Adios!

As the buddies enter the next phase in their lives, we are moving to a more secure, password-protected blog.  Thank you for sharing their journey thus far!  If you would like to continue to follow up with them and have not received an invitation, email me or leave a comment.

Farewell!  We are off to the land of school work and class parties and PTA meetings and bus rides!

Kindergarten!

Forget the alarm clocks. At 5:55AM, Ace showed up at my bed, fully clothed and whispered, "Mom! I'm ready for Kindergarten." Yes, buddy, you sure are!

The Night Before Kindergarten

By Natasha Wing

'Twas the night before kindergarten and as they prepared,
kids were excited and a little bit scared.

They tossed and they turned about in their beds,
while visions of school supplies danced in their heads.

Erasers and crayons and pencils galore
were stuffed in their backpacks and set by the door.

Outfits were hung in the closets with care,
knowing that kindergarten soon would be there.

In the morning it came - school starts today!
Would the teacher be nice? Would they still get to play?

Faces were washed and teeth were brushed white;
kids posed for picture with eyes sparkling bright.

Parents packed snacks and kids hopped in cars
as if they were boarding a spaceship for Mars.

Some kids brought blankets or their favorite stuffed bear,
in hopes they could nap like they did in day care.

Their parents exclaimed, "You're big kids - wow!
Let us hold your bears and blankies for now."

The parents were worried their children would cry
if they left them at school with just a good-bye.

So they told their darlings, "If you want, we can stay
and make sure that everything will be A-okay."

The teacher then greeted each one with a smile
and invited the students to stay for a while.

The room was all filled with toys, books, and maps,
but where were the beds for mid-morning naps?

They colored and painted and played Simon Says,
then tumbled and skipped and stood on their heads.

They sang silly songs from beginning to end.
Within just a minute, each kid had a friend.

The children were happy. They loved Miss Sunrise!
It was she who was in for a giant surprise.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear
but sad moms and dads who were holding back tears!

Their noses - so sniffly! Their eyes - red and wet!
This was the saddest good-bye Miss Sunrise had seen yet!

She gathered the grown-ups on the magical rug,
then sent them away after one final hug.

The children all waved from the door of the school,
"Don't cry, Mom and Dad; kindergarten is cool!"

One More Summer Road Trip

Today concluded our last week of freedom, before the hustle and bustle of school begins, and we took full advantage with another road trip to San Antonio for one last summer visit to Sea World.


And...Daddy took the day off from work and joined us! The buddies loved introducing him to their favorite rides and shows.


And, I relished the extra set of responsible adult hands. Instead of hauling three inner tubes up 3 stories, I just had to carry two. And I even got to sit one ride out, just so I could wait at the bottom and take pictures.



It was a lovely summer day. Now, we just have to rest up for Monday.

Mayborn Museum

We've discovered our new favorite museum. Today, we went to see the LEGO Castle Exhibit at the Mayborn Museum on Baylor University's campus. It was the final Merriment Wednesday of the summer, with special crafts, games, and shows.

The LEGO catapult was a big hit with the buddies. They built virtual LEGO walls and then aimed, cranked, and smashed them down with the catapult. Big fun!


We enjoyed a puppet show of Beowolf. As you can see, a few members of the crowd found it hilarious.


We shot bow and arrows through targets. And over the targets. And at other kids scurrying to retrieve their arrows.


We rode horseback and participated in jousts with swimming noodles.

And we built our own LEGO castles.


Between all the LEGO merriment, we made time to visit the museums 16 themed discovery rooms. Ace enjoyed the tea room.


Ben liked it too, but not for pretend tea parties. He enjoyed making earmuffs out of tea kettle tops and causing a ruckus while Ace and I tried to enjoy our tea and cookies.


We explored the world of invertebrates and listened to the sound of the ocean inside seashells.


And, of course, there was a Water and Bubbles room. Where we encountered our third water table of the week. I'm starting to think I need to install some type of trough in the backyard for the buddies to play in. Maybe their dad can figure out another PVC project and build something cool for them. They just couldn't get enough of it. Again.

The giant bubbles were pretty awesome too.

And with all that, we still had time to squeeze in some crafts during our 6 hours of museum fun.

Adventure Monday #11, Part 2: McKenna Children's Museum

After 4 1/2 hours in the 103 degree heat at Morgan's Wonderland, I managed to convince the buddies (and by buddies, I mean Ben) to leave their (his) station at the Water Works and head 20 miles North with me to McKenna Children's Museum in New Braunfels. Ahh...air conditioning! I was so relieved when we walked in. But, Ben made a bee-line for the small outdoor courtyard where he discovered this:

Another water exhibit. Only now it was a different one so it was even more exciting! I melted in the heat (again!) as the buddies played and played. Eventually, Ace and I convinced Ben to head back inside and check out the rest of the exhibits.

The buddies fished over a campfire. ???


They each printed out a custom newspaper with their names and chosen themes. Ben did his in English; Ace in Spanish.


They explored butterfly wings and goldfish scales via microscope.


And they painted masterpieces: Ben, an orange bunny; Ace, a pink and green self portrait.



And then, we hit the water table one more time and closed down the place.

All in all, McKenna is an awesome children's museum and we can't wait to return.

Adventure Monday #11: Morgan's Wonderland

Today we headed down to San Antonio with friends to visit Morgan's Wonderland, an ultra-accessible family fun park. We were so impressed by the clean, colorful park and the friendly employees and volunteers. And the park's vision '...to establish a special place where smiles and laughter make wonderful memories with family members, caregivers, and friends. Where the common element of play creates an atmosphere of inclusion for those with and without disabilities, so everyone can gain a greater understanding of one another.' suits us just fine too.

We enjoyed the carousel. Notice how Ace chose the Eagle.


And the Off-Road Adventure ride.
The Music Garden was pretty amazing too. As were the Sensory Village, the Butterfly Playground, the Wonderland Express, and the Wharf.

What we (and by we, I mean Ben) just couldn't get enough of was the Water Works. The interactive array of water-related gizmos could have kept us busy all day.

Hancock Springs

Today we trekked 57 miles north to Lampasas, TX for the opportunity to swim in a free-flowing artesian spring-fed pool. The pool's sulfurous mineral waters are said to offer medicinal properties.

Early American Indian tribes made yearly pilgrimages to the mineral springs site. And, the first Anglo to make medicinal use of the mineral springs was Moses Hughes, who brought his ailing wife there in the 1850's. When her liver problem was "cured" after 21 days of drinking the water, the family moved permanently to Lampasas. As news of the healing waters spread, others joined the Hughes family, and the town was established. -- Texas State Historical Association

None of our party had anything to be healed today; we just thought it would be a kick to swim in the smelly waters. And woo-wee! We love swimming in freezing cold water that stinks of rotten eggs! The college-student lifeguards took a quick liking to our wild boys. They learned each of their names and had fun jumping in alongside them and spent a good hour just goofing off with us. Later, they showed the buddies and their friends how to collect twigs, leaves, and acorns and send them down the "chute" into the creek below.

The Toy Society

Earlier this week, I found myself searching for a random act of kindness to do with the buddies and I stumbled across The Toy Society.

The project was started in Australia in June 2008 by a local crafter, Bianca, as an attempt to create a "something for nothing" experience for anyone who discovered a toy. What started as a small personal project has now spread around the world and become known as a Random Act of Craft.


Members create a handmade toy, package it up and attach a note that says, "Take me home. I'm yours." We left "Space Dolphin" outside a swimming hole in Lampasas, TX today and were thrilled to discover he'd been adopted after our 3 hour swim.








Once we returned home, I forwarded our pictures to the Toy Society. "Space Dolphin" will be assigned a number and featured on their blog in a few days! And then, we wait to see if his new owners report the find. But, even if they don't, we'll just be happy knowing that we brightened someone's day.