Surprise Family Fun Night

This past weekend, we took our girls out for a surprise family fun night. We usually have a family night once a week, but it's not always a big surprise. Most of the time it's just dinner out and either playing games together or watching a movie. This time was different.
A couple months ago, Hubs found a PBS documentary on the Broadway musical 'Annie'. We watched it first and then let our girls watch it. They absolutely loved it and were fascinated by the details that went into auditioning and producing the show. Needless to say, they've been singing "It's a Hard Knock Life" like a broken record.
It wasn't long after that documentary that we found out 'Annie' was coming to our town. Our local Children's Theatre put it on. So, I went and bought tickets one day while they were at school and kept it a secret for weeks. Friday finally came and we got them dressed up and ready to go before we told them the surprise. We told them and high pitched shrieks immediately followed, along with lots of jumping up and down.
We took them out for a quick dinner and then headed downtown for the fun. This was a big deal for them. It was their first play/musical to ever attend and we couldn't have picked a better one! Our seats were on the second row {although I'm pretty sure every seat in that theatre would be great} and they were all smiles as we waited for it to start.

They were completely glued to the entire show. My youngest smiled from the moment she sat down until we got home. They all three soaked up every single minute and every move the actors made. It was so much fun!! And the show was excellent! Very professionally done!

 The girls with 'Annie' - played by Georgia Kaye Wise

 'Daddy Warbucks' - played by Mike Gallagher

 'Sandy the dog' - played by Zoe

Afterward was just as much fun for them because they got to meet the actors/actresses in the lobby and get autographs. They thought there were among celebrities. It was really a blast. And our surprise family fun night couldn't have been any better. It was really a perfect night and one that I think we will all remember for the rest of our lives.

What do you like to do on Family Nights? I'd love to hear about yours and get some new ideas from you!

Buy the original movie Annie (Special Anniversary Edition) here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, Monday {Making Memories}

Life gets to be so daily sometimes and it's always nice to step away from the mundane tasks of life and spend real, quality time together as a family. Making memories is important! I want my girls to grow up and be able to look back at their childhood as having lots of fun times together as a family. I want them to view family the way I do - that apart from their relationship with God, their family relationships are the most important ones and these relationships need to be cultivated and protected. We love to take day trips or just drive around on beautiful, sunny days and this weekend we had a couple of gorgeous days. We didn't have a lot of time so we decided to stay kind of close to home and drove about an hour away to Cowpens, SC. My 9 year old is a history buff. She loves everything that has to do with history, especially when it comes to American History. I love that she soaks in every detail down to specific dates and names of people and battles, etc. She's just like her dad in that area. We've lived in this area her whole life and have driven past the sign for Cowpens Battlefield many times and just never have taken the time to visit it. Much to our surprise, there is a visitor's center, a walking trail, a driving trail, and lots of info about this significant battlefield. We had a great time together and my big girl was in her element! I'm pretty sure she'll never forget our little trip to Cowpens Battlefield.

We had to stop at every sign and read all about everything.

These two enjoyed hanging out the window while riding around the trail.

Standing in the footprints of a real Revolutionary Soldier.

Learning to shoot a wooden gun.

Thousands of peach trees blossoming! Beautiful sight!

Getting windblown. Lots of laughs.

Exhausted from a few fun hours of family fun.

What's your favorite day trip?