Spring Break!

Texas takes a whole week for spring break.  In Iowa, we called Easter Break "Spring Break."  It lasted four days, and one of those days, Easter Monday, was usually reclaimed as a snow day.  We have 10 days off, then next month 4 days off for Easter.
Today we went to the Houston Rodeo, which nicely coincides with Spring Break.  Anders went through the farm to market process where he picked plastic farm produce, solid it at the market, earned money, and purchased some orange crackers with his money.
We also took Anders into the petting zoo.  That place was, well, a zoo with all the kids and animals carrying on.  You could not turn to the side without bumping up against a goat or a sheep or a toddler or all three!
We missed the pig races, but we have something to look forward to next year, but we did mix it up with the cattle a bit.
The quantity and overwhelming smells of barbecue put the Nelsonville Meat Fest to shame.  I'd like to go back and see the rodeo proper and maybe a concert.  They call the whole thing the rodeo, but it's really like a state fair for this part of Texas.
Anders got his haircut yesterday.  He was so "hateful" (as they would say in Gallipolis) during the process that I gave my first ever tip to the "stylist."  He looks really cute though, no longer "shaggy."
We had no swimming yesterday and it's probably just as well since last week was the closest thing I've seen to an Anders 30 Minute Meltdown.  We was awakened from his nap to go pick me up, then when we got home we had to immediately change and leave for swimming, which did not allow Anders the proper amount of mental preparation for the activity.  You laugh, I'm serious.  Anders must mentally prepare for big events like swimming lessons.
He is down to every other week in physical therapy.  Anders is getting better, plus it costs an arm and a leg.  Anders is getting good at using his "Miss Chamira Foot" (his left foot).  Sometimes, when climbing up the slide, he will back down a step or two to use his Miss Chamira Foot if he remembers that he hasn't used it in a while or if I remind him.
We have a steady routine at the more toddler friendly city park playground across the bayou than the elementary school playground by our house.  We pick up sticks and put them in the blue garbage can.  We do between 10 and 30 slides, and then we finish with 100 swings.  It's pretty much the highlight of our day.
Our new fortnightly PT slot means that Anna and Anders had to give up MOPs or Mothers of Preschoolers held at a baptist mega church.  Anders just cried the whole time he was down with the kids, while Anna was up crafting with the moms or her "secret sisters."  About five times per day Anders says, "Kinda sad MOPs."  Anders is already a king of understatement because when he says he was "kinda sad" that means he was wailing uncontrollably.  On Sunday Anders was also "kinda sad church."
Tomorrow, Anna takes Anders to the dentist.  Despite the fact that there are "too many dentists" in Anders' words, we chose one and Anders will get used to visiting the dentist tomorrow.  The first visit should be easy, but the second one might not be as smooth, as we saw with the haircut.
Our next stop on the spring break tour of fun is a trip to the Brenham area for blue bonnets.  Apparently it is a Texas tradition to drive out into the country in a heavily blue bonneted area such as the road to Austin or the Hill Country, pull of to the side of the road, and plop your child in a field of blue bonnets.  We shall partake of this tradition soon.  We might also take the time for some Bluebell Ice Cream while in the birthplace of Bluebell--Brenham.
By the way, Bluebell Ice Cream is one of the top Texas foods I've experienced.  I'd also like to give shouts out to Whataburger and the San Antonio Sushi Roll (the secret is the avocado).
Maybe we'll also try to finally make it to the Sam Houston monument (think Washington Monument among oil refineries) over break.
Anders is also learning to spell numbers such as one, two, three, four, five, six, ten, forty, among others.  He can't spell all those words, but he has a determined look on his face to learn soon.  He will often call out from the back seat or around the house, "Read it!"  He wants us to read words.  He read "black bean" today at the Rodeo.  He knows a lot of words and he is interested in learning many more.
Moreover, he indicated that he wanted to learn directions.  Right now, I'm focusing on teaching him my favorite direction, west.  He has been looking and acting so much like Anna lately that I've recently struggled to find myself in him, until our directional discussion last night!
The weather is solid, but it's been so great back home that I can't brag.  With all the flowers and bushes blooming the air smells so sweet all the time!  March is my favorite month here so far.  According to my old grad school friend Jack Epstein who is from New Orleans, we have about 6 weeks of nice weather left if we are lucky, four weeks if we are not lucky!
I'll try to write more often, but I might not make good on that promise until May.  I have a flood of term papers coming my way on March 27 that will have to be graded in a decent interval.  Meanwhile, Anna posts all the best pictures on Facebook.