Butterfly and Reading Update

This is really an update on the butterflies, however when I went to get Sean to watch the chrysalis transfer he was in bed looking at a book on insects.  Kind of unexpected, 9 times out of 10 he is reading books on dinosaurs.  Read? Kind of.  He is doing really well with his reading level books and can recognize much larger words out of context, but only if they are the names of dinosaurs or states!

He loves the PBS Kids website, especially Dinosaur Train (which, I must admit, is excellent.)  He know the proper pronunciation of most common dinosaur names and is always correcting me.

The bed time story we are reading to him this week is really physics.  It is an iPad app called Bobo Light.  It has lots of interactive items on each page that demonstrate how each aspect of the physics of light works.  It is fun, and we are learning some things, too (mainly me, there is not much that a former 2nd grade teacher does not know!)

Back to the butterflies - they have been in the chrysalis stage for several days now, so it was time to transfer them from their original container into the habitat.  What is cool is that when disturbed they wiggle back and forth quite vigorously inside the chrysalis.  

Tuesday Kemah Run Day

Once a week Barbara and a friend meet either at the track or at Kemah to train for the San Fransisco marathon (next month!)  They run in Kemah because the Kemah bridge is the biggest hill around (as if running in 100F heat in September doesn't count as running on a hill.)  Sean and I get to play around.

What temperature is the water?

Shadow Sean and Dave

The telescope (with no quarters to put in it) was a lot more fun once we decided it was a cannon

Pool Time

Throughout the summer we have been enjoying best special purchase we have ever made at Wall-Mart - our above ground pool  It gives Dave license to play chemist and also to hit Sean over the head with blunt (but soft) objects.

Barbara also uses it to cool off when she finishes her long runs on Saturdays.  Believe it or not, 90 degree pool water feels incredibly refreshing when you've been running in 100 degree heat. 

Creepy, Crawly, September

Aunt Joanne gave Sean a great bug gift - caterpillars that grow from very small to large and then turn into butterflies.  We got them on Saturday and they have already tripled in size!

Also, as the humidity here recently has been near record low (e.g. what most normal humans are exposed to,) Sean has been getting bloody noses again at night.  We have been using a humidifier lent to us by Barbara's dear parents, however it makes it sound like a freight train is running through the room.  So, we are trying a new one out tonight that one can just barely hear.  

Bugs on Sunday

Bugs on Monday

Bugs on Monday

Old humidifier

New humidifier

Dylan & Elissa Visit in August

In mid-August the Boyce's were very busy buying a cool new house and readying their house for sale.  Elissa and Dylan stayed with us for a couple of days to help them out.  As always, they got along famously.  Apparently Dylan has a thing for cherry tomatoes, no matter whose plate they are on!

4th on the 3rd

Saturday we went to Mr. Ray's house for his annual 4th of July party.  His house is on Trinity Bay and has a huge pool.  Sean jumped off of a diving board for the first time and swam farther than he ever has, almost the length of the pool (not very efficiently, though!)  Ray works at ISP with Dave, and just took a temporary (hopefully) transfer to ISP's Pt. Neches plant to be their Maintenance Manager.

 Sean makes friends with Willie G.

Ray's pool with the bay in the background

Slide Video

Water Slide Birthdays

Last Sunday we went to Ike's 4th birthday, and today Tyler's 2nd birthday.  Both had water slides!

Chillin' Dylan

 Sean and Ike

 Ike, Sean, and Dylan eating dogs

 Sean catches air at Tyler's party

 Greg and Tyler

This isn't fun at all - can I go home now?

Face First

Father's Day at San Bernard Wildlife Refuge

After celebrating Father's Day with my family on Saturday night, a splinter group of us headed for San Bernard Wildlife Refuge.  The refuge was dry, buy not quite desolate.  We saw some birds, no alligators, a big alligator gar, and a wild boar.

 Gentian

Sean and Barbara look for little crabs

 

Square  bud Daisy

 

Watching Bird Watchers

For the first weekend of June we had all sorts of fun people over.  Cami and Kasey spent the night Friday while their parents did what ever it is that parents do when left alone - clean I think.  They were great  fun.  We had a night walk and played lots of games.

Sunday, Elissa and Dylan stayed the afternoon, as did Greg and Tyler.  It was a hot day , but we had the new pool to cool off in.  The cousins all played very nicely with one another.

See all pics HERE

Casey and Sean

 Sean and the girls playing with 1990's technology

 In the new pool 

That is a scream of joy and laughter!

Memorial Day in Kerrville

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Kerrville with Nana and Grandpa and all the Boyce Family.  It was the weekend for the Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair, which some of us perused more than once.  Besides that it was Nana's good cooking, digging in the garden, taking hikes, and relaxing at the Boyce Ranch.

See all of the pictures by clicking HERE

Yes, he really did like getting his face painted!

Fierce Deer Hunters

Stink bugs on a leaf...