April Recap

April was a full month around here!  Here's a peek at some of what we did in April:

Henry got to spend the day at Kinkaid, shadowing a current sixth grade student.  It was a pretty fun experience and he's excited to begin his middle school journey in a few short months!

Henry also picked his birthday book at school -- he chose Inkling by Kenneth Oppel, which gets a big thumbs up from both my boys.  

Henry is working diligently each week at art class. This is one of his favorite pieces of late!

The boys enjoyed boys' night while a friend and I went to an author event.  

We said goodbye to Gramma and Grampa, who set off on another adventure.

And I had an adventure of my own, fueled by coffee from Buc-ee's.  

I spent three days in Austin at the TLA (Texas Library Association) conference.  It was a phenomenal experience! I met so many authors, attended informative sessions, met reps from different companies, met one of my professors from UNT, and spent time with my favorite librarians.  

I had a couple of hours on my first day to do some school work in the hotel room, and then after that, I was on the go at the conference the whole time.  

I was walking down the main corridor in the exhibit hall when someone shouted my name.  It was a classmate of mine from UNT, who of course I had never met in person because our classes are all online.  She recognized me by my name, which ended up being a point of conversation for the next three days.  Anyway, I joined my new friend in the signing line for Adam Gidwitz's newest book (see below) and then spent the next two hours exploring the exhibit hall and having lunch with Stephanie.  

The Alvin ISD librarians and I met Derrick Barnes, author of Crown, which is a Caldecott and Newbery honor book.  

One of the best parts of TLA is the free books. I came home with a ton of galleys as well as brand new hardbacks.  This is my book haul after day 2:

I met so many authors!!  Lynda Mullaly Hunt is one of my favorites, and her new book, Shouting at the Rain, is phenomenal!

I also met Dan Gemeinhart, another of my all-time favorites.  I just started his newest novel, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, and I am hooked after just a couple of pages.  That man can write!

More books -- and I didn't get a lot, compared to some people!

Meanwhile, back at home, Gene was having the busiest week of his life and trying to manage two different school schedules.  We made it!

A highlight of the month was the delicious sweet break that Nana delivered right before Easter.  

The boys were off school for Good Friday, so Henry, Ruby and I spent the morning exploring the newly renovated Ravine Trail at the Houston Arboretum.  It was gorgeous! 

Henry found lots of centipedes.  

Wildflowers in bloom everywhere

We also found some blackberries!

The arboretum is one of my favorite spots in Houston.  

After our hike, we stopped back at home to pick up Will and go to lunch at Kura.  We got there a few minutes before they opened, so took a mini tour of some nearby murals.   

We also enjoyed Will's spring orchestra concert at Kinkaid.  

Our month ended with a trip to the doctor for a nosebleed that lasted over an hour. 

Whew! April was busy, but now we're well into May and have begun the countdown to the end of the school year.  Summer is just around the corner!

March Recap

March was busy with spring break and birthdays, but we also fit in time for books, cooking, and, of course, lots of school activities.  Here's a peek at some of what we did in March:  

Will wanted to read nonfiction so we went to Barnes and Noble.  Henry found the newest Stuart Gibbs novel,

and Will picked out this giant tome about World War I from the adult section. He has been diligently reading it, loving it, and learning so much.  

At school, our first and second graders were treated to an author visit by the amazing Christian Robinson. His new book, Another, came out the day he visited West U.  It's an incredible wordless picture book that I bet will win at least a Caldecott Honor next year.  

Name That Book wrapped up right before spring break, and we celebrated our kids' hard work with cookies and bingo. Henry won the first round of bingo and selected The Cardboard Kingdom as his prize.  

Will and I worked on decorating birthday signs for the Kinkaid 7th grade fundraiser.

Henry and I bought packages of new underwear for West U's last service project, which benefited Undies for Everyone.  

And Will participated in the Ethics Bowl competition at Kinkaid. Ethics Bowl is a little like debate, and the Kinkaid team did really well, bringing home the civility award.  

Henry is my weekly buddy at the farmers market and we love our new rolling cart.  It holds so much and makes it easy to transport our fresh food back to the car.  

Dinner prep with Dad -- wine roast was on the menu.

I promised Henry ice cream after his 11-year-old shots.   

We also made it to the science museum for a members' night and got to see the new exhibit, "The Art of the Hunt." 

 March, as always, was a fun, full month! 

Spring Break 2019

Spring break this year was a staycation, as Gene returned from Singapore the day before spring break began.  Despite not traveling, we had a lovely break! 

Spring break started with Henry's acceptance letter from Kinkaid.  We all had hoped he would be accepted and were absolutely thrilled and so proud of our boy when we clicked over to the Kinkaid website at 4pm to read the "congratulations!" letter.  We decided to celebrate, and Henry chose dinner at The Melting Pot. We had the best dinner and Henry grinned the entire time. 

Nana and Pop joined us for the celebration.  

Spring break was fairly quiet, but Gene did take a couple days off work. On Monday, we headed west to Bellville to visit Newman's Castle. It was absolutely delightful, but nothing like visiting a castle in Europe. Still, if you can't make it to Europe over spring break, this place is a lot of fun.  

The boys made friends with an Irish wolfhound.  

We also stopped to snap a picture with the giant bust of Stephen F. Austin in Bellville before visiting the Bellville Meat Market.  Bellville is a cute little town!

On Pi Day, Will opted to stay home with Gene, but Henry and I visited the science museum in Sugar Land for some Pi Day fun.  

Henry can recite Pi to 41 places.  

We also came home with a bunch of gifts.  

On our way out, we found a couple making giant bubbles for the kids.  

 

At the very end of spring break, we went hiking at Sheldon Lake State Park.  It was a cool day but we did manage to spot a snake on the boardwalk.  

Having a staycation after a busy beginning to the spring semester was exactly what our family needed.