Motherhood Musings and May Play

Let's start with some contemplations this post, shall we? It seems like at least twice a year, there is some big burst - whether in the mainstream media or the "blogosphere" - about some sort of Mommy War. Working Moms vs. Stay-at-Home Moms. Breastfeeding Moms vs. Formula-Feeding Moms. Monogamists vs. Sister Wives. (Okay, I made that third one up.) Time Magazine's recent cover of course inspired a lot of conversation, but some less in-your-face pieces keep these "feuds" going... or seek to resolve them. (I love this one, which is more heartfelt, and this one, which is fabulous smart-assery at its best.) 

Easter, 2012

Easter season snuck up on us quickly this year - as usual, time is flying by way too quickly. 

2012 marked Luke's first ever picture with the Easter Bunny. I know - I'm the Mother of the Century. But in my defense: 

1. I find the shopping mall Easter Bunny inherently creepy. I also dislike costumed mascots. Perhaps these things are related...
2. Our mall Santa experiences - particularly in the post-autism diagnosis era - have been awful. The noise, the waiting, the angst of taking a good picture once you finally do have your precious minute with Santa... these are stressful for every parent, but when you're kiddo's on the autism spectrum, the tension reaches another level. Luke had a craptacular experience with the Bass Pro Santa this year, so between that and the fact that I find the Easter Bunny a furry, creepy weirdo? I'm out. 

A New Play Set

Between a nice little tax refund and some found money, we decided to spruce up our backyard with a new play set! This things is pretty sweet, let me tell you! 


We've got three awesome swings, a pretty rocking slide...

Winona Trip: Going to the Zoo and Meeting Parker

To kick off our Spring Break, we decided to take a trip to east Texas - to visit Jeremy's parents and to meet baby Parker! We headed down Saturday morning and back home Sunday morning, so we had to pack a lot into our trip! 


We spent most of our time there heading to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. I have not been to a zoo since a field trip when I was in elementary school. I will further confess that I didn't expect much of this zoo, thinking it couldn't be as good as a "big city" zoo.

Can You Tell Me How to Get...

We made our second annual trip to the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie to see Sesame Street Live, and Luke enjoyed it once again! They really seemed to raise the bar this time around with more appearances by the characters - it was very cool! 



First, we posed with the still characters. We got to see Bert and Ernie (who are total favorites of his), Grover, and Oscar (whose personality he seems to have adopted of late :\ ). 

Then, Ernie and Murray came out - in the FLESH! Luke is right there by Ernie's pant leg. He was fascinated. 

Then, it was time to sit in our seat like a big boy! He did a much better job of this than last year. 

Then: SHOWTIME! A year ago*, we were cracking up at the Count in a track suit. This year, Jeremy and I couldn't stop laughing and Bert in a leisure suit.  Awesome. : ) 


*So I found last year's post to create that hyperlink, and I totally had a moment about how much younger he looks. He is just getting farther and farther away from being a baby and growing into such a big boy. *Sniffle*

Here they are all in the finale. I think they found the instruments or something...? I don't really remember the plot. Shoot me. : )

All that really mattered was that Luke dug it and watched it all. 

We had so much fun! 

Fabulous February - Trips to Aggieland and an Aquarium

The first weekend of February marked a special treat: Mom and Dad kept Luke so that Jeremy and I could go to a basketball game in College Station. Dad has gotten season tickets to men's and women's basketball games and football games for years, and it is such a great treat to go when we can. So in December, Dad emailed the kids a schedule, asking us to pick a game to attend. I took a rather cursory glance and picked: oooh, we should DEFINITELY go when A&M plays Kansas. They're a powerhouse! Jeremy will be so excited!

Christmas, 2011 - Part 3

One more Christmas post! Here's a better glance at a small portion of Luke's Christmas stash. I think he's still half asleep as he checks it out!