Exploring Nature at the Heard Museum

Last weekend, my aunt and her boyfriend came to TX for the Titans/Cowboys game. While they were here, we spent Friday walking on the trails and exploring the museum at the Heard. The trails are so nice, and we all had a really good time.

 

 

We were all intrigued by this tree. You can see where it was hit by lightning. What’s neat is that it is full of beautiful, green leaves.

Can you see the spider web in the tree?

Can you read this sign? No? Let me type it here for you. Maybe you can help us understand what it means. 

The Dimetrodon was the dominant carnivore of the early Permian period, but it actually existed before the dinosaurs appeared on the earth.

Hmmm…Well, ya see…This was seen at the dinosaur exhibit. So, is a Dimetrodon NOT a dinosaur? Or …I don’t even know what else? LOL!

Sweet little log cabin with a moss-covered roof

 

Day 1 at Walt Disney World

So, you already know we went to WDW last month. And, you know where we stayed. What about what we did? We had fun that’s what!!

The first night we were there, we went to the Magic Kingdom. We didn’t intend to ride any rides that evening. We just went too see the parade  and the fireworks. Last year, we were able to watch Disney’s SpectroMagic parade. This year, we saw the Main Street Electrical Parade. I preferred SpectroMagic, but the Electrical Parade was great too. Lights, music, and favorite characters. It was too fun! As for Wishes, the fireworks show, it was fantastic!! We have seen parts of it in past years, but this year we watched the entire show. It is really awesome! A definite must-see if you are headed to Disney any time soon!

Guilty Pleasures

I had a wonderful weekend! We enjoyed some beautiful weather and some family time.

After a busy Saturday, I spent the evening having some me time. I caught up on my DVR’d shows, wrote a few blog posts, and read a few of my favorite blogs. Oh, and I even got a 2 hour nap in on Saturday afternoon (after enjoying a few chapters in my latest read – House Rules)! That’s always a good thing.

Just had to share this picture. The local nursery had rakes decorated to look like scarecrows. I thought they were too cute (and kinda funny…), and had to take a picture for you guys to see.

What do you do for ‘me’ time? What do you do with your ‘free’ time?

My Saturday

Sale at dance studio (scored some really cheap leotards for E)
Anticipating a VERY busy week (fair, hiking, visit from my aunt)
Trip to outlet mall with Emma
Updating next week's lesson plans
Resting up - 2 hour nap!!
Decorating pumpkins with the fam
A girly date with Emma (mani/pedi, haircut, shopping)
Yikes! I'm out of bread! (Guess what's at the top of tomorrow's to-do...)

Grocery Shopping Fun!

Went to Walmart this evening and found milk for .99/gallon!! Last week, it was $2.46. I am so excited! I may fill my freezer with .99 milk. My family goes through 5-6 gallons/week! That adds up.

And, not only did I find milk at a great price, but they also had canned pumpkin in stock again! Last year, there was a pumpkin shortage. You may not know it, but there was. Now, we don't each much pumpkin pie in our house, but my kids think they could live off of pumpkin muffins. So, in addition to my 6 gallons of milk, I bought 10 cans of pumpkin!!

Guess what we're having for breakfast tomorrow!

We went to Walt Disney World!!

We spent last week at Walt Disney World! We had a blast, of course. We were joined by my mom, two sisters, brother-in-law, three nieces, and my Papa! This was the first time my nieces had been to WDW. I couldn’t wait to experience the magic with them! (We actually traveled to Disney World as part of 3D Travel’s ‘Ultimate Field Trip’ which I will blog about at a later date.)

Here are a few highlights of the start of our trip. I will post over the next few days about each day of our trip. As I blog, I will let you in on secrets, tips, and just plain fun information! Watch for posts on how to pack with just carry-on luggage, how to entertain kids on the airplane, etc.

 

Emma was up and ready to go not-so bright and early! She couldn’t wait to get there. And, YES, I’m one of ‘those’ parents who dresses their children in Disney-themed clothing for the entire trip! (At least when they’re young enough to still enjoy it!)

 

Pre-trip breakfast at Cracker Barrel

Emma and Isaac playing checkers

 

Emma is watching a Piglet movie on my Ipod.

 

Emma didn’t make it too far into the movie before she fell asleep and slept through the entire flight. Did I mention it was early when we left home?

 

Emma and Cousin Abbi at the airport

 

All of the cousins at the Orlando airport waiting for their ‘surprise’ (my Papa joined us and the kids had no idea). We’re waiting to board the Magical Express shuttle to Walt Disney World!

 

Stay tuned for…our resort arrival

The funny things kids say...

Isaac: Hey, Emma. Want to have a Lego war?

Emma: Well, only if they have a peace treaty and there's no fighting.

Busy Weekend…

It’s been a busy weekend (and week leading up to this weekend). I have lots going on, but in just a few shorts weeks things will slow down.

I’m working on a new blog for my new job with 3D Travel Company – a travel agency that specializes in Disney destination vacations! My new blog – Goin’ to the Mouse House – will be a place where I can chat about all things Disney! And, I’m in the process of opening a Goin’ to the Mouse House store on Etsy where I can offer all of my Disney-themed creations for sale.

I’m working on some promotions for 3D Travel’s upcoming Ultimate Field Trip (UFT). I’m embroidering backpacks that will be given away to all of the homeschool families who are attending our field trip in September – at WALT DISNEY WORLD!!

I’m gearing up for our new school year. I wanted to start two weeks ago, and even gave it a good try. But, I wasn’t as ready as I wanted to be so we waited. Tomorrow, we will re-start our new school year. I’m ready and prepared. The kids are ready for some structure, as well. Can’t wait to see what this year holds for us!

So, I’ll remain this busy until after UFT (early September). Then things should slow down…until our new 3D Travel promotions kick in and I start booking Disney vacations that is!

Movie Marathon

There was a Pirates of the Caribbean movie marathon 4th of July weekend. My guys settled in to watch the trilogy together.

 

Emma was quite perplexed! She couldn’t understand why the guys kept watching Pirates over and over again. Every time she went through the living room – all day long – they were still watching Pirates. I had to explain they were watching 3 different Pirate movies throughout the day. Her face lit up as she said “Oh”. I think she thought they were a bit weird watching the same movie over and over again all day long.  =)

A girl and her dreams…

Exactly why did we decide to get two guinea pigs? Well, I’ll tell ya a little story about a girl and her dream…

When Emma was little (like 2 or 3) we visited a pet store to just look around. She fell in love with the bunnies. She loved petting them and decided she wanted one. NOW! Well, I wasn’t buying that toddler a rabbit that I had to take care of (in addition to the three kids, dog, and hubby)! So, to put her off I said, “We’ll talk about it when you’re 8.”

Has anyone ever told you about a child’s memory?!? I knew that children remember the odd things for a VERY LONG time. “Mom, remember that day 200 years ago when we xyz?”  “But Mom, last Thursday at precisely 2:16AM you said I could xyz!” (How they can remember oddball comments/facts/etc. but can’t remember to change their underwear or brush their teeth is beyond me!!) Anyway, Emma remembered that comment. And, she reminded me of that comment about every month (at least) for the next 5 years!!  No kidding! She really did! She could frequently be heard saying “I can’t wait ‘til I’m 8, because I get a rabbit.” Really! I’m so.not.kidding!

So, for her 7th bday (in June), we decided she could have a rabbit. So, we headed to Petsmart to look at rabbits and to determine how much said rabbit would cost. Well, guess what…Petsmart doesn’t sell rabbits. But, they do sell guinea pigs. After holding several, Emma changed her mind and decided that she wanted guinea pigs instead.

See yesterday’s post about her dream come true…

The newest members of the family…

Introducing…Molly and Sally…

Emma got two guinea pigs for her birthday. She loves them so much! And, I am surprised at how responsible she has been in taking care of them. She talks to them every time she passes their cage. She pets them through the bars of the cage. She feeds them daily, and holds them during their ‘floor’ time. It’s too sweet!

It all started with a trip to the pet store…

This little girl fell in LOVE!

Making sure they’re comfortable for the ride home…

Introducing the girls to their new homes…

 

This is Molly.          

This is Sally.

This is a little girl who loves her pets!

S’mores on a Stick

I can’t remember whose blog I saw this idea on, but I loved it. I couldn’t wait to do it with my crew today. See, I’ve been a bit busy lately, and I couldn’t wait to have some ‘family time’ today! So, we headed to Walmart to buy the supplies, and came home to make our snack. We’ll take these with us tonight when we go watch fireworks.

These are super-easy to make:

Insert a lollipop stick into a jumbo marshmallow. Dip the marshmallow into melted chocolate or white chocolate. Roll the chocolate-dipped marshmallow in grated graham cracker crumbs and/or sprinkles. Lay on was paper to set. Enjoy!

Relay for Life

In April (or May – I can’t remember now), the competitive teams from Emma’s dance studio performed at a local Relay for Life. I couldn’t take pics and video tape at the same time, so I only have before pictures. But, they’re still cute!

Isaac turned 12!!

If you can’t tell, I’m updating the blog as I sort through my pictures. So, I’m kind of updating backwards. Anyway, Isaac turned 12 in April. This year, he decided against a ‘friend’ party. He wanted to have a family dinner (at DQ so he could have a chili cheese coney and chili cheese fries). And, he wanted to use the money we would normally spend on him and the money he received for his bday to purchase a trampoline. So, that is exactly what we did! Here’s my silly boy in action…

Note to Isaac: You are such a sweet boy. I love you for your unique sense of humor. I love that you are so sure of yourself. You are you, and you are proud of it. You don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. I love how you look up to Logan, and I love how you are such a good big brother to Emma. I love you! I look forward to seeing what the upcoming year holds for you.

Emma’s Spring Recital ~ May 2010

May found us extremely busy gearing up for Emma’s dance recital! Because she’s on the competitive dance team, she was participated in the opening number at the recital. This required extra practices. So, between regular class times, class pictures, extra practices, and 2 FULL days of recital…we were so busy! Every single minute of it is worth it once I see her on stage. She really loves it!

Here are a few pictures from her recital…

Here’s Emma before the recital started Saturday.

Hannah and Emma are ready for tap. Emma’s class danced to Tony' Bennett’s ‘Stepping Out With My Baby’.

 

The studio performs an hour-long ballet at each recital (both days). For the winter recital, it is always The Nutcracker. For spring, it changes each year. This year it was Sleeping Beauty. Emma’s class was Little Red Riding Hood. (FYI for those who don’t know – at the end of the ballet when Sleeping Beauty marries the prince, Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots are at the wedding ceremony.)

Emma’s jazz teacher picks the ‘funnest’ songs! This time, they danced to ‘Five Little Monkeys’ by Go Fish. I love GO FISH!

 

Here’s Emma after the recital on Sunday night. Her last number was her competitive routine called ‘Jive Bunny’.

Now, we are on the tail end of our ‘early summer’ break. We had two weeks off. Classes start again next week. The following week, Emma will attend dance camp. This is a required one-week ‘intensive’ camp for competitive dancers.  She will have classes through July and then enjoy another two-week break before fall classes start in August. She’s a bit excited about summer classes, because she will have a new teacher. I’m glad she’s excited instead of nervous about ‘new’.