Monday, June 25, 2012

Summer Solstice



Enthralled:





Favorite costume of the parade:


Saturday, June 23, 2012

Nojoqui Falls Park




A blueberry picking trip wouldn't be complete without a quick hike to Nojoqui Falls. TaTa and I both realized that a quarter mile feels like 2-5 miles when you are carrying 20ish pounds in your arms. At least her kid is walking (although very, very slowly).

Blueberry Picking


Opa was in town last week and we thought of a few fun and new things to do. First on the list, blueberry picking! The 7 of us climbed into the mom mobile and headed to the farm where we discovered that blueberries off the bush are a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  




Gus was digging the blueberries, it didn't matter if they were blue or green. They could be on the ground or in his bucket, the boy is in love. 


If I had to guess at the quantity that we ate, approximately half a bucket for our family. We were blueberry'd out by the end.


We love Opa!

The Gusser Way


Monday, June 18, 2012

Videos!


Seriously, she is a cool girl.


Pretty great that she will hold beetles, snakes, and snails.

Gussers is Awesome


Standing unassisted!


Why? Why do all children want to unroll the toilet paper roll?


I have to dig up my passport photo from when I was a baby. Gus looks just like me. 


Walking practice, this boy is ready to move.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Going Country...


A trip to our friend's family ranch was a must when we found out that they were bottle feeding a week old calf. He was like a really, really big dog.  



It was a hot day and so Gusser had to kick J's favorite hat. The flap happy hat...not kidding, that is the name and it makes are baby look ridiculously dorky. But, it is so good at protecting him and one of the few ones that will stay on his noggin. 




Vera = Heaven! 


Keller giving Jack a little thank-you pat! Keller was beaming with pride that he was able to ride the horse by himself this time.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Summer is Here!







Friday, June 8, 2012

Kindergarten


Wowza! The change from the beginning of kindergarten to the end is noticeable. Her sweet baby face has been replaced by a more mature looking little girl face. Below the surface, she has gained confidence in her abilities and her personality is fully developed. She likes to be the center of attention, at both home and school, and is bossy mothering to all around her. We are trying to teach her the proper language to be a leader, how to encourage people versus telling them what to do.

Kindergarten was a success. J and I are amazed at how well she is reading and love to have her handwritten notes. As she reads or tries to spell an unknown word, you can practically see the wheels in her brain spinning. 

Vera worries quite a bit. She doesn't like to see bugs be killed and considers being vegetarian at least once a week (until I remind her about bacon). Her favorite thing to eat is a bean and cheese burrito or a salad with black beans and avocado. At night, she needs at least 30 minutes listening to a book on cd to unwind from the day. She and Keller battle physically and yet will have hours where they can just play or sit side-by-side coloring or crafting. Her attention to detail and expansive vocabulary (plus her height) lead people to assume that she is much older than 6. She is very aware of her surroundings, what adults are saying, and seems to comprehend the world at large. This sometimes leads J and I to treat her like she is older than 6. Still, most movies are still too scary (including Disney).  

Hmm, how many years do you think I can get her to wear the same outfit on the last day of school that she picked out for the first day of school?

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Seriously, The Dude





Water Baby





Keller's Current Art



How to Take Care of Corn Snakes


9 Month Appointment - Gus




Gusser's 9 month appointment came at a good time. He had been sick for a week with a stomach bug and I just needed the doctor to tell me that he was going to be okay. However, because of the sickness, he was down in weight and not the happiest baby in the world at the appointment. Our boy is crawling, pulling to stand, and moving along the furniture learning how to walk. He says "dada" and "uh oh." He will eat just about anything, except hummus.

Height: 28.5 inches (50%)
Weight: 18.8 lbs (25%)

Vera at 9mth:
Height: 30 inches
Weight: 19.14 lbs

Keller at 9mth:
Height: 30 inches
Weight: 21.1 lbs


Sunday, June 3, 2012

Cool Homework

The assignment:

For homework this week I would like you and your child to perform a science experiment that will help to continue our ocean theme. 
  • With your child, brainstorm a list of possible shapes that a boat could come in. 
  • Create these boats out of foil.
  • Guesstimate and record how many pennies you think that each boat will be able to hold when placed in a tub full of water.
  • Perform the experiment. 
I knew we were in trouble when the first question out of J's mouth was, "How much foil can we use?" They came up with three designs: canoe, buoy, and barge.


Keller got into the act as well and made three boats. The canoes were hand designed, the buoy model got its shape from the bottom of a bowl, and the barge was made using a book as the mold. 


Just chilling by my boats and pennies. 


The experiment. Gusser really tried to help, but ended up destroying one of Keller's boats in the process. Do you have a guess?






The results:

  • Canoe - 26
  • Buoy - 123
  • Barge - 166! Huge surprise, Vera was delighted.