Texas family getaway

There is a little hidden gem about 20 miles from downtown Houston, called Kemah.  It is a boardwalk that promises to please everyone in the family. There are amusement rides and mini tours a plenty, plus savory seaside restaurants and little town shops to divert your attention from any lingering Texas heat.

And during our time visiting this charming location, there was a live band playing into the night and a very entertaining side show act that included flaming hoops and a curious
balancing act.

This little get-
away is perfect for a day or weekend trip! 




 

 

 

  

 

Building builds character

I thought that I would relish in my 'real wood' craigslist find, but discovered this scene to dote on instead.  We found an amazing bed for Big T and it was not long before dad and son got to work assembling.

They worked quickly and efficiently, but the definite love and confidence was very present for the both of them. I absolutely delight in capturing little moments like these.

It is with great sensibility that a father would have his son build his own bed, instead of setting everything up beforehand. He gave Big T more than just somewhere to sleep, but skills that will help traverse him into manhood.

Yes, I obtained all of this from watching my guys construct a bed...what can I say, I am sentimental.

 

 

Tree construction

Spring forth creativity from brown craft paper, plastic grocery bags, and packing bubbles! Hey, why not construct or shall I say "grow" a tree indoors? Let us make it floor to ceiling too.

Crumple with artistic ferocity.

 

 

 

 

 Staple happy and forming a grand tree trunk.

 

 

 

 

 

Not bad for a child who does not like heights very much...now start stuffing until you can not stuff anymore!

 

 

 

 

Branch making 101: do the twist!

 

 

 

Our lovely Giving Tree before leaves.





Give and take

Let us travel back to 1973...well, even though I was not born yet, I still appreciate this video of The Giving Tree, narrated by Shel Silverstein.  Little T thought it most curious too and watched in silence and contemplation.

I did not usher my opinion of the video, but waited too see what Little T thought.  He did quite a bit of thinking and we ended up talking about it for days. He was sad for the tree and upset at the greedy boy.  He also developed a sense of disbelief and respect for the tree.  Can a tree be a hero? There were some interesting questions twirling and whirring in his mind.  One thing was for sure, the character traits of the tree proved to be valuable to my 7 year old.

This video has inspired us to make our own tree in our school room...stay tuned!

Peep jousting

 

Hear ye, hear ye, gather your champions and lances!

Enter the tournament grounds (microwave)!

 

 

Try as the yellow knights did with all their bravery & might...

 

Defeat was imminent & the blue knights were crowned victors.

 

 

Good Lords enjoying their spoils!



 

 

Where have we been?

Meet one of our new neighbors!

Here's some more of the gang!

 



 

The last time I took a little sabbatical from blogging, we moved to a new city. Well, you guessed it...we moved again, but this time in the same area.  Our first lesson in the new place was to look up the differences between alpacas and llamas.  And now we know that alpacas are smaller, more pleasing to the eyes, and known for their silky wool.  Our family loves passing these unique ranch animals every day!

Leftover tortillas

This is what we ended up making with our last of the Colorful Tortillas.  Well, we had three plain ones left and one pink one.  TnT placed them in the oven at 350 degrees to crisp up for a few minutes. Once cool, the boys lightly flicked water onto them with their fingers and then sprinkled stevia and cinnamon on top.

Next, we dressed 'em up with scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream and butterscotch chips...yum!