Elmo Live! (First Viewing :-)

Sunday was an exciting day at our house, there was sooo much planned.   First and foremost, I took Lexie to her first live performance.  For those of you who know Lexie, nothing would be more suiting than for that performance to be Elmo Live!  Originally, we purchased tickets for the show in Lafayette (which is next Sunday) and when they arrived we found a surprise, they included backstage passes!  After warnings from friends that Lexie might be timid around the larger-than-life characters during her photo opp in Lafayette, I started thinking that a pre-show might be helpful...especially since a show in Lake Charles was added after we purchased our original tickets.  So, that's how Lexie gets to go to two different shows in back-to-back weekeends.  This weekend, we invited our friends Magen and Claire to go with us, since they share our love for the furry monsters of Sesame Street. 

Lexie was so excited when we arrived - she couldn't get over how Elmo was EVERYWHERE!



And we do mean everywhere :-)

 As you may know, Elmo has Lexie's heart...she adores that furry red monster.  We're pretty sure if he had the chance to meet her, he'd adore her too!

We were excited our friend Claire (and her Mama, Magen) wh

Isn't Claire just beautiful!  Look how flawless her skin is in this completely untouched photo.

Speaking of flawless...this girl is to-die-for!  Don't you just love how the red glitter shoes complete this Elmo ensemble?!

Yeah, she was QUITE the handful while we waited to be seated.  Running and climbing all over the place!

And did I mention climbing? !?

Aren't Claire and Magen just the prettiest :-)

Well, almost the prettiest!

The girls waited anxiously for the show to begin.

After a few minutes of being seated, Big Bird's voice came over the speakers and announced that the show would begin in 3 more minutes!

Oh, did that make someone excited!

The girls discussed their favorite Sesame Street characters while they waited for those LONG three minutes to pass.

And then suddenly, the curtains began to part.........

And it was SHOWTIME!  The entire show centered around several different characters getting postcards from far-away places and using their imaginations to take them there.

Big Bird was the first to appear on stage.

And let's just say that Lexie was a little excited to see him :-)

Of course, Elmo was there too.

And Abby Cadabby (and Grover too!)

The whole gang joined in for a opening song and sance routine.

The girls were amazed.

Two of Lexie's personal favorites, "Mel-mo" and "Aaaa-bbbay"

During the imagination sequence, bright colored lights would fly across the ceiling....catching everyone's attention!

There was a fiesta celebration.

And special time with more favorites, Bert and "Ner-nie"!

Of course, Elmo always steals the show :-)

And Abby is my favorite girl monster.

The enjoyment was obvious on BOTH girls faces as they watched in amazement.

The S.S. Rubber Ducky skit received a ton of cheers from our group.

Probably because you can't help but love Ernie!

At some points during the show, the chairs were just not CLOSE enough.

We enjoyed the hula dancing performance.

And the "Surfin' Safari" remix.

During intermission, Claire snacked on some cotton candy.

For her intermission prize, Lexie selected the Elmo-face shaped balloon.  Of course, after walking over to the vendor, I discovered the price was $10!  I know I must have been out of my mind for paying $10 for a balloon, but when your little girl is chanting "Mel-mo!"  "Boon!"  "Mel-mo!"  "Boon!"  There really is no way to tell her no.  So, as usual, Lexie wins :-)

Of course, getting a balloon does not mean that she didn't get the cotton candy as well :-)

After intermission it was time for Elmo's World!

Followed by rainforest dances....

And Big Bird.

Even the Grouch made an appearance during the "If You're Happy and You Know It" song to add his own verse, "If You're Grouchy and You Know It"

But my all-time favorite part was during the Mardi Gras Parade!  With a special rendition of "When the Saints Come Marching In!"

Loved the dancing...

Loved the props...

Just stunning all together!

After all that imagining, the monsters of Sesame Street were ready to head back home.

So the gang joined together onstage on last time for a farewell song and dance!

At the very end, streamers exploded from the stage.  Lexie saved this small piece of one as a momento of this fun experience.

Oh, how can I go back to watching tv after seeing this amazing performance LIVE?!

Good thing I get to see it again this Sunday LIVE and IN PERSON. 

By the way...did I mention that this weekend we have backstage passes!!!  Cross your fingers for good pics of Lexie with the monsters!  :-)

We are so happy we got share this experience with our friends.

We were the last to leave, staying around to snap some pics and visit a little with our guests.  After awhile, the workers politely  asked us to leave so that they could prepare for the next show.

So sadly, we gathered our belonging and headed home.

But we had a great time....and are looking forward to doing it all over again!

As you know, these are not all the pictures taken.............I filled my camera card up with over 300.  Below are a few more of my favorites.  I'll let you decide your own captions :-)