Josephina Day

This month, we met with friends to study the American Girl Josephina. It was a special day, because we were invited to spend the day at our friends' house and land in Coupland. It was a beautiful, cool day, and we spent the afternoon exploring and enjoying nature. The host mom led the kids on a nature hike, pointing out and gathering plants to make natural dyes. Afterwards, we gathered for a Mexican food lunch and the kids dyed washcloths.

Who needs blocks?

Hallelujah!

Light shines down from heaven and angels sing. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! At 2 years, 1 week, and 6 days, Griffin slept through the night for the first time. He slept from 8 to 5:40. Woohoo! Yippeee! Yay! Let's hope it doesn't take another two years for him to do it again!

Bluebonnets '07

It's that dreaded time of year again. Yep, the annual bluebonnet pictures. Although this year nobody sat in ants or contracted any sort of rash, the experience was still torturous. I'll spare you all the outtakes, and just post the few that have children with their eyes open and actually not crying.

When I grow up...

A conversation in the car:

Avery: Hey, Mom, when you were a kid, did you ever want to be a doctor?
Me: Mmmmm...no, I don't think that's something I ever considered. But it does seem like an interesting job.
Avery: Yeah, I think I'd like to be a doctor, but I don't really like touching other people's body parts.
Me: Well...you might not feel like that when you get older....You know, when I was younger, I always wanted to be a vet.
Avery: Yeah, that might be better.
Rhys: You know what I want to be when I grow up?
Me: What?
Rhys: A TRASH CAN!

Sewing dreams

During the 98673679th fitting of Avery's Easter dress (which I'm making), she started to get a little impatient. So I said, "Avery, not many girls have moms that will make them dresses. It's pretty nice of me, isn't it?" And, Avery, in her typical Avery way, said, "Mo-om, sewing a dress for me is YOUR dream, not mine. I'm the one nice enough to try it on a thousand times!"

Sometimes the truth is hard to live with.

Happy birthday, Griffin!

Overheard...

Rhys: Avery, will you race with me?
Avery: No, Rhys not right--
Rhys: Aaaaaaveryyyyyy, race with meeeeeeee!
Avery: Rhys, I said I'm busy!
Rhys: Just one race? Please, please, please!
Avery: Ok, fine, just one!
Rhys: Ok, good. But let me win.

PSIA

Today we spent all day at the PSIA district academic meet. Avery competed in creative writing and spelling, and was awarded 4th place in spelling. We are so proud of her! This is the first time she's every done anything like this -- including taking a test of any kind! The test was composed of 50 words; 80% of the words were from the word list given ahead of time and 20% were completely new words. She learned the entire 600 word list (and they were hard words, like magnitude, galactic, and xebec). The only word from the list that she missed was serious, which she spelled 'sirius' (like Sirius Black in Harry Potter!). The other ones she missed were all new words (including psychiatry -- which I can barely spell). I'm just so impressed that she was able to figure out how to study. It took me a year or so into college to really figure that out!

Oh, the bonus was that she got a crash course in traditional schooling all in one day: she was dropped off in a classroom full of people she didn't know, the hallways were loud and chaotic, she had a kid try to cheat off her, someone pulled the fire alarm, we had a tornado warning, and the principal threatened to take away everyone's "electronic devices" because apparently kids were sending nasty messages between the schools. It was quite a day! All we needed to finish it off was a bomb threat! Avery was so funny about the cheating; she told Bill, "The teachers even told them not to look at other people's papers, and they STILL did it!" LOL, poor naive Avery. ;-)

T-ball

Rhys started playing t-ball this month. He loved the first practice, but the first game wasn't such a big success. He cried every.single.time he didn't get the ball -- which was every play. The ball just never came to him! He just didn't understand how the game works, and apparently he thought it would be just like practice. Luckily, he understood before the next game, and he loved the second game! He got to play "pitcher" (they just pretend to throw the ball, since they really hit off a tee). The ball comes to the pitcher on just about every play, so that suited Rhys just fine! He did a great job, and knew to throw it to first base at every play! I'm just glad that he enjoys it so much. He says it's even better than gymnastics -- and that's saying something!

Griffin, 23 months

Trip to Houston

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Houston for a couple of days. We went to the zoo, then Avery and I went with friends to NASA's homeschool overnight program. We didn't actually spend the night at the Space Center, but we had dinner there and stayed until after 10pm. Avery got to do lots of neat projects, including building and launching a rocket with an air compressor and a project where the kids had to create a design that would allow for a safe landing for a Space Eggie. The next morning, we all went to NASA's homeschool day. There was tons to do and see, and we all just loved it!

Rhys funnies

Rhys was bored while I was gardening the other day, and he kept standing over me and sighing loudly. Finally he said, "Mom, I'm so mundane. Can I go on harrypotter.com?"

Today Rhys asked me, "So who was in Mamar's tummy when the dinosaurs died?"

Our version of American Gothic

Actually, Griffin and Jasper are posed for American Gothic. Avery and Rhys seem to have just escaped from an insane asylum!

Friday group Valentine's party

Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o

Wow, I have really been neglecting this blog lately, haven't I? A friend of mine was kind enough to point that out today. ;-) I've been having computer issues for a few months that make it hard for me to post pictures from my computer, so I keep putting off posts until Bill has his computer home. Not to mention that, as usual, we've been crazy-busy. Ok, enough excuses. On with the update!

Let's see...what has gone on in the past month or two....Avery is still heavily involved in gymnastics and works out 12 hours a week now. Rhys started T-ball a few weeks ago. Griffin is closing in on 2 and is just as ornery and busy as ever! We also are still involved in the Friday co-op that we've been attending for years, plus Bookclub, a monthly American Girl class, a Harry Potter discussion group, two writing groups, a nature club, and a science co-op. Plus playdates, park days, and my regular volunteer work. Whew. Gee, why is it that I can't keep up with the housework?

The science co-op is a new addition to our schedule, and we're all really enjoying it. The kids are studying physics, and I'm learning a lot along with them. I was actually surprised to realize just how much Rhys is getting out of the group. On a walk the other day, Rhys was pointing out all the things he saw that were made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons (yes, there were a lot of items), and he also explained to me that if the stroller started rolling away from us, it would roll and roll until something stopped it. Laws of physics coming from my 4 year old. Pretty neat.

Oh, exciting stuff this week: Avery and I went with Mamar, Linah, and Dani to see The Lion King. Wow, it was amazing! We had fabulous seats -- fourth row and dead in the center. We could see *everything*. The costumes were amazing!

We also went to NASA a couple of weeks ago for the Homeschool Overnight field trip. We had a blast!! (bad pun intended) I'll post some pics soon.

Sad news from this month is that we lost our sweet Wolfie cat a few weeks ago. We have all been very sad, and Avery has had a particularly hard time getting over it. He was her best buddy and roommate for as long as she can remember. We're slowly feeling better and hope to eventually feel ready enough to add a kitten to our family. We'll see.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm really going to try harder to keep up with regular posting. For real this time. No, I mean it. I swear!

In Memory of Wolfie (May 17, 1994 - Feb. 13, 2007)

Native American costumes

For Christmas, the kids got Native American costumes from Nonnie. They love them!

Here they are looking "fierce":

Bikes

The kids got new bikes from Mom and Doug for Christmas. They love them, and Rhys is getting really good at pedaling! Griffin also likes going out and riding his trike every afternoon.

Christmas

Making Christmas doorhangers

Sir Griffin

Sir Griffin with his knight's helmet and, yes Bill, the weirdest pacifier ever.

Avery's 8th birthday

Ok, so yeah, I'm a month late, but better late than never right? Avery celebrated her 8th birthday with two of her close friends. We took the girls skating on the rooftop at Whole Foods, then went to eat at Central Market, then came home for cupcakes and a sleepover. The girls stayed up until the wee hours, talking (mostly about books!) and giggling.

A pox on our house

I'm not sure what we did to deserve it, but the week after New Years, we seemed to be cursed. In a one week period, our family was plagued with a sty, 4 cases of a stomach virus, one case of the ickies (not the full-fledged virus, thank goodness), and one UTI. It was one looooong week, and our DVD player sure got a workout. I'm happy to say that everyone is now fully recovered, and hopefully we've payed our dues for a while and we'll stay healthy!

Taking tattling to a whole new level

Rhys just came to me and asked for an envelope. He had written a letter to Santa, telling him that Avery refused to play Chess with him today. Apparently I hadn't acted on the issue like I was supposed to, so he was taking it to a higher authority. So, the question is: Is not succumbing to your little brother's every whim enough to earn a spot on the Naughty List? Seems unlikely.

Movin' on up...

We got a letter in the mail today inviting Avery to join the Level 4 girls gymnastics team. She is beside herself with excitement. We're very proud of her and excited too, although we might have to sell off one of her little brothers to pay for it....

My favorite part of homeschooling...

...has very little to do with schooling. My favorite part of homeschooling is the close relationship my kids are able to have. I've noticed a lot recently how different my children's relationship is from the traditional sibling relationship. Sure, they bicker sometimes, but they aren't competitive, they aren't mean to each other, and they truly, genuinely enjoy being together. Not only that, but I've noticed how well older homeschooled children relate to younger ones. They treat them with such respect and try hard to help and include them. That kind of patience and kindness is more important than any academic lesson I could teach them.

Last night Avery had a couple of friends spend the night, and I was reminded of this again. The girls were so sweet to Rhys; they worried when he was bored when they were ice skating and they didn't mind a bit when he huddled with them on their blankets to watch a movie.

Happy birthday Avery Simone!

I can hardly believe that my baby girl is 8! It seems like it was just yesterday that she was the goofy baby in the floppy yellow hat. And now she's grown into such a smart, wonderful girl. Happy birthday, girlie!

The Bug Guy

Today our Nature Club had a presentation given by Jungle Jim, aka The Bug Guy. He brought a seemingly endless supply of spiders, scorpions, snakes, and lizards, as well as several huge display cases full of mounted insects. His collection was quite impressive, and I just might have nightmares about those giant cockroaches. *shudder* It seems that Griffin might have agreed with me, since he very loudly said, "Ewwwwwwwwww!" as he pointed at every creature he saw.

Christmas crafting

I've been on quite the crafting spree lately! Not only have I been frantically sewing some Christmas gifts for the kids, but I've been crafting some new Christmas decorations. I'm not finished yet with all my projects, but here is a peek at a couple of finished projects.

First, our new Christmas stockings. I embroidered the little elves with a free pattern so generously supplied by Wee Wonderfuls, then I constructed the stockings and sewed on some cute vintage reproduction fabrics. Now, I just have to come up with something for Bill's stocking and mine too!



Also, I made stocking advent garland. There are 24 stockings, one for each day in December leading up to Christmas. Every morning, either Bill or I put a note in that day's stocking, notifying the children of a Christmas craft or activity we'll do that day. They've ranged from watching a Christmas movie and drinking hot chocolate to going to a Christmas party to making Christmas ornaments. It's a fun challenge to come up with a new activity every day, and the kids really look forward to each day's special event.

Bookclub holiday party

This week we had a holiday party at Book Club. After doing the normal book discussion, the kids had a feast of cookies, brownies, and fudge, then played several fun holiday games. They also all got to open gifts of (what else?) NEW BOOKS! Yahooo!



Book Club is one of the kids' very favorite activities. Rhys is in the younger group, aptly named "The Crazy Readers". They read picture books or short chapter books, discuss them, and do a craft. The older group, to which Avery belongs, is called "The Fantasy Worms" (think: book "worms"). They read novels and the girls discuss the book and take turns making up a game to go with the book. This week was Avery's turn, and she spent quite a bit of time creating a shell-shaped game board and tons of trivia questions to go along with the book The Tail of Emily Windsnap.

The best part for me is that we do a mini grown up book club! We select a book to read each month (alternating fiction and nonfiction), and we try to grab a few minutes here and there to discuss it. This month we're reading Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women. It's so nice to have such a great, smart group of women to help me broaden my horizons!

Tree trimming

Our Christmas tree has been up for about a week, and we've had a few ornament casualties. Griffin was very interested in the tree at first, and enjoyed throwing the "balls" (aka ornaments) on the tile floor. It didn't take long before we realized that we needed to move the ornaments out of reach. So our tree is naked until about halfway up, but at least we should have a few ornaments left for next year!

Austin Toros

Last week, the Show Team performed at the Austin Toros halftime show. The Toros lost, but we had a fun time. Rhys jumped and pretended to shoot baskets the whole game, while Avery goofed around with her gymnastics friends in the stands.

Christmas card picture attempt

In this year's Christmas card photo shoot, I managed to get some really cute pictures of Avery and Rhys. Unfortunately, most pictures had Griffin streaking by in the foreground as he rushed to get out of the posed shot. Or, even better, him throwing a tantrum when we tried to hold him in the picture. I did manage to get this really great one of the bigger two. Maybe I can draw Griffin in?

Chuy's Parade

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Avery performed at the annual Chuy's Children Giving to Children Parade. We go every year, but it was very special for Avery to actually be in it. It's such a fun parade; there are huge balloons, marching bands, and much, much more. Griffin was especially impressed with all the firetrucks that were included in the procession.

Soccer season ends

In mid-November, Rhys had his last soccer game. He really started coming around toward the end of the season, and started to really "get it". Of course, he only focused on the game for 20 second intervals, and the rest of the time he spent running and playing with his buddies on the field. He did enjoy the season, but he plans to try T-ball in the spring. Ever since soccer ended, he's been asking me if every other activity he does will eventually come to an end. He was ok with soccer ending, but apparently he plans to do book club and gymnastics "FOREVER!!!!"

Washington-on-the-Brazos

A couple of days after Halloween, we went with friends on a field trip to Washington-on-the-Brazos. We visited a museum and a living history farm. The kids especially enjoyed the living history farm, and Avery insists that she would *love* to do laundry if she could do it the pioneer way!

Too much cuteness

Today Avery and Rhys were playing Hide & Seek, and suddenly Griffin jumped up, went to the middle room, covered his eyes with his little hands, and started counting, "Two, two, two..." Then he uncovered his eyes and went running, looking for the kids in their hiding places. Sooooo cute.

Then we were out looking at Christmas lights, and we saw a house that was really decked out with tons of lights, wreaths, candy canes, etc. Rhys sighed, "Oooooooh. Does Santa live here?"