Friday, October 23, 2009

Disney Date


Several months ago I noticed that "Playhouse Disney Live" was coming to Montgomery, how exciting! I thought "what a fun and cool treat to take Luke to, maybe for a 'Mommy and Me' date". So I ordered 2 tickets and waited patiently for 2 months while keeping our "secret" from Luke. (You see, we still don't tell Luke anything until the day, or minute, it's about to happen. One, he'd either obsess for an entire day, or he'd completely forget. So, "SURPRISE"!)

Finally, this past Sunday was our lucky day! John and I told Luke that he was going to see Mickey Mouse after nap...and it was going to be so much fun! Luke really looked forward to it all day, until it was time to wake him up from his nap and head downtown. Talk about a cranky kid! He just wanted to crawl back into bed rather than go see Mickey Mouse. Oh no, Mommy was not going to let that fly! So I toss the kid and a backpack full of snacks into the car and hit the road. Thankfully it was a 20 minute drive and Luke's mood changed dramatically for the better.

The Montgomery Performing Arts Center was a beautiful surprise. A lovely, intimate theater, quickly filling with excited kids and cautious, frazzled parents. And why were we cautious and frazzled? Maybe it was the maze of booths selling all things Disney and sugary that we had to navigate our children through just to get to our seats. And then we were dodging concession "hawkers" threading their way through the theater selling cotton candy, popcorn, and toys...all to the delighted squeals of children and the many parents forking over an insane amount of money for things that will end up in the trash by the end of the week. I hate to admit, I was one of those parents forking over $12 for cotton candy and a Handy Manny hat, but that was all! I swear!

The show included most of the Disney characters that you find on the Disney channel in the morning -- which is usually on 5 days a week in our house! We got to see Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Handy Manny and friends, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darby, and The Little Einsteins. Whew, what a crew?! And was it exciting? Thankfully, YES! Luke seemed to be in awe and love every moment of it, sometimes sitting with his mouth wide open, and sometimes dancing in the aisle. Mom on the other hand sang along with the music and tried not to go nuts by the insane degree of lip syncing!

I will admit that I had few moments of "moist eyes" as I watched my little boy totally engrossed and thrilled with what was happening on stage. Every moment was worth it: the grouchy boy being awakened from his nap, the circles being driven around downtown as I was trying to figure out where on earth parking was, the mass/mess of "trinket s***" being sold everywhere you turned, the lip syncing...all for a little boy who has continued to talk about seeing Mickey and Friends the other day. And that Handy Manny hat that is now in a toy tub at the bottom of the closet!

I think Mommy was more excited at this point!

Mmmm...Cotton Candy! It took Luke's second "try" to even like this sugary treat...does that tell you how little "sweets" he eats, or maybe he's like Mommy and prefers chocolate.

Yeah! The show started...and it's loud, colorful and exciting for this 2-year-old!

Winnie the Pooh, Darby and Tigger

Handy Manny and friends. (OMG, Handy Manny was SO cute!)

The Gang with Handy Manny

The Finale - finally!

How cool was that?!

Our Attempts at "Fun Times in Montgomery"

I've had several people say that they figured from my tone of voice and such that I'm not a big fan of Montgomery. I would have to say that they are correct. Big time. This is not an easy place for me to live and it doesn't help that it has been very difficult for John at school. BUT, we're trying to make the best of this year. So I decided to share some of the "crazy fun" that we have shared with the boys this past month.


1. We draw pretty pictures for Daddy.

2. We eat spaghetti.

3. We read LOTS of books.

4. We take bike rides with our new, cool bike trailer.

5. We attempt potty training -- which isn't working.

6. Mommy bakes like a "mad woman" for Luke's classroom -- isn't that what a "Room Mom" is supposed to do?

7. We just "hang out" -- and sometimes let everything hang out as well!

8. We fingerpaint!!!

8b. And make a huge mess in the process!

8c. Cute, but messy boy #1.

8d. Cute and messy boy #2.

9. We fall asleep in places other than our beds.

10. We cuddle with our brother!

11. We explore new parks on chilly October days.

AND SO MUCH MORE!