A Day at the Movies

I haven't been chomping at the bit to take Calvin to a movie theater.

He's not overly interested in television and even his favorite videos don't hold his attention for more than thirty minutes, if that.

Cal has watched one feature-length film in its entirety exactly once: Toy Story II (I think the original is too scary, with that neighbor kid, Sid, destroying toys and whatnot.) And while he periodically asks for Buzz and Woody, he's up and playing after fifteen minutes.

What I'm trying to say is that it was fully out of character for us to take Calvin to a movie today.

I'm not sure whether it was the promise of another Pixar film (do you love them as much as we do?) or just an excuse to get out of the house on a rainy afternoon, but we were suddenly off to the theater with peanut M&Ms and Pooh Bear in hand. Just incase we needed a little comfort.

We watched the trailer at home to introduce Cal to Wall-e and talked about sitting in a chair in front of a big, big, BIG screen ... but one has to experience the theater to know it.

Honestly, I thought he'd find it loud and overwhelming and we'd head home after 30 minutes. But Cal surprised me. He sat adorably in his own chair, between Mom & Dad, Pooh Bear in his lap and munched on his M&Ms. He stared awestruck at the screen. He loved the previews -- more cartoons -- and would talk quietly to the characters just like he does at home. He laughed and 'ouched' at appropriate times, and seemed quite at home at the theater. Must be our kid.

Of course, thirty minutes later ... his M&Ms were gone and he was ready to play. He seemed to understand that he needed to be quiet, but found the moving seat remarkable and, if there had been more available for him, he would have sat in every one of them!

After a few minutes of playing he would settle in on one of our laps for a few minutes, then stand, then sit, then stand, and finally nestled in on Dad's lap for the remaining twenty minutes.

Calvin clapped at the end. And he deserved a round of applause, too.