What's Going On in Our World: The Photo-Free Post

I am so behind on sorting photos, and I keep waiting until I have everything organized to post, but I feel like I'm missing the chance to record our "current events".  Time for a Crawford House Gumbo-style post!

• The beginning of the summer was busy.  We had something big every weekend for a month - I was out of town for a MOPS Steering retreat (I'm going to be a table leader in my Mothers of Preschoolers group next year - I'm excited!), we had family in town to celebrate Robert's grandparents' anniversary, and we went to two family reunions.   
• Will & Claire started swim lessons at Aqua Tots last month, and they love it - one of the highlights of  their week.  Will started out in a parent-child class and was ready to move up to the 2.5-3 year old class after a few weeks.  It's nice to be able to just sit on the sideline and watch!
• The kids and I are really enjoying our summer days - trips to the zoo, berry picking, museums, play dates, a few fun craft/science projects, and lots of time outside.
• Robert has been busy with work and travels a few times a month for meetings.  It's usually just an overnight trip, and on those days, Claire likes to have a sleepover at Nana and Granddaddy's house.  They all love their time together - games, movies, bubble baths in the big tub - and it makes the evening and early morning much more relaxed for me.  Will enjoys the one-on-one Mommy time, too.
• Claire and Will moved to a new preschool program this week.  We have been at the same place since Claire was about 11 months, so I thought there might be somewhat of an adjustment period, but we are making a pretty smooth transition.  Will is going to continue there in the fall after Claire starts Kindergarten.
• We are planning a family trip in August to San Diego - one last trip before school starts!

Jumping Frog

May 25th - We had a ton of rain which made some good puddles in our yard.  Robert took Will with him to check the rain gauge, and Will couldn't resist having splashing around.

Claire's Graduation

My poor neglected blog!  I'm making public my goal to be totally caught up by the end of this month!

Claire's school held a graduation ceremony on May 17th for all the kids who will be starting Kindergarten this fall.  Claire started at this school right before her first birthday, so we have been with some of these teachers and other families for over 4 years.  I didn't think it would be a big deal, but I got a little emotional watching my not-so-little girl walk/run across the yard to grab her certificate.

Ready for the graduates


Claire with about half of her classmates


Getting her certificate from Ms. Susan


Our little graduate!


Will entertaining himself with my flower from Claire


Obligatory family shot with, as usual, 3 of 4 looking at the camera

Grandmommy's Birthday

Grandmommy's birthday is in May, and we met her at the children's museum in New Braunfels to spend some time with her.  Claire made Grandmommy a special birthday card.





Will made her a special lobster & fish pizza.




Claire's pizza was a little more traditional.


We were so glad Grandmommy was able to come with us and that we got to see her on her birthday!

Mother's Day 2013

We enjoyed celebrating our moms - lunch with Grandmommy at the Grist Mill and dinner with Nana at our house.  Lots of cards and lots of smiles!

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. :)