Will's Creations

Will loves to create, and I've been trying to take more photos of his masterpieces before they get taken apart and rebuilt into something else.  As I've mentioned before, he is really into dragons, so they are frequent subjects of his creations.  I love seeing how he takes random toys and objects and making them into something, or setting up little scenes with things he loves.

Dragons that are attacking the castle


The "found objects" dragon - body is a wrapping paper tube, wings and tail from a foam mat, and the eyes are sand art bottles from a pumpkin festival.


A dragon with a retractable sword.  I especially like the toothbrush stuck on top - he told me that was the dragon's spike, and that the popsicle mold is a fang.


A Boneknapper dragon (from one of the "How to Train Your Dragon" series).  In the show, the Boneknapper uses pieces of bones to assemble body armor.  The part at the top left is a wing - he ran out of pieces and then got distracted before he finished the other side.  The pieces at the top are its horns.


These dragons are playing ball with each other


T-Rex from Tinkertoys


And a couple of non-dragon/dinosaur related creations:
Rubber band art at the library


An especially silly Potato Head that he thought was hilarious - "Who ever heard of an arm for a nose?  HA HA HA HA!!!"  :)

X Games Austin

June 5th was a busy day!  After Claire's last day, they spent the night with my parents while Robert and I drove to Austin for the opening night of the X Games.  We had wristbands through his work, and we were going to be out of town for the rest of the Games, but we were so glad we got to go for at least one night.

We arrived not really knowing what to expect.  There was a halfpipe set up in downtown Austin, and we were allowed into the front of the viewing area with the wristbands.  The night started off with the Tony Hawk and Friends exhibition.  So fun to watch these legends in action!






There was a break before the skateboarding competition began, so we walked over to the VIP area to cool off and have a snack and a cold drink.  They had these delicious sugar cookies - we each ate a couple (or more!).




Skateboarding




After the skateboarding competition we walked over to the Capitol lawn - really cool to see the halfpipe and the crowd with downtown Austin in the background.


Then we headed back for the BMX competition - it was unbelievable.






Both of our phones died during the BMX portion - we were taking too many pictures.  :)  It was a really fun and unique experience - next year we are planning to be there for more of the weekend!

Claire's Last Day of Kindergarten

June 5, 2014 was Claire's last day of Kindergarten.  I didn't expect it to be so emotional, but I started crying when we told Claire's teacher goodbye for the summer.  We started the year not really knowing what to expect, but we hoped and prayed that Claire would have a good relationship with her teacher, that she would feel safe and happy at school, that she would make friends, that she would be kind and obedient, and that she would learn a lot.  All of these prayers were answered and it was a wonderful first year experience for all of us.  Her teacher was such a huge part of it - we couldn't have gotten a better one, and on the last day she told me how much she cared about Claire and how she hoped her daughters would have the same relationships with their first teachers as she had with Claire.  It was an amazing year!

The day was full with fun celebrations.  We took a last day of school photo in the backyard, and Will wanted to take one, too, with his scary dragon face.




We dropped Claire off, ran a quick errand, and came back for get a seat for the Kindergarten ceremony.  Claire and her classmates worked so hard on their performance, and it was beyond adorable.  They sang a song written by the music teacher to the tune of "Summer Nights" from Grease..."But, oh, now it's time for First Grade!"




Then each kid got a completion certificate...




And they ended by singing their school song, "We are the Lions, Hear Us Roar!"  Claire gets really animated during the "Roar" part!


Afterwards each class went back to their classroom for pictures.  Will brought Claire flowers that he picked out (our earlier errand), and she was so pleased.








They had the option to stay or go, and Claire wanted to stay for part of the day, so I helped her change out of her dress clothes.  I picked her up a little early, and she had enjoyed helping clean up and organize the room - two of her favorite activities!

It was truly a wonderful year.  Now, on to First Grade!

Field Day 2014!

Claire's school had a special field day during the last week of school.  There were tons of games and activities set up in the gym and on the playground fields.  I volunteered during the Kindergarten/First Grade time slot, handing out cups of water and helping with some of the water games.  Claire bounced from game to game.  Her favorite was the race to fill up buckets with water using a big sponge.






The aftermath - it turned into a Nap Day!

May Randoms Part 2

5.14 - Western Conference semi-finals (Spurs vs. Portland).  I was seriously impressed with the Spurs Coyote's t-shirt Gatling gun.  Now that's a t-shirt cannon!

5.26 - Hibiscus explosion in our backyard!  I think this is the most blooms I've seen on this plant in the almost 6 years we've lived here.

5.29 - Face paint day at school.  Claire wanted a balloon and a flower - that's about as fancy as I get with the face paint.

5.30 - Target run.  Will saw these "poufs" and asked what they were for.  When I told him they were for your feet or to sit on, he wanted to try it out - one for him, and one for Soft Dragon.

5.30 - Sacked out at nap time

5.31 - Impromptu picnic at Nana & Granddaddy's house.  Robert went over to help Dad with a project, and it took a little longer than expected, so we picked up Schlotzsky's and drove over to visit.

May Randoms Part 1

5.3 - At a birthday party with two of her favorite friends from Kindergarten.

5.3 - Staying up past bedtime for a sweet treat at Bahama Bucks - it was worth the drive!

5.7 - Watch D.O.G.S (Dads of Great Students) day!  This is a program our school offers for dads to spend a day at school serving as a role model and help provide a sense of security to the students.  Robert spent the entire day at school - he had a schedule, and it included helping with announcements (he and Claire were on the closed circuit school tv), drop off and pick up, reading, tutoring, recess, cafeteria, etc.  They both had a fun day, despite how embarrassed Claire looks in this photo.  :)

5.7 - There is a lot of work going on at the lot by the entrance to our subdivision.  We walked down one day to check out all of the big construction machinery in action.

5.9 - Claire reading me a Frozen book from the library.  She would read each page, then turn it around to show me the picture.

5.10 - Making clubhouses, complete with toys, snacks, and water bottles.

5.11 - Claire helping Daddy read a business contract before bedtime.

Claire's First Field Trip

During the last week of May, Claire's Kindergarten class got to go on a field trip to the San Antonio Zoo, and I got to go along as a chaperone.  The kids rode the bus to the zoo while the parents drove their own vehicles.  It was Claire's first time on the bus (we live too close to the school to be on a bus route), and I think the ride was the most exciting part of the trip for her!


Being silly with some friends while we wait


A lot of parents were able to volunteer, and another mom and I were put into a group with our daughters and one other girl.  We had about three hours to explore and eat our sack lunches.  The girls were wonderful and we had a great time together.


So Claire has never been a fan of petting zoos - she doesn't like having animals approach her.  The other girls wanted to go in, so she went along.  We found a group of goats sitting in the shade, and Claire decided they would be safe to brush and pet.  It was fun to watch her build up her nerve - standing at arms length and giving the goat a quick brush, getting closer, petting the goat with her hand, and finally sitting down beside the goat to pet her.  She decided that the goat really liked her, and they got along well.  Another step towards conquering a fear!