The kids and I were beyond excited! But the only problem was the closest concert venue this years tour was in Toronto...a 5-6 hour drive!!! (should mention that I dont have my license so cant drive lol) I asked everyone I knew including my dad and the kids father but no one was willing to drive us there and back in one day :( I felt horrible for telling the kids about it when I wasnt sure how or if we were even going to get there. I became determined to find a way no matter what I had to do (as long as it was a safe way lol) A few weeks before the concert I finally asked an old friend from high school, Lisa who currently serves in the military, if she would be willing to take us, and she said yes providing she didnt have to work!!! All I had to do was pay the gas (of course I was willing to do that for anyone who would have taken us) The kids were even more excited to find out we were for sure going. We have never gone any where as a family (anywhere farther than Ottawa anyways--only a 1 hour drive--Nathan and I had gone to see Sharon, Bram and Friends when I was pregnant with Olivia however she wasnt with us to enjoy it, well besides in my tummy anyway lol) This would be something I knew both kids would enjoy and will hopefully remember forever! A few weeks of planning and getting everything figured out certainly payed off! Sure the drive was long, we had to leave town early, 8 am, and I was worried the kids wouldnt behave in the car for so long but they did amazing! I was able to borrow 2 portable DVD players and on the way down they were able to watch the Splash 'N Boots DVD we had bought when we saw them in Shawville last year, among other DVD's! I brought snacks and other things to occupy them as well and really the drive didnt seem that long on the way down (we made it in 4.5 hours due to really good traffic) We were a few hours early for the concert so we toured around downtown Toronto, went to eat at McDonalds, stopped at a store for Lisa to look for boots, drove around showing the kids some of the cool sites including the CN Tower and the streetcars which Nathan loved!!
Coming from a very small town, the kids were in awe over it all!! When the time finally came for the concert we went to the Box Office picked up our tickets and stood in line to get in. Once inside there was sooo many things to do to keep the kids occupied while waiting to be let in to our seats, there was a ''stage'' set up for kids to dance and get a chance to be featured on the Roll Play show on Treehouse TV (Im still kicking myself for not doing that, however I wasnt sure how much the rest of the trip was going to cost, and as a single mom I only had a certain amount of cash on me, in the end I would have had enough which is why Im disappointed I didnt do it)...there was also face painting (certain parts of the concert were in black light so the kids faces got painted as animals for when the lights went out, their faces lit up) it was really neat!
there was also a place set up to buy Splash 'N Boots and Roll Play merchandise, as well as things we could use in the concert (black light bubbles, bubble guns, glow sticks, etc etc) We of course, bought the new Splash 'N Boots DVD and some bubbles and black light bulbs (not pictured) plus since we spent over $20 we got a free Roll Play DVD (we had won season 1 in the contest, so we picked up season 2 for free as well :D)
We then went to the bathroom lol and headed to find our seats! We were originally Row S (19 rows back from the stage, to the left, not bad) BUT it wasnt long after sitting down that a lady came on stage to announce they would be moving people forward to fill in empty seats near the front, so we were some of the lucky ones chosen to be moved up...we ended up 3 rows back from the stage, still to the left a bit though but great seats nonetheless!!) Both kids were super excited for the concert to start...
....finally it did! "DJ Robot" came out to get the crowd going before Splash 'N Boots came on...this is the part Olivia hated! LOL She covered her ears (it was a tad loud where we were sitting) and said she wanted to go home LOL She hated that dang "Robot" even though I explained to her it was just a man in costume, shes 2 so kinda young to understand...poor girl lol
She got excited when Splash 'N Boots came on stage but still sat on my knee and covered her ears a majority of the concert saying "I dont like the Robot''
Im sure Olivia would have danced a bit had he not been on stage the whole time LOL Nathan loved every minute of it, including the Robot ;) He danced, did the actions for the songs, even got disappointed a bit when Splash 'N Boots didnt pick him to answer what his favorite animal was, and by mid concert, I had him convinced to go up in the aisles to try and get on TV ( I forgot to mention earlier, 4 of the concerts on the tour were being filmed to be aired on Treehouse TV--and before leaving for Toronto one of the production ladies for the tour, emailed me a tip to for sure get on TV!! she told me that when Splash 'N Boots encouraged the kids to dance in the aisles, to definitely do so!!) I knew Olivia wouldnt go up, due to the Robot phobia, but Nathan went up alone and danced, which is big for him cuz he is normally SUPER shy!! Im hoping he got close enough that when the concert airs on TV it will show him, even if not we still could be shown cuz the cameras were constantly rolling scanning the whole audience at times!! At the end of the concert (lasted about 1hr 15 minutes) Splash 'N Boots got the audience to stay because they were going to be also filming a new video for a new song of theirs called "Fly Like A Dragon" by that point, Olivia had finally warmed up to the whole idea, but there was no way to get closer to the cameras with her as the crowd had already filled in the aisles like crazy, so we danced in our seats (Nathan was still up there)
The concert definitely did not disappoint, and was well worth the drive in my opinion, although since I wasnt the driver you would have to ask Lisa if she feels the same LOL After the show was over we were able to meet Splash 'N Boots again (we had got their first DVD signed when we saw their solo performance here in town this past Ferbruary)
we stood in line with our new DVD in hand to get signed as well, and once we got up there and I said we were the ones that won the Tickets DVD, CD package, I was amazed when Splash (Nick) said ''Liz, from Shawville" I couldnt believe he had remembered my name (although Im positive its because I have each of them on facebook and they probably saw all my status updates and posts leading up to the concert, I might have been a tad excited for the kids LOL) They thanked us a few times for driving so far to see them and said they were happy we got good weather, and that the hoped next time they would be closer for us! Then the kids got a picture taken with them and of course their DVD signed!
It was funny as we were standing in line waiting to meet them, Olivia saw them up close and got all excited saying "There's Splash N Boots!!!" Her amazement was as if she didnt realize it was them on stage the past hour and a half (even though I know she did cuz she said it numerous times during the show) I guess it was different and more exciting seeing them stand right in front of her! Both kids got really shy when we were talking to them and werent looking at the camera when I took the picture but its been all the have talked about since we left!! They had so much fun!! The drive home seemed way longer, was only about 45 minutes longer due to traffic on the 401 being nuts, but I find driving back from somewhere at night always seems longer! We made it home around 11pm the kids unwound for a little bit and then went to bed and fell asleep almost instant (they only slept a few minutes here and there during the drive, way less than I expected) All in all it was a GREAT day, good memories made with the kids and lots of pictures and video taken throughout! They had a blast, and are already asking when can we go back and when can we see Splash 'N Boots again LOL My kids reaction to them reminds me of how I was like with my obsession with Sharon Lois and Bram/The Elephant Show when I was young (I still remember going to their concert like it was yesterday and was so excited to take Nathan to see--and meet--Sharon and Bram 3 years ago)
For anyobdy with kids who doesnt know who Splash 'N Boots are (how could you not? ;) They are a husband and wife kids award winning group that are like a WAY hipper, more fun version of Sharon Lois and Bram and The Wiggles, they are Canadian and have travelled all over the world performing for kids, from Australia to Bermuda to even tiny little Shawville!! Its definitely worth your while to check them out online, either on their youtube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/splashnboots, on their website at http://www.splashnboots.com/home.php or on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SplashN-Boots/119390268090029 I can guarantee your kids will be entertained for hours (I know my kids are, and that is VERY hard to do)
