Corpus Christi

This week we packed up the car, picked up Mamar, and drove to Corpus Christi for a few days.

I wish I could say that the trip consisted of lots of this:


But, really, there was a lot more of this:



When we left, we were on the mend from our most recent bout of colds. Sure, 4 out of the 6 travelers had nasty coughs, but everyone seemed to be improving. We had big plans for our trip, and the first day went pretty well. After an uneventful drive down, we got a quick bite to eat and went to explore the USS Lexington.




After touring the Lexington, we hit the beach. It was a bit chilly (which is to be expected, since we spent the previous day in the snow!), but we still had fun. The water was amazingly still and very peaceful.




After getting our fill of the beach, we went up to our hotel room for hot showers, room service, and the promise of a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, the only sleeping happened in the wee hours of the morning, after the all night cough-a-thon stopped.


Although morning came too soon, we were happy to start day 2 of our beach adventures. We ate a quick breakfast and headed out to the Texas State Aquarium.





During our trip to the aquarium, we noticed that the boys were coughing and sneezing more than they had been, and Griffin was feeling a little hot. So...


...we stopped a CVS to pick up some cough medicine that the doctor had called in and also a thermometer. Still, sick or not, the kids really wanted to make one more stop at the beach. It was much windier and nobody lasted long.







Night two was slightly better than night one on the coughing front, mostly thanks to the turbo sleep inducing cough medicine called in by the pediatrician. But it was less good on the fever front -- Griffin woke up in the middle of the night feeling horrible and with a raging fever. In the morning, we decided to give up on our vacation and head home. We were sorry to not get to see the Columbus replica ships (which had inspired our trip in the first place), but Griffin and Rhys were feeling very sick and needed to get home. We managed to make it to the ped's office before they closed, and hopefully they'll be well soon.

It may not have been the beach trip we'd imagined, but it certainly was a memorable one!

Snow Day!

Today was one of the rarest and most magical days in central Texas...because we got snow! I'm not sure I've ever seen such big, beautiful flakes coming down. Sadly temperatures were just above freezing, so it didn't last long. But it was wonderful while it lasted!

Science Fun

We have gotten together with friends a few times lately to do some fun science experiments. I always prefer science in groups, because our group projects always end up bigger and better planned than the things we try at home. The kids always prefer science in groups because what could be better than hanging out with friends and making huge messes all in the name of science?

First, we got together to have a "take apart day". The kids worked together to disassemble an old laptop, a cable box, and a broken cd/tape player. Some of the kids (ahem, Griffin) enjoyed the mere destruction of the project, but other kids really liked to systematically take things apart to inspect them.



Another time, we got together and had an "explosion day". We experimented with Pop Rocks, vinegar and baking soda, and of course, Mentos and Diet Coke.

"Woohoo!!!"

And, lastly, we got together for "fire day". The kids learned a lot about fire and did some experiments inside. Griffin was deeply interested in the topic and asked many questions and made many comments.





Then everyone headed outside for the big event: practicing with fire extinguishers.









Oh, yeah, and one more reason I like doing science in groups: the mess isn't always at my house.



(Fire photos courtesy of Courtney at The Woodland School.)

Austin Zoo

Our family has been suffering a month of sickness. We have had one illness after another, and the few days of having five healthy family members have been coming few and far between. Last Friday, we did manage to have one of those days, so we jumped at the chance for an outing.

After lunch, we headed down to the Austin Zoo. The weather wasn't great, but the zoo was quiet and peaceful. We had a lovely afternoon admiring all the animals. The dwarf pygmy goats put on quite a show for us, playing King of the Mountain and butting each other with their horns.



We were hoping the peacocks would put on their own show, but they kept walking away from us, tails down. (Rhys thought they were saying, "Talk to the tail!" as they walked away.)



Rhys's favorite part was the petting zoo section, and everyone enjoyed feeding the animals.





Avery and I agreed that the very best part was seeing Memphis and Anastasia, the zoo's 5 week old lion cubs. They were so sweet and small...and wobbly and clueless. They are only bringing them out for a couple of hours of viewing a week, and we are so glad we got a chance to see them!



Griffin, of course, said his favorite part was meeting the zoo's resident orange tabby cat.

Valentine's baking

We did a little Valentine's Day baking with friends a few days before the holiday. It turned into a pretty big production and a huge sugar-fest, but the kids had a great time baking and decorating cookies.









And, so that we all didn't go into a sugar coma, the kids made paella for lunch first. So good!

A prodigy!

Yesterday we were in the car and the Beatles song "Dear Prudence" came on. Just a few seconds into the song, Griffin says from the backseat, "It's G and D!" I was confused, but Avery immediately realized he was referring the notes the guitar was playing. I asked Avery if he was right (since I'm completely musically impaired), and she said quietly, "Well, yes, but it's not just those notes because it's chords." A few seconds later, Griffin said, "Oh, yeah, and A and E!"

When Bill got home, he looked up the music to "Dear Prudence" and Griffin was right! Later, Bill quizzed him by playing chords on the guitar with Griffin's eyes closed, and he got almost all of them right. He also identified notes on Avery's violin and the keyboard! The only notes he seems to have trouble with are D and E. Sometimes he mixes those two up. We realized later that we think he's learned by playing the keyboard in Avery's room. The lowest octave on the keyboard is labeled with the notes (A-G), and he must have memorized the sound of the notes. Pretty impressive!

The Shoe

In a family full of quirks, the tradition of "The Old Maid Shoe" is definitely the weirdest. According to family tradition, when a girl grows old enough to be considered one of the women in the family, she is given The Shoe. She then has to add an object -- the stranger the better -- and pass it along to another woman in the family in a secretive way. In the past, the shoe has been buried in a garden, Fed Exed, and hidden in dog food.

This Christmas, Avery got her first turn with the shoe.







This is a momentous occasion for a woman in the family, and I know that Avery takes the responsibility seriously. She has been working hard to choose an object to add to the political buttons, soap star interview, old toenail, and more that are already attached to the shoe. Waller women beware...the shoe may be coming to YOU next!

Christmas '09

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been so many weeks since Christmas! We had a wonderful holiday and spent lots of time with friends and family. This was the first year that none of the kids believed in the magic of the season, but that didn't hinder our enjoyment of Christmas morning at all! Mamar and Linah spent the night with us on Christmas Eve so they could be there to witness the Christmas morning mania. Later, Nonnie and Poppie came to visit, then Papa and Ronnie. It was a very full and wonderful day!













And a few from Christmas Eve at Laura's: