San Antonio Children's Museum

Isn't it every kids dream to be able to touch and play on everything they see in a museum?  Well, that dream came true last week for Erik and a couple of his friends.

First stop, the airplane:

Next the mini HEB:

Searching...

Got it!

What's next?

 The first thing Erik put in his cart was pancake mix.  That boy loves his pancakes.  He loved being able to shop for anything his little heart desired without anyone to tell him "no."

Pancakes, grapes, an apple, and fruit bars.

Checking out.

Afterwards they played jumbo chess.

There were a few other things they did that were really fun, but I didn't get pictures of everything.

Definitely a fun afternoon for Mr. Erik...

 ...not quite as much fun for Miss Ella:

Birthday

On Friday (the day before my birthday), Landon let me take a nap while he watched the kids and cleaned up the downstairs.  It was very nice of him.  I was so tired and not motivated at all so I greatly appreciated it.  Then he took me out to an Italian restaurant and we went shopping.  I'm always asking him to go shopping with me, but he doesn't like to go.  He knew that it would make my day, and it did!


If you're wondering why we did this on Friday, it's because he was trying to surprise me.  I found out what he was doing though.

The next  day he made me breakfast in bed and before he could go and get me a cake, my sweet visiting teachers brought me this delicious cake and a book/CD written by Hilary Weeks.  They are such thoughtful friends.

Jonathan told me that his present to me was actually a favor.   A favor is like a present, he informed me.  His favor was he was going to make sure that there were no cobwebs or spiders in the house.  He came up with this idea because he though I'd like something clean on my birthday.  Isn't that great!?!

What a wonderful birthday it was!

What Do You Want to Be?

For the longest time, Jonathan has wanted to be a "police" and an "army."  The other day he came home from school all excited saying, "I want to be an author!"  To which he then added, "And a police and a [sic] army."

The then proceeded to gather his materials and clear a work space for himself.  Here he is about to write something grand:

He asked me to write a title for him: This is a Book About Money.  That's my boy I tell ya.

San Antonio Zoo

It was so much fun going to the zoo.  There were so many things to see and do.  

There were birds that love water,

 and birds that were BIG!

Kangaroos, 

 and tigers jiggity jig!

Here's Mommy and Ella, 

and some crazy blue-headed fella!

 And here I am just soaking it in: sun, fun...

 and an animal on the run!

Post First-Day-of-School Interview

As promised, here is the interview I had with Jonathan after his first day of kindergarten:

In the past five weeks I have have seen him mature and become more interested in learning.  He has a GREAT teacher.  I love that every time I ask to see his work or what he learned that he replies, "We don't work, we just play and have fun."  GOOD I say!  Otherwise he might not be willing to learn as much as he is.  I hear things trickle out of him that they learned during the day.  He'll sing a song, nursery rhyme, or talk about a math or science principle like magnets or patterns.

Ready for the First Day of School

Jonathan at Canyon Ridge

Jonathan and Erik in front of Jonathan's classroom.

His school does the Investigations math program and I am so excited to see how it turns out.  I honestly think if it is taught well, then it is a superior math philosophy.  It was very controversial in the Alpine School District when I was a teacher there.  Although my school was one of the few that had not yet implemented the program, I learned about it while studying Elementary Education at BYU.  I think the program is largely misunderstood by parents because it is vastly different than the math philosophy we grew up with.  Now that I am on the other side of the coin, it'll be interesting to see how I like it.

Waiting for Miss Querry

What five-year-old wouldn't want to play with play dough first thing?  What a smart teacher.

When Jonathan sat down and started  playing with his play dough, he asked, "What about Erik?"
"Erik isn't staying."  I had to tell him.  "This is your class."  When Erik, Ella and I left the school and got into the minivan, Erik asked, "Where's Jonathan, where's Jonathan?"  When I told him he had to stay in his class Erik replied, "I will miss him after all."

Miss Querry

He LOVES riding the bus.

Now, just for kicks and giggles, I will post a video that Jonathan made of himself.  I found it while going through my pictures.

No Laughing Matter

A month ago or so, Ella laughed for the first time.  It happened to be the same day we found out the disappointing news that Landon didn't pass his test.  He got a five; six is the glorious passing grade.   SO close, yet so far.  Ella's little laugh was a bright spot in the day.  I wasn't able to catch it on video though.  

The other day, she started laughing for no apparent reason.  She laughed and she laughed and she laughed!  By the time I had Landon grab the camera, it had toned down a little, but we still caught some on tape.

Pre-Kindergarten Interview

I thought it would be fun to interview Jonathan about going to KDG.  He was super excited (if you can't tell)!  I think he is going to love it.  He has two little friends from church in his class.  We felt pretty lucky since there are seven or eight KDG teachers.

It'll be fun to do a post first-day-of-kindergarten interview and compare his expectations with reality.  

Lil' Yogini

 Constantly on the move, our little Ella is a Yogini in training.

Here she is doing downward-facing dog:

She's working her way up to one-legged downward-facing dog:

And sphinx:

Attempting to get into sukhasana:

And at last resting in child's pose:

Tuesdays with Dorie: Tropical Crumble + Dimply Plumb Cake

I made this TWD dessert for family night and my husband and kids loved it.  I thought it was pretty good, but a little too rich for me to want to make it again any time soon.  If you'd like to give it a try, stop by Law's of the Kitchen by Gaye for the recipe.

We also had an abundance of plums in our Bountiful Basket last week so I made Dorie's Dimply Plum Cake.  This recipe was the first of Dorie's that I had ever encountered.  I first saw it on Cristine blog, Cristine Cooks, and the name intrigued me.  I've wanted to make it ever since.  Two and a half years later, here it is:

I thought it looked beautiful; it tasted great just out of the oven after cooling slightly.  I guess you'll have to buy the book to get this recipe.  :)

Hide and Go Seek

This girl loves to hide under the bed.

She loves to "back crawl."  She's been doing it for a couple of months now.

                                           

And that is how she gets under the bed.

TWD: Carrot Spice Muffins

These Carrot Spice Muffins are quite lovely without the carrots!  My family liked them so much, I made them three times in the space of a few days.  The third time I added in the carrots.  Still good, but a lot of work for something that, in my opinion, downgrades the flavor of the muffin.

Thanks to Nancy of The Dogs Eat Crumbs for choosing this week's recipe!

What's in a Name?

Here is Erik's interpretation of Ella's name...

Tuesdays with Dorie: Creamy Dark Chocolate Sorbet

This chocolate sorbet was simple and delicious.  There were only four ingredients involved: milk, water, sugar and chocolate.  We added a teaspoon of almond extract for some variety.

The boys had a good time helping me make the sorbet.

Thanks to Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon for choosing this week's recipe!

TWD: Another Twofer

I wasn't going to make the Date Nut Loaf--chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet--simply because the name didn't appeal to me.  I have to strike a balance these days between losing weight and fulfilling the requirements necessary to be a member of this group.  However, after reading some great reviews on the loaf, I decided to do it anyway--a week late--but made and consumed nevertheless.  This was a very good choice!  It was more like a bread than a cake to me, but a very flavorful one.  I loved the flavor of the dates mixed with the texture of the walnuts.  The loaf itself had a nice buttery flavor. Thanks for a great pick Mary!

The second recipe was Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Cookies.  I ended up making ice cream sandwich out of these upon the recommendation of others in the group.  They are good as a cookie, but great as an ice cream sandwich.  The only recommendation I'd make is to omit the raisins if you are planning to make the ice cream sandwiches.

These cookies are very soft and cake-like (hence the name).  When ice cream is added, it makes the cookie slightly crunchy while still retaining its softness.  The hint of cinnamon is a delicious addition to the sandwich when served with vanilla ice cream.  Yum.

Visit Spike of Spike Bakes for the recipe!

Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake

I almost didn't make this cake because of its name.  It just sounded so...plain!  It looks pretty plain too.

But don't be fooled folks.  This easy-to-make cake is a delightful breakfast treat.  The brown sugar and the blueberries are a wonderful combination and it has a tight crumb just like Dorie says.  So head on over to Cindy of Everyday Insanity to get the recipe.  Thanks, Cindy, for a great pick this week!

Already Missy Lou?

Ella is not even three months old, and she rolled over by herself today.  Twice.  Both times went unwitnessed.  The first time was when I was in the shower.  I got out and she was crying.  I went over to her and she was on her belly.  She obviously didn't like her newfound skill.  The second time was when she was in her crib for a nap.  Landon went to get her out and later asked me if I had placed her on her tummy.  I hadn't.  She had rolled over by herself again!  I just can't believe how quickly time goes by when you have kids--especially newborns.  *sniff*  So here are some pictures so that I can remember her being little because the next thing I know, she'll be going into kindergarten.

Only a week old here.

Who doesn't love Mini Mouse? 

Lil' Texan

The first day we took her to the pool.  She didn't like the cool water much.