School starts tomorrow! I can hardly believe that summer is over. This was, I think, our most fun summer yet. I've talked with other moms and we all agree that the summers just get better as the kids get older.
I wanted to make the boys' last week of summer super fun and super special, so we did all of their favorite things. We were so busy having fun that I failed to snap pictures of some of the fun we had. Our week started on Monday with a playdate with Chloe and Bella at the indoor playground at First Baptist Church in Humble. It had been three years since our last visit there but Will remembered everything in detail and described it all to Henry, who didn't remember it all because he was only 2 the last time we went there. They had a blast running and jumping and zip-lining and sliding, but I have no pictures to prove it!
Tuesday was a museum day. The Health Museum had been doing special members-only events all summer long but we missed every single one until the very last one. One area of the main hall was roped off and set up with these massive foam building blocks from Imagination Playground. The kids could let their imaginations go wild and build away. As you can imagine, this was a huge hit with my little builders.
We checked out some of the other exhibits too and I discovered that my boys are very good at balancing on a wobbly platform. Henry held this position for over two minutes. I lasted all of 8 seconds when I tried it!
After a morning at the Health Museum, the boys were hungry so we went to the MFAH for lunch at Cafe Express. It is still one of Henry's favorite places to go! Tuesday was such a glorious day that we ate outside. I think the high was about 86 that day and it was just one of those rare days when you want to be outside in August, in Houston.
After lunch, the boys convinced me that we needed to visit the Children's Museum. That had not been part of my original plan since I hate to go there when it is crowded. It was very crowded but we explored for almost two hours. We had very few tears, no one got lost, and everyone was ready to leave when I said it was time to go. Success!
I took the boys to the zoo Wednesday morning, hoping for a repeat of the beautiful weather we had on Tuesday. It was definitely warmer but not unbearable. We had to visit the Legos animals again, and we always ride the carousel.
We came away with tons of questions about jellyfish, so when we were at the library yesterday, we made sure to find a jellyfish book. I'm sure Will will memorize the facts in no time!
Our special lunch on Wednesday was at Little Matt's. The boys had Icees, which I only let them get about twice a year. It was a special day!
We kept Thursday very low-key with just a run to Whole Foods in the morning because Henry had his meet-the-teacher at WUES in the afternoon! Henry is in the Vanguard program, just like Will, and we were thrilled to find out that he has an amazing teacher this year. We have so many friends in West U, from school, church, soccer, and just being in the neighborhood, so I was positive Henry would know someone in his class, but it turns out they are all new faces! Fortunately, Henry was completely fine for me to drop him off in his classroom while I went to a parent meeting in the cafeteria. I guess he really is ready to start kindergarten tomorrow after all!
We saved our favorite museum for Friday. We hadn't been to the science museum in awhile, so we definitely needed one more visit this summer. We got there just in time for their "Feeding Frenzy" at the Butterfly Center, but unfortunately, the snakes were not interested in eating, so there was no feeding and no frenzy. Still, it was interesting to talk to the entomologist about the museum's two pythons, Boo and Hiss. We learned that they only eat once a week, and that the mice they are fed are frozen and then warmed up. This snake, Boo, eventually took the mouse and tried to squeeze it to death by coiling up around it.
Our visit to the Butterfly Center wasn't a complete bust because we bought some more ant candy!
We visited the energy hall, Egypt hall, and dinosaur hall, where we got tons of information from a volunteer.
On our way out, we came across a sword fight! The demonstration was for one of the museum's summer camps, but we couldn't help but watch for a bit.
And then we met the museum's iguana and even got to touch her!
Our special lunch on Friday was at Phoenicia with Daddy. Henry had been asking to go back to Phoenicia for months so I knew we had to fit it in! It was delicious.
I have zero pictures from yesterday, but our Saturday was full too. Henry and I visited the farmers market in the morning, and then I took both boys to the library. After our explorations this week, we had lots of questions, so we were on a mission to find books about jellyfish, extinctions, the Arctic, and the elements. We came home with another huge stack of books, and then Gene took the boys to the pool for lunch and a swim. The afternoon ended with playdates at our park with new classmates and Gene surprised us with delicious calzones for dinner.
The week was not all fun and games. We also practiced getting ready for school three times, from waking up with our alarm clocks to getting our backpacks on. I think we are ready for Monday morning!
Will also discovered that Daddy's big desk is the best place to write birthday thank you notes!
And Henry had his first homework assignment! He had to decorate the letter H with some of his favorite things. He painted it yellow, his favorite color, and we filled it with pictures of a violin, a bike, and Weezie, as well as a sticker from the science museum and a picture of Will and Henry at the arboretum and one of Henry in a wizard hat, and slapped some Mod Podge over the top.
I think this does a good job of showing who Henry is!
So now, after a wonderful summer spent exploring, reading, relaxing, playing and generally having a good time, we are heading back to school in just a short 24 hours. I *think* we're ready!
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