First Day of School 2011

The girls started school on Monday.  Addison is in 3rd grade and Libby is in 1st grade.  Amazing!  Where did the time go??!  They both love their new teachers and are getting to know new friends. Homework hasn't really started, so we'll see if they change their tunes once that gets going :)

Of course, I couldn't snap pics of the girls without Brother jumping in front of the camera!  Levi will start preschool in a couple weeks, so I'll post his first day pic then.

A note about Levi's clothes:  He picked them out himself, which is unusual.  While My Boy never complains when I pick out his clothes/dress him, he whines if he's expected to do either of those things!  What a change from 3 year old little girls!  I don't want to completely corrupt him, so I am making him pick out his own clothes and dress himself these days.  Yesterday he wore his too-short Wranglers with an old t-shirt and flip-flops and wouldn't heed my advice about shorts, (I mean, why should he?  It's only been getting up to 105*/106* this week!) so he proceeded to whine most of his ride in the jogging stroller on my 4 mile run.  Amen for an Ipod and earbuds :)

Quotes heard around Disneyland

Pappa: Ethan tell me about that plane ride!
Ethan: You were on it!

Pappa: Levi did you shave this morning?
Levi: No I didn't! I just don't have mustaches! [I wasn't there, but I would bet he had both his arms out to the side with his palms facing up as he was saying this!]

Libby: I wanna ride on a miracle round!

Levi: Don't tell anyone that we're having snakes for breakfast!  [Can't remember the explanation for this one...I'm thinking they had milkshakes for breakfast??]

Rachel: (driving down freeway) This doesn't look like Disneyland to me...

Ethan: I'm so hungry I'm gonna die.
Addison: Ok then, die.

E: One time I held a chick at school.
A: One time I held a bunny.
R: Boooooring.

Libby: One time daddy threw a rock at a bird and hit it's tail and hurt it and I tried to make it better but it just flew away.
Addi: And now Levi won't stop calling daddy a murderer.

Libby: One time at school, an earthworm crawled in my pants. But it didn't crawl in my panties. It held up my panties with it's mouth. And then it crawled out of my pants and we threw them away because they had earthworm stuff on them. And then I almost stepped on Ms. wormy. That's what I named her.  [No explanation for this one either!]

R: (the weenie falls out of her corn dog) Awwwww man! But at least I can use it as a telescope!

A: We're going to burn a lot of calories today!!

Libby: Disneyland is not like I thought it would be.
Kelsi: How did you think it would be?
Libby: Like...lots of fun. [Classic Libby!]

A: Kelsi, I think you're going to be a good mommy. [ :) ]

Libby: This is making me seasick! I really really like it!

Libby: There's blood on my ear. And I know it's not ketchup. How would I get ketchup on my ear?

Libby: Ethan, did you know that Rachel is crazy?
E: Yup!

Libby: I wanna ride the rabbits! [rapids]



Bryan's parents took the kids to Disneyland with their two cousins, Ethan and Rachel, and with help from B's cousin, Kelsi.  *Everyday, I hear how they want to go back :)  Kelsi recorded funny things she heard and sent a lot of picture texts.  That combined with the detailed descriptions we got from Addi made it seem like we were there.  Only, we didn't have to wait in any lines.  Sweet!

Nice and Shiny Armor

{a paraphase of a conversation from a couple weeks back about Halloween and between all 5 of us}

Libby  I want to be a princess for Halloween this year.  Or a fairy!
Addi  You always want to be a princess or a fairy!
Levi [jumping in place and yelling - his normal method of communication]  I want to be a nice and shiny armor!
me  What??!
Bryan  [laughing 'cause he got it]
Levi [at the same time as the girls]  A Nice And Shiny Armor!
[while both girls]  He's talking about a knight in shining armor!

I think he picked it up from Tangled?!

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

One HOT day this summer, the 3 and I met Ethan, Rachel and Aunt Lisa at the Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth. The kids had never been before and it had been many years since I'd been. While it's a little expensive, it was a great experience. Thankfully, Levi was free and we were able to use 2 of the Aunt Lisa's passes, so I only had to buy 1 admission. We also bought tickets for a movie in the planetarium. My kids still talk about that movie!

Around lunchtime, we headed for McDonalds. Then we went back for a little more fun, including digging for fossils. We let the kids play (in their clothes!) in the fountain before we left. I think Levi's wondering what his silly sisters and cousins are doing while they posed for the picture below. :)

Three Snug Bugs

Staying up late while watching a movie in the playroom has become a favorite activity this summer. The downside (for me) is one of the 3 inevitably wakes up at the crack of dawn and proceeds to wake his/her siblings. Then I deal with 3 cranky kids for the rest of the day. Or, at least until after lunch, when I make all 3 take a nap. :)

downtown

One day in the last month of school, Addi was home feeling crummy. By mid-afternoon she started feeling better, so we got out some paper and made a list of all the activities we wanted to do this summer. While Bryan was in Houston last week, we checked two more off the list.

First we stopped at the Dallas Farmers Market. I packed our lunches, but I think we could've filled up on all the samples people were willing to pass out. We ended up with a watermelon, a cantaloupe, green tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and honey. Then we ate our lunch in the car with the a/c on full blast and a dvd playing. (It was the most peaceful lunch I've had in a long time!) The fun didn't stop there though. :) Next, we ventured out in the heat and humidity in search of tall buildings. Riding elevators was on the agenda. It was fun and after about an hour we were all pooped. All 3 slept the entire drive home.


Yes, I know these appear to be the exact same picture. Libby took the first one and Addi took the second. I think they could point out all the differences in their very different takes on the same building.

the end

We all climbed into the car with the oldest one shouting, "I can't believe I'm a 2nd grader!" This confused the younger one. She questioned whether that made her a kindergartener. Personally, I didn't want to think about one of my dear ones being in the 2nd grade and I certainly didn't want to think about the still-4-year-old being a kindergartener. (Weren't we just bringing them home from the hospital?) And, for a few weeks, I won't think about it. Summer's here and we're going to be lazy for a while. I learned last summer, when my days of having a school-aged child began, that summer is TOO SHORT! I'll be thinking about and preparing for the next school year soon enough. For now, we've got swim lessons to finish up, vbs to attend, a vacation (sans kiddies), wonderful friends visiting, a 10-year wedding anniversary, a 5th birthday to celebrate and a list a mile long of activites and projects the kids and I want to complete in the next couple months. It's going to be a busy summer!

2 Gymnasts and a Monkey

We are alive!

We've just been really busy lately and I neglected posting about our fun weekend trip to College Station. It's been almost 2 weekends ago now - oops!

Anyway, Bryan was in Houston most of the week, so the kids and I drove to College Station on Saturday morning. But, first we stopped (and met Grandpa and Uncle Brett) in Levi, TX. I wanted to get a picture of the "Levi, Population 50" sign. However, there isn't one, so I had to settle for this road sign. It was the only thing, besides an address on a mailbox, that said Levi. Oh, if you're wondering, Levi was totally impressed with the town he was named after. :)

Our next stop was in Reagan, TX. My sister in law gave me a black and white photo of the old Reagan post office building one year for my birthday. It made me cry, so I wanted to go back and get a picture of our Reagan standing in front of the building. Sadly, it is now an eating establishment, but Grandpa thought we should still get the picture. I'm glad we did. The next time we drive through it could be gone. (And, yes the wind was fierce. You just have to take my word for it that the little girl sitting atop my father's shoulders is, in fact, Reagan.)

Next stop - Olsen Field for peanuts and popcorn...

and snow cones...

and cotton candy!

We said goodbye to Grandpa and Uncle Brett as they headed home and we hit the road for Houston. We met Bryan at his hotel and everyone fell asleep early. The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, loaded the car, dropped off Bryan's rental and set out for College Station again. That afternoon we attended a ring ceremony for one of Bryan's closest friends from college who gave his life in service to our country. It was a moving ceremony with plenty of memories and old friends.

There were a lot of people there, including Governor Perry. This thrilled Addi beyond words since her class recently finished their Texas unit.

We're not so sure Levi's a republican!

Levi finally warmed up to the govenor while he tried to teach Levi how to stick his thumb up without sticking any other fingers up. The girls have it and Levi sort of got it. (Incidentally, we're not so sure Levi's an Aggie either :)

Major Glenn and his family were there.

A bunch of kids were there.

Christian was there. His mom and dad were there too, but I didn't get a picture with them.

I did, however, snap this picture of my child licking the glass inside a revolving door right before I told him to stop licking the glass because that is disgusting!

It was a good weekend. Ideally we would've had time to walk around campus and bore our children to tears, but Addi had school the next day and it's a 3+ hour drive back home. The girls did have fun in this huge Aggie ring outside the Former Students building. Levi was asleep in Bryan's arms or he would've been right in the middle of this picture.

After a meal at Wings N More (yummy!) with the Starrs, we made the trip back home.

And, I've been recovering ever since. :) Not really, but that would be a good excuse for my lack of blogging!

day 106

I couldn't resist disprupting this sweetness the other night when the 3 were all snug in a chair reading a bible story. And disrupt it, I did. After the last picture, the younger 2 were off the chair and in my lap with pleas of "I want to see! I want to see !" Should've left well enough alone. :)

day 104

happy bday poppa from ginny parker on Vimeo.

photo 94

Last week was Spring Break for us. We ended the week with a camping trip to Oklahoma, or Hokihoma as Libby says. Addi was thrilled to finally see her birth city. We moved when she was 1 and hadn't been back since last week.

The wildlife refuge in the Wichita Mountains is pretty neat. Bryan and I hiked and camped there before we had children. Soon after arriving we saw a herd of wild longhorn cattle.

Then we saw some buffalo

and cute prairie dogs.

Levi slept great. He took a good nap in the big tent and slept well in his little tent (inside our big tent) at night.

The kids got dirty collecting rocks and digging holes.

Bryan climbed a tree to free a hanging limb and then almost didn't get back down. :)

Addi got creative with sticks.

We read,

watched deer,

climbed the "rocky" mountains,

and admired the views.

The girls enjoyed climbing in this little space.

Then all 3 posed in front of it on the way back down.

Addi took lots of goofy pictures.



I won't share them all. :)



We made it to the top of Little Baldy! Day 2's hike was a little more eventful. Those pics coming later this week.