Alice's Adventures Underground: Starstruck

The weekend before last, The KingofHearts was working on the never-ending bathroom remodel project that's been going on since February. I'd complain about the length of time it's taken to finish this job, but then I might have to pay him in some form of compensation other than macaroni and cheese and the occasional ungrateful child laborer.

The Dormouse has thoroughly enjoyed helping with this project and she's been really great about it. The problem lies when The Dormouse gets to go downstairs to help Daddy and The Caterpillar is not allowed. And then it is AN ISSUE. And I have to spend the entire day a) distracting her from the basement stairs, b) dealing with her fits when she's told not to go downstairs when her sister gets to go and c) listening to her get yelled at when I go to the bathroom and she sneaks down there. So when Monica called and said, "Hey, Rocknocerous is playing in Virginia this morning, want to go?" I jumped at the chance to get them both out of the house and not spend my day whipping my head around whenever I've heard more than three seconds of silence.

Several months ago, I was looking for some new kids' music and downloaded a bunch of Rocknocerous' podcasts for the girls to watch on my iPod in the car. The Dormouse loved them. We know The Dormouse very well by now and one thing you just Do. Not. Do. with The Dormouse is give her any details whatsoever about any upcoming event before you absolutely have to. Because if you say offhandedly to her, "Hey in two weeks you're going to stay overnight at your friend Lisa's house for a night," she will obsess about it for the next Two. Solid. Weeks. You'll find seventeen pairs of pajamas stashed away in the car which she claims she "might need for the sleepover," she'll ask eighty-bajillion times if she can go up in the attic to find a sleeping bag, she'll upend her closet looking for appropriate jewels and lay out six outfits to plan to wear during different portions of the event despite the fact that we repeatedly tell her, "You're staying ONE NIGHT and you're not going to FOURTEEN DAYS, you will not need SIX OUTFITS." It's exhausting.

Our response to all this has been to react in a completely appropriate, pendulum swinging all the way to the other side, sort of way and never tell her anything before we absolutely have to do so. So if you think I said one word to her about going to see Rocknocerous before we actually walked into the venue, you simply haven't been paying attention.

When we walked into the ~~school cafeteria~~ concert hall, she still didn't know where she was going. Finally she got a look at the drum head in the photo above, figured it all out, and began to scream. You'd have thought it was me and I'd just myself in the presence of Huey Lewis, or Monica in the presence of Dave Matthews. I sometimes forget that to kids, anyone they see on the Internet is famous, and Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Benny too are about as famous as you get to a six year old. So enjoy my photo essay from one of the most premiere events of a six year old's life.

I'm a little concerned about the sponsors of this event. Sounds Made Up to me.

Note matching alligator dresses. When Monica invites you somewhere, she often provides clothing as well.

Though there was plenty of light in the room for pictures, most of the photos of my kids look like this. That's how much they never stay still.

Toddler mosh pit.

This photo, I think, is my absolute favorite. Not because it's a great picture (thanks, Kid, for walking through the frame) but because of the look on The Dormouse's face. She was quite smitten with Coach Cotton and he sang to her. We have teased her unmercifully for the last two weeks about this. Which probably will mean that when she sixteen and has a crush on a boy, she will have the good sense to keep it from us.