Ruby

Our furry family keeps growing and growing! Meet Ruby, the newest member of our clan. Ruby is a one-year old boxer mix with the sweetest personality.

The boys have been asking for a dog for the longest time, and even went so far as to write up a "Declaration of Pets" last fall, which detailed exactly what they wanted and how they would help care for the new animals. After much discussion (as a family and with friends), we visited K-9 Angel Rescue last weekend and came home with Ruby to foster for the week.

Ruby had previously been adopted from the rescue but then her family returned her when they had a new baby. While Henry desperately wanted a chihuahua and Will thought we needed a puppy, the volunteers at the rescue steered us toward Ruby as they knew she was really good with kids. And she is! Will especially adores her.

 

Ruby is a pretty awesome dog. She's crate-trained and knows some tricks and is just full of life and love. Our only concern was our cats, but she is not aggressive toward them and just really, really wants to play with them. They are not interested in playing with a 50-pound dog, so the furry critters are still learning how to get along. But, we are making progress and we officially adopted Ruby yesterday!

Welcome to the family, Ruby!

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens

The chicken love continues around here! We've chick-sat three times now and these fluffy little guys are growing up so fast.

Honeybun and Granny T (aka Turken) at 2 weeks old.

Still super cute and cuddly

Granny T (Turken) and Lemondrop at 3 weeks old.

They've grown a ton and no longer want to sit with us. There is too much world to peck at!

I take chicken pictures in the classroom each week so we can see how they grow.  We put all four chicks on each kid for week 2,

and this week (week 3) we did only one chick on the head. They can fly and are so fast!

From left to right:  Granny T (Turken), Honeybun, Lemondrop, and Chickmunk.

Three more weeks of school means three more weeks of chickens! 

Good Reads {April 2016}

One of my favorite parts of volunteering in the school library is that I am surrounded by others who love books. We talk books and share recommendations constantly. In April, I read a lot of middle-grade books along with the boys, sprinkled with a few adult nonfiction books as well.

Henry's birthday book from the school library

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
After seeing reviews for this memoir pop up all over, I purchased it immediately and then put it aside, knowing it would be a hard read. It's a beautifully written memoir by a talented neurosurgery resident who is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Powerful and heartbreaking, this is a must-read.

Manhunt and Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson
This is nonfiction that reads like a novel, and I was hooked from page 1. Manhunt tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the massive twelve-day hunt for the assassin. Chasing Lincoln's Killer is the adaptation for children. Even if you know the story, you'll be hooked.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
I read this with the second graders I tutor at a Title I school in HISD. The boys' school librarian had extra copies that she was clearing out and she gave them to me to share with my kids. The sweet story won the Caldecott Award in 2011 and is a lovely read aloud about friendship. The pictures are gorgeous too!

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

This middle-grade novel by the author of the Clementine series is another story of friendship. Set during an unspecified war, this novel about a boy and his pet fox, Pax, is told in alternating perspectives. It reminded me very much of the lyrical Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle (one of the Bluebonnet nominees in 2015-2016). This beautifully written story embraces the power of friendship, the devastation of war, and heartbreaking loss.  

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series by Nathan Hale
I've only read one in this series, but my boys love these graphic novels and read and reread them. The newest in the series is Alamo All-Stars, perfect for Texas history fans.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
This middle-grade novel was a school book club pick. Four children are chosen as contestants in annual candy making contest Told from four different perspectives, the story is full of surprises and unexpected twists.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
When our school librarian told me this young-adult novel was a must-read, I immediately put it on hold and then read it in two days when it arrived at the library. Between Shades of Gray is the story of a Lithuanian girl and her family who are deported to Siberia by the Soviets in 1941. Beautifully written, this powerful story will keep you up at night, reading first and then thinking about what you've read.

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
I've long been a fan of Alice Hoffman's magical realism. Nightbird is her first foray into middle-grade literature and it reminded me very much of Natalie Lloyd's A Snicker of Magic. I really enjoyed this magical tale of friendship.

I have a stack of library books on my nightstand, waiting to be read.

Lately: Scouts, Soccer and More Chickens

The end of the school year is in sight, which means all of our activities will be winding down soon. It's been a very full school year for all of us and while we've enjoyed all our activities, I think we're all looking forward to the slower days of summer. 

Here's a peek at some of what we've been up to for the past two weeks:

We went to our first Dynamo game with some friends from Henry's soccer team. The Dynamo lost but we had a great time watching professional soccer players on the field.

Another first: we visited the Scout Fair at NRG Arena. It was massive! Packs and troops and other organizations from all around Houston had booths, activities, and food. We could have been there all day and not seen it all. 

Henry made a mini pinewood derby car at one booth.

Paper airplanes

Obstacle course through the River of Doom

Raingutter regatta

Boy Scout troops were cooking in the parking lot. We sampled chilis, Mexican s'mores, burgers and more, but the boys' favorite was trying the deep fried Oreos!

Last week, West U Elementary celebrated its 90th birthday! Thursday was "Dress like You're 90" day at school, so Henry donned a button-down shirt and pulled his pants up past his belly button. His teacher sprayed his hair with silver hair spray too. 

Chicks in the classroom

Each week, I spend about 30 minutes in Henry's classroom taking photos of the kids with the chickens. Six of the ten have gone back to the ranch, and we are left with Granny T, Chickmunk, Honeybun, and Lemondrop til the end of the year. They are growing so fast and are spreading their wings.

And finally, after huge storms and historic flooding in Houston, the early part of the weekend cleared up just in time for our final Cub Scout campout of the year. We traveled about an hour and a half west to Lake Somerville State Park and had a blast running, exploring, and fishing with our friends. And tending the fire, of course.

Tug of war

 

This has been Houston's wettest April on record, so spending the weekend outside at a beautiful park with lots of friends was exactly what we needed. More rain is on the way! 

Chick Sitting

It's not every weekend you get to bring three-day old chicks home! Henry's class chickens hatched last week and we volunteered to chick-sit two of them over the weekend. It was so much fun for all of us and we already miss Granny and Turken. They brought a lot of joy to our house for the past few days!

Granny is on the left, Turken is on the right. Granny hatched out of Henry's egg, and is named Granny because she's all gray. Turken is a naked-neck chicken, which makes him fairly unique.

It is so hard to stay awake when you are only three days old and cupped in warm hands.

This was their first experience on grass, and both chicks immediately started pecking and searching for seeds and bugs.

Everyone loves the chickens.

Baby chicks are just like human babies -- lots of eating, sleeping and pooping!

There's nothing like having a baby chick fall asleep in your hands.

Pics from Saturday:

The chicks get stronger every day and love to hop all over us and are starting to spread their wings.

This boy loves these chickens.

With the storms and flooding in Houston that cancelled school for two days, we got extra time with our favorite fluffy chicks.  

Gene's bar turned into a temporary chicken pen.

Henry has such an amazing teacher this year and we are so grateful for this unique learning experience with Granny and Turken!