Will's Last Day

Will's last day of Mother's Day Out for the school year was on May 27th, and on the 29th, the school had a special Closing Chapel presentation and a brief celebration in the classrooms.  Robert and I loved getting to attend Chapel with Will and seeing how enthusiastic he is about singing the songs (and doing the hand motions).

Back in the classroom, Will and his friends treated us to another round of "God the Builder", their song from the Spring Music Program, and they got completion certificates.  Robert had to go back to work, but Will and I were able to have a cupcake and play on the school playground for a little while before heading back home.

A video!


Last day of school photo - the serious one!


And the silly one - with "Soft Dragon" in both.


Will's teacher told them to pick a bug (taped to the floor) to sit on - she told me that Will always picked that same one.


"God the Builder"


Getting his certificate from Ms. Leslie and Ms. Kim, his teachers.  They are so sweet, and Will LOVED being in their class!

A new place to explore

We went to Austin on Memorial Day to visit Grandmommy and check out a new place.  The Wildflower Center recently opened its Family Garden, and it was designed with kids in mind.  Claire and Will were excited to explore.

Will loved these giant nests - he pretended to be a baby bird hatching out of an egg and flying around.




The Stumpery - freedom to climb and jump!


The Grotto


Exercise area


The watering holes and Dinosaur Creek


We would have stayed longer, but the weather wasn't cooperating.  The sky opened up with some much needed rain, and we braved the downpour to race to the car - and to drive out for some barbecue at The Salt Lick.  We enjoyed what we saw, and we will be back!

The slide is back

Our next door neighbors held their annual joint birthday party for their daughters in May, and as always, Claire and Will had a fabulous time - pretty easy to do with pony rides, pinatas, a water slide, a balloon artist, and cake & ice cream!  This year Will was big enough to try the giant inflatable water slide, and he absolutely loved it - he would get out of the little pool and immediately run around to get in line again.





Will on the left, Claire on the right:


They also had an amazing balloon artist.  Will got a sword balloon, and almost immediately popped it.  When he went back, the guy asked him what he wanted, and he said "A dragon!"  The guy just said "OK" and started making one of the most elaborate balloon animals we'd ever seen.  It was a terrific dragon, and Will was really careful with it - it lasted about a week.  It was such a fun afternoon!



Will excitedly watching his dragon come together:




The balloon dragon!

Mother's Day 2014

I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year - I got to spend time with my mom, and Robert & the kids made me feel really special and loved.  :)

Will's school had "Muffins with Mom" on May 13th, and I loved getting to spend some time with him in his classroom.


My parents joined us for church and for lunch afterwards.  We planned to go to the Grist Mill, but when we got there at 11, the wait was already an hour and 15 minutes (!) so we ended up at a Mexican food restaurant down the road.  It's not our favorite place, but it was fine and better than trying to put off two hungry kids for over an hour.


Claire is reading and writing so well now, and she enjoyed drawing a picture and writing a note to Nana for Mother's Day (and seeing Nana's reaction!).

Mother's Day Weekend: The Pearl

Saturday morning before Mother's Day, my friend Courtney texted me and asked if we wanted to meet her and her family at the farmer's market at The Pearl.  We didn't have any set plans, and we love spending time with them, so we got up and headed down there.  It's such a great atmosphere - local foods, independent shops, areas for the kids to run and play, etc.  We had a lot of fun hanging out with some of our favorites!

Biking Mission Reach

Over the past couple of years, the city has developed bike trails that connect the upper part of the Riverwalk to all of the San Antonio missions.  We had some beautiful weather in late April and early May this year and explored parts of the Mission Reach.




The trails are nice and wide, and we enjoyed being able to walk/ride so much of the river.  We are looking forward to exploring other parts of the trail!

Spring Music Program

Will's school puts on a music program in the spring, and we loved watching him perform with his class.  They sang "God the Builder" (original lyrics sung to the tune of the "Bob the Builder" theme song), and he fully participated in the singing and the hand motions.  This kid loves being on stage!





After the performance, there was a little reception and a chance to see some of the art projects the kids had made during school.  Will posed with a couple of his pieces:


Will and a proud mommy!

Fiesta and Art Night!

Fiesta is always a big event in San Antonio, and Claire's school put on a Fiesta parade in May to celebrate.  Each student made a float, and Claire wanted hers to have a "Frozen" theme (not surprising!).


Principals and the mascot leading the parade


She had a great time!


After the parade, it was time for the party!  They played games, decorated cookies, and enjoyed lots of goodies.


A few days later the school held its annual Art Night.  Each student had a special piece displayed that was made in art class.  Some of the older students passed out drinks and hor d'oeuvres, and you could buy your child's artwork, with funds going to support the art program.  We are so glad that Claire has a principal who is so supportive of arts and music in schools, and we were glad we got to participate.

April Randoms

A round-up of random photos from April that I wanted to document:


Top row, left to right:

• While I was away at our church's women's retreat, the kids set up a bake sale and a dragon sale for Robert.  He said that they were basically "out" of everything he tried to buy.  :)
• Our MOPS Service team worked with a nearby assisted living facility to set up at Easter egg hunt for our preschoolers.  The kids and the residents all had a great time.
• We had some gift cards to Toys R Us, and the kids picked out ukuleles.  Let the concerts begin!

Middle row - outdoor fun

Bottom row:

• Will and I went to a nursery to pick out some plants, and he was fascinated by some chickens that they had on the property.  I practically had to drag him away.
• Waiting for Chuy's to open after church one Sunday
• Having fun on the merry-go-round at Hardberger Park.  I think this may have been their first time on one - you don't see them around much anymore.

And since I always love a good "asleep in the car seat" photo - apparently this day they had a particularly exhausting swim class.  Both kids were asleep with 10 minutes of getting in the van.