A "Toy Story" Toy Story

About a month ago, I happened to put on Toy Story 3.  Arianna watched certain scenes, here and there, in between playing with her toys.  I, on the other hand, watched the entire thing and cried my eyes out.  You know - it's so sad that Andy has grown up and his toys are now heartbroken and feeling abandoned.  Then it's heartbreaking hearing the story of poor Big Baby.  Then it's moving when they all are holding each other towards the end of the movie - and you wonder if they are actually all going to "die."  

Anyway, about two weeks later we were in the Disney outlet store and Arianna spotted a box of Toy Story figurines.  I barely looked at them and just added them to the pile.  When we got back to the hotel and opened them - they were the Toy Story 3 villains!  "Mommy, where's a cowboy?  I'm missing a cowboy!"  So we went back and picked up the actual set with Woody in it.  (No Buzz though - because he was in with the villains.  Brilliant marketing trick.)  Arianna was thrilled and has played with them every day since.

About a week later, Arianna asked to watch the Toy Story movie.  Of course at this point it was no longer On Demand, so we had to pay $3 to rent it.  Two days later she wanted to watch it again.  At which point, we got in the car, drove to my parents, and sorted through two huge tupperware containers of DVDs until we found the Toy Story 1 & 2 box set.  

Watching Toy Story 2 has been an almost daily ritual since.  (And yes, and tear-jerker.  Poor Jessie!)

Two days ago, Arianna started carrying around the 1.5 inch Jessie figurine.  She was hugging it, talking to it, asking me to feed it lunch, and sleeping with it.  When she was still doing it the next morning, Marc ran out and picked her up an 11.5 inch Jessie doll at Toys R Us while Arianna napped.  She was ecstatic.

This morning I had to run back to Toys R Us to pick up diapers, and Arianna went with me.  She had a gift card from her birthday, and I told her she could pick out whatever she wanted.  She told me she wanted a Woody and a Bullseye like her Jessie doll. 

Unfortunately, Toys R Us was a major disappointment.  They had small plastic figures or huge $50+ dolls.  Neither like the $15 Barbie-type of doll Jessie is.  

When we got home, I searched the internet, and store inventories of all the stores nearby.  Finally, I decided on a 16 inch talking Woody doll, and a 10 inch plush Bullseye from the online Disney store.  I ordered them.  

A little while later, Arianna climbed out of her kiddie pool and came up to me with a frown on her face:

Me:  Arianna, what's the matter?

Arianna:  I'm having a bad day.

Me:  Why?

Arianna:  Because they didn't have Woody at the store.

Me:  Well, we bought one on the computer and the mailman will bring it soon.

After Arianna's nap, we went outside onto the front porch for a snack.  I took the mail out of the mailbox and sat down to read it. 

Arianna:  The mailman brought that mail?

Me:  Yes.

Arianna:  Where's Woody?

Me:  Oh honey, he didn't bring it today.  He'll bring it in a few days.  Maybe Friday or Saturday.

A few minutes later, Arianna finished her snack, so I asked her what we should do today.  She responded with, "Let's walk to the car and I'll sit in my carseat and put my seatbelt on.  You get in too.  And we'll go go go!"  Okay, where?  "To CVS."  What do you need at CVS?  "Woody."

At this point, I began to feel really bad. 

So we got in the car and drove to the Disney store.  

Later after I got home, I contacted the Disney store online to cancel the order I had placed earlier.  When I had to select a "Reason for Cancellation" I had to choose "Other" and write in my own response:   Thoroughly manipulated by my two year old.