A special birthday, a field trip, and a new bed…

"I know more than you."
-Isla

Mommy’s birthday was this week and she spent it by playing with Isla all day long and then taking Ashlyn and Isla to gymnastics in the evening.  Yay!  We did find time after karate and gym to open presents and enjoy a home cooked meal that she didn’t have to make.  Happy birthday Mommy!

Ashlyn is growing up.  Five years ago this month we built her bed with Pepa’s help, but it was time for her to pick her own furniture.  She now has a new bed to sleep in and a new desk for reading, art, and homework.  Next up is painting the walls.  Bye bye pink.

All the Meadowcreek Kindergarten classes took a trip to Bedford Boys Ranch this week.  This involved an entire kindergarten class walking over two miles with a group of exasperated teachers and parent chaperones in tow.  This was made even more fun for Mommy, who had to pull Isla around in a wagon the entire time.  It was worth the effort, for the kids at least.  They had a lot of fun playing at the park and drawing pictures of nature as part of an assignment.

Museums and astronauts…

"All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary."
-Sally Ride

With the kids in school Mommy and Isla get to spend some quality time together.  And since Sadie is being trained, she gets to go along too.  Whether it’s visiting playgrounds or stopping for ice cream (shhh, don’t tell the other two!), they seem to be having a good time together.

This was a busy week for Ashlyn.  First, her school took a field trip to the Fort Worth Natural History Museum.  There was a lot of drama around the busses being late but they eventually all made it and had a fun time exploring the museum and watching a movie in the Omni theater.  Mommy went along as a parent chaperone, which she was excited about.  Who wouldn’t want to spend their day trying to wrangle a herd of impatient 3rd graders after being stuck in a bus for a long time?

Ashlyn’s school had an activity called Wax Museum where the kids picked a historical figure, dressed up as them, and then gave a speech about them to their class.  Ashlyn chose Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut.  She looked awesome in her costume and learned a lot from the project.

An early Easter…

"It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket."
-Elon Musk

Soccer continues for James, this weekend they had a small match against another team the same day a cold front was coming in.  James looked fierce in his shark hat so the coach put him in as goalie for a part of the game.  The most exciting part was when James scored his first goal, which he was proud of.

Easter came early at Nina and Papa’s house, and it was even more special because all the kids were there.  Hopefully we’re all done having kids because the couch won’t hold any more.  After the group picture, we were ushered outside to yards filled with eggs.  The kids all had their own sections with a golden egg and a big area where it was every kid for themselves.  I don’t think anyone finished without smiles and a full basket.

Soccer, jumping, and a random birthday…

"Amongst all unimportant subjects, football is by far the most important.
-Pope John Paul II

James started soccer again, and this time James is on a team more his level.  He’s one of the faster kids in the group and has found that he enjoys playing defense more than any other position.  He didn’t score his first game, but he prevented a few scores for the other team and helped get the win.

Ashlyn’s gymnastics continues to improve.  She’s  flipping like crazy on the trampoline, so far her record is nine backflips in a row.  Isla is eager to keep up with her big sister but it’s going to take some time.  While Ashlyn is doing flips Isla is doing jumping leg splits and cartwheels.  She’ll get there.

When we explained that dogs grow fast as puppies compared to humans the kids decided to throw a birthday party for Sadie.  They did some math and figured out that Sadie had turned 14 in human years, so they held a celebration and made treats for her.  Sadie had no idea what was happening, but it was a nice gesture from the kids.

Six Flags and mini golf...

"Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."
-Gustav Mahler

Our travel plans were disrupted due to some airplane issues so we did some fun and games around town.  One of the activities was mini golf.  Each of the kids got a hole in one.

It was a rainy weekend, but that didn’t stop the kids from wanting to go to Six Flags.  A lot of the rides were closed due to lightning, but we still got to go on the basic rides and the Mine Train.  Based on all the smiles, it seems like it was a success despite the weather.