Ear Piercing!

Anya's birthday was on June 2nd and apparently she is going to milk this week for all it's worth! She informed me last night that she still has one more birthday coming up, and she'd like her ears pierced. She has been asking for this to be done for quite some time, but one of the "requirements" was to start using the potty, which she has done. So, last night I figured now was as good of a time as ever. After dinner we headed to Claire's.

I informed Duane that both ears would be completed regardless of her reactions. I said once one is in, that's pretty much it, so we might as well finish the job.

I was surprised at how well she sat in the chair as the woman got everything ready. I was half-way expecting her to state she was no longer interested, jump off the chair, and inform us she was ready to leave. None of that happened; she simply waited patiently.

The woman described how it would feel, she marked her ears, and away she went. The first one was done without even a sound out of her mouth. The second one was done and she did a little jump and that was that. We were all amazed that she barely flinched! I guess wrestling with Jack has made her immune to minor inconveniences!

A Lot of Stuff: From Parties to Achievements!

I don't like making blog postings too long, but there is just too much to say and catch-up on so bear with me! This posting will range across a variety of events which include: character day; First Grade Pool Party; Bannockburn Awards Ceremony; and Anya's birthday bash.

First off, Jack's teacher has character day at the end of each school year. The kids can be whatever they want as long as they have actually read the book and can explain the character. Jack knew right away that he wanted to be Rodrick from a Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Jack loves these books, and I will admit, I do too. They are an easy read that provide funny scenarios of every day family life.

I was happy that Jack picked Rodrick as this was a very easy character to re-create. A quick synopsis of Rodrick: he borders on very lazy, plays in a band called Loded Diper, and has a perpetual dispute with his brother Gregory.

Now onto First Grade's end-of-the-year pool party which was held at our neighborhood pool. The kids wore themselves out swimming for over 4 hours. Besides the swimming they enjoyed a great spread of food and even sno cones. I guess I know what my back-up career can be--sno cone maker. Fun was had by all and parents enjoyed sleeping kids soon after the party ended!

Last Friday was not only the last day of school but the awards ceremony as well. As I have stated in previous posts, Jack is one smart cookie, and he once again proved it with all his achievement awards. Mrs. Phillips handed out 3 achievement awards for spelling, math, and reading. In order to receive these awards, the student must have had a 95% or better average ALL year long in that area (all 3 awards were independent of each other). I am happy to say that Jack received ALL 3 awards, which in my opinion, is quite an achievement. He was one of only a few that got all 3. Not only did he achieve these awards, but he also got an award for 100% attendance! Yes, he was able to ward off strep, flu, and countless other ailments.

Out with the "old" (not age-wise old) and in with the new. Jack had a great year with Mrs. Phillips and we are sad to leave her behind but excited about starting our new chapter with Mrs. Hammel!

Now onto Anya. Anya turns 3 today, June 2nd, but her birthday bash was this past Saturday. She invited her good friends and she had a great time as did everyone else. Her birthday was Elmo-themed and we kept it simple with a craft project and just some backyard fun. Duane's brisket was a hit and all 15lbs of it was gone. She got a lot of great gifts and has played with pretty much all of them already. By the way, the little boy next to Anya (Troy) is her "boyfriend." She even got a kiss and hug from him.

Mr. and Mrs. Cool!

Here the kids are prior to going to our friends' neighborhood to swim. Both kids are fish and very good swimmers--especially Jack! Anya is well on her way however.

What is quite funny about this whole deal is Anya was theoretically supposed to be taking a nap and was to come later with Duane. However, that was not part of her agenda. The next thing you know, there's Anya on the front porch ALL dressed and ready to go. I know what you're thinking, OK, so she was probably dressed before taking her nap, and you would be correct. However, she was not dressed in swim gear. This was quite a deal because that meant her going into her closet, finding her swim diaper (still wears one in the pool only), finding her swim suit, AND getting it all on by herself without our knowledge. Once this scenario was complete, she walked out the front door and announced that she was ready to go. Clearly our agenda was not going to be a hurdle in stopping a 2 year old from swimming, so off the 4 of us went! Although I was skeptical about what mood she was going to be in with no nap, I was quite impressed with her ability to decipher what she needed to do in order to leave with Jack. Oh yeah, in order to get out of her room, she needed to also get out of the baby gate that blocks her door. How did she do this--none other than kicking at it until it fell down of course. This too took some effort as it's snug. After the great depths she went through, who could say no?

As you can see, Anya is Ms. Fashion in her pink sunglasses and frilly swim suit. Note, for every good picture, Jack requires a goofy one. It's almost part of the deal of taking a picture.

Cub Scout Crossover!

Today Jack got to officially crossover from a Tiger Cub to a Wolf Cub. For those not familiar with scouting, Jack, who is a member of Pack 81, had to meet certain requirements throughout the year in order to officially move up the ranks. Cub Scouts, and scouting in general, require dedication and a lot of time, and Jack faced those challenges well. He thoroughly enjoys all of the activities. His scarf changed from orange to yellow and he got to move his clothes pin up to the next level. He's in his baseball pants because right after this ceremony he had a game. If they win today, they are in the championship tomorrow!

Part of today's activities included the Raingutter Regata. The boats were kits that the kids had to put together and decorate to their liking. As you can see, they are required to use a straw in order to make their wind for the sail. I am happy to say, Jack won first place for the Tiger Cubs! He got a ribbon, a patch, and I believe one or two more items.

The Mug Shot and Some Other Fun Photos!

I don't have anything overly earth shattering to say today, but I wanted to show everyone Jack's mug shot on his school's website. This picture has been up all year, and I don't know how much longer it'll be there. Of course he's too cute, and I want him to stay up there, but I guess it's only fair to let others have their chance.

This picture doesn't really relate to anything other than this was taken a little under 3 years ago, and it's just a cute picture I found of the two.

Here's another classic picture taken at Fiesta Texas last year. This is Jack's friend Bodhi, and the two were so embarrassed to have this pretty lady coming up to them wanting to take a picture. Jack was so embarrassed that he almost snorted like a pig. Finally the two Joe Cools decided they could handle the extreme embarrassment for the sake of my picture need. Thanks to Wonder Woman for playing along!

Miscellaneous Pictures and Videos!

I am playing major catch-up with everything, but it's still better late than never!

To start, here is a video of Anya getting her haircut this past Saturday. This was a giant leap since for months she would not let me get her haircut. She would be all excited then freeze and freak out when we got to the place. Anyway, she finally decided that my haircuts now longer were making the grade (and she was right), so she informed me that she was ready. I was half way expecting the usual result, but she got right up on that seat and away we went. Despite that fact that she was a wiggle worm and had to look at everyone else's business, he did a fabulous job and her hair is very pretty now! This man has done Jack's hair in the past, he does a great job and he's very good with kids.

Here we have one of Anya's photos that was taken by none other than Anya herself. She is a camera junky.


Here are the kids at Enchanted Rock.


Last Sunday we went to Sea World in San Antonio; here's a picture of Jack riding Shamu. We had a great day playing at the waterpark and riding a few rides. I even talked Jack into riding the Steel Eel, which took some convincing and bribing him with ice cream. He was white during the ride and he couldn't even scream, but once we were done he said "that was awesome." Had the line not been so long, we would have rode it again and again. I am a roller coaster fanatic!

One Smart Cookie!

Today Duane and I had our parent/teacher conference with Jack's teacher, Mrs. Phillips. She had nothing but beaming remarks to say about him, and on more than one occassion she said how awesome he is! She even said she wanted to put a brick on his head so she could keep him past this year. To say the least, we are thrilled with all her comments and very proud of Jack for all he has achieved this year!

His has positively progressed in every area, and she said he has extremely strong reading and math skills, and he is always up for a challenge and never complains.

I think the thing that got us the most excited was when she discussed and showed us his achievement test scores. In basically every category he was ABOVE average, and he scored ABOVE average in one particular category that most kids only score average in! He is one smart cookie!

On Friday, May 29th, Jack will complete First Grade and move onto Second, and he'll have the fabulous Mrs. Hammel to lead the way next year.

To end, Jack has made us even prouder today!