Monday, December 21, 2009

Birthday Sleepover

This weekend, Avery had four friends sleepover to celebrate her birthday. The girls made gingerbread houses, watched the movie "Elf", ate junk food, and stayed up way too late. They had a lot of fun, and we loved having them here. We're so lucky that our kids have such wonderful friends!

Making the gingerbread houses:



The finished products!





The dessert pizza, as Avery requested (with a sugar cookie crust, chocolate icing for sauce, white chocolate as cheese, tootsie rolls as black olives, licorice as pepperoni, and sliced gummy candies for peppers):



Watching a movie:




And dancing the night away:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Eleven!

Avery turned 11 today. Somehow we feel like time has passed in the blink of an eye but also like we've been parents forever. I know that Bill and I both consider ourselves extremely lucky to have such a wonderful girl to show us the ropes of parenthood. She is growing into such a passionate, thoughtful, and caring person, and we like to pretend that we had something to do with it. In reality, though, Avery was born knowing who she is and what she believes. She stands up for what she thinks is right and she has an insatiable thirst for information and experiences. We can't wait to see what new, exciting adventures she'll find, and we hope she won't mind taking us along for the ride!





Sunday, December 06, 2009

Aquarena Springs

Also in November we ventured down to San Marcos with our science co-op to spend the day at Aquarena Springs. We went on a guided tour and saw lots of interesting animals and plants, did some water-related activities, and went for a ride on the famous glass-bottom boats.









Canyon of the Eagles

A few weeks ago, our Thursday co-op group went camping at Canyon of the Eagles. Although the sites themselves weren't ideal for group camping and the water level was very low, the park was beautiful and we had a great weekend.



The kids really enjoyed spending lots of time in nature.




And, as always, the time spent around the campfire is a highlight.





The kids thought it was fabulous to discover an amphitheater and put on an impromptu show for us.



Ollie even participated by showing off his best tricks.



But the very best part was spending lots of time with wonderful friends.





Saturday, November 21, 2009

Boo!

On Halloween, we held our traditional family Halloween costume party with food, fun, and trick-or-treating. We invited a couple of extra families this year, and the kids were thrilled to trick-or-treat with friends.

Medusa, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones:

Jemaine (from Flight of the Conchords), Harry, a dark and stormy knight, "fear", Lady MacBeth, Medusa, and a witch:


Jughead (as a ghost) and a sumo wrestler:


Great-grandmother Carolyn as a kitty with Indy Jones and Noah the pumpkin:


Lots more pictures found here.

Monday, November 09, 2009

Co-op Halloween Party







Painting pumpkings...

...at Thursday Co-op.







Thursday Co-op

The new addition to our schedule this year is an enrichment co-op on Thursdays. We meet for about four hours every week, with two hours for class time, a period for lunch, and free time. The kids got to choose the classes they're taking, and they've been very pleased.

Avery is taking a class called American History Debate. She and her classmates have been going through major issues in American history, reading about them, and analyzing arguments. Avery loves the class and hopes that it will continue next semester. She is also taking a drama class, and the kids are preparing a performance of various scenes from Shakespeare. She's doing two different scenes from The Tempest, playing both Prospero and Ariel.

Avery and her drama class playing theater games:





Rhys is taking a class called Movement and Outdoor Games, in which they play all sorts of playground games and learn different kinds of movement like juggling and yoga. His second class is Camping and Outdoor Skills. They've learned all about camping and survival, and we're going to put those skills to the test when the group goes camping next weekend!

The movement class doing yoga:



Griffin has two hours of preschool, and I am one of the teachers. The church where we rent space has a fabulous preschool room with tons of great toys. The kids usually play, do an art project, and spend time playing outside.







Enjoying a little free time:



Go Muckdogs!


As of last week, the fall season of baseball is over. It has been a good season overall, but we have been less than impressed with Round Rock Youth Baseball. Still, Rhys had a lot of fun and the Muckdogs made it to the championship game in the End of the Season Tournament. Unfortunately, they got blown out by a team that plays select baseball all year and uses the RRYB league for practice. We're very proud of the Muckdogs for working so hard and playing with such heart!

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Costume Recital

Avery's violin teacher, Elizabeth Warren, continued her annual tradition of a costume recital in October. Avery dressed as Medusa, complete with a head full of rubber snakes, and played Black and White Rag by George Botsford. It was a hard piece and her first deviation from classical violin music. She worked hard to perfect it and performed beautifully.

Texas Stars

We went with a few families in our homeschooling group to see the Texas Stars minor league hockey team. It was a really fun time, and we hope to go again soon!





History co-op

This semester, our history co-op has continued the study of the medieval period. Last month the kids had a homework assignment to make a 3-dimensional castle. All three kids worked really hard on their creations and came up with terrific finished projects.

Avery made hers out of cereal boxes and oatmeal containers and painted it with watercolors.


Rhys used paper and colored it with crayons.


Griffin used Legos and made sure to include a little head on a pike in the corner of the castle.


The kids also made helmets and shields with their own crests on them.