Handsome and Heidi Run Away!

I know...I am late with this post! Our 20th Anniversary was a couple weeks ago and Steven had to work! His "Family-Friendly" (their words not mine!) unit denied our pass (and NO...there really was no reason) so we ended up celebrating over the weekend instead! We rented a cabin at the local lake--just us--no kids! (Thanks Kimmy!) It was so much fun to just go away alone *smile* The cabin ended up being quite old--I think they said something like 50 years old?? But we made the best of it and had a lot of fun! Later this month we are renting a newer 2 bedroom cabin and taking the kids out before Steven deploys! They will love it!

What a poser! Isn't he handsome though??

This is the view of the lake from the viewing area by our cabin. It was GORGEOUS!! Each cabin had a swing outside where you could sit and watch everything going on.

My knight-in-shining armor! We went down to the lake for a picnic--but the picnic table was covered in spider webs! Steven figured out a way to clean it off for me--I have such an issue with bugs!

We walked down to the water and sat to watch the waves--I have always loved being near the water! This is the first assignment I haven't lived by the ocean! (With the exception of our Idaho trips) We have lived near Savannah GA, Seattle WA, Annapolis MD, and Miami FL--each with an ocean within 30-60 minutes! I really miss it! I thought the shadow of us was kinda fun!

It was such a nice weekend! We watched DVD's, read, talked, ate, talked some more, went shopping, talked more...get the idea? He is my best friend and I just love spending time with him! Which is why the next few pictures are so hard...

We got back from the lake and he had to spend the rest of the day getting ready to go...his gear was being shipped out the next day. What a complete downer to such a good weekend! I spent the rest of the weekend with red-rimmed eyes from crying. We had to go buy lots of things for him to take--I can think of more fun shopping trips for sure! Each new Monday is a hard day--It is just one more week closer to losing my best friend--four more to go *sigh*

Doesn't everyone do school in costume??

You just NEVER know who will show up today to do homeschool at our house! Missy LOVES her dress-up closet (and trust me, it is HUGE!! Gotta love thrift shops!) She loves to play dress-up and I never know what she will be next! Yesterday while we were doing school, when it was her time for instruction...I looked up to see a tiger coming to school! A little while later--a butterfly was working at the computer *smile* Yep...this is one of the reasons we homeschool--freedom to be creative! No red flowers with green stems at this house! (If you have never read that story--I am including a link to it below! It is one of my favorites!)

http://goodnessgraciousness.blogspot.com/2007/08/red-flower-with-green-stem.html

Fun Days at the Weatherston Home School...

How quickly they forget! Wasn't it just a couple months ago the kids were DYING because they were so sick of homeschool?? *smile* Now they are loving it again! We have been busy as always doing fun stuff! Here are a couple projects...

Stevie has a great art program this year. He had to create an art museum. He chose to make a modern art museum with abstract pictures on the wall. What a cute clay man he made to put in it too!

The finished museum!

I guess this one really wasn't homeschool--but still fun! Missy had to make a binder for Achievement Days at a mother-n-me party--but it was while I was SOOOO sick--so Kimmy stepped in as "mom". They finished it up at home--it turned out SOOOO pretty!

Stevie had to do a science experiment with his dad on Desertification. He built a town in the box--then blew the sands on the town. He had to measure how much sand hit the town in a time frame. Next he built different ways to protect the town and did the experiment again. I think he just had fun blowing the sand *grin*

Playing at the Georgetown Playground

More Fun in Austin Pictures!

Sorry I am late getting the rest of these posted...it's been a busy week! I took SO many pictures this day in Austin--it's hard to choose what to share LOL It DEFINATELY was a fun day!

As we were walking down the street after the Children's Museum...I was SO excited to see that one of my FAVORITE restaurants from back home was a chain! We LOVED going to "The Pita Pit"! Of course that's where we had to have lunch!

Next up on our tour day was the state capital! We walked through the whole thing and ended up underground--we're still not quite sure how we ended up where we did--but it was fun! We took a lot of pictures of "Texas Stars". We are going to do a scrapbook JUST with Texas Stars that I have taken pictures of wherever we find them (kind of like "Hidden Mickeys" in Disneyworld) We are getting quite a few pictures now! The kids loved the capital and want to visit it again soon too!

This is the dome in the state capital--I kept getting dizzy trying to look up and take a picture--then height-phobic Heidi had the HARDEST time being on the upper level looking down trying to take a picture LOL!

One of the kids favorite museums was "The Blanton" art museum that we didn't plan on going to--but when Steven decided to go get the car because his wife was fading fast--we needed somwhere out of the sun. The kids LOVED this museum--especially this exhibit. That shining gold is ALL PENNIES--about 600,000 of them the guide said. Missy collects pennies and her eyes about popped out of her head. They were in a giant pit and people could play with them. There was a big sign about the meaning of the exhibit--but Missy could have cared less--she just loved the PENNIES!!

Here is another picture of Missy with the pennies--I think she would have taken them all home if she could *smile*

Outside of the Blanton Museum they have this giant spaghetti statue. They are surgical tubing that is hooked at the top--kids can swing and play in them. It was AWESOME!! The kids were kind of unsure in the beginning--but got the hang of it quickly and hated to leave!!

Missy is tying a chair to swing on. A lot of kids were doing Tarzan impressions--swinging through the spaghetti.

Here is a better picture of the exhibit--pretty wild huh?

This is our biggest Texas star we found--it was outside one of the Texas History Museums we went to. Mom was too tired to take many more pictures of that museum--plus so many places didn't allow pictures--gasp--how can I live without pictures of my kids??

One of our favorite things to do while in Austin is to stop at Krispy Kreme. We never seem to hit it when the "Hot" sign is lit and you get free donuts--but we did TODAY!! The kids each got 2 hot donuts right off the line AND we bought a dozen for the car too! Plus it is just SO FUN to watch the donuts on the assembly line!

We had supper at another favorite restaurant. Steven and I usually eat at Chipotle when we go to Austin--but had never taken the kids. This time we splurged and took them! They thought it was GREAT and even Stevie got full with his HUGE burrito! (That says a LOT with a teenage boy!) Kimmy got hers with HOT meat and HOT sauce and was breathing fire all night! They were very excited to hear that there is a Chipotle being built much closer!

It was a FUN day...one more fun day for the memory banks while Daddy is gone...these are the days that will get us through the lonely days of the upcoming deployment!

A Fun Weekend at the Austin's Children Museum

What a FUN weekend we had! This weekend Austin had "Museum Day" where all the museums were FREE!! We had a blast "museum-hopping" but BOY WERE WE TIRED by the end of the day!! I took over 100 pictures LOL so I think this blog entry will be in installments *smile* The first museum we went to was the "Austin Children's Museum". It was PACKED so I think another trip will be in order before Steven deploys *grin* The kids loved what they saw though! Even with 3 million little ones running all around!!

Stevie MIGHT be getting a little big for the slide--what do you think?

Waiting for the slowpokes upstairs to fill his hardware order--you would "order" the parts you need through a speaker--and kids upstairs would drop them down the chutes.

Missy and mom playing with the sound machine

Dr. Suess style ears for the kids--maybe we need these at home so they can hear when mom calls them to do chores??

Stevie playing with another sound machine

This was a cool machine--there was a piano-style keyboard and when you pushed the keys--the slinky's would vibrate --I think Stevie was in awe--by looking at his face *smile*

A GIANT Lite-Brite!

A "Gears-go-Round" toy always has intrigued my mechanically-minded boy!

Missy learns how to milk a cow *grin*

Missy tries out the slide!

There aren't any pictures in this museum of Kimmy--since she was running the camera for me--but don't worry--I got her later *grin* It was SUCH A FUN DAY!! A "Mom-Mis-Adventure" that actually turned out okay! I'll post more fun pics over the next couple days as time permits!

Found a Fun Website Today!

I love to surf and find MORE STUFF for my files...I'm telling you...I am obsessed! Anyways, I came upon a really awesome site! This lady has taken all the flannel board stories out of the Children's Friend magazine and colored them on her computer! They are BEAUTIFUL! All you have to do is print them off!

http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2007/11/flannel-board-stories.html

And while I am sharing...I want to share a few of my other absolute favorite sites!

http://www.sugardoodle.net/

http://www.jennysmith.net/

http://www.theideadoor.com/

I could go on and on and on LOL!