Monkeying Around

Normally after I pick up Carly from preschool, we either run a quick errand or dash home for a few minutes for Carly to go to the bathroom and get a snack before we motor over to Emily's elementary school to pick her up. Today, however, Carly really wanted to go to the little playground in our neighborhood before picking Emily up, and since the weather outside was absolutely gorgeous, I happily obliged. It was so nice to sit for a while and soak up some sun. Here are a few shots of my little monkey having fun!

Carly's 5th Birthday Party at D-TALK Ranch

Carly celebrated her 5th birthday today with a party at a local ranch. Despite the horrible weather we had last night and early this morning (think major thunderstorm,) the afternoon turned out to be warm and sunny. We were soooo lucky! We had thought about canceling and rescheduling for next weekend, but I'm really glad we decided to wait it out. The kids had a lot of fun riding the horses, dressing goats (see the pictures and you'll understand what this is all about,) going on a hayride, and in general, just gettin' dirty (some more so than others!)

It's a Zoo!

We love animals! The easy-to-take-care-of kind. We've been considering getting a dog for quite a while, but every time I think we're ready, we (meaning Frank and I) wind up talking ourselves out of it. Unlike children, you can't take your dog with you to most places. And my children are now pretty self-sufficient when it comes to going to the bathroom, i.e. they don't have to be let outside to do their business. I also got to thinking lately, "who needs a dog when you already have a zoo?" Check out this little corner of our kitchen . . .

One hermit crab, 2 beta fish, and a whole ant farm.

That's plenty for us for now!

Fantastic Five!

How did this happen?

When did our little baby get to be such a big girl?

Happy 5th birthday, Sunshine Girl!

We love you so very much!

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle . . .

Emily and I spent Earth Day at a day camp with her Brownie Troop at Camp Camwood where we learned some simple ways we can help save the Earth every day. We enjoyed wonderful weather, and the girls had a lot of fun!

Emily with her Brownie friends, Christian and Avery

Having fun with the parachute . . .

Releasing lady bugs

This little one wants to stick around!

Flutterbys

Today Carly's preschool class took a field trip to the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Her class has been studying the life cycle of the butterfly, so this trip gave them the opportunity to check out some real live specimens up close and personal. The kids had a fantastic time observing all of the colorful butterflies, and afterward they enjoyed a picnic lunch outdoors where the weather was just perfect. It was a great day!

It's a Date

This evening, Emily enjoyed a special "date night" with her 1st Grade teacher at a local restaurant. At the recent Fun Run at Emily's school, parents could bid on the opportunity for their child to attend a special event with his or her teacher. The top two bidders from each 1st grade class got to attend dinner at Johnny Rockets. Emily was so excited she had one of the winning bids for her class, and she had a ball with Mrs. H. Here's a pic of the two of them . . .

Disney's HSM . . . on Ice!

Last Saturday night, Frank and I attended the annual Gala and Auction for Emily's elementary school where we placed a silent auction bid on tickets to Disney's High School Musical ("HSM" to those of you in the know about these kinds of things) - - - The Ice Tour. We thought it might make for a nice birthday gift later this month for Carly, since the tickets were for April 19th, two days before Carly's 5th birthday. Good thing we examined the tickets once we got home! There must have been a typo on the bid sheet. The tickets were actually for April 9th! So, tonight we took the girls out to dinner and then to the show, a very special mid-week treat! We had a great time, but now I guess we'll be trying to figure out something else for Carly's B-Day gift! Aaagghh!

Twelve dollars for cotton candy? You've got to be kidding me! Oh, I forgot . . . the hat comes with it. Yeah, that's a bargain.

Carly was really into it! Can you tell?

It's Gabriella and Troy!

Daddy looks WAY cool in the hat!

Tennis, Anyone?

Emily started tennis lessons this week and had a great time at her 1st lesson. Carly didn't care much for watching Emily practice, so we made a short visit to the nearby park. I can see this is now going to be a weekly thing with Carly!

Deep in the Heart of Texas . . .

After Emily's tennis lesson and some time at the park, we rushed home to get ready for Carly's preschool Spring Open House. Once we made it to the school, we were treated to a performance of "Deep in the Heart of Texas." Carly's class sang three little dittys - - - "I Went to the Rodeo," "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." So cute!

Here's Carly with her friends Emily, Reagan, and Reagan's little sister, Zoe.

Afterward, we made our way to Carly's classroom to check out some of the projects her class has been working on lately. Check out these cowpokes! (Is Carly's nose really shaped like a little slice of pizza?)

I can't believe this is our last preschool Open House and that Carly will be starting Kindergarten at Emily's school in the fall. I think I'm going to cry!

He's so cute!

Carly can't get enough of her newest baby cousin! So much better than playing with her pretend baby dolls at home!

Running Wild!

Today was the 4th Annual Family Fit Fun Run at Emily's elementary school. The theme this year was "Run Wild!" Emily and Carly both had fun participating in the event. Both of them ran the 1/4 mile. (I had signed up Carly for the Toddler Trot, but she insisted on running in the 1/4 mile, and she did great!) Frank ran with Carly and actually had a hard time keeping up with her once she took off. (I should mention he also had the kids' backpack with him and hadn't planned on running with her until the last minute. It was pretty funny!) Here are some pics of the girls before the race, closing in on the finish line, and showing off their race medals.