In the few days before Christmas, it was harder and harder to keep these kids busy and NOT counting and recounting all the presents under the tree! On Dec 22nd, we went to Walmart and let them browse the $.88 toys! One of the best finds of all was B'loonies -- and then we went home, and these three blew all shapes and sizes of bubbles! Thank heaven for good weather and tough balloons!!
Here are several photos of Kira, Parker, and Austen with their new and prized possessions! For Kira it was a Razr scooter, lots of Barbies and Barbie stuff, clothes and pj's, and boatloads of new colors and other art supplies. For the boys it was their new Xbox360.
Yesterday, we went to a play -- Kira and Abbi's first such experience. We saw The Story of the Nutcracker and the Mouseking. Anne blogged about it here: http://www.bloghouston.net/item/4535
Kira and Abbi were running around the central square at Market Street (shopping center in The Woodlands) last weekend -- perfect background for some great photos!
Finally, this year I have a bit of fall color in my back yard. An oak tree whose leaves simply turned brown last fall and hung on all winter now has reddish leaves; an elm that simply dropped all its leaves (all brown, of course) now has yellowish leaves; and some junipers with tiny leaves now also has tiny red berries. Must be the more consistent water they've received over spring and summer. I don't know what else to atribute it all to! But I do love it all.
Here are the formal photos of the Hildebrandt Honor Band and Austen's solo photo. I think there will be more taken in the spring -- maybe of orchestra, too, by then.
Of course, help from the kitten-cats was expected, and they didn't let me down!
Here's my re-done back yard with almost half of the flagstone gone and with more lawn in its place. Now the flagstone patio is more or less in the middle of the back yard with lawn right and left and plants and trees north and south. I put the table and chairs off-center so that I can eventually get a nice lounge chair plus table and umbrella for the other side.
Anne and Ken's back yard is about 80% done -- the 20% not done is reserved for the future pool, whenever that is.
Here are Austen and some friends just before they left the house for trick-or-treating! They were dressed as "emos" -- the emotional ones! As opposed to goths or socs or geeks or whatever is around intermediate and high schools these days. They had a great time, and they even spent their first hour herding Kira and Parker around, too!! Good kids!
Last Thursday, in the midst of a horrendous and damaging thunderstorm, Hildebrandt's bands held their fall concert. As usual, Austen's band (the Honor Band) played beautifully.
Yesterday, the entire 5th grade at Parker's school graduated from the DARE program -- a 9-week curriculum which teaches youngsters about the situations in which they may find themselves regarding drugs, alcohol, etc. -- and how to say no or walk away. This may be the most valuable set of lessons these kids learn all year.
When I went to pick up Kira, Parker, and their neighbor pals Austin and Abbi at school the other day, I waited in the kindergarten playground area. I saw Kira come out of her building, pink backpack (SuperGirl!) on, running and reading at the same time. It's a wonder she could see where she was going!
Here are a couple of photos I wanted to post that I took last Saturday. The first one is the window-wall with the page that announced that Austen had made it into the All-Region Band. Whenever someone posted a new set of results, there was almost a stampede of students to find out if theirs was up!
