Drive-In Drama

I decided for a fun thing for Joy tonight we would go to the drive-in and see The Water Horse (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thewaterhorse/). I think it was probably a cute flick, but between the seat shifting and everything else, I didn't actually get to see a whole lot of the film. First, we decided to take Dallyn and Leith with us as a thank you for all of their help with the kids all the time. That was no big deal. We got to the drive-in and the seating arrangement began. I decided that having Leith in the back with the kids and me up front wasn't the best idea, so he went up with Dallyn and Joy, Paul and I went to work setting up the back. We took the back row of seats down and spread out blankets and pillows. That worked for about 10 minutes until Joy couldn't see and Paul wouldn't settle and lay down. Up came the seats and the blankets and pillows were redistirbuted. Then, I realized I couldn't see a darn thing. By this point the movie was starting. So, we shuffled several more times with the end result being that Paul was in the far back seat with Hyrum's car seat, Brigham and I were in the middle, and Joy was seated just behind the console in the middle of the two front seats. Paul and Brigham weren't remotely interested in the movie, so they put on headphones and watched Little Einsteins while the boys and Joy watched the movie and I tried to feed a crying Hyrum. I finally decided that the thrashing Hyrum wasn't really hungry, but tired, so I put him back in his seat next to Paul and he cried for a minute or so before dropping off to sleep for the remainder of the evening. I don't know if you remember Joy at movies, but she still asks questions every few seconds. So, the next little while consisted of Paul pointing out things in his movie, Joy asking about her movie, and adjusting the boys' headphones when they pulled them off. Not bad, I actually got to watch a bit of the movie here and there. Then, about 10 minutes before the movie was to end, at the climax of the movie, Little Einsteins went blank and I realized I had not cranked the car once during the movie. So, in a desperate attempt to possibly let the car rejuvinate, we turned everything off and sat in the dark for 10 minutes, explaining all the time to Joy what a battery was, and why we couldn't hear the movie anymore (the sound came through the radio) and why we weren't exactly sure what the water horse was doing, and everything else you could imagine. When the movie was over, I tried turning the car on. No luck. So, I buckled everyone in and left them with Dallyn in charge to walk to the snack stand to see about a jump. Fortunately, I caught the jumper guy just as he was heading out with some other woman with a dead battery. After she was done (her car wasn't in park, that is why it wouldn't start) the guy came over, hooked the little machine up, and the van cranked right up. Off we went home, and I let the van run for another half an hour in the driveway.

All in all, it was a memorable night. Did I mention that because it was so dark, we missed the turn on the way? Hmm, maybe we won't do the drive in again for another couple of weeks. On the bright side, all the kids get in free, so it would be a fairly cheap and fun thing for Joy and I to do. Just set a timer to crank the van, turn on Blue's Clues for the boys, and we would be set!