Science and swimming…

"I like to go for a walk or swimming or in the garden when I can. It's a busy kind of life, but I guess I'm lucky."
-Brian May

At a trip to the local library to find books for the kids to read, we discovered that they had STEM kits that can be checked out just like a book.  We decided to pick one up, and the kids immediately wanted to open it as soon as we got home.  We made electrical circuits that played sounds of different volumes, turned lights on and off, and operated with a switch or by clapping.  While James and Ashlyn were learning about circuits, Isla decided it would be fun to play dress up.

The next day James wanted to build circuits again, this time he made one that sent a disc spinning up into the air when turned on.  He thought that was fun.  Meanwhile, Ashlyn and Isla built a tower out of MagnaTiles, made faces when I tried to take a picture, and then Isla promptly destroyed it.

Since it was a three day weekend, Nina and Papa invited over for sandwiches and swimming.  The kids made their own sandwiches (only one was ruined in the process) and then swam away the rest of the afternoon.  Even after the pound cake, ice cream, and gummy snacks, two out of the three kids fell asleep on the way back home.  You’ll have to guess the one that stayed awake (hint:  His name rhymes with “Fames”).

End of school fun…

"You should go to Spanish Immersion, because you're bad at it."
-Ashlyn

Apparently Ashlyn feels that my Spanish accent is not up to standard.  Since Mommy agrees with Ashlyn, I suppose it must be true.  Lucky for Ashlyn, her accent is much better and she successfully graduates from her first year of Spanish Immersion next week.  The class had a small awards ceremony at the school and then after a few more days next week it will all be over.  One good thing about Spanish Immersion is that it will be mostly the same kids going into 2nd grade, so Ashlyn will be making some very close friends through the years.

The annual field day was also held this past week.  Ashlyn was more sociable than she was last year and she mainly ran around with her friends.  They even held a dance party in the middle of the field, where Ashlyn danced it up along with the rest of them.

The 1st grade kids also had a day out at the park in Southlake and this one was open to families.  It was a great park, and all the kids ran around the park playing on all the equipment.  It was a fun time, and it’s a part we’ll definitely be going to again in the future.

Happy Mother’s Day!

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"
-Milton Berle

 

This year the kids wanted to make individual picture frames for Mother’s Day, and we ended up going with a flower motif.  James didn’t want to be a flower so he chose pirates and robots instead.  We made a much bigger mess than I was anticipating, which nobody was surprised at.  The end result was good though, and the kids had fun giving them to all the mothers.

Grandma came over on Saturday for a Mother’s Day dinner, and the kids were happy to have her over.  Either that or they liked the excuse of making crème brûlée, but I’m going to assume it was Grandma that made them excited.

On Sunday the kids couldn’t even wait to get out of their pajamas before they gave Mommy the picture frames and cards they had made.  It may be a poor gift compared to everything Mommy does for all of us, but she appreciated the work the kids put into the gifts and that made them happy.

Then it was off to Nina and Papa’s for a Mother’s Day brunch.  The kids got to splash around in the hot tub, which was good because it was the only way the Mommy of our house was going to get any peace and quiet in the afternoon.  It mostly worked.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Parties, star wars, and book fairs…

"It doesn't matter if it's a school play or a dumb TV show. It's your work. You should care about it so much that people get annoyed with you."
-Tina Fey

James and Ashlyn both had parties this weekend. Ashlyn’s was a dress up party, so went as Fancy Nancy.  James had a glow in the dark party, so he went as Elton John.  Both kids had fun.

May the 4th is Star Wars day, and since we’re a little on the geeky side the kids wanted to wear Star Wars shirts.  Isla didn’t have one, so chose a Hello Kitty Aggie shirt instead.  They’re good kids, and the Force is with them.

Ashlyn’s class put on a play this week, doing a Spanish version of Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.  Ashlyn played a hunter in the first, and a pig in the latter.  They have been practicing for weeks, and Mommy helped make the costumes and get the kids ready during the play.  Ashlyn had fun, but I think both her and Mommy are glad it’s over!

To kick off the summer reading program, HEB held an event at Pennington field for the kiddos.  They got to play on bounce slides, play games at booths, eat snow cones, and visit animals in the petting zoo.  They even got a free book to take home with them, which they were excited about.  Let’s hope it kicks off some good reading in the coming months, since Ashlyn continues to improve and James is excited about learning his letters.