Aprilcadabra

I'm not really sure how April just disappeared, but it was here and then it was gone, just like that! Once again, we filled the month full. I'm thankful for these highlight reel posts because sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day living of this crazy life that I forget to appreciate all the wonderful moments along the way. These posts are such great reminders of all we have to be grateful for.

Clay and I did some drawing to kill time while waiting for the other boys at a Scout event.

Girls' Weekend in Big Bend

Clay was a big helper in picking out and moving tile into the house
for our big bathroom remodeling project.

We basically scrapped the bathroom we had and started over.
We are so happy with the finished product!

Clay took some refresher swim lessons to get ready for our beach trip this summer.

Jeff and I had a couple of dates to Local Pint.

Max led the morning exercises.

I had the opportunity to be part of Central Elementary's Career Day,
and I absolutely loved every moment of it!

Ruth got to attend a fancy Sweet Sixteen party for one of her friends.

These two turned up matching my Central Elementary mug,
and we thought it was photo worthy.

Clay found a "sushi" recipe in his cookbook to make for us.

There is not much better than chunking rocks in a body of water!

Weston was selected to be a member of the Order of the Arrow,
which is a special service oriented group of Scouts.

The boys had a field trip to LLELA to learn about small pond creatures.

These three rolled themselves up in a giant sibling burrito.

Supporting their baseball playing brother

We were thankful to get to spend Easter with family.
We were also thankful for all the amazing wildflowers on the way,
including a solid red field of poppies.

Clay bought himself a multi-tool, which he is very proud of!

Ruth got a job at City Vet, working in their kennel.

The flowers at our house were very happy!

Last day of Arrow for the year:
Weston wore every name tag he had neglected to wear for the last ten weeks.
Clay dressed up like Leif Erikson.
Max dressed up as and gave a presentation on Robin Hood. 

Arrow's Spring Handmade Market:
Clay sold slingshots; Max sold chocolates; and Weston sold loaded popcorn.
They all sold out of their products and felt very rich by the end of the evening. 

At Arrow's End-of-Year Celebration, each of the boys got to
demo something from one of their classes.
Clay performed with his dance class.
Max sang with his history class about the plague.
And Weston participated in a mini debate and gave an impromptu speech.

The kids were gifted a couple of drones, which the boys took to immediately.

Max got to spend some time on the mound in a couple of games.

We had fun hanging out with Mimi at Bumbershoot BBQ/Gnome Cones.

We took Mimi to brunch at Cafe Komali and hiking on the Katy trail.

We played pub trivia a couple of times at Vetted Well and had so much fun.

We kind of went crazy at the library's book sale. This is only half of what we bought.
We bought somewhere in the neighborhood of 172 books, 11 movies, and 1 puzzle.
The deal of buy one bag at $4, get a bag for free was just too much for us to resist.

Clay couldn't believe the whole store was celebrating Cinco de Mayo
when we went to pick out some things for his birthday party.
I think he thinks that day is just for him!

October

Hard at work

Fall landed on our front porch while it was still 90º,
but the temperature eventually caught up with the season.

Clay and I spent some time creating a lion mask
for a performance he will do with his dance class in Nov.

I worked a Friday Meals on Wheels route in a different part of town,
which put me quite close to this new market, so I had to check it out.

Ruth attended a homeschool homecoming dance
for all homeschoolers in the DFW area.

We got to spend time with family,
celebrating sweet Charlotte's first birthday.

Weston stepped in as substitute math teacher one day.

The boys read a book called The Martyr of the Catacombs for their
history class and then made clay models of the catacombs.

Clay became a master popsicle maker.

Weston and I watched a local grocery store make all the popcorn.

Max was selected to help with the pledge at Arrow.

Ruth and her besties attended the HSAA homecoming game.

Jeff and I had a date night to Lucile's during Lobstrama.

Jeff and Ruth attended an Air Force Academy information meeting
and happily shared their new-found knowledge with the rest of us.

We attended the Taste of Denton event at the Armadillo Ale Brewery.

Rain, rain, and more rain

Chicken Oil Co. is always a hit with our crew
when we're in College Station.

Ruth and Weston finished up the cross country season
with the homeschool state meet at Texas A&M.
The course was a mess, but at least it wasn't raining.
We're so proud of their hard work this season!

While we were in College Station, we met up with Jeff's
brother's family for a long-overdue visit. 

No trip to A&M would be complete without ring pictures.

Got in on the first day of early voting

Clay taught me how to play Ticket to Ride.

Ruth finished up her public speaking class.
They created vision boards on the last day.

Clay managed to lose another tooth to make himself
look like a vampire just in time for Halloween.

One of my book clubs met at Sloan and Williams Winery
in Grapevine, which was a special treat. 

Max took on another paying job
filling up holes in our yard.

We got to spend a lovely weekend with my MIL at Lake Buchanan.

We had our first-ever online consultation with a physician
when Weston developed a severe rash and a sore throat.

We came up with a reward system for the boys for getting their
schoolwork done, which involved, in part, a large shipment of used Legos,
which had to be washed before I would allow them into circulation.

Ruth rocked her skeleton costume
for her CAP Halloween party.

The boys have a couple of events coming up at Arrow that
necessitated us turning our kitchen into a factory of sorts.
We made homemade marshmallows, homemade chocolates,
homemade brownies, and homemade goat milk soap.