Robots, binkies, and hibachi…

"This is the funnest game that I ever ever ever ever ever ever played."
-James

A trip to the library resulted in James and Isla bringing home a new robot that can be controlled from a tablet.  They had a lot of fun sending it around the house and James seemed to enjoy showing Isla how to use it.

The kids had a dentist appointment this week and the dentist told Isla it was time to give up her binkies.  Surprisingly, she took the advice and asked to put the binkies away as soon as she got home.  There may have been a bribe of My Little Pony dolls involved but the end result was a home without binkies.  Isla did great and didn’t even fuss at bedtime.  Success!

As a treat for the kids being so good this week we decided to take them to a local hibachi restaurant.  Ashlyn thought the flames were awesome, James wasn’t too sure what to think, and Isla hid under the table until the grill was cleaned off.  They had fun and left full so we’ll call it a win.

Karate, singing, and fishing…

"I got this."
-Isla

James tested for his first belt this week and I’m happy to report that he passed with flying colors.  He walked through the forms, rocked his kicks (best in his group I might add) and broke the board at the end to earn his yellow belt.  James was quite proud of his accomplishment.

Ashlyn also had her own performance this week where she sang in a short song about fireflies at a picnic.  She was nervous, but had fun after her solo line was over.

The Wolfe’s came over for dinner to celebrate Mommy and Bridget’s birthday.  We played cards (UNO being a favorite amongst the kids), ate a nice dinner, and enjoyed some ice cream cake afterwards.  The kids stayed up later than normal which resulted in some early grumpiness the next morning, but it was worth it.

When the kids get in a creative mood, they show it in different ways.  Ashlyn and James made a library, complete with a sign warning everyone to stay quiet.  Isla decided to draw all over herself with markers.  The world needs all kinds of people.

We’re not sure why, but the kids insisted on going fishing this weekend.  When the weather warmed up a bit on Sunday we dug up some worms, walked over to the pond with the fishing gear, and caught fish.  It’s nice to have ready and easy access to fish with the kids.

Happy birthday Mommy!

"Hold my cow, I can do this now!"
-Isla

This week was Mommy’s birthday.  We decided to take a short trip to celebrate this year but that didn’t stop the kids from wrapping presents, making cards, and wishing Mommy a very happy birthday.

Here are some random pictures of Chef Ashlyn making personalized pancakes and an outdoor lunch for her siblings.  There’s not much more to say about this, everyone enjoyed the creations.

And this is why we are somewhat light on pictures and stories this week.  We try to take at least one vacation every eight years and we were nearing the limit. 

A big thanks go to Grandma who watched the kiddos for us so we could get away for a few days.  They had a fun time making art and playing with a new type of foam play-doh (it’s hard to describe) that has continued to keep them entertained well after we got back in town.

Rockets, dancing, and writing…

"Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country."
-Anais Nin

Ashlyn had a school project where she needed to take “Flat Stella” on an adventure and then tell the class about it the following week.  Because we fly for free, we decided to take our adventure to the skies and let Ashlyn choose a close destination to visit.  For Ashlyn, the skies weren’t high enough, so she chose to visit the Johnson Space Center (aka the home of NASA) in Houston.  We saw the control room for the International Space Station, one of the last Saturn V rockets, and the mock up and testing facility.  She had a good time, and I’m looking forward to taking the other two at a later date.

It was a busy work week so we didn’t get a lot of interesting pictures.  However, we couldn’t help taking a few quick pictures of the kids playing a dancing game.  They weren’t always in sync, but when they were it was fun to watch.  Isla was really into it.

James has been very interested in reading and writing lately.  I’m confident he will start Kindergarten this fall already knowing how to read and write his letters.  He’s proud of his accomplishment, and we’re proud too!

Happy Easter!

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
-Robert H. Schuller

With Spring comes blooming flowers, and what better way to see flowers than the Arboretum?  Mommy and Ashlyn went to a seafood restaurant while James, Isla, and Daddy drove to Dallas to visit the Arboretum.  This is the second time we’ve visited and the kids had just as much fun this time.  They ran, played, participated in an Easter Egg hunt, and smelled some flowers.

Easter officially came on Sunday and we were woken up by three screaming children throwing stuffed animals and jumping on our bed.  Once downstairs they quickly tore into their baskets and ran outside to gather their eggs.  The Easter Bunny went a little crazy this year with the eggs; we lost count of the amount of eggs the kids put into their baskets.  It was a successful hunt, and afterwards Isla ate an entire chocolate bunny by herself.

The last Easter Egg hunt of the weekend took place at Grandma and Grampa’s house.  The Easter Bunny made the hunt more challenging and it took the kids awhile to find all the eggs.  We ate dinner afterwards and spent the rest of the evening playing cards and trying to keep Isla from sneaking off more candy.

We have one more hunt to go, but the Nina and Papa hunt will need to wait a few weeks since they were out of town visiting with other family.  More pictures to come, and Happy Easter everyone!