Toy Story 3

I have always loved going to the movies. I have fond memories of going to the movies with various family members; my parents, aunts, Grandma. We would buy candy at the drugstore and smuggle it in. We'd also get a huge bucket of popcorn and a pop. It was fantastic. I couldn't wait for Annabelle to be old enough to go to the movie theater and make some memories with her. So when I heard that they were making another Toy Story, I was ready to take her. My husband and I got her a special kid's platter at the show. It came with popcorn, fruit snacks and a drink. We let her pick whatever she wanted to drink too. She's rarely allowed to have pop so that's what she picked.

At this point, I was just hoping the movie would be decent. We all know how sequels can be. I loved #1 but #2 was just OK. Happily, #3 was fantastic! We laughed at Mr. Potato-Head as a taco and I cried when Andy was giving away all of his beloved toys. It felt like this was going to happen at any moment for Annabelle. She has a Pooh Bear that she got when she was born from her Uncle Keith that has been everywhere. She used to need him with her everywhere she went. In the car, at the store, on all of our various vacations, in bed. But I see that she doesn't need him like she used to. She still needs him to sleep but there are many days that he stays upstairs in her bedroom until nighttime falls. I can't imagine ever letting Pooh go, even when she's too old for him. We will always have him because he was part of her. It would be like getting rid of her arm or leg.



So while I loved the movie, it made me sad at the same time. It made me look into the not so far off future and see that some day my little girl will be all grown up. Some day sooner than I would hope for, she will come up with her own "plan" and dream about someday. All of this time is going by way to fast for me most days. So make the best of it and squirrel away the memories of her. Someday I will look back at this movie and remember her delighted giggle at seeing Buzz and Woody up on the big screen. The rapt attention that she paid to all the new characters that she talked about for days afterward. All of those little details that she picked out while watching and repeating catch phrases from the movie. And someday, when she's older, she'll remember our trips to the movie and reminice about how much fun she had being with Daddy and Mama.