Easter Egg Hunt

Henry's class had an Easter egg hunt and picnic at Fleming Park yesterday morning. We got there a few minutes early and Henry had fun playing with his basket.  

Basket as hat? 

Goofy boy!

Then Noah arrived! So excited.  

And finally the rest of the class arrived and the kids were off to hunt for eggs.  

After collecting eggs, the kids played hard and then enjoyed cupcakes and clementines. 

We've got a couple more Easter egg hunts on the docket this weekend!

Lately

We have been busy crafting, playing and cooking lately.  Here are some recent pics:

Henry got a lot of Legos for his birthday. He loves building!

Everyone at our house likes logic games. This one is called Camelot Jr. and the goal is to get the knight to the princess.  

So.much.fun!

Look who started violin lessons last week!

Henry is learning the Suzuki method and we started with a foot chart and box violin.   

We made the box violin from a margarine box and wood ruler and then covered it with paper and stickers.  Even though he didn't touch a real violin during his first lesson, Henry is loving it and has been busy listening to his Suzuki CD.

Our weekends are full of soccer games, but luckily Gene still manages to find time to cook (red bean soup) and bake (broa).

Henry and I found some time for baking too.

We made snickerdoodles to share with Will's teacher for her birthday this week. 

And since we got a late-for-Houston cold spell this week, we decided to dig out our winter craft box and make a snowman!

It may not be snowing but it's definitely sweater weather.

What have you been up to lately?

A Wedding Shower

One of my best friends is getting married in two months and I got to help throw her wedding shower on Saturday evening. It was a picnic at City Acre Brewing, which was just perfect for Heather and Joel!

The "barn" at City Acre

The savory table with all the fixins for a picnic

The sweets table 

Gifts 

Fun and Games

The shower was family-friendly so we brought the little boys.  Katy and Jaime taught them to play washers.

 

We played a massive game of Jenga.  

The little boys enjoyed their hot dogs.   

And Katy made everyone cotton candy.   

So excited for the sugar! 

 We ended the evening playing with glow sticks.   

I didn't get a picture with Heather, but we had a great time celebrating her upcoming wedding!

Henry's Big Day

Henry's birthday happened to fall on parent-teacher conference day at his school, so this lucky little boy didn't have to go to school on his birthday. We had a very full, very fun day, and Henry proclaimed it the best day ever! We spent the morning hanging out with one of his favorite gals, Ainsley. 

Susan and I switched off watching the kids on the playground during our conferences (the kids played hard for an hour!) and then we headed over to the Children's Museum (Henry's choice). Look at these two holding hands. Adorable!

Henry picked the Cafe Express at the MFAH for lunch (of course!) so the four of us had lunch there and then ran a couple errands before getting Will. And then it was back home to hang out with Gramma and Grampa who came by to help celebrate Henry's birthday!

Dinner was Henry's choice and he picked Pink's Pizza. And as you can see, he chose the fully loaded veggie pizza for his FIFTH birthday!

And of course we can't have a birthday without cupcakes from Crave since they are just down the street from us.  

We actually had to get our cupcakes on Wednesday because they don't bake lemon cupcakes on Thursday. Lemon cupcakes = a little piece of heaven!

Happy birthday, sweet Henry. 

I hope all your wishes come true! 

5

Henry turned 5 years old yesterday! In honor of my little boy's BIG 5th birthday, I thought I'd write about five things I love about Henry at age 5.

1.  Henry is sweet. Honestly, he is just about the sweetest kid I've ever met. Everyone says it -- his grandparents, his teachers, our friends, my sister. Henry just has a sweet way about him. He is kind and loving to everyone. He is quick to grab a cousin's hand, help them along, and watch out for the littler ones. He notices small things and always has a genuine compliment:  "Mommy, I like your earrings. You look so pretty!" or "Gramma, you have the prettiest flowers. I love your roses" or  "Nana, this spaghetti is so yummy. You make the best dinners." And he is so sincere. He's not trying to butter you up for anything; it's just the way he is.

2.  Henry is smart. He may tell you he doesn't like to learn, but he is a little sponge and absorbs everything. I am so proud of this little boy. He recently started reading level 2 readers and knows well over 50 sight words. He is great at math, already knows a ton of math facts (8 +8 is 16!), and does all his addition and subtraction in his head. He is going to do just fine in kindergarten next year!

3. Henry is sensitive. He hates making mistakes and really hates it when someone is angry with him. He is a huge rule-follower and getting in trouble is just about the worst thing in the world for him. He also still very much relates to stories like The Velveteen Rabbit and has a very real emotional reaction when sad things happen to characters. When he is sad, he just needs a hug to feel better.

4. Henry has an amazing imagination. He has created this whole other "pookie" world that I cannot keep up with. It is very detailed and elaborate. Henry's mind is an incredible thing!

5. Henry is so happy. He gives the best hugs, has a great smile, and has an infectious laugh. He loves to make up jokes, play with words, and give great big "Chewbaca" hugs. He is a genuinely joyful child most of the time and is really a lot of fun to be around.

Happy 5th birthday, Henry! We all love you so very much!

Zoo Field Trip

Henry's class is studying the letter Z this week, so of course they took a field trip to the zoo! His teachers didn't plan to get there until 10, so instead of just hanging out at school, Henry and I decided to head to the zoo at 9 and meet his class when they arrived.  Yesterday was beautiful -- the perfect zoo day! 

We explored on our own for a good hour before his classmates joined us. We went to the aquarium and Natural Encounters building, saw the komodo dragon, 

and then Henry really wanted to head to the children's zoo. He loves climbing,

pushing the buttons to hear the sounds of the prairie,

steering the boat,

and watching the pelican. 

Henry and I love exploring the zoo together. We did hang out with his classmates for a bit too, but then it was lunchtime and we came on home.  

I love hanging out with my almost-five-year-old!