Off to the movies....

This afternoon we took Brynn and Braden to see their first movie ever in an actual movie theater. We went to the last matinee showing of Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakquel with hopes of saving a little money, but by the time we took our seats we had already spent $38.50; which included four movie tickets, a very large coke and popcorn we all shared. Did I mention the coke and popcorn were TEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS, seriously??? Luckily, I smuggled a couple bags of M&M's I bought earlier at Target and Braden's Thomas the Train water bottle.

At the cost of our hour and a half of entertainment, it was a huge relief both Brynn and Braden enjoyed themselves and we did not have to get up and leave in the middle. Brynn has never been a fan of the dark, loud noises, or anything large, so it pretty much ruled out movie theaters in the past. She was a little apprehensive when we first walked in questioning everything in sight and gripping me tightly. She did not want to sit close to the screen, so we took our seats at the top row as far back as we could. At first, she was convinced she was going to see something scary and every time a new movie trailer began, she would lean over and tell me she thought we must be at the wrong movie. In the end, she was thrilled and asked when we would be coming back. I told her she would need to save her money ;o)

Braden on the other hand looked at this outing as an adventure. He was overjoyed we choose the seats in the top back row because as he was able to climb all the stairs; he is all about stairs and thinks they are cool (Can you tell we live in a one-story?). He thought the lights on the floor were the neatest thing and asked several times, how'd they do that?, but he found the most enjoyment in the very seat he sat in, as it closed on him anytime his weight became unevenly distributed. He quickly figured out it rocked back and forth, so whenever the Chipmunks or Chipettes performed during the movie; he would rock his seat back and forth and dance right along. AND he was "that" kid who laughed out loud anytime he heard someone else in the audience laugh. I probably laughed more at him then I did anything in the movie.

Which brings me to the movie...

Until recently I have not had the pleasure of watching many kid movies, I never really took an interest in cartoons of any type as an adult or anything with a rating under PG-13. Obviously now I have children who are taking an interest in movies of G rating and I am actually enjoying catching up. Now Alvin in The Chipmunks, The Squeakquel in my opinion was not as great as the first one (how many times have we said that in the past?), and I must admit it was completely predictable, had only few funny parts, but those Chipettes are super-cute and the McDonald's Happy Meal toys don't really do them justice.

In the end, we had a great first time experience at the movies as a family, $38.50 and all.....