Snuggin' With Simba

I love The Lion King. More importantly, my daughter loves The Lion King. Until The Little Mermaid came out on DVD last year, Simba and company were her go-to video friends. Even after being introduced to Ariel and Prince Eric, she prefers the Lion King CD over all others on car trips. Hearing her sing her version of "The Circle of Life" is one of the great pleasures of my life.

So when we heard that the musical The Lion King was coming to town, we knew we had to make that Ainsley's first theatrical experience. Jason and I had seen if when it came to town 4 years ago, when Ains was just a baby. It remains one of my favorite memories--how do you not get a little choked up during the opening when all the animals come down through the aisles? It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

We were a little worried Saturday morning. Our tickets were for the Saturday matinee, and that's the time of day Ainsley usually naps on weekends. We figured the excitement would carry her through. What we didn't figure was that she would be up and at 'em at 6:30 that morning.

I am happy to say that even though she was tired and very overdue for her nap, she did very well. Her eyes got so big during "The Circle of Life"; you could tell she was having a hard time taking it all in and knowing what to look at. During the first act, she was absolutely rapt.

During the intermission the eye-rubbing and crankiness started to set in a little, but the bird puppets buzzing over our heads as the performers entered to start the second act had her pretty entranced. She dozed off a little in her daddy's lap right before Scar and Simba fought, but woke up for the end. She got so excited during the curtain call when everyone applauded for such a long time--she didn't want to stop! That may have been her favorite part.

She has been sleeping with a stuffed Simba every night this week, so her experience must be sticking with her. Ainsley loves to cuddle with a stuffed animal; she calls it (and this is so cute to hear her say) "snugging." Her all-time favorite snugger is Lumpy, the adorable little purple elephant from The Heffalump Movie. He has to be under her arm at night or sleep just isn't possible. She gets that from me; rumor has it I slept with a stuffed animal by my side right up until we adopted our first real live animal when I had long been a married woman. My all-time favorite snugger is the baby Simba a thoughtful boyfriend (so thoughtful that I later married him) bought for me when I cooed over it in a toy store after The Lion King first came out in theaters. He's been washed and passed on to Ainsley. The last few nights when I've tucked her in she's had Lumpy on one side, Simba on the other. It's too precious for words.

It's a wonderful feeling when you share something you love with your child, and she loves it more even than you do. It feels even better than snugging with a favorite toy.