I just went an entire 24 hours without hearing a song from Frozen. That will mark the longest such gap in the past 12 months.
We have watched Frozen, we have sung Frozen, we have Chapstick'ed Frozen, we have magnetic doll'd Frozen, we have coloring booked Frozen, we have sippy cupped Frozen, we have Nintendo'd Frozen, we have bejeweled Frozen, we have beach toweled Frozen, we have stuffed Frozen, we have painted Frozen, we have fruit snacked Frozen, we have sticker booked Frozen, we have socked Frozen, have Halloween'ed Frozen, we have play figure'd Frozen, we have Playdoh'd Frozen, we have Just Danced 2015'd Frozen, we have app'd Frozen, we have dressed up Frozen. . .
Catch where I am going with this?
I think it is now safe to Let it Go.
As a final salute to Elsa and all the joy she has brought our home, a couple weeks ago I decided to surprise the kids with tickets to Disney Frozen on Ice and go out with a big Frozen bang. (Lance elected to go on a date with his dad to the shooting range instead. He would rather not hold glow wand and wave to Elsa, wha?)
I am only willing to risk such overwhelming public venues as this because of the wheelchair and visually impaired seating. Fantastically exciting for Bridger (and others) to be only inches away from the ice and characters gliding right in front of him - their skates spraying his face with the cold ice shavings.
Of course, one cannot attend such an event without looking the part.
The star of our show - our furry Sven.
A long time ago my older son had astutely told me that since people were going to stare, that we should give them something good to stare at. A few months ago I found a sign to adorn a side table in our home that serves as a daily reminder of that sentiment, "People are going to stare -- make it worth their time."
So, true to our new mantra, we aim to please and by the amount of stares and comments we received, I think we did make it worth their time.
Our wheeling Frozen pack arrived at the arena providing pre-show entertainment. Ty didn't know what all the fuss was about, he just dutifully wheeled along side his boss. Ana's boots (that she insisted on wearing) were 4 sizes too big so for those that didn't see us we bound to hear us as she clomped along echoing her way down the corridor of the arena.
As soon as we were escorted to our seats at the base of a crowd of thousands, Ty Sven pounced into action. He stood and went into a "visit" on Bridger's lap, his head pressing hard into his stomach. Bridger leaned over him and held on and they hugged their way through the stress generated by the sounds and crowds. Ty was not trained to provide such comfort - he just does it instinctively and I was proud of him for sensing the loud and overwhelming environment and initiating the comfort to Bridger. Olaf and Sven hugging it out in the wide open first row also provided some an adorable photo-op for a dozen strangers that now have that scene embedded on the flash card of their camera.
Eliza was mesmerized, Sadie was giddy.
Evie was in awe, I was excited that everyone was content to share a single $18 snocone in a souvenir cup.
Bridger was feeling every moment as he lyrically danced through the songs with his muscular spasticity.
And Ty, well, he was quite indifferent to the whole thing - as he should be. He was focused on Bridger, and every time the crowd applauded he was on his feet, head in Bridger's lap to calm him through the loud applause.
That is the reason for that big "Do Not Pet" patch on the back of Ty's vest (that is ignored all too often by strangers.) Every time someone pets him it diminishes his focus on Bridger. If he learned that every stranger approaching him was a potential hand to scratch his head, he would treat that greeter with more importance than he does Bridger. He is very focused on Bridger and we need to keep that eye single to his little Olaf of a boss.
It was a wonderful afternoon of novelty and adventure for my little bunch. I didn't mention how difficult it was to haul Bridger around this place, because whatever physical and mental drain it was, was more than replenished by the look in their faces. I love experiences so much more than things. I hope that by the time I am finished with this chapter of motherhood that their toyboxes may be empty and their minds may be full of memories - because you don't ever have to Let those Go.
