Lately: Projects Galore

So far this year, we've been busy with projects -- school projects, house projects, and Cub Scout projects! On the house front, I am in full-on clean-out mode. So far, we've donated 11 boxes to Salvation Army (five more have since been filled); taken a car load of electronics to Westpark Recycling; put out piles and piles for heavy trash; and donated 181 books to Books Between Kids!  

Cleaned out linen closet with plenty of room for a kitty!

We are also trying to spruce things up, so my parents helped me select and hang new bedroom drapes (blackout, finally, after six years of thin curtains in a light-filled room!). They also helped me replace curtain rods in three rooms and replace all our old, broken door stops. I purchased a bunch of frames for odd-sized art from Art-to-Frames and we have been busy hanging art around the house! 2017 has been productive so far! 

Will had his final two middle school interviews in January -- whew! So glad those are done! Lunch out at Little Matt's before the final interview.

Third graders showcased all their hard work on their heritage projects in January, with a Heritage Festival and Feast. Henry dressed up as a Danish immigrant for the parade. 

 This kiddo worked so hard!

At the Heritage Feast, Henry sampled foods from around the world. 

Also that week was our school's International Festival, with more food and activities from around the world.

Henry's class also had a field trip to Space Center Houston and I got to tag along as a chaperone. 

January is also Pinewood Derby month. The boys each made a speed car and a demolition car. 

Will's last Pinewood Derby!

Demolition

Speed

Our cars didn't win any prizes this year, but they sure were fun to build and race.

Will's last den meeting as a Cub Scout was last week. His Arrow of Light dinner and ceremony are Thursday night, and then he officially crosses over into Boy Scouts next week. This boy has worked so hard and we are so proud of him! Now he just needs to pick which troop he's joining!

Super Bowl LI -- celebrated with Eureka Heights Buckle Bunny, my favorite beer ever,

and pizza!

We were rooting for the Patriots (for no particular reason) and most of us went to bed thinking the game was lost, only to wake up this morning to find out they had pulled off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history! 

One final picture -- breakfast crepes at the farmers market are the boys' new favorite breakfast.

What have you been up to lately?

Lately: School Projects and More

The month of April has been full of school projects, home projects and enjoying Houston's beautiful spring weather. Here are photos of some of our activities this month:

Will worked really hard on his Animal Habitats project! He chose to learn about the komodo dragon, and had to make this tripanel display, write a five-paragraph essay, create a diorama and present to the class! Parents were invited to the cafeteria one morning to check out all the kids' hard work.

While Will was working on his big school project, Henry also had several projects, including his state project on Maine, his pursuit of passion project (Henry's passion was hiking and exploring nature!) and this star student project. We had to make a poster (he cut the pictures and I glued them on) and bring in a favorite book and toy. He chose All the Water in the World for his book and Magformers for his toy.

This month has been a busy one at school, and it was busy on the home front as well. Our biggest project was finally replacing our 24-year-old roof. We knew it was nearing the end of its life when we bought the house, but we managed to get three extra years out of it. This year, though, the roofing company said there was nothing more they could do to fix it, so we got a new roof instead and it looks great! It was loud and messy around here for two days and I only managed to snap a couple of photos of a roofer's shadow. He was up on our roof and cast a shadow on the neighbor's house.

Will's first communion is coming up in two weeks, so Gene and Will went shopping for Will's first suit. So big!

Our backyard is absolutely lovely in the evenings, so we eat dinner outside often. 

Local food! Roasted carrots and Brussels, green salad, and polenta rounds topped with carrot-top pesto, sundried tomatoes and Parm, with a Shiner Farmhouse Ale on the side.

Gene came home last Friday night in time to join us for dinner outside. We were just sitting and chatting when this butterfly landed on his head and stayed there for a good five minutes or so. 

After a busy day at work and school, the boys love to wind down with one of Gene's famous Captain Silly Beard stories. He's been telling them for years and they focus on Captain Silly Beard, the silliest captain to ever sail the Silly Seas. His ship, the Slippery Seal, only sails backwards and Captain Silly Beard's beard grows in as different kinds of food. The stories are always silly and creative and laughter-inducing. This is Henry's illustration of the story of the search for the 8th mate, who had been missing for years; Captain Silly Beard (CS) finally found him sleeping at the bottom of the ship.

April has been busy but it's been a whole lot of fun too!

Lately: Family, School Assignments, and More

Even though last weekend wasn't full of any big adventures or outings, we still managed to keep busy with visits with family, birthday parties, and school projects (both for the kids and Mom and Dad!).  

Last weekend, Gene's aunt and cousin were visiting from Michigan. They were excited to be in Houston, away from the cold and snow, and be able to sit outside in our backyard for a bit.  

Gene's cousin and her sweet baby:  

After dinner, we celebrated Nana's birthday a couple weeks late with cupcakes from Crave.

We spent much of the weekend working on school projects, as both boys came home with major project assignments last Monday.  Will has 4+ weeks to complete his animal habitat project, which includes a diorama, written report, and tripanel board. Will chose the komodo dragon and we've already got books and have done a lot of research. With Gene's help, he knocked out the diorama, with a clay model of a komodo dragon, over the weekend.

 

Henry had his big state project to complete in just one week. It's a big project and one week wasn't much time, but he chose Maine, like Will did in kindergarten, and we worked hard on it every night until it was done.

Henry had to do a tripanel board with handwritten sentences, plus fill out index cards and a small state book. He cut out all the pictures for his board and I helped him glue them on. Grampa made the letters for Henry.

Gene's art class is still going well. Last week, he drew paper bags and this week he's moved on to faces and leaves. For one assignment, he cut a photograph in half and drew one side of a baby's face. I think he's so talented!

I'm taking a photography class on composition this semester and my assignment for the week was to take "environmental portraits" using some kind of design element. I am not completely happy with my photographs, but I snapped quite a lot of pictures of my boys in action, and in doing so, I have a number of pictures of our everyday life, which is kind of interesting.

Jumping.

Running around before a superhero party on Sunday. 

Does he look like he's flying? That's what I was trying for.

Peeking.

Helping in the garden.

Just playing. Henry can sit down and just play. 

And this boy reads and reads and reads. Will read The Hobbit last week. It took him 8 days, but that's because he also reread the first two Harry Potter books during the same time. 

Reading at Henry's soccer practice. 

Half of soccer has been rained out so far, but Henry had practice on Tuesday and it was just beautiful outside.

Yesterday was another beautiful day, and the boys asked to eat their snack outside at our new picnic table (thanks to Gramma and Grampa). My azaleas are just about ready to bloom!

Also this week, Will got a new desk from Gramma and Grampa. He had been using an old library table, which worked just fine, but his new desk is massive and has drawers; Will is most excited about the drawers!

My dad and I had to rearrange Will's room and move out his toy box, but Will loves his new desk and is so happy with his room's new look.

And we've been trying more Texas craft beers lately. We enjoyed this bottle of Sisyphus from Real Ale Brewing Company. The label was on upside down and Gene and Will were trying to come up with some logical reason for that -- but in the end, we figured out it was just a mistake! 

And that is what we've been up to lately.