Distractions

You'd think that being in a "class" of only three kids would keep the distractions down to a minimum.  Not quite.  Poor Avery...she puts up with a lot.

Pioneer Farms

A Knitted Wonderland

With the help of local knitters, textile artist Magda Sayeg has turned the courtyard outside the Blanton Art Museum into a knitted wonderland.

My good friend Courtney, who is a prolific knitter and even better networker, was assigned to knit for tree #83.  She had a very short window of time to complete the project, so she asked me for a little help.  I figured this would be the closest I'd ever get to being a working artist, so I jumped at the chance!

Tree #83, in all its glory.

Last week, we met Courtney and her kids for a picnic outside the Blanton and to enjoy the scenery.  And, of course, hijinks ensued.

 

But even wild and crazy kids couldn't detract from the spectacle of the Dr. Suess-like trees!

 

Happy Pi Day!

In honor of Pi day (3/14, of course), we did some celebrating.  After a quick math lesson at the table for the boys, who have yet to learn the fun of working with pi, we had a nice dinner of veggie pot pi(e).  Avery even decorated our napkins!

 

And for dessert?  Blueberry pi(e)!

Clothes for Ennie

Griffin woke up this morning with plans to make clothes for his favorite raccoon, Ennie.  He finished two outfits this morning before we had to leave and has big plans for more.  Here's Ennie's rodeo attire:

When you're a homeschooled kindergartener...

...and you have two older siblings, your education is rather...ahem...eclectic.  You might not have anyone working too diligently to teach you to read, but luckily, you pick up many other interesting things along the way.  (And, hopefully, will probably learn to read fluently one day too.)

For instance, you might be a 5 year old history buff.  You might be able to recite the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, tell riveting stories about Peter Stuyvesant, and detail the decline of George Washington's teeth.  You might even set up an elaborate scene of Minutemen versus the British.

Or, you might have other random skills, like being able to list all the helping verbs, recite a list of prepositions, or chant the present tense verb endings in Latin. 

If you had two siblings, you'd be able to divide just about any number in three equal portions...as long as you're counting cookies or sticks of gum.

And, if you are Griffin, you'd be a budding inventor, always trying to devise the newest and most creative weaponry.  Your mom might even find you amassing materials to make homemade dynamite.  (Maybe it's not so bad that he hasn't attained literacy yet...it's probably better that he uses the internet to play, rather than using it to complete his quest to become a super villain.)

Or, you might spend "science" time with your dad, figuring out how to make fake blood.  (How long before I needlessly rush a "bloody" child to the hospital?)

Bubbles

Opening Day, take two

Tonight Rhys finally had his first game.  The Voodoo played very well and seemed to have lots of fun.  Rhys loved it, as always.  He hit both right and left-handed, and went 3-4 for the night, ending the game with a triple.  He also made several good plays, including a great catch at shortstop.

Declaration of Independence

Inspired by the real Declaration of Independence, Rhys penned a document declaring his independence from schoolwork.  Then the little troublemaker had his darling siblings sign it and they presented it to me.

Opening weekend

We headed out bright and early this morning for the boys' first games of the season.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature had a different plan in store.  It was very cold, and soon after we got to the fields, it started to rain.  So Rhys's opening day looked more like this:

...and eventually this:

But after a few hours at home, the rain fizzled out, the clouds burned off, and the sun came out just in time for Griffin's first game.  It was still pretty cold and windy, so the boys kept warm under a blanket while waiting for the game to begin.

For the first time ever, Griffin played second base, and he managed to get one of the few outs of the game!  It was an entertaining game to watch, with the first baseman turning cartwheels and several of the infielders (including Griffin) dancing wildly to the music played on the loudspeaker. 

Big brothers watched the game closely and cheered the little guys on to victory.

Go Thunder!

Saturday, 7:15am

This morning, as we all dashed out of the house: Avery on her way to Houston for a debate tournament, and the boys off to opening day games.

Overheard recently

Griffin, playing War by himself: "I'm not playing this anymore. The other guy is a cheater."

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An exchange from a few weeks ago, when Avery was supposed to be doing schoolwork and was actually playing the piano.
Me: Um, Avery, shouldn't you be doing something productive?
Her: You mean other than securing my future as a musician?

 

Piper

I haven't posted officially yet about our new addition, Miss Piper Peroni.  We adopted her from the animal shelter in November, but I think I've been a little superstitious about announcing her since she had heartworms.  After our two pet losses last year, I've been a little nervous about her future.  But she has now gone through heartworm treatment and is less than a week away from being officially cleared by the vet and off exercise restriction.  She has done amazingly well and she's such a wonderful doggie.  She has fit into our family seamlessly.

Guest coach

This week, former MLB player and coach Razor Shines came out to help coach Griffin's t-ball team.  The boys are a little young to be wowed by a major league player, but they sure were impressed with his World Series rings!  (I'm very sorry I didn't get a good shot of them.  They were h-u-g-e!)

Steam engine

This week we experimented with making a steamboat.

Texas baseball

Days are getting longer, green buds are appearing on the trees, and sunny days abound.  But spring means one thing to us: baseball!  The boys have been practicing on their new teams for the past few weeks and will play their first games of the season tomorrow.  And, of course, we've already been to our first Longhorn baseball game this year.

Rhys running the bases after the game.