May 2020 (Part 2)

We're heading back in time to May, when the weather was still beautiful enough to get outside and explore. May was a busy month with school ending, but we also added to our furry family. 

Here's what the second half of May looked like for us:

The Arboretum has long been my happy place, but during this pandemic, we have visited more than ever -- on average 3 times a week. It's been delightful to watch the landscape change with the seasons.

Hermann Park is another favorite spot of ours.

We visited a part of Hermann Park that we hadn't been to before -- the Urban Forest on the eastern side of the park. It was a quiet little surprise!

Some tomatoes from our garden:

The best thing that happened in May was that we adopted a kitten! Henry's birthday present (back in March) was tickets to an Astros game, which of course was canceled due to the pandemic. We usually do experiences for birthday gifts, and there was just nowhere to go this year, so we adopted a kitten instead. It was honestly the best thing ever.  

This is Snickerdoodle and he is the cutest.

Fast friends from day 1

Seriously, the cutest.

More arboretum pics.  

Some food pics:  

snickerdoodles for Snickerdoodle

16th anniversary dinner

anniversary pic courtesy of Henry -- we did not dress up!

Henry and I continued our daily bike rides and helped rescue three juvenile ducks that we found wandering across University Blvd. That was a crazy adventure.

And even more arboretum pics -- this time after a rainstorm.  

Huge frog

One one arboretum visit, we saw a coral snake

and an armadillo!

We also spent a morning at Sheldon Lake State Park.

I'll leave you with some more kitten pics. 

And that was May in a nutshell -- food, walks in nature, and lots of snuggle time with Snickers!

Summer Break: Week One

Summer is here!  We always look forward to the slower pace of summertime, though this summer is already starting off very differently than ever before.  

Here's a peek at some of what we did during our first week of summer break:

Henry had a double dose of art class and a makeup music class on Saturday. Isn't this piece cool?

With just 45 minutes between classes, we opted to get bubble tea and play Jenga at SmooTea, our favorite bubble tea spot in Houston.  (Henry and I always get almond tea but Will likes coconut -- half sweet for everyone!)

Our Jenga tower

and boom!

Gene baked baguettes for Will in advance of his 19-day trip to France! We made all his favorite foods before he left, including pizza, four-bean salad, and waffles. 

And then on Monday, Henry and I dropped Will off at the airport for an adventure of a lifetime! His French teacher takes a group of kids to France every other year and Will really wanted to go. We didn't sign him up at first because he is always reticent to spend the night away from home.  In April, we realized there were still spots available and Will was insistent that he wanted to go on the trip, so we signed him up and now he is halfway around the world. Will calls us every other day to report on his trip (mostly I hear about the food) and he always sounds so happy!  

Henry was ready for some one-on-one time without his brother, but he quickly realized how quiet things are when you're an only child, even for a short time. We have made lots of slime, played Rummikub countless times and have adventures planned, but he still misses Will.

Making glow-in-the-dark slime

and super fluffy slime (with shaving cream)

We made a slime breakfast for Dad -- sausage and eggs

Henry spent some time with Nana and Pop on Tuesday morning when I signed my contract and filed out paperwork for next year.  I even got my badge!

I also spent some time at my new library with the previous librarian. Here are some pics of my new space.

The boys' names are even on the column outside the library doors!

On Friday, Henry and I planned a grand adventure to Bellville and Brenham. We found Fredericksburg peaches on our way and of course, we had to stop and purchase a basketful. 

Henry's one request for an outing this summer was to go back to Newman's Castle in Bellville. We stopped at Newman's Bakery to get our tickets as well as coffee and a doughnut for later. 

Back at Newman's Castle!

Henry and Avalon, the resident Irish wolfhound

After our tour and lunch, we headed up the road to Brenham, where we stopped in at Bluebell.  

We both got ice cream (peach for me, triple chocolate for Henry)

but we were so full from lunch that we couldn't even finish our scoops.  

After a stop at The Barnhill House Toys and Books in Brenham and the Bellville Meat Market, we started our drive back to Houston. We stopped at Buc-ee's in Katy because it just isn't a Texas road trip without a visit to Buc-ee's!

We got home around 4 and both collapsed for a couple of hours before heading back out to the science museum for members' night events. The sculpture of the moon by Luke Jerran uses projection mapping to show the surface of the moon.

Summer 2019 feels a bit strange with only one kid at home (for now), but we're enjoying our break from school.