One of my favorite things about being a mom is being able to share my passions with my son. Already, my little guy relishes "reading" books, sitting for long periods flipping through his collection, page by page. We also have gone to a movie together, seeing Monsters Vs. Aliens. Luckily, it was a nearly empty theatre, because Paxton found as much pleasure in pushing on the seats in front of us as he did watching the action onscreen. We've been able to share the fun of live music with him several times already in his life. He saw Terri Hendrix me at a summer concert series last year, and Susan Gibson with us at a fundraiser in Wimberley late last year. I recently found out about a kids' night series that Nutty Brown Cafe hosts on Tuesday nights. Kids eat for $1, and there is kids' entertainment there from a balloon animal maker, and sometimes live musical acts. I would definitely take Paxton to a fun evening like that, but it sealed the deal when I heard that one of my longtime favorite entertainers, Sara Hickman, was performing for the kids this Tuesday.
Paxton and I rode with our friend, Carmen, and her son, Harper. We met Andrea, Berto, and their son, Henry, at the restaurant. Nutty Brown has a great outdoor area, with, among other features, two stages, a giant parrot habitat, and a huge sandbox for the kids. I thought Sara Hickman was supposed to start her show at 5, but apparently it was actually supposed to begin at 6, and she didn't begin until around 6:40. By that time, we were all getting antsy. The kids were entertaining themselves by crawling (or running, in Paxton's case) around the play area, tasting the different "flavors" of sidewalk chalk. Harper, in particular, enjoyed the popsicle-like experience of the chalk.
Before she began, I bought Sara Hickman's cd, Toddler, for Paxton, and had her autograph it. When I was pregnant, I saw her play at Susannah's Kitchen in Wimberley. I bought her album, Newborn, and she autographed it for "Baby Rigby-Cockle" and then sang to Paxton in my belly. It was a very sweet memory. I decided that he needed the next album in the series. In a year or two, we'll get him her album, Big Kid. He enjoyed the show, as did I. She opened with one of my all time favorites, "Kayaking" from her albun with Domestic Science Club. Such a fun, happy song! An example of the lyrics: "I want to go kayaking. Wanna make you my kayak king. We'll grow old together with our skin like leather, as we go kayaking!".
After that, she sang "Radiation Man" about an alien who lands on earth and sets fire to trees as he waves at his new earthling friends, inadvertantly filling their hearts with fear. Her set list was, as always, adorable, and Paxton enjoyed dancing to the beat. He treated the experience a bit like his Music Together class, sitting on my lap to watch her, trying to mimic the movements she led the kids to do. I hadn't realized that Music Together was good for teaching kids to sit and appreciate the live music experience. Nice bonus!!
We pushed the kids well past their 7 p.m. bedtime, but they seemed to have a good time. Paxton was in a zone on the car ride home, and he went to bed shortly after arriving home. It's always fun to take him to hear live music, but it's especially sweet when that music is geared to the little ones. I love sharing that with him, and I hope that we're building a love of these things in Paxton. Our goal is to open this world to him so that he can enjoy more than the box of middle America that we live comfortably (and thankfully) within.
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