First Visit to the Heard Museum

Aunt Jamie bought us a family membership to the Heard Museum in McKinney.  It's a natural science museum and environmental center.  The drive was not too far and there was a lot to look at there.  I'm glad we have the membership because we can go more than once to see it all.

They had a special exhibit of life-size robot dinosaurs that went through the middle of February, so we were able to go before that exhibit was gone.

Mimosa Park

On Martin Luther King Day, it was nice out, so I took the kids to Mimosa Park.  Mimosa Park is a park that my brothers and I played at in our childhood.  It was in the neighborhood I grew up in, so we would ride our bikes or walk there.  I remember figuring out how to play tennis at the tennis courts there and collecting tennis balls that we would find in the dirt.  The playground has changed (of course in today's highly litigious world they had to remove the fun things like the merry-go-round and the teeter-totters), but they still had swings, a baseball field, and the fun creek that runs along the border of the park. 

The older four kids really loved playing down by the creek and spent a lot of the time there exploring it while I stayed with Jonah and Annmarie on the playground.  On the way home we stopped at Braum's for an ice cream treat.  It was a great way to spend a day off of school.

Awards Assembly

The kids have only been in school for three weeks and reports cards came out last week. I thought it strange they even got graded, but they did. They had an awards assembly at school for the second nine weeks term. Travis made the principal's honor roll (all 95's or higher in every subject) and Caleb made the AB honor roll (all A's and B's). I'm proud of my kids for how hard they work in school!

Sick Week

All of the kids experienced some of a respiratory illness that gave them a high fever and lots of coughing.  Eliza had it over a weekend, so she didn't miss any school.  But the other kids either came home sick and stayed home one day or just stayed home a day or two.  Annmarie and Jonah got it too and we had to miss some church for a couple of weeks with them.  You know Annmarie is sick when all she does is lay on the couch all day and drift in and out of sleep.  So out of her character.  Aside from the kids being miserable, those days were very low-key and relaxed.

A Budding Artist

I didn't even know Jonah could draw and then one day, he shows me these pictures! He is only three years old, remember.

Pretty Girls

These are just some fun random pictures of the girls.

Eliza playing dress-up with a princess dress and a bow and arrow

Ponytail for Annmarie

The next ones are pictures of the girls playing dress-up in my shoes.  Eliza started it and Annmarie copied her.  Eliza, in the last picture, says loudly, "Don't I look like a teenager, Mom?"  Inwardly, I'm groaning.

Texas House

I took some pictures of our new house in Texas.

front of the house

front hall

front room

kitchen

dining area

family room

guest room

  laundry room

play room

master bedroom

master bathroom

master bathroom

view of playroom from master

Westley and Jonah's room

Caleb and Travis

Kids' bathroom

Girls' Room