The Magik Theater

San Antonio has a theater downtown that produces plays based on children's books.  I'd been thinking about taking the kids to the show, but hadn't looked into the logistics.  Then last month Jill asked if we would like to join her, Kate, & Paige for a showing of "The Velveteen Rabbit", and we jumped at the chance to go with our friends.





The kids did great - they were enthralled for most of the show.  Will started getting a little restless at the end, but I thought he did well for his first show.  They both talked about it for several days afterwards, and Will still refers to his stuffed bunny (that used to be mine!) as his Velveteen Rabbit.

Down at the Pearl

Our church had a men's retreat in April, so that Saturday morning we met Courtney, Elliot, and Jack at the Farmers' Market while the daddies were away.  The weather was gorgeous - cool and sunny.  We had some time before they arrived, and we stopped at the CIA Bakery for some of our favorite pastries - croissants for the kids, and a sausage cheddar scone for me.  The croissants are huge and deliciously flakey - Will's shirt was quickly covered with crumbs.  It was a nice start to the morning - I'm so excited that we're already to the point that I can sit with the kids at a cafe and we can just enjoy each other's company for a little while.


Claire was so excited when Courtney and the boys walked up - she loves that Elliot!


We had a great time walking around and buying a few things, then sitting outside with snacks and visiting while the kids took in the scenery.  It was a great way to spend the morning while Daddy was away.

Claire's Date with Daddy

Claire and Daddy had a special date the day before her birthday.  They got dressed up and had dinner at BJ's (including chocolate milk and a Pizookie), then went to Target where she picked out a new toy (a Cars stunt set).





I was so glad that they were able to spend this time together.  I'm not sure who had the best time.  :)

The Fisherman

Claire was invited to a birthday party one Saturday morning, so while I took her to the party, Will, Robert & Granddaddy had a "Man Day" complete with a trip to Cabela's, lunch at Frank's Bait & Taco, and fishing at a catfish tank.  Will was really proud of his catch!



The place will clean the fish for you, and Robert said Will was really upset when they took his "gray fish" away and was not impressed with its condition after they brought it back.

We cooked it the next night, and we all enjoyed eating Will's gray fish.

Fiesta 2013

If you live in San Antonio, April means it's time for Fiesta!  We didn't attend any "official" events, but we made it to our favorite - the school parade.  Claire had a new float this year - her "Disney princess mermaid" float.  She picked out the decorations for her float and directed the base assembly before finishing it off herself.  Will requested farm animals.  Robert and I did most of the decorating for him, and he managed to disassemble quite a bit of it while waiting for his turn in the parade.  :)





Better view of Will's float (with the detached animals!)


Claire & Princess Ariel on her shell


After Will spotted us, he had no interest in walking the parade by himself, so I walked with him in my post-workout glory.  :)




With Nana & Granddaddy (I couldn't get Claire to put down her float for a photo)


For photos of prior years' Fiesta parades, go here:
2009
2011
2012

Claire is Five

I gave Claire several location choices for parties this year, and she chose Little Gym. I was glad - I knew from other parties that they would do a great job and it wouldn't require a ton of effort on my part for everyone to have fun.  :)  We had a good mix of family, old friends, church friends, and school friends, and Claire had the best time celebrating her birthday with everyone.

Landon, Claire & Evan


Parachute time


Thrilled to literally be the center of attention!


"Smash the cheese"






Free play with brother


Silly faces


The air track - always a favorite.  Elliot's, too, once he realized that the noise it made was normal.  :)




Sweet birthday girl (As we were leaving the house, she asked about a birthday hat for her party.  We decided a plastic tiara would suffice.)


Claire & Kate - love those frosting faces!


Enjoying pizza & cupcakes


We love our Claire!

Easter 2013: Part 3

Easter Sunday - I was determined to get a photo of the kids before we left for church.  My silly goofies were not interested in posing for me, but I was happy with what I got.





Our church had an outdoor service, and it was a really special time of worship and testimony.

And for comparison - Easter 2012

Easter 2013: Part 2

On Saturday of Easter weekend, we hosted an Easter egg hunt for several of our friends and neighbors with small children.  Besides being a good motivator for spring cleaning our backyard, it was So. Much. Fun.

Each child brought a dozen filled eggs, and while Robert and some of the other daddies hid the eggs, we had a simple little craft for the kids - decorating a foam egg with stickers.


We managed to get a shot of most of the kids together...


...and then the hunt began!








Enjoying the spoils


Love this shot of Kate & Claire!


And with Elliot


Everything went so smoothly, and we had a blast.  This may have been the first annual egg hunt at our home. :)

Easter 2013: Part 1

We had a wonderful, packed Easter this year!

To lead up to the actual day, my MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) hosted a craft night to make "Resurrection Eggs" - basically like an Advent calendar, but for Easter.  We each brought a dozen plastic eggs, and they provided scriptures and items to put in each egg to teach children the Easter story - Jesus' sacrifice to free us from our sins.  The ones we made were pretty similar to this post.  The kids were excited to open an egg each day, and it helped us make sure that the focus was not just on candy and egg hunts.  :)

Our completed resurrection egg tree


On Friday, we attended an egg hunt at the kids' school.  Although they don't go on Fridays, they were welcome to come.  The weather was beautiful, so we loaded the kids, baskets, eggs, & backpack in the wagon and walked the 1 1/4 miles (up a BIG hill!) to their school.  Will got to hunt with Claire's class - he was excited to play with "the big kids".







We stopped for lunch on our way home and all enjoyed naps that afternoon.

Soccer fun

The kids have both enjoyed taking Soccer Shots (beginning soccer class) at their school.  Last month we got them a net and a couple of balls so they could practice/burn off some of that preschooler energy.  We had so much fun watching them show off what they've learned!