Monkeys and Tigers and Guinea Pigs, Oh My!

Swiper the Fox is a real superstar.  I mean, as much as the kids love Dora, it's that sneaky-fox-that-tries-to-swipe-their-stuff that holds the biggest place in the hearts of children. 

Samantha went to the theater on Saturday for the first time.  Nothing too fancy, and certainly an appropriate entry into the Washington socialite scene...for the 5-and-under set.  Nickelodeon Storytime Live certainly drew it's fair share of the over-30-set, but only because said 5-and-unders don't drive and can't afford the tickets.  I had to laugh at the number of empty seats visible from a cursory glance behind me (yes, everything was behind us, as we were perfectly situated in the center of the 4th row from the stage).  Those seats were paid for, for sure, but their occupants were happier sharing seats with their parents, perched on their laps for better views, giving the occasional elbow-to-the-face as they bounced up and down with excitement.  Luckily, Samantha didn't do that much bouncing, as excited as she was.  Although her eyes were glued to the action in front of her, it was quickly passing naptime and she held her blankie tight to her lips. 

Kai-Lan, the Backyardigans (not a favorite), Wonder Pets and Dora all played out their stories, with the biggest noise erupting from the audience when Swiper snuck out from behind the curtain to terrorize Dora.  Sammi put her blankie down long enough to say, "Oh no!  Swiper!"  And in a flash, before I could pull out my camera to capture the moment, Swiper was gone, foiled again, thanks to the combined efforts of Dora and the audience, chanting those magical words, "Swiper, no swiping!" 

After a painful (and claustrophobic) half hour or so of trying to get out of the packed-to-capacity parking garage, we were on our way home, and Samantha was sound asleep in her car seat.  I look forward to doing more of this sort of thing with her in the future, now that I know that she really enjoyed it.  I had visions beforehand of her deciding she'd had enough, heading toward the door, throwing a tantrum when she couldn't climb fast enough over the people blocking her path to the aisle.  I guess I underestimated her.  Not the last time that will happen, I'm sure...