Matt summed it up nicely

So Mark was away last night and I decided that instead of staying couped up in the house I was going to take the kids to see Horton Hears a Who at the movie theater. Some people may have thought that I was crazy, taking two kids, a three year old and a 21 month old, to the movies, by myself, past their bedtime no less. When I first showed up at the theater, and was trying to buy tickets while the kids ran in opposite directions, or when I was trying to lug a bucket of popcorn, large soda, diaper bag, a 22 pound baby on my hip and yelling "RED light Matt!! Red light!" as he ran down the lobby away from me, I was beginning to think they were right. There was another hairy moment, too, when we got into the the theater and it was big and quiet and dark and Matt suddenly started crying saying, "I'm scared! I want to go home!" Note to self, though, three-year-old's are easily bought off with popcorn.

So we get settled into our seats. Poor Jill, she was too light to hold the seat down and it kept popping up, folding her in half. Second note to self, heavy diaper bag on the seat doesn't help. So she sat on my lap for the rest of the movie, which actually worked out pretty well. Then, of course, was the task of explaining to Matt that popcorn on the floor is NOT to be eaten... Also, I woefully over-estimated how much time it'd take to get to the theater, buy tickets and popcorn and get the kids seated, so we were there in our seats at 6:30 and the movie didn't start until 7:10. Good thing Matt didn't have to go potty because I don't know what the heck I would have done.

Anyway, once the movie started Matt was mesmerized... sitting on the edge of his seat with the bucket of popcorn on his lap, laughing loudly at the antics of the silly Horton as he tried to protect and save the "speck." He laughed in all the right places and had a ball. I wish I could have taken a picture.

Jill did amazingly well, too, considering it was past her bedtime. I think sitting on my lap helped. There was a couple of times that she turned into a squirmy wormy, but for the most part, she snuggled on my lap quietly and watched the movie.

All in all it was a night to remember and Matt summed it up nicely when - at the end of the movie when Horton successfully carried out his mission by carrying the speck to a safer place - he announced loudly in his cheery little voice, "Mumma, I'm so PROUD of him!!" To which the entire theater erupted in amused laughter. :)

I have the best kids in the world.