New Friends

So Madeleine has been asking for a new pet for a while. She really really wants a horse. She also really wants a dog or other furry animal (she'd settle for a guinea pig or bunny). But since her parents really don't want to take care of another furry creature right now, she started campaigning for a fish aquarium. She had a small one for several years and was too young to do the maintence herself and we got rid of the aquarium when it became too much work for me. So after all her pleading and arguing, we decided to go to the fish store and check out our options. It turns out that Brannon has always wanted a big aquarium and loves colorful fish, so we ended up with this:

 

It's 110 gallons and about 7 feet tall. When Brannon does something, he usually does it at 110%. The aquarium was installed last Monday and we had to wait for several days for the water to settle out so today was the first day for us to introduce fish to the tank. We are starting slowly and introducing only a few at a time to minimize any casualties. Each kid got a fish...

 

This is Pig, named by Madeleine because she is a "guinea pig" fish and is testing the water to make sure it is ok for other fish. She is a female Beta. 

 

This is Sharky. James apparently has the same thoughts on naming as his Granddad Stanley who once named our dog Girly because she was a girl. Sharky is a Red Fin Shark. 

 

This is Zebra, named by Charlotte. We have no idea what the gender is, but Charlotte really thinks it's a girl. She is a Honduran Red Point (a type of cichlid). 

Hopefully all three fish will survive the week and we can introduce three more new friends next week. Our guy at the fish store says our tank can support 20-30 fish, so it might take us a while to hit our capacity. Next up is a chemistry lesson for the kids on how to test the chemicals in the water. 

Valentines

Charlotte and James had a fun time at their school Valentine's Day parties. This is the first year that Madeleine's grade didn't celebrate the holiday. She would have missed it anyway though since she came home from school early with a stomach ache. She did get into the spirit by helping us put together the 50 valentines we needed for James and Charlotte's class. ❤️

 

 

 

So James' valentine to Brannon and I was a QR code. This is the first time I've had to use an app to read a valentine! I had to scan the QR code and have it give me what James wrote. 

CKS Father/Daughter Dance 2017

Brannon and the girls attended the CKS Father/Daughter Dance last night. They went to dinner beforehand and Blue Fish Sushi and ate at the bar to watch the chefs create their culinary artwork. Their good behavior was rewarded with an orange panda and a strawberry flower made by one of the chefs. The dance was in the school cafeteria. The girls danced a bit, played with friends and then Brannon took them for gelato at Frost. They had a great time!

 

 

First 5k & Another Belt Test

Madeleine ran in her first timed 5k yesterday - the Hot Chocolate 5k at Fair Park. We ran with some friends from school and had a great time. After the race we enjoyed the hot chocolate, banana, pretzel, cookies and Rice Krispie treats with melted chocolate to dip those in that they served. We then signed up for another 5k next month! 

 

 

 

James and Charlotte also had another belt test yesterday. James is now a black belt with white stripe and Charlotte is a blue belt with a red stripe. James' next test will be for his black belt. 

 

 

January

And here's what we were up to during the month of January...

We got a little snow in Dallas

Brannon and I went on a "no kids" vacation in Austin. 

Madeleine sold some Girl Scout cookies

We went on a sailing trip on Lake Travis with our friends Mr. Lovejoy and his daughter Shelby

  

Mandi and I ran the Austin 3M Half Marathon

I took a class on how to make paella with my friend Nancy

Charlotte had her first horseback riding lesson

And Charlotte presented her report on the state of Oregon to her class

December

So obviously I got behind on updates during the holidays! Here is my attempt to catch up for the month of December.

We hosted the 1st Grade Girls Mother/Daughter Ornament Exchange at our house.  The girls made angels with paper plates and traced their hands for the wings. They they exchanged ornaments with each other.

Charlotte won the Christian Witness Award for Joy. She truly is our most joyful child! Grandmother and Granddad came to Mass to congratulate her.

James and Charlotte participated the in annual Yim's Taekwondo Championchip. They both won trophies for sparring and forms competition.

I ran in the BWM Dallas Half Marathon with my friends Mandi and Audra. 

The kids performed in their annual Christmas piano recital.

Charlotte was Student of the Week and read her "All About Me" booklet to the class. She wants to be a piano teacher when she grows up!

Madeleine attended her annual Mother/Daughter Ornament Exchange and modeled her Meo-wy Christmas cat sweater in the ugly sweater competition.

Charlotte sang with her class in the CKS Christmas Program.  The kids visited with Santa afterwards.

The kids all had their class Christmas parites at school. Lots of snacks and fun games!

Charlotte sang with the Cherub Choir at Christmas Eve Mass in the Community Center. Madeleine was also an altar server at the Mass.

We celebrated Christmas with the Marlowes on Christmas Eve at Lauren's house.

We celebrated Christmas with the Stanleys in the afternoon on Christmas Day at Grandmother & Granddad Stanley's house.

Brannon bought himself a new toy for Christmas. It is a 1955 MGTF.

Charlotte got her ears pierced! She chose her birthstone peridot for her first pair of earrings. 

James and Brannon went to a Cowboy game.

Brannon and I celebrated New Years Eve at the wedding of our friends Sophia and David.