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.

Silly Bowls for Silly Bands for Silly Boys

But perhaps I am the silly one for buying silly bands in the first place. The buddies have caught on to the fad and love collecting and wearing their silly bands (or rather the cheap knock-offs from Wal Mart or CVS). The problem is they take them off and leave them all over the house. Everywhere I turn, there is a little pile of silly bands.

So, we made bowls out of glue and yarn and call them Silly Bowls. A place for everything...

Point Venture

What a fun day! We joined some Dallas friends at the lake house they rented for the week and had a blast playing in the water. Point Venture, population 506, is a beautiful peninsula on Lake Travis.







Even more amazing is the crazy, mutant school of catfish that lives near The Pier restaurant at the tip of the peninsula. I've never seen such big fish, never mind how many there were! It's a great spot to take the family to enjoy a beverage and adult conversation. The kids were totally entertained by the fish.

Adventure Monday #10, Part II

Since I wouldn't dare take the buddies to a long and hot motorcade and call Adventure Monday over, we stopped off at a few more fun places. First up, swimming at Deep Eddy!

The cool spring water felt so good after hanging out in the sun on a 100 degree day.


After a few hours at the pool, we met some Dallas-friends at the newly opened Austin Lego Store.
It was super-cool to see giant Buzz Lightyear and Woody, built entirely out of legos.

Adventure Monday #10: Presidential Motorcade

This morning, we took part in a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the President of the United States drive by in a motorcade. Our friends invited us to join them with the Travis County Democrats and we jumped at the chance. Here is the crew we gathered with:
Before a few of you roll your eyes (you know who you are!), there were a few Republicans in the crowd and I was impressed with the interactions between the two groups. We witnessed a few Democrats approach a group of Republicans and express their thanks for them being there, despite differing opinions. And a kind man with a "NO-vember" sign offered us extra bottled water for our kids and dog after we'd drained our supply.

And how cool is it that the buddies got to SEE the president! Sort of, anyway. His bullet-proof black limousine darted quickly by, amidst a swarm of secret service cars. Several people around us saw Obama waving through the window (including my friend) but we missed it. But, the security teams, police, swat, bomb-sniffing dogs, helicopters, and secret service were impressive and we enjoyed that.
After welcoming our president to Austin, we were off to lunch and frozen yogurt (which some people thought was the best part!).

Naegelin's Bakery

After our adventurous trip down the river, we decided to reward ourselves with some baked goods from the oldest bakery in Texas. Naegelin's Bakery has been "keeping Texas sweet since 1868". And they sure seemed to know what they're doing. We sampled cookies, creme cones, and kolaches, and also brought home cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast. It was a sweet end to a fun day.

Adventure Monday #9 - Tubing the Comal

Well, that was an adventure alright. It's been years since I've tubed a Central Texas river. What I remember are slow-moving, bottom-dragging, lazy floats, where the biggest recreational activity was beer-drinking. Parts of the Comal are just so, but not all, as we learned today.





We tied our 6 tubes in a nice, big circle and headed out, lazily enjoying the ride. About a half hour into our trip, we noticed signs overhead directing non-swimmers to exit and walk. We're swimmers and the kids were in life jackets, so we trudged on. As we neared the chute, the two lifeguards stood up, watching us anxiously. Our tube configuration, though awesome, wasn't quite wide enough to get us through the narrow chute. The swift waters squeezed us together, causing Ben and his friend Rip's tubes to smoosh together on their sides, with both boys holding on for dear life. Seriously! I had my arm stretched out to hold Ben in as we shot through like a rocket. We cheered and laughed when it was over, thinking we'd survived the most eventful part of the river.

And then we saw more signs. And more lifeguards, this time four of them, who stood up on alert as soon as they saw us. We braced ourselves (for a waterfall this time) and managed to go over at the exact worst spot. My friend Traci and I were tossed from our tubes while our three children miraculously stayed afloat and continued down the river without us. We swam like mad and caught up with the kiddos, who laughed at us and cheered about how awesome it was. Thanks boys.

Luckily, the rest of the trip was uneventful. We floated for another hour or so without incident and the buddies declared it the best Adventure Monday ever.