Paw Patrol Live!

In effort to keep our toy collection minimal, Christmas and birthdays are pretty much the only time our kids get new toys. We don't bribe them with new toys (often anyway . . . it has happened before), and they know when they go with us to the store that they will not be getting toys. Even toys that come in kids meals often get thrown out after just a few days. I even did a major toy clean out when we moved. Despite this, somehow we still have SO MANY toys in our house. We have many generous friends and family members, and with four children it's easy for the toys to multiply quickly. 

This year for Christmas, we decided that we'd keep the toys to a minimum, even from us. Each of the children did get two or three new toys, but they also received clothing, learning resources, and tickets to Paw Patrol Live! This is something we knew they'd all enjoy, and Bren especially is a HUGE Paw Patrol fan (which is kind of funny because we don't really watch it on TV). We've seen just a few episodes, but Bren loves all the pups. 

The kids were excited about the tickets, but felt like the show was SO far away, haha. It wasn't until this past weekend, so I'm sure it did feel like a long time to them. 

Brianna is really the only child who has been to anything like this . . . Bren hasn't even been to the movies yet. When we first got there, there was a lot of commotion and hundreds of kids, so it was a little overwhelming. However, we soon found our seats and were able to settle in a bit. 

The primary reason that Bren has never been to a live show or to the movies is the noise factor. He's very sensitive to noise! He was certainly concerned about the show being loud, so we told him he could bring his ear muffs. He forgot them, but it didn't end up being a problem. 

He was SUPER excited for the show!

Brianna was excited, too!

The lady sitting next to us kindly offered to take a family photo for us. You know I'll never turn that down!

Once the show began, all the kids were mesmerized. It was a really cute show!

I knew that Brenson and Brianna would be fine, but I wasn't sure about how Brooke and Brecklyn would do as far as sitting still and being interested in the show goes. They don't have any type of screentime at all, and even when we've tried to have them sit and watch TV, they are not interested. However, they were still and quiet and definitely enjoyed this show!

Bren and Brooke

Brecklyn and Brianna

After the first 15ish minutes, Brecklyn really began to enjoy herself.

Brooke was serious pretty much the entire time, but she didn't take her eyes off the stage. 

Along with her little serious face, we also saw a lot of Brooke's little pointer finger. So cute!

The show was right at an hour long with a fifteen minute intermission. That was about perfect for my crew! At the end, the kids were able to get up and join in on the singing and dancing which was something they all enjoyed. 

When it was over, Bren asked if we could just stay for the next performance :-). I think it's safe to say he enjoyed himself! However, it was about lunchtime, so we headed to our van to go eat. We were in downtown for the performance - which is where Chris works - so it was neat to have the kiddos down there walking around. We don't make it down there as a family much, for sure!

Brenson & Brianna, Brooke & Daddy 

Brecklyn holding Momma's hand walking to our van

Dining out for a Saturday lunch is also something we don't often do, so the children were feeling like it was a super special day all around. We went to Chuy's (also somewhere we don't often eat), and everyone enjoyed their meals. By the time we headed for home, it was after 1:00pm, so the little girls fell asleep in the van. Thankfully, they transferred to their cribs when we got home, so the rest of us were able to rest, as well.

This was definitely a fun experience for the whole family, and something we hope to do more of in the future!