Chloe and I were so close to finishing Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, so I put off posting these pictures of the little girls at the wedding. Finishing the book took longer than I expected and finding time to sit down and watch the movie took even longer. When did we get so busy?
I found a copy of A Little Princess at the thrift store and hoped I could convince Harrison that it would be okay to read a book with a pink cover and the word "princess" in the title. I could not. He informed me that he is getting too busy for storytime. So I cried into my pint of Ben & Jerry's and turned storytime into mother/daughter time.
Chloe loved, loved, loved Sara Crewe and her riches to rags to riches story. She didn't always understand what was happening with the Indian gentleman next door, but she never seemed bored. It really was sweet to read this story to her.
When my parents bought our first VCR, they also bought a copy of A Little Princess starring Shirley Temple. As it was our only movie, we watched it a lot. I loved that movie, but I hadn't seen it in years. Isn't it so weird to watch movies you used to know and realize you didn't actually understand half of it? ["Mafaking is relieved!" What the--?] Chloe lasted approximately 30 minutes with that version. Then she left the room for an hour and cried like a banshee when she came back and Harrison had turned it off to play Super Mario Galaxy. We started watching a newer (1995) version this morning and she couldn't take her eyes off of it . . . until I told her it was time for school. I'm sure eventually we'll see the end. Neither movie seemed too concerned with staying true to the book, but both are entertaining for young girls.
I have a confession to make. I had a really, really, really bad attitude about bringing our kids to Brian and Mani's wedding. It's not that I didn't want my kids to be a part of the family time, it's just that weddings combine some of my children's least favorite activities (like wearing church clothes, keeping said clothes neat and tidy two days in a row, exercising self-control at the dessert table, group pictures, and lots and lots of waiting). Knowing how unbearable they were going to be, I was dreading taking them with us. Every time I saw one of my kids running rampant at the reception or I had to calm one of them experiencing a sleep-deprived state of despair, I had a (not so) secret "I told you so!" moment.
After the wedding when we were all waiting for pictures, I heard Chloe and her cousins saying to each other "When I grow up, I'm getting married in the temple!" "Me, too!" Just like that, it was all worth it. I'm so grateful our kids could be there to see their aunt and uncle come out of the temple looking so happy. Thanks for your example, Brian and Mani, and for giving my little princess a new dream.
7 Wisecracks:
so sweet!! I hope I get a princess one day, because yesterday Alison sang the "Star Wars" song while walking past all the princess stuff. I guess we will save money at Disneyland!
Have you seen the Feature Films for Families' "A Little Princess"? That's the one I grew up with. But I haven't read the book, so I don't know how accurate it is. I can also relate about little kids waiting at the temple- my brother just got married and my kids got dragged along. But they didn't have the same inspiration as yours. They didn't even realize they were at the temple until a month later when I told them that's where they had been. oops.
Oh man, cutest little brides maids eeeever. I am in love with their flower headbands! I am going to have to search out the 1995 version of that movie because we own the shirley temple version to and the kids can't get through it either, lol :)
i may be wrong, but according to my memory nicole and jennie thought it would be hilarious to buy me that movie for Christmas because i guess they thought it was treated like a "little princess". i think it was a jealous/sarcastic phase they were going through in jr. high. anyway-still watched it a million times. we have some movie version that has this over-acting girl who tells stories about india to all the younger girls. i don't know. i think i like the tapdance numbers randomly thrown in after fetching the mail.
are you going to blow up that picture of chloe and hang it in her room to remind her of her dream? it is so sweet.
I'm so glad there were so many people around during my youth to fill in the gaps of my memory. But wasn't that the first movie we owned? I can't remember a movie before that.
The 1995 version is the one you're talking about. Meh.
oh yes. they gave it to me in pocatello in like 1986, youknow right after we got our first vcr and everyone else was getting their dvd players. justkidding.
The newest The Little Princess movie is one of my favorites!! I still secretly cry into a pillow every time she sees her dad! Love, love, love that movie!
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