Claire's attempts to get Will to lean in closer frequently end up in a head lock and/or wrestling match.
"Cheese!"
Doing their "maniacal laugh"
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Pumpkin Patch Outtakes
It took a few (actually several) tries to get a couple of good photos at the pumpkin patch, and some of the outtakes made me laugh.
Claire's attempts to get Will to lean in closer frequently end up in a head lock and/or wrestling match.
"Cheese!"
Doing their "maniacal laugh"
Claire's attempts to get Will to lean in closer frequently end up in a head lock and/or wrestling match.
"Cheese!"
Doing their "maniacal laugh"
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Summer 2013: The Backyard
August 2013 marked the 5 year anniversary of living in our house. When we were deciding which house to buy, the backyard was one of the main reasons we knew this was "the one." We have two huge oak trees that provide a lot of shade throughout the day, making it possible to enjoy time outside even in our insanely hot South Texas summers.
The kids and I spent a ton of time out in the back this summer, and they were usually in their swimsuits. I may get tired of the heat, but I do love summer.
Summer 2013: July 4th Weekend
Our July 4th weekend was full of family time - and food!
On the 4th, Will got his first experience seeing a movie in a theater when we saw Monsters University at Alamo Drafthouse. We all enjoyed the movie, but I think the highlight for the kids might have been the pretzels we ordered.
That evening we tried a new barbecue place down at The Pearl - The Granary 'Cue & Brew. Claire loved the sausage - Will just ate the house made buttermilk bread.
Friday we played outside, and then Robert and I had a date night - dinner at The Luxury, another newish restaurant. It's an interesting concept - two shipping containers set up for the restaurant and the bar, with outdoor seating by the river.
Playing with the new slip and slide - they didn't exactly grasp the concept.
My mom's birthday is on the 6th, so we took my parents to The Dodging Duck in Boerne (one of our favorite places) for lunch. The tables are covered with butcher table, and they give the kids crayons to decorate the table. We were all impressed with Robert's rendering of Claire's Peter Pan and Wendy figurines!
The final event of our weekend was our neighbors' birthday party. Jump house, balloon artist, and the highlight - a giant water slide. Claire was a little nervous at first, but after one time down the slide, that was all she wanted to do. It was great!
On the 4th, Will got his first experience seeing a movie in a theater when we saw Monsters University at Alamo Drafthouse. We all enjoyed the movie, but I think the highlight for the kids might have been the pretzels we ordered.
That evening we tried a new barbecue place down at The Pearl - The Granary 'Cue & Brew. Claire loved the sausage - Will just ate the house made buttermilk bread.
Friday we played outside, and then Robert and I had a date night - dinner at The Luxury, another newish restaurant. It's an interesting concept - two shipping containers set up for the restaurant and the bar, with outdoor seating by the river.
Playing with the new slip and slide - they didn't exactly grasp the concept.
My mom's birthday is on the 6th, so we took my parents to The Dodging Duck in Boerne (one of our favorite places) for lunch. The tables are covered with butcher table, and they give the kids crayons to decorate the table. We were all impressed with Robert's rendering of Claire's Peter Pan and Wendy figurines!
The final event of our weekend was our neighbors' birthday party. Jump house, balloon artist, and the highlight - a giant water slide. Claire was a little nervous at first, but after one time down the slide, that was all she wanted to do. It was great!
Summer 2013: Fire Station Birthday Party
June 29 - Our family was invited to a birthday party for my friend Amy's son, Luke. Luke loves firefighters, so Amy arranged for a tour of our neighborhood fire station (right down the street from our house!).
The tour was fantastic - we saw the whole station, some demonstrations, and the kids got to turn on the hoses and crawl on the ladder. For the parents, one of the best parts was when they had a firefighter dress up in all the gear. With the masks and air tanks on, a firefighter could be pretty intimidating for a small child, so they showed them that under all the gear is a nice person who just wants to help them if they are ever in a fire. Good stuff.
After the tour, we went to Luke's house for lunch and cake. We had such a great time - and learned a lot!
Watching a firefighter climb to the top of the ladder
Excited about their chance to climb on the ladder truck
Claire with a few of our MOPS friends & two of the firefighters (Will is hiding behind Luke)
The tour was fantastic - we saw the whole station, some demonstrations, and the kids got to turn on the hoses and crawl on the ladder. For the parents, one of the best parts was when they had a firefighter dress up in all the gear. With the masks and air tanks on, a firefighter could be pretty intimidating for a small child, so they showed them that under all the gear is a nice person who just wants to help them if they are ever in a fire. Good stuff.
After the tour, we went to Luke's house for lunch and cake. We had such a great time - and learned a lot!
Watching a firefighter climb to the top of the ladder
Excited about their chance to climb on the ladder truck
Claire with a few of our MOPS friends & two of the firefighters (Will is hiding behind Luke)
Summer 2013: Berry Picking
At the end of June, we went to a berry patch in Fredericksburg with our friends Courtney, Elliot & Jack. It was HOT, but we had a lot of fun picking blackberries and strawberries.
The blackberry bushes had lots of thorns, but Claire became a pro at navigating around them to get the fruit pretty quickly. We left the picking to the ladies and let Will & Elliot run up and down the rows. It was the end of strawberry season, so we didn't have a lot to choose from, but what we got was really tasty. We decided we will have to go back earlier in the year next time and focus on the thorn-free fruits.
Over the weekend I made a blackberry crumble with our bounty - yum!
The blackberry bushes had lots of thorns, but Claire became a pro at navigating around them to get the fruit pretty quickly. We left the picking to the ladies and let Will & Elliot run up and down the rows. It was the end of strawberry season, so we didn't have a lot to choose from, but what we got was really tasty. We decided we will have to go back earlier in the year next time and focus on the thorn-free fruits.
Over the weekend I made a blackberry crumble with our bounty - yum!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Dot Day
Yesterday Claire's school celebrated International Dot Day, inspired by the book "The Dot." I'd heard of the book a couple of months ago and checked it out from the library. It was an instant family favorite. Robert and I loved the message - "Just make a mark and see where it takes you."
The kids were asked to wear dots, and Robert asked Claire if she would like to make a Dot shirt. We bought the supplies, and she picked a piece of artwork from the book that she found inspirational.
Claire working on the project with Daddy, and the final result! Be sure to notice the artist's signature at the bottom - "Claire L."
We had so much fun making a special shirt for Dot Day. Robert and I were so proud of our girl!
The kids were asked to wear dots, and Robert asked Claire if she would like to make a Dot shirt. We bought the supplies, and she picked a piece of artwork from the book that she found inspirational.
Claire working on the project with Daddy, and the final result! Be sure to notice the artist's signature at the bottom - "Claire L."
We had so much fun making a special shirt for Dot Day. Robert and I were so proud of our girl!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Will's First Day of School
Today was Will's first day of school! (Actually Mother's Day Out, but he wants to go to "school", too.)
In the words of Will's teacher, "He had a GREAT day!" He attended their summer program for 4 weeks in July/August, so he was familiar with the school and the teachers, but since he'd been out for 4 weeks, I wondered if he would have a little separation anxiety. After "Meet the Teacher" last week, I had no concerns. He ran in and started playing, and I practically had to drag him out. Today was the same - ran in, found his favorite toys, and barely bothered to give me a kiss goodbye. I was glad he was so happy to be there!
His school has a preschool program for 3 & 4 year olds, but it is based on their age as of September 1, so he is one of the oldest in his 2 year old class. I knew that this would be the first MDO/preschool program for some of the kids in his room, so we talked beforehand about how some of the kids might be sad, and that since he is one of the oldest, he could be a good example and a helper for his teachers. Ms. Kim said that he didn't have a single tear or sad moment and had a lot of fun. We are looking forward to a great year!
In the words of Will's teacher, "He had a GREAT day!" He attended their summer program for 4 weeks in July/August, so he was familiar with the school and the teachers, but since he'd been out for 4 weeks, I wondered if he would have a little separation anxiety. After "Meet the Teacher" last week, I had no concerns. He ran in and started playing, and I practically had to drag him out. Today was the same - ran in, found his favorite toys, and barely bothered to give me a kiss goodbye. I was glad he was so happy to be there!
His school has a preschool program for 3 & 4 year olds, but it is based on their age as of September 1, so he is one of the oldest in his 2 year old class. I knew that this would be the first MDO/preschool program for some of the kids in his room, so we talked beforehand about how some of the kids might be sad, and that since he is one of the oldest, he could be a good example and a helper for his teachers. Ms. Kim said that he didn't have a single tear or sad moment and had a lot of fun. We are looking forward to a great year!
Kindergarten - The First Weeks
Claire has been in Kindergarten now for two weeks, and we all love it. It seems like she has grown and blossomed so much in such a short period of time. We used to not get many details about her day, but she loves to tell us what she did and almost always can name at least one person she met that day. She can list almost 2/3 of her 22 person class, which is big for a kid who a couple of weeks ago didn't care that much about learning anyone's name. :)
She has also already picked up skills (or is deciding to show us what she could already do)! She hasn't shown much interest in reading, so I thought she might be a late reader. I'm realizing that she can read a lot more words than she lets on. Now that they are working on sight words and environmental print, she shows me a lot of words that she knows. Her artwork and drawings have been so creative, and she tells me a story to go along with almost each one.
First School Spirit Day
She likes taking her lunch and getting the hot lunch from the cafeteria. Every week we look over the school menu and pick a couple of days for her to buy her lunch. Will and I had lunch with her on the first Friday, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many fresh fruit and vegetable options were provided. The pizza and tacos that I've tried have been okay, too - better than what I remember getting when I ate at my school's cafeteria!
The schedule has taken some getting used to for all of us. Claire was still napping before school started, so she is still pretty tired and either wound up or grumpy (or both) in the afternoons, so I'm trying to keep her busy and get her to bed earlier. She has taken some awesome naps during the weekends to catch up! Both kids are early risers, so I had rarely set an alarm clock for myself, knowing that between them and Robert getting up for work, I would be up before 7 each day. Now that Claire needs to be up by 6:30-6:40, I've started getting up about 6 to get myself ready and gather my thoughts, and I love getting the day started early. We try to leave the house around 7:15-7:20 to give her plenty of time to meet her class in the gym before they walk together to class and get settled by the 7:40 late bell.
For the first couple of weeks, I walked her into school. I planned to do it for as long as she wanted. It was a bit of a production - get both kids out of the car, walk across the school driveway, go into the office to sign in and get a name tag (there is a strict visitor policy, which I love), walk her to the gym or to her class (depending on the time), walk back out with Will (who usually had to make a dramatic scene as we left the school - the holding out his hand while looking back longingly and moaning for his sister lasted several days, although lessened in duration), get him back in the car, and drive off. After the first week she wanted to walk in by herself, so we practiced a couple of times, letting her walk a few paces in front of Will & me to make sure she (really, "I") was comfortable with knowing where to go.
On Thursday, we both felt confident that she would be fine, so I let her off in the drop off line. She loved having an older girl from the safety patrol help her out of the van and with putting on her backpack, and she ran off, not even looking back. I felt another ache in my heart watching her go, but it just reminded me that there will be many moments like this as we raise her and help her develop into an adult. Knowing when to let go is part of the process.
(And I also quickly realized that the drop off line is significantly faster and easier for all of us!)
She has also already picked up skills (or is deciding to show us what she could already do)! She hasn't shown much interest in reading, so I thought she might be a late reader. I'm realizing that she can read a lot more words than she lets on. Now that they are working on sight words and environmental print, she shows me a lot of words that she knows. Her artwork and drawings have been so creative, and she tells me a story to go along with almost each one.
First School Spirit Day
She likes taking her lunch and getting the hot lunch from the cafeteria. Every week we look over the school menu and pick a couple of days for her to buy her lunch. Will and I had lunch with her on the first Friday, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many fresh fruit and vegetable options were provided. The pizza and tacos that I've tried have been okay, too - better than what I remember getting when I ate at my school's cafeteria!
The schedule has taken some getting used to for all of us. Claire was still napping before school started, so she is still pretty tired and either wound up or grumpy (or both) in the afternoons, so I'm trying to keep her busy and get her to bed earlier. She has taken some awesome naps during the weekends to catch up! Both kids are early risers, so I had rarely set an alarm clock for myself, knowing that between them and Robert getting up for work, I would be up before 7 each day. Now that Claire needs to be up by 6:30-6:40, I've started getting up about 6 to get myself ready and gather my thoughts, and I love getting the day started early. We try to leave the house around 7:15-7:20 to give her plenty of time to meet her class in the gym before they walk together to class and get settled by the 7:40 late bell.
For the first couple of weeks, I walked her into school. I planned to do it for as long as she wanted. It was a bit of a production - get both kids out of the car, walk across the school driveway, go into the office to sign in and get a name tag (there is a strict visitor policy, which I love), walk her to the gym or to her class (depending on the time), walk back out with Will (who usually had to make a dramatic scene as we left the school - the holding out his hand while looking back longingly and moaning for his sister lasted several days, although lessened in duration), get him back in the car, and drive off. After the first week she wanted to walk in by herself, so we practiced a couple of times, letting her walk a few paces in front of Will & me to make sure she (really, "I") was comfortable with knowing where to go.
On Thursday, we both felt confident that she would be fine, so I let her off in the drop off line. She loved having an older girl from the safety patrol help her out of the van and with putting on her backpack, and she ran off, not even looking back. I felt another ache in my heart watching her go, but it just reminded me that there will be many moments like this as we raise her and help her develop into an adult. Knowing when to let go is part of the process.
(And I also quickly realized that the drop off line is significantly faster and easier for all of us!)
Claire's First Day of School
August 26, 2013 - We all woke up bright and early eagerly anticipating the big event. We wanted to be at school early to get Claire settled in her room and take some photos - and to make sure we could find a parking place! At Meet the Teacher, Claire's teacher suggested getting there around 7 (her school starts at 7:40), so off we went while it was still dark outside.
In front of the school
With the Pinterest-inspired "First day of school" sign
This was pretty much her expression all morning - she was SO happy and excited!
Will was showing off his school spirit (and sleepy eyes) that day!
Walking in - she spotted her classroom and took off
Showing us her cubby
A hug from her teacher
She wanted to take a photo in front of one of the SMART boards (or "Big TVs") - she remembered them from the demo at Kindergarten Round-Up in the spring and was anxious for her chance to try it out. :)
Goodbye hug
Leaving was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would be a mess, but she was so excited, and that helped my happiness outweigh the sadness. Robert left and went to work while Will and I went to a breakfast sponsored by the PTA for new Kindergarten parents where we got a little additional information and a chance to answer questions. I was still totally fine until we walked out the front doors of the school, and Will stopped. He turned back, held out his hand, and started to cry. He said "My sister! I want to see her!" It broke my heart, and I started to tear up as I got him moving again to the car. I opened the door, he saw his toy dinosaur and promptly forgot all about being sad. I did, too - and took advantage of having only one kid with me to: fill up the van with gas, go to a quick doctor appointment (for me), laminate car pick-ups signs at the office supply store, drop off/pick up books and movies at the library, and do the grocery shopping for the week. All before lunch. I think I may like this new schedule... ;)
In front of the school
With the Pinterest-inspired "First day of school" sign
This was pretty much her expression all morning - she was SO happy and excited!
Will was showing off his school spirit (and sleepy eyes) that day!
Walking in - she spotted her classroom and took off
Showing us her cubby
A hug from her teacher
She wanted to take a photo in front of one of the SMART boards (or "Big TVs") - she remembered them from the demo at Kindergarten Round-Up in the spring and was anxious for her chance to try it out. :)
Goodbye hug
Leaving was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would be a mess, but she was so excited, and that helped my happiness outweigh the sadness. Robert left and went to work while Will and I went to a breakfast sponsored by the PTA for new Kindergarten parents where we got a little additional information and a chance to answer questions. I was still totally fine until we walked out the front doors of the school, and Will stopped. He turned back, held out his hand, and started to cry. He said "My sister! I want to see her!" It broke my heart, and I started to tear up as I got him moving again to the car. I opened the door, he saw his toy dinosaur and promptly forgot all about being sad. I did, too - and took advantage of having only one kid with me to: fill up the van with gas, go to a quick doctor appointment (for me), laminate car pick-ups signs at the office supply store, drop off/pick up books and movies at the library, and do the grocery shopping for the week. All before lunch. I think I may like this new schedule... ;)
Summer 2013: Sea World
There are a lot of great things about living in San Antonio - one of them is that we are so close to Sea World. We get season passes every year, and it's so nice to not have to feel like you have to see everything in one trip. We typically get there close to opening, visit the animals, ride one or two rides, and either see a show or visit the splash pad. We went a few times this summer - here are a few photos from our visits.
Watching Shamu
Hoping for a close-up view of the dolphins
Seals & sea lions
Exploring with a friend
Some of the rides (Claire and I decided that was our last ride on the Big Bird ferris wheel - too slow!)
Claire and I on the Shamu Express
Splash pad fun
Meeting Franklin
Cooling off with a sweet treat
Watching Shamu
Hoping for a close-up view of the dolphins
Seals & sea lions
Exploring with a friend
Some of the rides (Claire and I decided that was our last ride on the Big Bird ferris wheel - too slow!)
Claire and I on the Shamu Express
Splash pad fun
Meeting Franklin
Cooling off with a sweet treat
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