Summer Break: Week One

Summer is here!!  The boys are so excited and we have been doing our best to get out and enjoy ourselves while still taking long breaks to read, rest and recharge after a busy school year (this includes a much-needed moms' night out for me with some of my best girlfriends!).

Last Friday, the day after school got out, we visited the children's museum. Our hope was to avoid the summer camp crowds that pour in all summer long. There were no camps, but suburban school districts were still in session, so we ran into field trips! We made the best of our morning there, and the boys had fun, as always.

Grocery store cashier

Checking out the new element sorter

After the children's museum, we had a picnic lunch at Gramma and Grampa's house. 

Going back to Memorial Day weekend, we visited the Houston Maritime Museum! This small museum is very close to our house but we had never been before. The boys participated in family day activities while Gene explored all the exhibits. 

Making a powder monkey basket

Most of our Memorial Day weekend was pretty quiet, with lots of time to read, watch baseball, and cook! We ate all our dinners outside as the weather was lovely and mild for the end of May!

On Tuesday, the weather was still perfect for late May, so the boys and I decided to visit the zoo to check out the new elephant habitat and Lego display.

Legos at the zoo!

Sea turtle, for Henry

We also visited libraries on three different occasions, took one trip to the book store, and visited the newly-renovated Central Market, which is so fun!

Smoothies + reading

On Wednesday evening, we went to a members' event at the McGovern Centennial Gardens, which was so lovely! The weather was ideal and we munched on snacks and enjoyed walking through the gardens. 

The science museum happened to be open late on Wednesday, so we popped in to check out some exhibits and watch "The Edge of the Universe" in the planetarium.

We have also been to the pool a couple of times -- once for a members' ice cream social (so fun!) and once just for fun on a quiet day. Henry was so excited to show off his new goggles!

On Friday, Will and I had a bowling party for new Kinkaid students, so Gene and Henry went to the West U library to make bookmarks as part of their summer reading program, and then enjoyed Turkish food for lunch.

Our first week of summer break was just perfect, and we are looking forward to much more fun this summer! 

Good Reads {May 2017}

"Books are a uniquely portable magic." -- Stephen King

People sometimes ask me how I read so much, and I guess one of the reasons is that I am rarely without a book! I almost always tuck one into my bag so I have it when I'm waiting for a doctor's appointment or waiting to pick up the kids. Books are portable and they certainly are magical, taking you to new places and letting you experience incredible new worlds. Reading is my favorite!

May is an insane month, as anyone with kids knows, but I still managed to read 12 books in May -- partly because all I wanted to do at the end of a very long day was curl up in bed with a good book.

Here are my favorite reads from the month of May: 

Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This new middle grade novel by the author of Counting by 7s was so much fun. Julia is short for her age and ends up in a summer performance of The Wizard of Oz, as a munchkin, of course. As the story unfolds, Julia discovers much about herself. I just adored this book!

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

If you have read My Name is Lucy Barton, you'll want to read this collection of nine stories set in Amgash, Illinois. The stories aren't directly about Lucy Barton, but we learn about Lucy through the lenses of others. Strout is a masterful storyteller.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

Beginning in World War I, thousands of young women took coveted jobs in radium dial factories, painting watch and clock faces with luminous radium. Assured that radium was safe and even beneficial to their health, these women literally glowed. But the glory days were short-lived, because within a short time, these radium workers began to fall mysteriously ill. Their stories and the fight for workers' rights are incredible. This work of nonfiction may be my favorite book of the year to date. 

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

This psychological thriller was my book club's May pick, and it was a fun, suspenseful read. Told in reverse, two girls go missing from the same small town in North Carolina, ten years apart. Are the cases related? A fun read for those who enjoy thrillers.

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite writers. She deals with serious issues (domestic abuse, racial tensions) while still maintaining humor and lightness. In Gods in Alabama, Arlene returns home after being away for 10 years and has to come to terms with the past and missing quarterback Jim Beverly. The plot line (missing person, returning home after 10 years) is the same as All the Missing Girls, but with a completely different feel. This is Southern literature at its best.

The Dry by Jane Harper

This debut mystery also ties in nicely with All the Missing Girls and Gods in Alabama. All three novels deal with missing teens and returning home after a long period of time but all three are so different. The Dry is a police procedural set in western Australia. The small town of Kiewarra is reeling after Luke Hadler commits murder-suicide. When detective Aaron Falk returns home for the funerals after 20 years, he starts investigating the murder-suicide to determine if it is connected to the case of the missing girl from 20 years before. A fantastic debut. 

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

I listened to this on audio and it was a fun, light read, perfect for summer. The story follows Rachel Chu as she visits Singapore with her boyfriend, not realizing his family is insanely rich. The story is laugh-out-loud funny and I highly recommend the audio version. 

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

This Pulitzer-prize-winning work of nonfiction is an incredible, heartbreaking book. Set in the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee, Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond follows eight families as they struggle with evictions, homelessness, drug abuse, hunger and all the other problems that result from extreme poverty. The American system doesn't work for the poorest of the poor. This is a book that everyone should read.

What have you read lately?  

The End of the School Year and Fifth Grade Graduation

School ended last Thursday and the week leading up to the last day was full of celebrations and parties! This last week was bittersweet -- it was Will's last year of elementary school and his friends are going to all be at different schools next year, so it is both sad and exciting.  

Here's a photo of Henry at his wild luau-themed end-of-year party.  

Will's end-of-the-year party included a field trip to Diary of  a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and then festivities at Southside Place. 

5th Grade Graduation Day!

Will had outgrown all his pants, so we grabbed him uniform pants for next year. With a blazer, this is basically his uniform for dress days at school.

The 5th grade class sang two songs for the parents.

And then it was graduation time!

 

Congratulations, Will! We are so proud of you and all your accomplishments!

The graduation ceremony also included a massive photo collage.

Then and now -- he has grown so much!

Final song: "Wave Your Flag" -- the kids all waved flags that they designed with the logo of their future middle school!

Two proud parents

Each year, fifth graders decorate figures and the teachers put them up in the hallway as a huge bar graph showing the middle school plans. We are excited to be Kinkaid-bound! 

On our way out, we said goodbye to the best librarian ever!

The fifth graders then celebrated with a pool party at Colonial Park. What a fantastic way to finish off their elementary school career!

I picked up Henry at 3pm and we also had to say one last goodbye to our librarian before heading to the pool to get Will.

And then it was back home for our annual "Welcome to Summer" celebration!

Crave cupcakes + books

Will's cupcake!

So many books!  This is Henry's stack,

and this is Will's.

 

Summer is here, and we could not be more excited!