Monday, February 11, 2013

Snapshots from the Week

Last week was full of museum explorations, hanging out with friends, getting ready for Valentine's Day and eating.  It's always about the food!  

Henry's school was closed Thursday and Friday so the teachers could attend a conference, so we met up with some friends at the park on Thursday. Henry and Noah are best buds.  



On Friday, Henry and I headed down to Sugar Land to visit the science museum.  Henry was so excited and kept telling everyone we were going to Sugar Land! 


We did the dino dig pit, caught a show at the planetarium and checked out the new exhibit:  Zula Patrol: Mission Weather.  


 Henry found fog 


and aliens.


On Saturday, we went to see the Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado exhibit at the MFAH with Nana and Pop.  This was part of Pop's Christmas gift from us and we had so much fun! We had no luck finding a babysitter so we took the boys and they actually did really well. Will really enjoyed the art and Henry (my art-museum-lover) just tolerated it. He prefers three-dimensional works at this age.


After visiting the museum, we continued our Spanish theme by going to dinner at Mi Luna. It was the perfect place to take the boys because it was noisy (so were we!), the food came out quickly, and we all shared the tapas plates. The boys' favorite dish was calamari. So thankful for my good eaters!


Speaking of good eaters, check out this bright green smoothie made with romaine, apples, bananas, water and lots of cinnamon. We had romaine from our CSA box to use up and it actually made a pretty good smoothie.


These eggs are currently sitting on my counter but they are definitely not for eating! We started a week-long science experiment on Friday. One egg is sitting in water and the other is in vinegar. After just a few hours, the shell of the egg in vinegar completely disappeared because the vinegar ate through the shell! The egg is soft and squishy.  By Friday, we are supposed to be able to bounce it like a ball. The boys are intrigued.


Valentine's Day is just around the corner, 



so the boys have been busy coloring some Valentines for their classmates. 


Cute, right?  


We also made a huge batch of sugar cookies yesterday. 


We want to take some to our elderly friend in the neighborhood 


and also deliver some to Will's teacher as it is teacher appreciation week at his school.


Here's a shot of last night's dinner, which was halibut with garlic-infused oil, romaine salad and veggies, and homemade bread. Gene worked his tail off in the kitchen yesterday!


The after-dinner table -- our plates were pretty much licked clean!


We pack a whole lot into our weeks but we enjoy every minute of it!

Monday, February 4, 2013

A Saturday Adventure: Brazos Bend State Park

We went back to Brazos Bend State Park on Saturday. It was a beautiful February day and we couldn't wait to get outdoors and do some exploring!

The boys always find sticks because without sticks, we're just walking, not hiking!  



Our first hike was on the Hoots Hollow trail, which took us by a marsh


and through the woods. 




Little boys, big tree!


We waked along the prairie trail


before unpacking our picnic lunch 


to eat next to 40 Acre Lake.  


The boys studied the map to see where we should go after lunch.  


Brazos Bend State Park is home to more than 300 adult alligators. 



We saw three while we were there!  One was about five feet away from us, so we scurried on by him.  


 We walked the 40 Acre Lake Trail and saw lots of herons on the lake.




It's a little hard to believe all of this is just 45 minutes from Houston.






Gene took most of these pictures. This is my absolute favorite.  


Gene and Henry climbed up the observation tower. What a view!


We found a bench, checked for alligators and had a snack.


 The boys couldn't resist climbing this huge stump.  


Kiss for mama!


Back home, Henry modeled Daddy's new Brazos Bend cap.  


We are already planning another hiking adventure to Brazos Bend!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Snapshots from the Week

Last week was a busy week! All these pictures are courtesy of my phone.

Sunday night dinner was boiled codfish with potatoes, green beans and fresh-baked broa (a Portuguese cornbread). I love it when Gene makes dinner, especially when it is so delicious!


Monday was a beautiful day, so Henry and I headed to the zoo after school. I packed a picnic lunch and we  wandered around for two hours before we had to pick up Will. 


Our first stop was the vultures.  Love the sign!


Henry rode the carousel,


played in the African Forest,


and posed on the giraffe. 


I love these afternoons with my little boy!

Wednesday was an early-release day for Will. We met Gene and Henry at Little Matt's for lunch and then the boys and I went to the Children's Museum. It is really the best time to go because it is never busy.


We explored gravity,


went fishing,


and gathered eggs.  


On Thursday night, Gene and I had the opportunity to go see "Camelot" at the Hobby Center as guests of a law firm Gene works with. It was a fun night out!


On Friday, we found ourselves in the Heights to order a pinata for Henry's birthday party. Henry found a dandelion in the ditch and stopped to blow it.




And take a look at my Garmin: I ran five miles yesterday! I'm a newbie runner, so this was a pretty big accomplishment for me.


 As always, we are looking forward to another fun and busy week at our house!