Last night we took our grandkids to see the live How to Train Your Dragon Spectacular at the Honda Center in Anaheim. I was soon to find out that the night was more about training a grandma than training a dragon.
Here are some steps you might want to follow. However, you might have better results if you skip step #2.
- Pick up three cute grandkids – like the Bug, the Worm, and the Mouse. Don’t let them talk you into divulging what the surprise is.
- Drive to the nearest Hometown Buffet to begin the evening. Park unknowingly at the backside of the restaurant. Then thinking it has closed down, waste the next a half-hour trying to decide where else to go, only to have the Bug discover we have to walk around the corner to the entrance.
- Allow the grandkids to fill their own plates with nutritious foods like macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, red Jell-O squares, French fries, butter-topped rolls, pink spun cotton candy, chocolate cake topped with ice cream, a cupcake frosted with sprinkles, and to drink, a blue raspberry Icee.
- Allow the two-year-old Mouse to race his grandma back to the car. (Probably some of that energy derived from step #3. When I was just slightly edging him out, he shouted, “Let me win.” I did. He slapped the side of the car, yelling, “I win.”
- Make sure to forget your camera so you have nothing but a cheap cell phone to take pictures with.
- Allow the Mouse to sit on your lap, and hide his head in your neck, saying comforting things to him when he insists, “I no like this,” in the loud and dark parts with the big dragons.
- Listen to the Bug on his observations about how the live spectacular is unlike the movie. He is pretty impressed with the choreography when Hiccup, the young
Viking, tethered by a rope, runs a path perpendicular to the wall covered with
animated scenes of mountains and other obstacles. (I was impressed, too.) - Snuggle up to the Worm, as she pulls you in, and says with a big smile on her face, “Grandma, this is awesome.”
- Carry the now-sleeping two-year-old Mouse in your arms, back to the car, and wait patiently in the parking lot for the other cars to pull out while two older and more alert kids filled with wonder relive the parts they liked the best.
Yep, they trained me well enough to know we’ll do this again and again. Grandkids and spectaculars are, well, awesome.
Related posts:
- Everything I need
- Two and Oh, Dear
- Life is no dress rehearsal
- Encores and firsts
- A grandma by any other name
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I think the Worm should be in charge of making sure Grandma has her camera when she leaves the house. Sounds like a wonderful time was had by everybody!