The Heard Museum

We went with a group of friends to The Heard Natual Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary. We spent a lot time inside digging in the sand for dinosaur fossils, learning about various minerals and looking at the various displays they currently have.
We went outside to enjoy a quick snack before a trail hike that led to the butterfly house. The weather was one of the first tolerable day since summer began. There was a lot of shade and a nice breeze on the trail. Cameron kept up with his brother and friends. I suppose I'll have to stop packing the baby carrier when we go to places like this because apparantly I don't have one anymore.

Cole turns 10

It has been 10 years my son Cole was born. I made cupcakes and we did a balloon launch. It is so hard to believe it has been so long. I love my life and my boys, but not having Cole a part of our daily life leaves a hole. Some days more subtle than others. Our love for him has always stayed strong and probably has grown as we see our boys grow and we see what could have been. We miss you big boy and you are loved every day. Happy Birthday, Cole!

I will post some pictures of Cole as soon as I get the pictures from my old computer.

Yeah, I'm cool!

Cameron at Tom Muehlenbeck indoor pool in Plano.

Till we meet again....

One of Carson's best friends from Australia is moving. Ellery and Carson hit it off from day one and he was so sad to see her go. They will eventually be moving back to Australia, but their dad has work on the east cost for now. Goodbye Tallis, Ellery, Lindsay, Ainsly and their fun-loving mum, Nicole. We'll miss you!

Sewing Project

Carson started his sewing project. He is sewing a leather bag together with velcro closure. So far, he has almost finished the velcro. He did well and enjoyed it, but was soon bored. I put it away for now and will get it back out in a few weeks. He was really happy that he did so well, but was ready to move on.

Old Fire Engine

There is an old fire engine in a parking lot in Plano for people to see. The other day we were passing by and the boys wanted to stop and see it. Since we weren't in a hurry, we stopped and stayed almost an hour checking out the vehicle and discussing the differences of today's fire engines. This is one of the reasons that I LOVE homeschooling. The ability to have a flexible schedule and be spontaneous!

WoW! Homeschooler Wednesday

The Frisco Library has a once a month program for homeschoolers K-3rd grade. We went for the first time and was really impressed how fun the program was. They even had one of the librarians play guitar. We met some friends there - brothers that are the same age as my boys. Cameron was happy to have a friend to play with too -or cause trouble with (whichever way you look at it)!

First Day of Kindergarten!

I can't believe that my little boy is Kindergarten age! Where does the time go?

Today's big plan was to go to the Dallas Arboretum. After I got the kids ready to go and while I got myself ready for the day, Carson did some math where he worked on place value and adding single and double digits. Then we went to the arboretum and had a fun time with friends, had a picnic, splashed in the frog fountain and came home.

While the baby slept, I worked with Carson on his cursive writing. He dictated a paragraph to me about his day at the arboretum and I wrote it down in cursive leaving out a few words. He wrote the missing words in cursive. We also discussed parts of speech. Then he got on the computer and did some geography using time4learning.com.

After nap, Carson read and read and read. I am trying to keep better records and I am trying to record what he reads. He read 18 books - 2 of them were chapter books. He really enjoys reading. We also finished maping our hurricane chart for Hurricane Bill. He spent most of his evening taking apart his remote control boat and investigating how it works. Then he broke a rudder and had to replace it.


He was really happy and excited to do his schoolwork. I think he is feeling more like a big kid and special that he gets to 'do school'.

Paper Mache

The boys did a project where they did paper mache on balloons. We ended up spray painting them metallic blue. Once the paint was dry, I set up an area in the back yard and the boys worked so hard to perfect their creations. They did well. Carson enjoyed it but was bored quickly. Cameron could have painted all day. He really is very artistic and enjoys creating.

I was thinking we may finish it to look like a hot air balloon with a little basket tied to the bottom and hang from their bedroom ceiling.

Mini Garden

I got this idea from a craft book. We spent some time in the yard collecting items to make a mini plate garden. Mini flowers, mini rocks, dirt, pieces of wood, etc. The boys created mini rock paths, firepits with tiny logs, bushes. Carson even made a clothing line for his with mini paper clothing taped to it. They were so cute. I was really surprised how much time they spent on this project.

We're not the only ones who like our garden...

We found a little friend eating our garden and brought him inside. Within days he turned into a chrysalis. He has just come out and was such a beauty!! The boys loved him so much. Within an hour of coming out, he was set free to continue the cycle. An amazing insect.

Sleepover

The boys had some friends spend the night - Adam,6 and his sister Kate,5. We had SO much fun! We ate hot dogs for dinner, played hide and seek and read a lot of stories. The 3 big kids slept in sleeping bags on the floor in the family room. They were all so excited in the morning to wake up together and eat eggs, fruit and toast.

The next day, we went to collect our books from the Half Price Books summer reading program and stopped at the Library. Later, we went to the homeschool park day at Arbor Hills. It was a lot of fun and Kate really enjoyed playing with Emily from the group. The whole time, Cameron was just like one of the big kids. He's just such a big kid anymore!

Broadway Show

We took Carson to see a Broadway Performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. My parents came to stay and play with Cameron while we went. Carson was so excited to go (as was I!). Boy, was it worth it!! The show was amazing! I haven't ever been to a show so professional and well done. I really look forward to going to a future broadway show. As you can see from the photos, Carson looked very handsome. He insisted on wearing a tie :)

Independance Day

I made little gift bags for the boys and filled them with bike decorations for the 4th. They loved decorating their bikes and showing off how they sparkled in the sun when they rode on the bike path. We rode to the neighborhood gazebo and had a snack.
We also went to the Addison Kaboom Town. We met up with several families and the kids all played in the fountains. I love how they have a warbird flyover right before the fireworks. It was fun, but way too crowded. I think we'll have to skip Kaboom town next year and find a place more relaxing to watch the fireworks.

Amazing Garden!

Mark and the boys did such a great job with our garden this summer. Everything did great: tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, brussel sprouts. The yellow squash died quickly after it produced our first fruit. I think it may have gotten a fungus, but the ones we had tasted so good. I couldn't believe how many cantaloupe and tomatoes we had and the watermelon were huge. Thanks for all your hard work, honey!

Dry tap!

Sorry honey, but brother's num num doesn't have any milk.

The Missing Teeth

This is the famous T-Rex that knocked out 2 of my baby's teeth. He is so tough. We didn't even know until an hour later that his busted lip was actually 2 severed teeth and 2 chipped teeth. Good thing dinosaurs are around anymore!

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

After we went camping with our friends, we ventured off on our own to Fossil Rim. It is a drive-thru wildlife sanctuary. We waited very patiently till a stubborn giraffe came over for a snack. It was well worth the wait - I love giraffes! The boys got to ride in the front seat of the van with us and it was enjoyable for all of us to be together.

Dinosaur Valley

We went camping at Dinosaur Valley State Park with another homeschool family. We had a lot of fun and relaxed. We went swimming and fishing and had so much fun. We also visted Dinosaur World which has a little museum and life size dinosaurs to see. Everyone had a great time.

Cameron riding his new scooter

Here is a picture and video of Cameron riding his new scooter he received from his Abuelo and Abuela for his birthday. He loves riding and thinks it's such a blast when he gets to ride with Carson on his scooter next to him.