Cars, Cars and More Cars

We introduced Hannah to some Pixar movies over the Christmas holidays. First it was Finding Nemo, then Monsters Inc. and finally Cars. Hannah instantly developed an obsession for Cars. Lightening McQueen is known as "Daddy Car", Sally is "Mommy Car", Mater is "Maner" and so on. She knows every character's name, their color, what they say...basically, she can recite the whole movie line for line.

I'm okay with her love for the cars. It is a movie that she enjoys and it is one that (aside from the words "idiot" and "moron" being thrown around on occasion) lacks nightmare encouraging scary characters like monsters, barracudas and princesses. (sorry Marsha) . I have always maintained that I would do everything possible to make Hannah wise to commercialization, and that I would not fall into the never ending pit of consumerism and branding...until now. Did you know that pull up diapers have cars on them? (ok...they are the pull-ups for boys. Yes...my daughter wears boy pull ups. But it is temporary. Promise. My only other alternative is princesses for girls. I would rather her wear boy pull ups than to graduate from loving cars to having a princess complex!). Did you also know that the local dollar store has started to carry A LOT of Cars items? Woo Hoo for dollar stores! I can honestly say that I am hedging on the fine line of the insane...but I swear it is all in the name of potty training.

Hannah has more Hot Wheels-esque "Cars" cars than our neighbor boys do. She wears her "Daddy Car & Maner" slippers all the time (see picture below), and insists on sleeping with them at night time. She hugs random kids (boys to be specific) that are wearing "Daddy Car" t-shirts. She asks us to "Play cars with Hannah" all the time - and if we politely pass, she either bugs us until we give in, or she strategically places the cars where we will inevitably step on them and dance around cursing their very existence (she of course thinks this is hilarious). I guess it serves us right for saying no in the first place.

Michael and I joke that instead of doing her big girl room in Ladybugs, we should do it in the Cars theme. Costco has this really really cool Cars bedroom set. But neither of us are willing to pay $2700 for some furniture that she will grow out of in a year...maybe two. We are looking for something that will last a little longer...like ladybugs. :)

Back to the cars...I took some pictures of her playing with her beloved Cars today. I hope you will be able to see just how much she adores these little guys.

All lined up and watching the movie.
The special slippers that Nana & Papa bought her for Christmas. She adores them, sleeps with them and wears them every opportunity she gets - even to daycare.

Watching the movie.

Say "cheese" Maner.

Sitting behind the coffee table, with her cars lined up, all watching the movie. Yup. She's that crazy.

Giving Ramone a kiss...and watching the movie.

Perfectly lined up - just like Michael used to do with his cars when he was a little boy. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Just because I was bored, and because Hannah was a virtual zombie - which doesn't make for interesting pictures - I decided to take some pictures of the movie as it played. Really. I was laying on my tummy taking pictures of the tv screen. (note: I LOVE this scene with Ramone talking about his old school Von Dutch style pinstripin')

It is kind of fun to try to capture the characters in a good pose. You have to be quick though because the scene changes so quickly in the movie.

I may have to do this again. It was really...fun. (insert eye roll here). Oh, I have stooped so low.

Hannah also has this Dodge Viper car that she got from our Chrysler Jeep dealer. She was so good that the sales guy just gave her this car. She loves it because it is one of the ones that you pull backward, and let go. This one sure goes fast.

ooOOOooo

Getting ready to launch it.

Is it strange for a little girl to be soooo interested in cars? Maybe not. Perhaps she will be an engineer, or a designer for some big auto company (assuming they are still in business in 25 years).

ok. It is late. I'm heading off to bed...to dream about cars.