The absolute best thing about springtime in Texas is the wildflowers! Nothing beats fields of bluebonnets and indian paintbrushes.
Next best thing, turning big boxes into front yard forts.
These boxes kept the kids entertained for an entire Friday afternoon and evening. They even put a tarp over it during a rainy night but the wind ripped it up the next day. There were tears when all the materials went into the recycling.
Easter Sunday was a beautiful morning at church together.
And Easter afternoon was a fun time to hunt eggs in the backyard! Some of our friends couldn't make it but that just meant more candy for each kid :)
Inspecting his spoils...
...and the disgusting mix of candy he nibbled from for the rest of the afternoon. Skittles with malted eggs? I'll pass...
Alex has enjoyed this spring weather because we've explored lots of new playgrounds and parks while Ben is at tutoring. He was particularly proud of this accomplishment.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Play Ball!
It's that time of year again! We're making tracks back and forth to the baseball fields several times a week to cheer on our favorite Cardinal and Blue Jay this season. It's been an absolutely gorgeous spring and such a nice time to be outside.
After really struggling through coach pitch last season, Ben has done SO much better this year! In my favorite game ever, he was up to bat when the team was rallying to try and get their first win. They were still down three runs and had two outs in the last inning. Ben got a nice hit and an RBI, then got to score the winning run just a few pitches later. It makes a mother's heart so happy to see her child get to celebrate a win like that with his team, knowing he helped make it happen!
Getting on base has been such a great thing this year!
He still loves playing in the outfield (I think because he has a lot of time to plan what to do with the ball before it gets to him) but did pretty well with a turn at pitcher. (And we're loving the mystery scoreboard behind him this year. Is the score 8 or 9? 11 or 14? It's a surprise!)
The 8-year old Blue Jays celebrating their first win!
I need to get more pictures of Alex's games but I haven't been able to sit and enjoy them as much, either going to get Ben from his tutoring or dealing with team mom work. This was a great, muddy win over the weekend. Alex was sliding in the muck and just barely made it to first base on his feet.
Running in to home was the same story, but he ran hard and just managed to avoid getting tagged out! The moms were cringing but the kids didn't complain once about the mess.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Pictures That Make Me Smile
The kids get spring pictures at school but I already knew I wasn't buying them because we got fall pictures and were about to get baseball pictures as well. I forgot to tell the kids and didn't pay any attention to what they wore to school that day. Alex's teacher let him call me because he was traumatized by his "terrible" t-shirt. You never know what's going to bother boys!
Would you like to float a few pancakes in that lake of syrup? No wonder I find syrup on my shopping list so often.
Alex got a free ball from school through a fundraiser and absolutely loved it, so he was pretty devastated when it got a hole in it. He tried to fix it himself with every type of tape we had, then finally left me a desperate call for help...I just never know what I'll find in my kitchen :)
Would you like to float a few pancakes in that lake of syrup? No wonder I find syrup on my shopping list so often.
Alex got a free ball from school through a fundraiser and absolutely loved it, so he was pretty devastated when it got a hole in it. He tried to fix it himself with every type of tape we had, then finally left me a desperate call for help...I just never know what I'll find in my kitchen :)
Friday, March 27, 2015
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Alex got to participate in his first school production and we'd been hearing about it for weeks. He could barely get to sleep the night before because he was so excited. Matt and I were pretty excited ourselves because he got a very important speaking part...Carrot #2!
How does one prepare for such an important role? Play on the ipad until it's time to line up, of course.
The kids were adorable and Alex's big orange costume made him pretty easy to spot in the crowd!
Talking to his buddy, Trevor...
With 9 classes of first graders, they had to take turns going on stage for featured songs. Alex went up with his class to sing their song.
He made a second trip to the stage when it was time for his line.
Still had time to examine his fingernails and chew on them a bit. Not because he was nervous, probably because he was impatient for his turn in the spotlight!
Finally, his moment to shine! He did perfectly during the performance for the school (which I got to attend as a costume volunteer) but had to start over during the big evening performance. I think several of the kids got a little touch of nerves when they saw the room full of parents watching them! My favorite moment was when he was walking past the microphone as all the kids were exiting the stage and he managed to get one more little yell into it!
After the big moment, he couldn't hold in his yawns. I guess being on stage is no biggie after you've been at the microphone.
Such a fun night and precious play! I had to buy the official video because several times during the performance the kid behind Alex bumped his hat and Alex turned around to set him straight. He never stops making me laugh!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Spring Break
We kicked off spring break with some fun rodeo parties at school this year. Each of the kids made harmonicas, ate tons of sugar, and got to play some games. They also talked me into checking them out early so their break was a few hours longer!
Playing his new paper and cardboard harmonica (which surprisingly made somemusic noise)
Ben couldn't wait to get his hands on some candy!
His harmonica worked as well!
Third grade got to have sack races and a dance party, which was also pretty darn entertaining to watch. Ben may be a quiet guy, but when he gets going at the dance party you better watch out!
On Saturday morning, we all did a 1-mile family walk for a dear friend's charity race. It was a cold morning, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a gorgeous day.
We were so, so happy to have Mr. Scott and Miss Lou Anne with us for several days as well! Lou Anne and I got to help out with the race preparations and Scott was the official race photographer. It's always a joy to spend time with them and we loved getting to be a part of a wonderful cause together. I'm kicking myself because our time together was so busy that I didn't get any pictures of Lou Anne!
Good thing we did the non-competitive route because we had to stop and blow dandelions along the course. (His wish - a new green blankie!)
The weather was actually pretty crummy for most of spring break, which cancelled our camping trip, but gave us some rainy days to relax at home and watch movies. Ben even sat down with Alex to teach him how to write his name in cursive!
We also visited Grammy and Grumpy for a couple of days and the kids worked together for hours to build a fort in the park there. They insisted on getting pictures of their creation and I have to admit, I was impressed by how hard they worked and the fact that the made something together without fighting at all! Some logs were so big it was a team effort to move them.
We did some ceramic painting one afternoon, which turned out to be a ton of fun for us all. Alex picked a bird and made it red because he's playing on the Cardinals this season in baseball.
Ben chose a jar and did some interesting designs.
The finished work! Ben spent a lot longer perfecting his masterpiece and I never got another picture. They boys were pretty serious about their work.
The may get bigger, but a nice box can still be hours of entertainment...
...maybe more entertaining for some of us than for others.
On our last Saturday, we spent the day on Galveston Island and checked out the indoor waterpark at Schlitterbahn. It was heated and some of the water was nice and warm, but some was still on the chilly side. Thank goodness these guys had a wonderful time, though.
The boogiebahn ride was outside in the warm sun (and COLD water) but the kids absolutely loved it. Matt and I even took a few turns as well. Alex may have mooned the crowd a time or two, but he did great.
Ben really got the hang of it and even pulled out a full 360.
We enjoyed a nice seafood dinner and even got to enjoy a close encounter with some dolphins just before heading home.
It was a relaxing and refreshing break for us all. I can't believe we're in the home stretch of the school year!
Playing his new paper and cardboard harmonica (which surprisingly made some
After all the games, the kids got to do an in-seat roller coaster video, which was hilarious to watch.
Ben couldn't wait to get his hands on some candy!
His harmonica worked as well!
Third grade got to have sack races and a dance party, which was also pretty darn entertaining to watch. Ben may be a quiet guy, but when he gets going at the dance party you better watch out!
On Saturday morning, we all did a 1-mile family walk for a dear friend's charity race. It was a cold morning, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a gorgeous day.
We were so, so happy to have Mr. Scott and Miss Lou Anne with us for several days as well! Lou Anne and I got to help out with the race preparations and Scott was the official race photographer. It's always a joy to spend time with them and we loved getting to be a part of a wonderful cause together. I'm kicking myself because our time together was so busy that I didn't get any pictures of Lou Anne!
Good thing we did the non-competitive route because we had to stop and blow dandelions along the course. (His wish - a new green blankie!)
The weather was actually pretty crummy for most of spring break, which cancelled our camping trip, but gave us some rainy days to relax at home and watch movies. Ben even sat down with Alex to teach him how to write his name in cursive!
We also visited Grammy and Grumpy for a couple of days and the kids worked together for hours to build a fort in the park there. They insisted on getting pictures of their creation and I have to admit, I was impressed by how hard they worked and the fact that the made something together without fighting at all! Some logs were so big it was a team effort to move them.
We did some ceramic painting one afternoon, which turned out to be a ton of fun for us all. Alex picked a bird and made it red because he's playing on the Cardinals this season in baseball.
Ben chose a jar and did some interesting designs.
The finished work! Ben spent a lot longer perfecting his masterpiece and I never got another picture. They boys were pretty serious about their work.
The may get bigger, but a nice box can still be hours of entertainment...
...maybe more entertaining for some of us than for others.
On our last Saturday, we spent the day on Galveston Island and checked out the indoor waterpark at Schlitterbahn. It was heated and some of the water was nice and warm, but some was still on the chilly side. Thank goodness these guys had a wonderful time, though.
The boogiebahn ride was outside in the warm sun (and COLD water) but the kids absolutely loved it. Matt and I even took a few turns as well. Alex may have mooned the crowd a time or two, but he did great.
Ben really got the hang of it and even pulled out a full 360.
We enjoyed a nice seafood dinner and even got to enjoy a close encounter with some dolphins just before heading home.
It was a relaxing and refreshing break for us all. I can't believe we're in the home stretch of the school year!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Brave
I recently took the kids to Main Event on a cold Monday holiday from school and we had a great time playing video games for a couple of hours. To my surprise, Mr. "I'm Afraid of Heights!" Alex begged to go on the skywalk balance course. Before they could change their minds, I signed them up and herded them up the stairs. I was really impressed at how well they did and how much they loved the adventure!
Such a serious face!
Ben never actually said he wanted to try it but I didn't give him a choice and he did really well.
I love watching them try new things and find out they're capable of doing much more than they realize.
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