Only 25 More Days...

Allison is on the Kindergarten countdown. She is "so excited" and ready to hop on the next yellow bus that she spots.

Her school is doing something that I think is somewhat odd. The kinder teachers decided that instead of backpacks they want each student to carry a blue tote bag. We were required to buy it for $4 from the school and were told to decorate it with the child's name. I have a few issues with this, such as...

1. The school colors are purple and white. What's up with the royal blue?

2. What about when it rains? This thing does not close and it is made of thin canvas.

3. Decorating the little piece of cheapness cost well beyond the $4 price tag.

Oh well, c'est la vie. I found a picture I liked online, and then I begged Omie to come up with her sewing machine. Allison chose the material she liked, and the work began. We are so grateful to Omie for all of her hard work and time spent on this precious bag.

My online inspiration...

The work begins

(At this point both kids and the dog are camped out in a two foot radius around my poor mother.)

The Helper

Allison's Kindergarten Bag

(Notice the lack of any outside colors besides pink.)

Her words were, "I love it! I'm going to be the star of Kindergarten!"

HiYa!

Allison took Tae Kwon Do camp at the Y this week and loved it. I loved the instructor's focus on discipline and respecting one's parents. When we first started going to Y earlier in the summer she went to a Tae Kwon Do class one day while I was working out. She begged to do it again, and this seemed like a good option. She's also been teaching Aidan some of her moves.

Zoo Camp Week

Last week Allison was in zoo camp at the Houston Zoo. She chose last week because the theme was "colorful critters", and she liked the idea of learning about the purpose of various animals' colors. She actually put quite a bit of thought into which week she wanted to attend.

She also learned about endagered species, carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. I was very impressed with the new knowledge she would come home with each day.

While this is all great, good, educational, etc. there is still one crazy little man to entertain while Allison is at the zoo for three hours. It did not make sense to drive home and back out, so here is how we spent our week.

Monday - Aidan and I stayed at the zoo.

Playing the bongos

Getting ready for Dora and Diego's 4D Adventure

Tuesday - It rained. Christina was with us and set to experience the zoo in its full glory. Instead we went to breakfast and attempted to take him to the Museum of Natural Science thinking he would enjoy the dinosaurs. Without boring you with the details, we saw the entire museum in under 20 minutes.

Wednesday - Allison begged to skip zoo camp today when she found out we were meeting our buddies at The Children's Museum. The kids had a blast.

Sweeties Allison and Bella

Parachutes -

Notice Allison excited to catch her parachute while Aidan proceeds to destroy his creation.

Thursday - Errands. This was a good day. He was contained the entire time.

Getting a haircut.

Friday - Tyler worked from home = Mommy had her oil changed and a pedicure. Ahhh.

A Visit from Gigi

Last weekend Gigi came for a few days. We ate some yummy food, went to the park, and played around the house.

Par-tay in S.A.

This week we went to San Antonio to visit our friends the Pearce family. It was adventurous, fun, and somewhat exhausting for the mommies. We had so much fun though and cannot wait to see them again!

On Monday we headed to Sea World.
This trip alone could provide material for a sitcom.

Aidan watching Shamu

Rocco and Aidan playing in the Splash Zone

Disaster Strikes

We lose a wheel on one of our strollers. If you see a two-seater abandoned in the middle of Sea World, that would be the work of our crew.

Everyone piled on the other stroller.

Despite it all, aren't we a great looking bunch?

Tuesday - We headed to Ashley's parents' pool

Hadleigh ready to go

Wednesday - Kiddie Park. What a cute place! It was absolutely perfect for our kids! It has been in operation since 1924. Ashley's father remembers going as a child. Isn't that so neat!

Tales of a Slacker

What can I say? It's summer. Blogging has somewhat gotten away from me. Sorry.

We have stayed busy so far. The kids and I have been up at the Y at least three times a week. They play and have fun, I workout a little. It's a win-win.

For July 4th weekend we headed to Tyler's aunt's beach house in Surfside. The beach was beyond crowded, so the kids and I just swam in the pool. Tyler went off-shore fishing with Pat from work, and he came home with red snapper. It was delicious.

On Monday, July 4th we headed over to Mr. and Mrs. Jenks' home (Christina's mother) for some BBQ and swim time while Tyler was off fishing. Both kids loved the diving rock and had a blast!

Then, this week my parents came up and we went out to Galveston to see the Pates. Growing up we went on family vacations each summer with this family, and it was so much fun to see them again.

The pioneers of this party. (And Tiff)

Tiffany and I were best buds growing up, she was in my wedding, and her daughter Caroline and Allison were born one minute apart. We still talk on the phone often. Allison and Caroline had so much fun together that we left Allison there for the night and drove back to Galveston to pick her up the next day. She is still talking about it. It really was such a wonderful visit for all of us!

Caroline, Allison, and Savannah tickling Aidan

Most of the kids eating lunch. (We're missing Nate in this pic)