My March Break - A Week in Review continues with the coolest party in Toronto: Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There's a Party in my City!

Wednesday:
My son slept in that morning but thankfully my husband was home so the boys hung out while I rushed my daughter to the VIP pre-concert party at the Elgin Theatre. I had never been there before so I marveled over the beautiful architecture and almost 100-year-old elevators. They lead us downstairs to the party room where the one and only DJ Lance Rock was busy posing for pictures and signing autographs. Man, is he tall! And he was so good and patient with Madeleine, who was a little shy at first. The food spread was pretty impressive, too. Fresh fruit platters, cheese and crackers, boiled eggs, bagels with ham or cream cheese, oats and honey bars, muffins, juice... let's just say it was refreshing to sit back and relax knowing my daughter could help herself to some really healthy and tasty mid-morning snacks. Afterward, while waiting for the theatre doors to open, I couldn't resist buying my daughter a Yo Gabba Gabba! Live t-shirt. In pink, of course. Then we were finally ushered to our seats, located smack in the middle of the orchestra level, and were handed a couple of DJ Lance frames to wear. My daughter was ready to party!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of the show, seeing as I'm more of a Wiggles fan, so imagine my surprise when I caught myself singing along with the catchy tunes and flagging down a vendor to get my hands on a copy of their CD. The balloons, confetti, streamers and bubbles only added to the enjoyment as I watched my daughter's face light up and her eyes fill with excitement. I kept thinking to myself 1) how lucky I was to be able to attend the show and 2) how fortunate I was to be able to experience it with my daughter. Biz Markie also popped up on stage and did some beat boxing with some cute little munchkins from the audience. The Aquabats also performed and managed to get everyone to jump up and down. There was even a surprise appearance by special guests Nathan and Mike of Midway State who taught us the Peanut Butter Stomp for the Dancey Dance segment. The visual effects of the giant screen were pretty impressive, almost as impressive as DJ Lance's energy level. I got hand it to Yo Gabba Gabba. They won me over as a fan! A big thanks to Michelle Sisco for securing the tickets and tour manager Susan Brumley who made sure we got in backstage.

Thursday:
After driving to the Toronto Zoo and being reverted to their secondary parking lot, my mother-in-law and I decided to avoid the extra walk and lengthy lineups and made a detour to Edwards Gardens. It was a gorgeous day. We had a little picnic while my son napped. My daughter got to run around and roll on the ground. And then we took a walk along the stream before scaling some rocky hillsides and heading home. I can't wait to see what it will look like when all the flowers are in bloom.




Friday:
On a much more somber note, this week marked 6 months since the passing of my father-in-law. March 19 also marks his name day (the feast of St. Joseph). And this Wednesday is his birthday. So we decided to visit the cemetery and left him a card Madeleine and I had made. In it, she wrote: "Dear Nonno, I hope you can come outside and play with us. We miss you very much." It was a sad day. It makes me sad just writing this. He was the nicest man you could ever meet, if you were so lucky to know his kind heart and giving nature. I think I'll end this post here and dedicate this picture in his loving memory...