Lately: Some Magic, Soccer and a Sick Boy

This April has been all about being sick! We are on our third illness so far and have spent so much time cooped up inside. Henry caught Will's virus which is characterized by a long-lasting, high fever (102-105). It is a doozy! Henry spends much of the day on the sofa watching shows, like this.

Last week, when Will was sick, Henry got to go on a field trip to the Butterfly Center at the science museum. I was so disappointed I couldn't help chaperone but I know Henry had a great time with his friends!

Last week, we had a good 3 1/2 days when everyone was healthy (we went camping!). We also tried out Will's new handcuffs and chains.

Will is Harry Houdini for his Living Museum project. 

Cutest magician!

And so talented! Look how fast he got out of those chains!

Henry was supposed to be the student of the day on Monday, so we worked on this poster last week to showcase all of his favorite things: family and friends, cooking, hiking and camping, zoos and museums, and playing soccer. We had it all ready to go but he missed his "Me Monday." He'll get his special day next week, for sure!

We also made it to soccer on Saturday morning. Here is Henry's team with Daddy as coach.

Run, Henry, run!

And back to this week. Henry mostly feels crummy until his medicine kicks in, and then he feels pretty normal. He asked to work on Hooked on Phonics one day and was so excited to finish Kindergarten Level 2.

So proud of my good little reader. He's ready for First Grade Level 1!

And we are ready to have everyone in our house healthy again! 

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!

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Yesterday morning, Henry's class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch at St. Luke's Church.  

He was so excited because he finally got to ride the school bus on a field trip!

The kids were all allowed to pick a pumpkin "this big."

Henry was obsessed with these bumpy pumpkins, 

but they cost a little bit more, so he finally settled on a cute little pie pumpkin.

Henry knows exactly what to do in a pumpkin patch:  grin at Mommy's camera!

After picking out pumpkins, the kids had snacks and then went on hunt to find and measure the biggest pumpkin they could find.

And then these helpers loaded up the bus with pumpkins and we all headed back to school.

It sure didn't feel like fall in Houston yesterday, but the kids enjoyed their first field trip and all the pumpkins!

Field Trip #6

Henry's class went on its sixth and final field trip to the Downtown Aquarium today.  And because I had to stay home with my sick big boy who has strep, Daddy tagged along with Henry's class.  

The carousel is always a favorite.  

These kiddos decided not to ride the Ferris wheel.  I would've been sitting there on the bench with them!

Pretend-playing the carnival games.

At least half of them went on this Lighthouse Dive.  Henry was not one of them.

 Inside they saw the bat rays

 and tiger  

and ended the day with another ride on the carousel.

Henry said thumbs up to his fun day out with Daddy.

Field Trip #5

Henry's class went on their fifth field trip on Monday!  Best buds Noah, Kalino and Henry waited for the rest of their classmates to arrive.

We went to the Bellaire Nature Center and explored outside before heading indoors to see the animals.

 Bearded dragon

 And a corn snake!

 Henry was fascinated by the snake.

 Tornado in a bottle. 

It's always fun to get out of the classroom for a field trip!

The New Bike and a Field Trip

Henry absolutely loves his new bike. He rode it all around the driveway yesterday morning and then in the afternoon, he and Daddy took a nearly 3-mile bike ride around the neighborhood in search of a park with a tire swing. This kid is speedy and doesn't get tired!

So happy to have his own *blue* bike.

Henry's class got to go on their fourth field trip of the year yesterday and I was fortunate enough to tag along. We saw How I Became a Pirate at Main Street Theater. As always, the performance was stellar and the kids all enjoyed it. It was the perfect ending to our pirate-filled week!

Once again, Kalino and Henry were buddies for the trip. The two of them have the exact same personality: completely goofy and wholly endearing.

On the agenda this weekend is more bike riding and perhaps some pirate antics as well!

The Week in Review

Last week was a busy week.
Last week, I cooked up a new recipe for Black Beans and Coconut-Lime Rice (Southern Living, May 2010). I was absolutely positive the boys would not eat it, even though it was delicious, because often they do not like my new recipes until they eat them a few times. They both gobbled it up and asked for seconds. Huh.

Last week, Will went on his very first-ever field trip with his Kindergarten class to see How I Became a Pirate at Main Street Theater. A friend of mine snapped this picture of him with two of his buddies and emailed it to me from the show. Will loved the bus ride, the play and the adventure of being out of school for a little while!

Last week, we had my parents over for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday. Henry and I baked a cake and my dad decorated it.

Last week, in honor of Gramma's birthday, Will sang "Happy Birthday to me, I'm one hundred and three, and I want my Mommy" over and over again and cracked up more each time he sang it. Ah, Kindergarten humor!

Last week, Gene finally came home from another trip and we are hopeful that he will be able to stay put for awhile now. (He was in Paris and London for 30 out of 40 days in February and early March!) Weezie was excited to find a soft new place to nap in his open suitcase.

Last week, Henry's school put on a Children Around the World Fair. On Monday, Henry visited Germany and got this cool hat.

Last week, we decided to clean up around the house, hang our new drapes, and fix little broken bits, like this burnt-out bulb in the kitchen. We also discovered that you can't reach a light fixture on a 10-foot ceiling with only a stepladder.

Last week was a busy week at our house.