Earlier this week, Ashley (my three-year-old) and I had a special Ashley & Mommy day. With three girls, it is important that I give each of them their own “special” time. And I’m especially aware of middle-child syndrome with Ashley. Someone once told me that you know you’ve done a great job as a parent if they all secretly think that they’re your favorite. I love that!
We dropped her big sister Hailey off at school, and instead of heading to her class, as we usually do, Ashley and I excitedly walked back to the car. We were standing-up school for the day in order to take care of more important business… Mommy-daugter fun and bonding, and of course – Tinkerbell! We were going to see the new Tinkerbell movie. As soon as we parked the car at our destination in Hollywood, I could tell that Ashley was filled with joy. She held my hand as we ran and laughed our way up from the parking structure and through the Hollywood and Highland shopping center. She ran down the steps just like she was starring in her own movie. As we got to the bottom of the stairs, she was instantly mesmerized by the stars on the Walk of Fame. She wanted to jump and hop from star to star.
{Hollywood Walk Of Fame}
We eventually made our way into the movie theater. I don’t typically let her eat candy in the morning, but since it was a special day… sure, why not? She picked out some candy and popcorn (okay, the popcorn was more for me, but I shared!), and we headed in to find our seats. The El Capitan Theater is beautifully ornate on the inside. Ashley pointed out all of the fancy features. She asked if this was where the princesses went to see movies. Of course, the answer was YES.
Before the movie began, Tinkerbell herself came out to for a brief dance, followed by a celebratory blast of confetti in the air. Was this a dream?! No, just our special day. Ashley was in heaven. And she did not forget about the confetti once the movie was over (and I do just have to add that it was a really strange movie). She scrambled around the theater collecting the colorful bits of paper. She was beyond happy… She was practically bursting with it. Of course, the too-smart marketers at Disney have a store attached to the theater. We went inside, and I let her pick out a toy. She quickly put back a Frozen toy once she spotted sparkling fairies from the Tinkerbell movie. After all, who can resist dolls in glittery dresses?!
As we were walking back from the theater, strolling past people doing interviews for the Jimmy Kimmel show, and back to Hollywood and Highland, I asked her what she wanted to do next. “Do you want to go to lunch?” I asked. But before she could answer, she found her mecca… Sephora. She loves playing with makeup, and wanted to go inside to “play.” She sampled a rainbow of eyeshadow colors that she applied herself. She tried glitter eyeliner, and who knows what else. Don’t worry, I wiped most of it off before we left the store! She had a blast. One of the makeup artists at the store was so amused by Ashley and her infatuation with the makeup, that he went in the back to find some fun beauty gifts for her.
This was one of the absolute best days I have had as a mommy. I have rarely seen Ashley so overjoyed. She went back to school the next day, but we are already planning our next ditch day… Shhh!
Lace And Lollipops 
