i am such a sucker, episode 3513424.

on black friday, lilcee alerted me to a killer deal via ticketbastard for something we'd talked about briefly - disney princesses on ice.  after we coordinated our schedules and settled on a date, we managed to score pretty decent seats normally going for $75 for a mere $28.  sweet.

it was a chilly, rainy day, but that didn't dampen the girls' spirits one bit.  although the bean has been to a disney on ice show before, she was extra excited to see it with her BFF.

i'd perused the selection of show souvenirs briefly before settling on a program that came with a flower a la belle, while lilcee scooped up a light-up spinny toy for mini cee.  the bean took one look at that flashy business and gave me the eyes.  gah.  but we'd dawdled so long that the show had already started by the time we got to our seats, and we were trapped in the center of the row.  but hey, our seats really were pretty good.  way better than last time.

halfway through the show, the skaters scurried backstage and the lights came back on.  intermission!  you know, when all the parents (including me) run out to spend cold hard cash on overpriced snacks and crap. while lilcee took the girls for a potty break, i stood in line like the good mom i am.  and it was totally worth it, because look:

come on.  for those smiles, you would've sucked it up and bought the damn thing too.

afterwards, we walked over to nearby lawry's carvery to grab some dee-licious grub.  as usual, the girls alternated between hugging and giggling and squabbling over who got to play what game on whose iPhone.

these two, man.  they're totally like siblings.  it's comical to watch.

disney on ice, ice baby

in the handful of days between christmas and new year's, we managed to squeeze in a matinee of disney on ice - the toy story 3 edition  oh, yes.

the show was playing at three different venues - staples center in l.a., honda center in anaheim, and citizens business bank arena in ontario - and since the latter was closest to us, that's where we went.

the hub wasn't thrilled that we had the cheap seats - but hey, they were only $16 plus ticketbastard fees per person. and it turned out that CBB arena is rather small, which meant that we actually had a pretty decent view of the show.  the bean was super duper stoked.

the show opened with a few of her favorite friends:  mickey, minnie, donald, and pluto.

it was a pretty cute show, with bits and pieces of all three toy story movies played out on the ice. 

slinky dog!

the potato heads!

green army men galore.

adorable glow-in-the-dark aliens.

she was captivated.

the grand finale.  bye bye, woody, buzz and friends!

we managed to escape the huge, colorful concession stands offering everything from $10 cups to $25 stuffed animals and more.

despite the sheer corniness of even the idea of "disney on ice," it was actually really fun, especially since the bean is such a toy story fanatic.  she alternated between watching the show with giant eyes and hopping off of her seat to dance along.  it was adorable.  i'm so glad we took her.

and now, my current project:  putting together a costume for her to wear to the fresh beat band concert next month.  and i have a major decision to make:  do i make myself a costume to match hers, or should i dress up as the other girl in the band?

either way, it's going to be awesome!