wordless Wednesday

first fish

Daddy recently went to a race at the local F1 track, so the kids and I went to the grandparents for a visit. R2 scored a new Buzz Lightyear fishing rod and we needed to break it in.  Apparently, it worked b/c the boy caught his first fish.  We are catch and release kind of fisherfolk, so the perch got to see another day in the Guadalupe.

Lady Bird Wildflower Center

We just finished our unit study on flowering plants so we cashed in a groupon to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  The grounds are exquisite and very well laid out.  The kids enjoy documenting flowers and identifying plants we had been studying.  I am glad we had a groupon b/c it is a very pricy visit for a family of 6.  The kids did great, but it was probably a one-time visit for us, at least until the boys are studying botany.

new creation

On Wednesday night, while the girls were reading their Bibles, LE asked if she could be baptized.  I called Ben in to be a part of the conversation and we asked the girls if they understood what it meant to be baptized.  Both girls had a pretty solid understanding of why we get baptized, but told us they had never asked Jesus to come into their hearts.  Daddy got to help lead LE in the sinners prayer and Boo felt confident in doing it herself (she is my prayer warrior, she reminds me of my Aunt Thelma when she prays, i.e very lengthy, wordy prayers).  We told the girls they could be baptized at the grandparents' church b/c it is their favorite church to attend.  It was a very special moment that I'm glad Daddy and I got to be a part of.

new specs

LE and R2 both had to get new glasses.  LE's vision has improved over the past year and she was able to get a lower prescription pair.  R2's vision has worsened and he had to get glasses.
Trying to pick out glasses proved to be as hard as we imagined.  He did not want to try anything on, but when LE started trying on pairs for her, he decided on these glasses himself.  They looked cute (we were wondering if his Halloween costume had any influence) enough, he was happy and it was settled.  Landry picked out a similar style, but hers has a splash a pink on the rims.  Hoping this is only for a season, but he is getting better about getting them on.  He just has to learn to not stretch them when he takes them off.

Keepers Tea Party

Our keepers' year is officially over.  We  celebrated with a formal tea party for over thirty girls.
This year the girls earned badges for sign language, neighbors (they baked cookies for and gave water to the trash and recycle collectors and they had to meet 3 new neighbors.).  They read Galatians and memorized the Lord's Prayer.  They earned their badge for patriotism, cleaning (the house), herbs, and pottery.

Pioneer Days at Old Settlers Park

Have you seen the blog free fun in Austin?   I try to check it out each week for events happening in the area. She has a top ten list for each weekend and last weekend one of things was a free pioneer day at Old Settlers' Park.  Let me first say, this event should have not been free, it was one of the best, kid friendly events I have ever done and the activities were top notch with great take aways.
The girls each washed clothes on a wash board, made a dipped-wax candle, ground corn, danced, pulled a plow, made a rag doll and fabric ball, fed horses, goats and rabbits, rode a covered wagon (extra fee which went to the Williamson County Museum), played with pioneer toys, loaded a "black powder" rifle
(with black sand), hung out with mountain men and trappers, tasted fresh churned butter on cornbread, watched women spinning wool into yarn, played tug of war, raced in potato sacks, and that is not even close to being everything.    We were there from opening to closing (except we left to eat lunch).  They were in pioneer heaven.  My girls' knowledge of the pioneer days amazes me, and they cannot get enough.  We are presently reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The museum curator asked if they would like to participate in the next pioneer days, of course we said yes.

2013 Presentation Day

This year I got to assist in hosting our home school groups presentation day.  We wanted to offer our talents back to the Lord.  The girls each chose a sampling of their art projects and their daily journals for the display tables and they each chose a song to play on the piano.
Boo played Mary Had a Little Lamb and LE played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  I have no idea how I didn't get a picture of her performing on the piano.  I did get it on video, but sick that I did not take her picture.
They also recited the Lord's Prayer and sang and signed Jesus love Me with their friends from Keepers.  There was a great turnout with over 30 kids participating.

Zoo members

This year, we decided to get a family membership to our fave zoo.  The kids are always asking to go to the zoo, and by the time we went twice it would pay for the admission, plus we get free passes for friends.  We pretty much had the park to ourselves.  We met our fave home school neighbors (their dad was doing a contract job nearby) and we were two of twelve cars in the parking lot.  Miss Kirsty packed us a picnic lunch. We had some great zoo memories.  Our favorite was the male lion huffing at us (but for some reason, I cannot get videos to post to the blog).  The kids were up close and personal for it and it was awesome.
We also got to meet several of the zookeepers and learn some interesting facts about the animals and the way they are trained.  Did you know there are new tiger cubs at the zoo, but you have to get there before noon to see them b/c Daddy Tiger likes to be alone and his time in the outdoors is in the afternoon?
They have now officially moved to North Carolina for a season, and the kids are starting to realize we won't see them for awhile.  This past weekend some tears were shed when the girls wanted to go play and R2 was asking for Han-Han (Hannah), but I know the Lord has awesome things planned for them.  And he is stretching us by taking us out of our comfort zone to make new friends.

13 pounds and counting

I have been meeting with a trainer since the end of February.  We meet every Friday morning (at 7 a.m.) and she gives me homework for the week.  You would think with being in the fitness industry I could have this whole thing figured out.  I am not going to lie; with four kids, a part-time job and home school, I could not make it work.  I did the whole food journaling thing, but the weight was simply not coming off. I was stuck in the high 130's and was teaching six classes a week.  Since hiring Michelle (and paying my own $ to do so), I have consistently lost one pound a week.  It doesn't seem like a lot, but in the value of my self-esteem it is worth gold.
Each month, she gives me goals, my April goal was to wear this outfit. It was the outfit I wore at my grandfather's funeral three years ago.  It was brand new (Banana Republic) and it was 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant with R2.  I never wore it again, but I did wear it for this past month for the girls' presentation (with 4 days left in the month to spare on the goal).  I also wore the shorts I wore at Disneyworld (2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Harrison) this past weekend.  I am not down to pre-baby weight, but I am down to my pre-baby size which Michelle also attributes to muscle gain vs. the weight of fat (muscle weighs more).  I am not where I want to be quite yet, but I am making serious changes.  I mean, never thought getting to the gym by 7 a.m. 4 days a week would EVER, EVER, EVER be in my vocabulary.  I recognize on the days I go in early, I get far more done on the days I get to go in later or not at all.
My May goals have not quite been set yet.  I wanted to hit a certain percentage in body fat, but I won't get that measurement until this Friday.  She thinks I can drop 4%, but I want to see what I have done so far before I set a realistic goal.  I also have to go bathing suit shopping, my old suit fits when dry, but falls off when wet, kind of need it to fit even when wet.
***You only get a body shot b/c I had just gotten out of the shower, hair was "Mimi" hair, and no make-up, someday I will update my profile pic, but not yet.

9 months old

I'm nine months old today.  This past week I learned to crawl.  I didn't scoot or army crawl, just got up on my hands and knees and started to crawl forward.  Mommy's bracelet was my motivator.  

I still only like bananas and applesauce, and Mommy keeps mixing these other nasty things like sweet potatoes and carrots in with them.  I keep spitting them out, but she keeps on putting them back in my mouth. I can also down an eight-ounce bottle.  

I like to bounce in my bouncer and johnny-jump-up.  When I wake up from naps I like to sit up in my bed and talk.
My favorite toys are my spiderman chew toy and anything else I can chew on, especially brother's cars.  I love to ride in the stroller and be with my family.  I have started showing signs of separation anxiety when anyone leaves the room.
When I go to sleep my favorite lovie is my blue mini blanket/teddy bear.  I like to chew on it while Mommy rocks me to sleep.  Don't tell them, but I have Mommy and Daddy wrapped around my little finger.

My sister Boo makes me laugh like no one else.  

I got my two top teeth in last week and I have four total, but I have a new one this trying to peek through.  Mommy and Daddy are very sad that I am getting too big, too fast.

Mission U Too, Round Rock

The girls and I recently served alongside Mission U Too to feed the families of Round Rock.  We decided to help as our home school community outreach project for April.  The leaders youngest son was in the last first grade class at Shoreline, he's now 16.
Each Saturday they cook 200+ hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids who are attending Saturday school and the families near Hernandez Middle School.  LE fell in love and was passing out and stocking waters.  She would carry water for those whose hands were full with their plates.  Boo was a little more apprehensive and stayed by my side.  She has decided she wants to bake desserts as her contribution.  They each asked if we could do it each week.

making it our own

 One thing about getting to test drive this home before we actually bought it, was we know all of the home improvements we are ready to tackle.  First to go, this gravel walkway that stretches from the back porch to our shed.  All three of the kids got in on the action; rocks and green edging are gone.  Next up is to lay new sod and probably a flagstone path, but there are still some pins on pinterest that are causing a bit of a distraction on the final decision.  I am just glad we can finally drive the lawn mower across the yard, and no more fear of kids tripping over the edging.

Zilker Botanical Gardens

The girls have been working on their herbs badge for keepers.  We are beginning to make plans for our herb garden at home, but we decided to take a field trip with a few of our keeper friends to decide which herbs we want in our garden.
I am so grateful to great friends, who come alongside us on this journey.  It was a long day and I had so much help from little hands and big hands.

RRHOME

This month I am on the April Mom's Committee for our homeschool group.  We hosted a zumba mom's night out, an ice cream social, field trip to a behind-the-scenes look at the Dell Diamond, park day each Friday, community service project and our big event was hosting the presentation day.  Two of my close friends joined RRHOME with me last year from CC and they were on the committee with me.  It was a great month of events, but my favorite was the ice cream social.  There was twenty moms and we really got to know each other and share some of the best moments I have had since I joined the group 2 years ago.