Future Mad Scientists

Yesterday we finally made our trip to the FW science museum. Tony has been asking for forever to see a mummy and the exhibit leaves Jan 3. I had no idea how packed it would be. This was our first trip since the museum was remodeled. Brian and I were a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is super nice, but we kind of liked the old smaller museum. This one is beautiful, more spread out, but has a mall feeling rather than a museum feeling. The Egypt exhibit was awesome. I was a bit bummed that my kids weren't more excited, and the mummy kind of freaked Angie out. She refused to look at it. But the whole exhibit was very interesting and she did say that she liked the hieroglyph exhibit.


I have two other science musuems that I hope to check out in the coming year, The Mayborn at Baylor, and the San Antonio HEB tree house. I have to tell you that the Planetarium was AMAZING! I know very little about stars/space/astronomy, but after that visit we will be visiting other planetariums for sure. They gave us a link for a star chart to print out and put together, and if you haven't tried Star Walk on the iphone, I think it is my favorite app ever. I was so surprised at how much the kids enjoyed the planetarium, even Aiden and Emi. When I asked the kids to tell me their one favorite thing of the day Aiden said that he thought the "trip through the milky wave was the best". I probably should have corrected him, but I thought it was super cute. They had a couple meteorites on exhibit, and Zachary showed me a rock today that I am pretty sure is one. Its the same color and texture as the one they had and it is very heavy. Who knows? He's had it on his shelf at least a year, I would be curious to find out though. That reminds me, I hope to also get to the meteroite exhibit at TCU.


When I asked Zachary his favorite thing, he refused to tell me, and when Amie was cutting his hair today, he told her to go to Sea world instead! My inlaws call him a ball buster. He's a mess for sure. Later he will subtly bring up the thing he liked.
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I packed a cooler and they no longer allow outside food and drink, so we ate our lunch in the car. The kids didn't mind because they got to watch tv while they ate and Brian and I sat on the tailgate. Dave Ramsey would be proud, but its not just about the money, but about health and waste. It is ridiculous for us to buy hot dogs, nachos etc and watch the kids not eat. But, make them a sandwich and give them some fruit and they tear it up. Now I did let them have cheetos but still what a treat. I hope that they have good memories of lunches like this.

These are just a few pictures. Overall, it was a good day.

On to the New Year

Well, Our Christmas has come and gone. The kids slept in this morning, highly unusual, and definately a sign they are ill. The oldest four were on antibiotics. The boys were doing pretty well this morning, but Angie did not feel well at all. She made it through present opening and then I took her back to the Dr. He said that he wanted to see her again if she wasn't feeling better today. So, I went and picked up a different medication for her, and came home to find Emi running fever. Well, the local pharmacy closed at 1pm, so back to Brownwood I went for the medicine that Dr Woodward called in for Emi.

I came home and made chicken ala Stella like we planned. I should have made Campbell's chicken noodle soup no more than everyone ate. I'm a little disappointed that we missed the candlelight service at church, but the kids all felt bad, and it just seemed wrong to go to a Christmas service without my family. Praying next week is better.

Funny thing when you have five kids, you have an entire minivan full of gifts, and when you get it in the house, each kid has a relatively small pile. The big ticket gifts this year were: Angie got a new bedset that I guess you would describe as more "tween". Its aqua and white and brown, and of course it had to have polka dots. Thank you JC Penney's for selling each piece individually and for being the only place that I ordered from that didn't offer free shipping, but once I saw this set, I didn't like anything else. The other big ticket item was an Ipod Touch. We bought one for all the kids to share. I have to say that I was extremely proud that they weren't super excited about it. Don't get me wrong, they were fighting over it this evening, but around the tree, they were more interested in other things.

I work tomorrow. Blah. Its so tough to leave the kids when they aren't feeling well, so, I have to say if I get cancelled tomorrow, I'm not going to be super disappointed. Census drops during the holidays, and mom said that they were cleaning house yesterday, but I don't mind earning time and a half for tomorrow. I've got our debt snowball planned out for 2011.

Merry Christmas

Well, the kids all got a sinus infection for Christmas, so we didn't get to go the museum or to see the lights. I hope they are feeling better in the morning, since we are doing Christmas tomorrow. I made homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time, and they are entirely too tasty. I will have to make them again before next Christmas, because I didn't let Angie help me and made her keep her germs as far away as possible. Brian and I will both take some to work Christmas day.

I still plan on making the Chicken dish even if Brian and I are the only ones up to eating it. Its been a couple of years since I made it, so we are both pretty excited. Right now we are anxiously waiting for the kids to settle down so that we can set our living room up.

You would think that I'd be bummed about working Christmas, and I am a little. But tomorrow will be just as special, and the time and a half going into the New year won't hurt either. This is our first Christmas that the kids haven't gone down to my mom and dad's so that Brian and I could do gifts. I have to say, it really threw Tony off. He says "what do you mean we aren't going to nana's?" How's Santa going to come if we aren't there? Since we have to stay there tomorrow night? Are you sure Santa will come tonight?" It was cracking me up. This is one kid that totally doesn't believe in Santa, hasn't for at least 3 years, but he's the one that plays it up the most.

Tony was so upset tonight trying to figure out if his Sunday school party was last SUnday or this SUnday. He said that they were having a party for baby Jesus. He said he volunteered to bring the party game, and was planning to do "Pin the baby Jesus in the manger." He did not appreciate that I found this hysterical. :)

Early Christmas Present. and other random stuff

Brian's petscan was negative!! Whoop whoop!! Praise God. This week I haven't felt too spiffy. I went to our last FPU class and Brian stayed home with Tony who has been very ill. While I was sitting in the class, a peace washed over me, and I knew that Brian's scan was going to be fine. For the first time in three years, I felt like we could plan for the future, like we would see the goals he talks about in the class. I'm not always the most spiritual person, and it wasn't anything that was said, but rather it was something that I FELT. I text Brian that his PET scan was fine right before he called me to let me know. I already knew.

The kids are on Christmas break from school. Yes, their school still calls it Christmas break, not winter break. Next week we are going to the Fort worth science museum to see the mummy exhibit before it leaves, and then Thursday we are making cinnamon rolls, and going to see the lights in san angelo. We are having our Christmas on Friday because Brian and I both have to work Saturday. It will still be fun though. We will have cinnamon rolls, read the Christmas story, and have a nice dinner. We usually have Italian food, and this year will be no exception. Chicken Estella. The older kids only have one assignment over the break. We read the Invention of Hugo Cabret, and the kids went to the NCCIL to see his art on display. Their GT teacher wants them to try to do a pencil scetch in his style from the book. She have them paper and said they can draw anything they want. Since they are getting drawing books for Christmas, we will work on this project after. Such a change from last year when Brian was getting chemo during the holidays.

Last weekend my mom took Angie shopping for clothes and dresses for Christmas. I had to laugh. I think my mom was a little disappointed because she said the only thing that Angie got excited about all day was the material and the pattern they got at the fabric store. When I talked to Angie on the phone, she was super excited that nana was going to teach her to sew her own pajamas. I'm pretty excited because the material patches the new bedset that Brian and I got her for Christmas. :)

Two funny kid sayings today: First, Emi was in the kitchen dancing with her dad and singing "Shake shake shake, shake your booty." She pokes Brian in the saggy pajama pants and says, daddy you don't have a booty, its missing". Then, before dinner, Angie and Zachary were supposed to clean the table. Brian and I are often amazed at the lengths that Zach will go to avoid work. So, Zachary goes to put a toy up and doesn't come back until Angie is almost done. Brian gets onto him and Zachary says "I'm really sorry, I'm just going to take my marbles and hide in shame in the laundry room until dinner is ready." Haha. I couldn't help but laugh.

Blogging and Resolutions

Well, today I read my friend Christi's blog and it really inspired me. I NEED to blog more. Most of my blogs are about Brian and the kids. Everyday, uneventful stuff. But, I am not a scrapbooker, so I need to do better. So, even though it is December, I decided that this will be my New Year's resolution.

Let me catch you up on the goings on here since before Thanksgiving. Tuesday they had a family feast at Tuesday school, and Aiden's class sang a couple songs. Well, Thanksgiving, mom and I worked, so we had our get together on Friday. I was under the weather that day, so I slept in a bit, but we went down to mom's and had a wonderful meal and hung around and played cards. Angie really likes to play the game Golf and you can add many players, so that is what we did. We had one seath that people kind of rotated out of as they had to do things.

The kids had a big GT project due at the beginning of December. They had to pick an endangered animal, research it and write a report. There was a list of things that had to be mentioned, like, habitat, diet, etc, and they had to include photos. Then they had to complute an art project that related to the subject. Angie chose Pandas. For the first time, she typed out her report, and that was a little slow going, but she did all the typing herself. I helped her edit it, and showed her how to insert pictures. Brian suggested that we get a keyboarding program for them to start working on. For, her art project, she chose to make a panda out of beans. Brian was going to trace it with our projector, but I felt i could help her free hand one. It turned out pretty well. Tony wanted to do a poster, so we dod a trifold poster on alligator gar. He was going to do a painting on canvas, but he decided to do his painting on the outside of the trifold which I though was a pretty good idea. He wrote his report on paper, but I did help him type and print it some, then we glued it to the poster. It seems each year they are able to be a little more independent.

It was really hard for both Brian and I not to take over, and it would have been so easy for us to take over, but I really want these kids to grow up to be self motivated. I've also been helping the kids with UIL. At dinner the other night, Tony said "mom I am so glad that you tricked me into doing UIL. Ahhh, words every mom wants to hear, lol. But I told him that he WILL do one event a year, and that if he doesn't pick it I will. He thought he was being sly by telling me that his grade hadn't had any sign ups, and then come do find out they did and he "forgot" to sign up. So, I emailed the teacher and told him that he forgot and she gave him the study materials. Sir Tony got 1st place in Music memory. He will also get a team medal for 2nd place team. While I may have to make Tony participate, I have to reel Angie in a little. I told her three events MAX. So she picked her three, but then she had to resign from oral reading because the changed the event schedule and it conflicted with art. So, she got third in music memory, along with a team 1st, and first in art, along with a team 1st.

Aiden had a program at Tuesday school yesterday. It was interesting to see him with the other kids. He is alot smaller than everyone else in his class, and he may be the youngest. They separated him and Audrey and there was already another Aiden in her class. His teachers are very complimentary of him every week. I've heard that he's very smart and sweet, but his size isn't the only thing that reminds me of Tony. Aiden doesn't really like the other kids that much.

One of Aiden's Tuesday school teachers has been volunteering at the school and reading with Zachary. Man he has really turned a corner the last couple of weeks. I have been pulling teeth with him for over a year getting him to learn sounds and sight words. But, all of a sudden, he's READING!!! Not only that, he is starting to like it. He's also writing more and he will ask me how to spell words. And, without even realizing it, he's teaching Aiden.

Angies voice lessons are going well. She is learning to read music and seems to be really enjoying it. We went to our first Opera as a family. It was titled "the Emperor's New Clothes". It was kid friendly, and her voice teacher had the lead. Angie really liked it, but I was really surprised at how much Emi liked it. I also felt alot better about her choice to stop taking dance when her dance teacher didn't even recognize her, but the dean of the pre college music department came up and hugged her and told her that she was glad she came. Then last weekend, Angie sang at the mall in a Christmas concert. She sang mele kalikimaka. Lol. But she did very well and was very brave to stand up there alone and sing. We were really proud.