Mission Tiki Drive-in Olympics

We had big plans for Saturday. We were going to go to this fantastic park on the ocean, a few miles north of Santa Barbara. There were hiking trails, tide pools, rock formations, and, of course, miles of sandy beach. But, a 4:58 a.m. wake-up call from a certain toddler we know made for a groggy, sluggish start to the day. Once afternoon hit, we knew that the park--at 2 hours away--was a bit out of reach. So, we changed plans and decided to check out the Mission Tiki drive-in for a viewing of Shrek Forever After. As its name implies, the drive in has a tiki theme. It's got a tiki gift shop, a large snack bar with the usual movie stuff and fresh tacos, and even a quick-serve outside snack bar with hot dogs and bottled sodas.

Jonathan is a HUGE fan of Shrek, and the films have been instrumental in his learning of the English language (e.g., "We're going to have a tournament!"). We were excited for him to be able to see the last Shrek movie on a big screen, and to be confined to the car, so that he could only disturb us, instead of the 300 other paying movie patrons. We got some movie goodies at Target and then trekked out to the theater.

Right when the starting music came on, he said, "Watch Fiona, Mommy?" Yep, he knows his Shrek movies. He did well with the viewing, with the occasional squirming and grabbing everything within reach.

Of course, drive-ins always do a double-feature, and Iron Man 2 was the second feature of the night. Mommy explained to Jonathan that the next movie was a mommy and daddy movie, and that Jonathan needed to stay in the back seat. Our secret hope was that he'd fall asleep in the post-Shrek bliss. Ahh, self-deception is so wonderful sometimes. Iron Man 2 had some cool fight scenes, remarkably clean language, and was entertaining overall. Jonathan made his way all over the car, but eventually settled in to Daddy's lap and started getting heavy. Whew! He's asl--wait. What's that?! Why is daddy's lap feeling extra warm? Oh, that's why. Jonathan's pull-up diaper leaked, and Jonathan managed to pee both of our pants! Mommy got him changed, while Daddy air-dried. I was a little p.o.'d, but I got over it.


What we didn't realize was that our theater actually showed a triple feature. After Iron Man 2, they played Shrek. Again. Really, the second showing of Shrek was meant for people who came during the showing of Iron Man 2. We got busy getting Jonathan changed and ready to get in his car seat. But, alas, the Shrek theme started playing and Mr. Party All Night was begging to see his favorite ogre. Mommy folded the back seat down and curled up to watch. Jonathan happily took shotgun and sat, wide-eyed. Did I mention that it was now some time after midnight?! Yes, most normal toddlers would have been asleep hours before, but not our little man. Not too much time had passed before Mommy drifted off. Daddy made it through most of the movie but fell asleep in the last 20 minutes or so. And Jonathan? He stayed awake through the final credits, a final diaper change, and through the last sounds of the score as it faded away on our drive away from the theater. So, in the final score, it was Parents 0, Toddler 1.