he'll just go to the mall and buy something to wear. Did he go to the hospital? Will he have to get a shot since he fell off the roof?

It went on and on. I hate to admit that she must have gotten it from me because I can't watch a movie and just take it in. I want to know why, where, how, etc. It's exhausting. Anyway, I tried to explain to her that since we'd be in a movie theater we couldn't really talk out loud because we'd be a distraction. She was fine with that and only whispered 1,479 questions in my ear. And last night when J asked her if she liked the movie she said, "yes, and I only went to the bathroom four times." Gotta love her honesty! Bethany and Towns really enjoyed it. It's technically the first Disney princess movie the younger two have ever seen. They know who the princess are, but that's about it. I don't get why there has to be an evil villain in all of them, and quite frankly I enjoy my sleep at night. They'd be constantly thinking they're hearing things at night and I'd be fit to be tied. I know this because even watching The Grinch is a problem. I watched all the Disney movies growing up and never thought anything of it. But now that I'm a parent it's a little different. If they asked to watch one I'd gladly let them, but they've never asked. Therefore we all sleep soundly. :)

After the movie I snagged a quick, blurry camera phone picture before B headed off on her own to shop around...
We had an hour and a half before we needed to leave to get B back home in time to cheer at a basketball game. That was great for Bebs. Not so great for me when it's cold outside and a trip to the cookie store only takes up ten minutes! We braved the cold and they ran their hearts out while pushing the stroller. This is what I saw as I heard Towns yelling something like "come on Cate let's smoke Mommy"...
And they flew right on past me. But that didn't last long because Towns decided she would rather ride...
I can't confine Cate to a stroller if my life depended on it, so a double stroller would be a total waste. Towns loves it though!

We spent the rest of our time reading and playing in Barnes & Noble while we waited on Bebby. Why is it that I'm a sucker for books with pretty covers? I refrained from buying any, but it was hard. They always end up unread, so it's just as well.

B's basketball game that afternoon wasn't crowded, so the girls slipped on over to the cheerleaders' section and tried to join in...
I love that Bethany isn't embarrassed about it. Most of the time, at least. To those two little chicas Bethany is their ticket to everything cool in this world!