Easter Sunday Poses

This morning, Malcolm headed off to his church to sing in the choir and we went to Grandma's church. I snapped a few pictures before we left and then one later with Papa. 

Easter Baskets on Sunday Morning

Miriam, Lexi and Jordan got up this morning and were very excited to look for their Easter baskets. It took them a surprisingly long time to find them (not hours, but we thought it would be easier). They got candy, swimsuits, books, big bubbles, and a few other things. 

Dewberry Picking

There are rows and rows of dewberries on the edge of grandma & Papa's neighborhood. Katy (Malcolm's daughter), who lives in the same neighborhood, told them about these gems. We went there to pick dewberries several times and even the thorns didn't stop the kids from loading up and wanting to go back.

Saturday Easter Egg Hunt

This morning, we headed out to 7D Ranch in Navasota for a huge Easter celebration with Katy, Jason, and Jackson. The kids got to collect buckets full of candy filled Easter eggs, eat hot dogs and cupcakes for lunch and then ride horses all for free. What could be better on a beautiful Spring day?

Cousin Water Time

The kids only had a half day of school yesterday and they had all of today off (Good Friday), so we headed up to Montgomery to spend the long Easter weekend with Grandma & Papa. I still had to work, but the kids had fun today. They went over to Katy & Jason's house for a water fight. Jackson always seems to enjoy cousin time. These guys are definitely entertaining.

Tough Game

It was a tough day for the Mystics, but mostly because half of them were late. At game time, we only had 4 players. They are supposed to be 15 - 20 minutes early to warm up and be ready. The ref let us stall for a little bit and two minutes later, we had enough. Sadly though, the girls definitely needed warm up time to get their heads into it. 

5th Grade Choir Concert

Lexi has been in the 5th Grade Choir this year, which means early morning practices twice a week. They have had quite a few field trips and have learned a lot. The choir directors at her school seem to be much more serious and professional than most elementary school music teachers. It has been a fabulous experience.

Mystics

I signed Lexi and Miriam up to play volleyball at the YMCA. I signed them up so early that I got a discount, but somehow Lexi ended up on a team without a coach. At the first practice, they asked parents to step up and help the team. I told them that I would be happy to help someone else coach, but that I didn't want to be the coach. Next thing I know, I am Coach Stephanie without an assistant coach. Whatever - it is going to be fun. 

We had our first game today and won the first and third sets and since it is 2 out of 3, we won!!! Pretty good since our team still isn't set and we have the smallest team in the league. 

Folk Festival Day

The school district hosts a folk festival every year on the first weekend in April. They charge $1 per person and have lots of activities and demonstrations going on. We invited Grandma & Papa to join us. Lexi and Miriam seemed to enjoy the line dancing (Cotton Eyed Joe and others) the most.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

There was a Daddy/Daughter Dance at the church tonight for girls between the ages of 8 and 11. Lexi's dad is now living in Conroe, which is over an hour away in GREAT traffic. Our home teacher, Eric Johnson, filled in and they had a great time. He has been watching out for us for 6 years now.

Day of the Braids

There is a silly email/text going around the Jr High and Elementary telling all the girls to wear braids today to see if the boys notice. I knew the boys wouldn't notice, but it is kind of a unifying thing for the girls. I asked Lexi if she would like Jordan to spread the word around so that some boys may look. I took a few pictures of Lexi and our neighbor, Sofia, on our way to school this morning. 

Spring Break at Brazos Bend State Park

Spring Break is coming to an end, so we headed back to our home last night. We got up early this morning to beat the crowds down at Brazos Bend State Park. I love coming here every spring. I always enjoy hiking and looking at alligators.

Saint Patty's Day

It is Saint Patrick's Day and of course I insisted that we all wear festive t-shirts. We went to see the new movie, Beauty in the Beast (live action) with Grandma. After, we met Papa, Katy and Jackson at B52 which is an outdoor brewery that has food trucks and games on some weekends.

Roaming the Grandparents' New Hood

Today, our Spring Break fun included a LONG walk down to the club house in Grandma & Papa's new neighborhood. I think the kids complained for 3/4 of our walk, but we kept going. At the club house, they fished out floating golf balls from the lake that is used as part of the driving range.

On the trek back, we stopped at this old fashioned park. It is rare to see metal play equipment, so they thought it was a real treat. Fortunately, it wasn't hot enough for them to experience the burning effects these parks can have.

Spring Break Movers

It is Spring Break here and I have to work. Fortunately, Grandma and Papa just moved to Montgomery, Texas (today). We headed up to see them and help unpack. I figured that would be a lot more fun for the kids than hanging out in our boring house doing the same old thing. They actually worked hard and accomplished a lot to the amazement of the grandparents and even me.  

Crazy Hair

It is crazy hair day today at school and the kids didn't want to miss out. I let Lexi and Jordan pick what they wanted and this is what they came up with. Miriam wanted in on the action and I figured that it was harmless enough, so she had blue tips too.

Lexi's teacher posted a picture of her today working out in the school garden.

Not Lucy

This weekend, we are dog sitting, but it is not our favorite dog - Lucy. This one is named Ginny and sometimes at night she likes to bite the person she is sleeping with. Not a cute little nip either. Her owners had to go out of town for a funeral and heard that Lexi likes to dog sit for free. I guess we're the popular ones now. The girls still enjoyed having her.

Spring Picture Day

It is Spring Picture Day at school. This is when they take the class pictures too. I decided that I didn't want to buy them this year because I am already buying the year book for each kid. Instead, I snapped a few before school pictures and one with the neighbors that we walk to school every day too.

Neighborhood Elementary Gang

When we were in Miami, we heard lots of talk about diversity. You hear about it all over, but our county has the exact same percentages of different races as the entire US population. Just look at the group, we usually walk with in the morning. My kids are the only blonde "Americans," Sofia and Isa are from Columbia. Elma & Tolman are from India. Emily is Chinese and Chloe is half Chinese. Unfortunately for us, my kids are the only ones that can't speak another language. This is only 5 of the families in our little neighborhood. We also have Venezuelans, Russians, Pakastani, and many others. 

Friends Over

We have some extra kids over this weekend. Elizabeth and Daniel are no strangers to our house. They stay with us whenever their parents go out of town without them. Their mom had a sisters trip this week. It had been planned for a while and their dad was supposed to take care of them. Sadly, he has been unemployed for a while (oil industry). We was offered a field position for a few weeks. It doesn't pay well, but anything helps. Their mom planned to cancel her sisters trip, but I told her NOT to. She needs this!!! We get the honor of hosting these easy going cuties. 

Katy Rodeo

 

Our favorite rodeo is this weekend. We like to go on Thursday when it is free for students. We were lucky enough to have several families that are our closest friends meet us to join in on the fun.

Angles in Math Class

Lexi's teacher posted this photo of their angles class today.

Swimming at the YMCA

I took the kids to the YMCA this evening so they could go swimming in the indoor pool. The water is too cold for me, but they enjoyed it for a while. It is a good way to wear them out a little. 

Bubbles for Bluebonnet Bash

Every year, the Blue Bonnet Books puts out a list of 20 books for kids in Texas (grades 3 - 6) to read. The elementary school has a party every January/February to award the kids that read at least 10 of the books. These girls all attended the bash today and received bubbles. They also have a bubble expert come and perform many of his tricks. In addition to that, they ate pizza and missed some classes. Sounds like a good deal. 

Super Bowl

We watched the Super Bowl tonight. I like football, but for the last few years I only make an effort to watch one or two games - usually just the Super Bowl. These guys can appreciate some of the game, but they were way more into the food and the commercials. I sent them to bed right after half time and watched the rest by myself. 

Notes for Mom

It is my birthday today. I was pleasantly surprised with these sticky notes all over my bathroom mirror. Lexi and Miriam made them and so many of them made me laugh.