Nick's big day back at the movies

I can't remember if I've told you guys this or not, but two years ago, Nick stopped going to see movies in the theater.

He threw up during The Lorax, and he had steadfastly refused to go back since then -- even though it was a freak thing. He DID agree to go once about a year ago with Grayson and Nathaniel, but Grayson called after the previews were over, and I had to load Jake and Amelia up in the car and go pick him up. He just couldn't stomach it. Just the THOUGHT of going to the theater made him nauseous.

I mean, you know how much Amelia means to him. THE WORLD. And we couldn't convince him to go see her very first movie with her a few months ago. So that tells you that this has been a crippling phobia for him.

Cut to last Friday, when the Y-camp field trip was to the dollar-movie theater to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman. For whatever reason, Nick decided to screw up his courage and go; he didn't ask for special permission to stay behind with a different group at the Y, and he didn't fake being sick to stay home that day (I was bracing myself for that one.)

AND HE MADE IT. He got through the movie without getting sick. And he was So Very Proud of himself. So proud, in fact, that he asked if we could go back to the dollar theater as a family on Saturday to see The Lego Movie -- which I'd taken Jake and Nathaniel to see during its first run, but which Grayson, Amelia and Nick had missed.

We were so excited that he was willing to go that we immediately agreed ... our first movie outing to the theater as a family of six!

When we got there, we only had one minor setback. Amelia saw this poster:

And she was VERY CONFUSED about why we would choose to see any OTHER film if Frozen was playing on the property. She insisted on having her picture taken in front of the poster.

And please note that her face reflects her disdain at the fact that she is not about to walk in and enjoy that film for the four hundred and forty-ninth time.

She grudgingly agreed to have her picture taken in front of The Lego Movie poster.

But would like you to note that she held her hand over her heart in protest.

The good news is, Nick made it through another movie without throwing up. We all NEARLY made it through without incident ... unfortunately, I ended up with Amelia's ice-cold fruit punch all the way down my thigh and into my shoe, courtesy of her wandering attention THE LEGO MOVIE IS NO FROZEN, SHE'LL HAVE YOU KNOW, INTERNET.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a simpler future for us, one in which we can all go to movies together again. Fingers crossed.