Lately: Back to School and Labor Day Weekend

School has been back in session for two weeks, so our days are jam-packed. I think we're all missing the slower pace of summer break!

Here's a peek into some of what we've been up to lately:

Ice cream with my big boy after his well-visit check-up

Jess gave us monarch chrysalises again.

College Colors Day at school

Look who's home from training (aka manners camp)

Ruby is so much better behaved now!

It's only early September and it still feels like summer here, but the retailers are convinced fall is coming. We could barely drag the boys out of the Halloween candy display at Randall's.

We spent Saturday in Galveston, playing at the beach and hanging out with some of our favorite friends, Jonathan and Julie.

We love our visits with them at the beach. Gene and Jonathan grill and swim and Julie and I talk books, while the boys run and play. We are so thankful for these friends!

We were out and about on Sunday and took a quick photo at the Lawndale Art Center in front of Russell Etchen's About ____ Rocks mural.

Henry has to present a science project to his class in the next few weeks, so we tried out a few at home. This "Bubble Inside a Bubble" experiment was a hit -- sugar in the bubble solution makes the bubbles sturdier!

We spent Labor Day at home and it was so nice not to have to be anywhere. Gene smoked a brisket all day; Ruby was his trusty sidekick.

 It was SO good and tender! Mmmmm.

Brisket, homemade pretzel rolls, roasted squash and raw carrots, and the Hefeweizen Gene brewed with his friend Jim back in June -- the perfect Labor Day feast! 

I hope your long weekend was spent enjoying good food with family and friends too!

Lately: Food, Fireworks and Family Time

We all made it through the first week of school, with its early wake-ups, piles of paperwork, meetings galore, and new classroom rules and expectations. The first week was really good, but it was really exhausting too. We all needed a weekend to recuperate.

First up, this smiling boy! Love his grin.

Henry has an eagle eye and spotted this cicada molting. We've seen live cicadas and dead cicadas and cicada shells, but we've never seen a cicada actually in the process of coming out of its skin. Henry noticed this cicada wriggling out of its skin on the walk into school Friday morning. Amazing!

Our weekend was perfect. We spent most of the time at home, playing, grilling, baking, and relaxing, but we also got out and about to enjoy some cooler-than-normal August weather. We had a rare cool front come in last week and it was downright pleasant all weekend long.

Saturday morning means a trip to the farmers market with Henry. The farmers all know Henry by name and he is happy to go talk to them about their products. Garden Dreams jam is one of our favorites.  

Will spent a lot of time reading on the sofa.

 

And Gene spent a lot of time outside with his grill. 

Saturday's dinner was chateaubriand with a red wine reduction,

plus roasted potatoes, roasted yellow squash, and a four-bean salad. 

It was quite a delicious spread! Gene hasn't made chateaubriand in over five years, but we were celebrating the end of the first week of school and it was a delightful treat. 

Henry thought so too!

Snuggles with my big boy.

We ended the evening at Miller Outdoor Theatre, where we listened to a concert by Mercury. They played a selection of pieces and concluded with Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks,which was followed by a fireworks display. We sat on the hill on our picnic blankets, enjoyed a late night snack of cheese, crackers and grapes, and watched the full moon rise over us.

Ever since our trip to Disneyland, the boys have loved fireworks! 

We spent Sunday at home, cooking and baking and playing. We all really love being in the kitchen, so the boys helped Gene make bread and helped me make homemade vanilla ice cream and a peach pie.

Gene baked two loaves of sandwich bread and a crusty sourdough loaf (plus fourteen English muffins on Saturday!). Grilling and baking breads are two of his favorite ways to relax. 

Both boys tackled puzzles.

Sunday's dinner was grilled red snapper, crusty bread, roasted yellow squash and eggplant, green salad, and pureed butternut squash.

Plus peach pie a la mode for dessert.

Though the humidity is creeping back in this week, we had a delicious taste of fall over the weekend, and we are looking forward to spending many weekend afternoons in the backyard, eating fresh, homemade meals and enjoying family time together.

Lately: February

Here's a peek into what we've been up to lately:

Will is almost done with his Bear Badge for Cub Scouts! He and Gene used power tools to take apart an old workbench that had been stored in the side yard for the past few years.

Henry helped too!

Henry's last den meeting involved making (and eating) snacks.

Grilling! The weather has been beautiful lately, so we grill out every chance we get.

One night we grilled pizzas and let the boys decorate their own.

Basil hair and mustache, olive ears, and pepperoni eyes and mouth. Mmmm!

We've done some science experiments,

and the boys had their final Hands On Art classes for the year. Henry learned how to weave.

Will's class painted self portraits in the style of Pablo Picasso.

And finally, Henry was Star Student last week. 

He shared his poster, a favorite book (The Book with No Pictures) and his Pinewood Derby car and trophy with his class. We've been as busy as ever!