Ashton started school on Monday, August 19. She's a week in and so far, so good. I'm grateful we chose dual immersion for her. Some other friends that started kindergarten at the same time said their kids were bored and felt they knew the material already. Ashton hasn't complained at all about that. She mentioned a few days were "rough" because the teacher spoke a ton in Spanish. I think the teacher speaks most of the day in Spanish so I can imagine it is frustrating at times. Ashton is already learning the alphabet in Spanish, which is crazy to me. She is also counting past 20 in Spanish so far.
She met a few friends and talks about Zoe and Chloe. I don't know who they are but she says they are nice and they tell funny jokes. She plays with them at recess and at lunch.
Her teacher is Senora Garcia. Ashton likes her and seems to be doing well with her.
Tanner seems to be adjusting well to being the older child at home. The hardest times for him are when we need to leave at a certain time to get to school for drop off/pick up. So we're working on a system for that. Otherwise, I'm enjoying having two napping kids again and a quiet house in the afternoon. It's refreshing to only have two kids home during the day. I feel I can breathe a little bit. But just a little bit because just when I do, Tanner does something to throw me off my groove.
8.25.2019
8.23.2019
Goal Update
1. Ashton to learn addition, subtraction, and reading. She also wants to learn how to tie shoes.
She worked on all of the above. Her reading is going very well and I hope it helps her in kindergarten. They teach reading in Spanish and the children often do well in both languages. Ashton can successfully tie her own shoes. Although the knots are a little loose so I go behind and double knot them for now.
2. Tanner to learn to write some letters and shapes. I also want him to be able to dress himself by the end of summer.
Tanner learned to write a T, N, A, R, E, L, M, and maybe a few others. Some times, it is by random chance that he drew the letter and other times, he does it intentionally. He actually improved a lot on his drawing abilities and started drawing people and very intense pictures. He can now put on underwear and pants by himself. His shirt is a little harder but we'll get there. With him, it's not so much a lack of ability but rather a lack of desire.
3. Go the beach!
We went once with my sister and hope to go a few more times in the early fall months. We tried more but things came up.
4. Complete temple ordinances for my grandparents.
This should be done by the end of the year. The Houston temple closed all of August, which slowed me down a little.
5. Live it up in Gatlinburg!
We definitely enjoyed our time in Tennessee. There is a slew of blog posts on that so I won't go into detail.
6. Plant a garden.
After many conversations, we decided to forego a garden still. Maybe another year.
7. Swimming at the pool.
We went swimming a bunch this summer. Gemma prefers to walk around the outside of the pool so I can't take the three kids myself. But we went at least twice a week, sometimes more. Ashton jumped off the diving board for the first time and did great. She can swim on her own about 30-40 feet or so. We worked with Tanner a little bit on swimming without a life jacket. We'll hit it harder next summer.
8. Complete some house projects like replacing all our gold door knobs, staining outside furniture, painting some more rooms, etc.
I got our half bath redone and it was everything I envisioned. I painted it, did the backsplash, and painted the cabinet. It was a fun project. We also replaced all the doorknobs, stained furniture, and got a few other minor projects done. We also added sod to some places in our backyard that used to be landscaping bricks. Now I'm working on painting the craft room, Tanner's room, Ashton's room and the kid's bathroom.
9. Move Tanner and Ashton together in a bedroom and move Gemma to a crib upstairs.
We decided to keep Tanner and Ashton separate for a little longer since we have the space. Gemma is moving upstairs in another bedroom in a few days.
10. Build a massive fort inside.
We built some forts, probably nothing "massive" by definition.
11. Visit all the local splashpads.
We accomplished this with all our ward playgroups. The kids enjoy splash pads. Gemma takes a while to warm up to them and then enjoys sitting by the small fountains.
12. Make a slip and slide in the backyard when it's not a rainy week.
Didn't do this. Maybe next summer or later this year. The kids haven't asked for it again.
13. Go hiking. Not quite sure where yet but maybe Brazos Bend State Park.
We went hiking in Tennessee but not Texas. We'll try Brazos Bend this fall when it cools off.
14. We'll all do the summer reading program at the library again I'm sure. With that, I hope to read a chapter book/week with Ashton.
We completed the summer reading program. We read at least three chapter books/week with Ashton. She loves reading Sophie Mouse books. The summer reading program gave out free books for the first level, which was pretty cool. They had great options too. I have been pleased with our library's story times and reading program so far.
15. Visit the Lone Star Flight Museum. They do a cool reading/story time once a week and I haven't ventured there yet. I know Tanner will love going.
I need to see if they still do the story time so I can take Tanner and Gemma. We didn't make it as we didn't have many open Fridays (when they offer story time).
16. Visit the space center as much as we can. Since we got a membership, I hope to go there when it's super hot outside.
We went a few times this summer and they updated some exhibits, which make it more kid-friendly.
17. Visit Schlitterbahn or another waterpark in Galveston.
We spent a WHOLE day at Schlitterbahn (like over 7 hours) as a family and loved it. We initially planned to just have Joseph and Ashton go but at the last minute, we all went. The kids had a blast. It was a fun day and we'll probably do it once a summer if possible. Because of height restrictions, Ashton had to go on a lot of rides by herself so one of us could ride tandem with Tanner. She did amazing at it and showed minimal hesitation. She even tried boogie boarding. She is so little and light that she just flew off the second her board hit the current but I was so proud of her for trying. Gemma hated the lazy river but loved played in the toddler sections of the waterpark.
18. Visit the Houston Dog Show.
I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the dog show with Ashton and Tanner. It wasn't as big of a hit as I expected but they enjoyed it still.
19. Visit some new parks.
We tried out a few new ones. We still prefer the few close to our house though.
20. Be outside as much as possible. I know for many people, Texas summers are not "outside weather." I try my best to deal with the sweating and the heat and just enjoy it. I'm going to sweat no matter what so I am going to TRY to find the joy in the heat. I'll stock the freezer with popsicles to make it better. I really want to try to be outside at least three hours a day when possible. I have read a blog with a goal of 1000 hours outside each year. This averages out to be 2.75 hours/day. Right now, we probably spend 2ish hours a day outside so I'm trying to increase this. Some days are easier than others (rain vs. sun) but I can still be more willing.
I felt pretty successful with this goal. The kids were outside everyday for at least an hour or more. The summer hasn't felt too unbearable plus the weather blog I follow mentions a slight cold front coming next week. I'd love to have a longer fall to enjoy the outdoors more.
She worked on all of the above. Her reading is going very well and I hope it helps her in kindergarten. They teach reading in Spanish and the children often do well in both languages. Ashton can successfully tie her own shoes. Although the knots are a little loose so I go behind and double knot them for now.
2. Tanner to learn to write some letters and shapes. I also want him to be able to dress himself by the end of summer.
Tanner learned to write a T, N, A, R, E, L, M, and maybe a few others. Some times, it is by random chance that he drew the letter and other times, he does it intentionally. He actually improved a lot on his drawing abilities and started drawing people and very intense pictures. He can now put on underwear and pants by himself. His shirt is a little harder but we'll get there. With him, it's not so much a lack of ability but rather a lack of desire.
3. Go the beach!
We went once with my sister and hope to go a few more times in the early fall months. We tried more but things came up.
4. Complete temple ordinances for my grandparents.
This should be done by the end of the year. The Houston temple closed all of August, which slowed me down a little.
5. Live it up in Gatlinburg!
We definitely enjoyed our time in Tennessee. There is a slew of blog posts on that so I won't go into detail.
6. Plant a garden.
After many conversations, we decided to forego a garden still. Maybe another year.
7. Swimming at the pool.
We went swimming a bunch this summer. Gemma prefers to walk around the outside of the pool so I can't take the three kids myself. But we went at least twice a week, sometimes more. Ashton jumped off the diving board for the first time and did great. She can swim on her own about 30-40 feet or so. We worked with Tanner a little bit on swimming without a life jacket. We'll hit it harder next summer.
8. Complete some house projects like replacing all our gold door knobs, staining outside furniture, painting some more rooms, etc.
I got our half bath redone and it was everything I envisioned. I painted it, did the backsplash, and painted the cabinet. It was a fun project. We also replaced all the doorknobs, stained furniture, and got a few other minor projects done. We also added sod to some places in our backyard that used to be landscaping bricks. Now I'm working on painting the craft room, Tanner's room, Ashton's room and the kid's bathroom.
9. Move Tanner and Ashton together in a bedroom and move Gemma to a crib upstairs.
We decided to keep Tanner and Ashton separate for a little longer since we have the space. Gemma is moving upstairs in another bedroom in a few days.
10. Build a massive fort inside.
We built some forts, probably nothing "massive" by definition.
11. Visit all the local splashpads.
We accomplished this with all our ward playgroups. The kids enjoy splash pads. Gemma takes a while to warm up to them and then enjoys sitting by the small fountains.
12. Make a slip and slide in the backyard when it's not a rainy week.
Didn't do this. Maybe next summer or later this year. The kids haven't asked for it again.
13. Go hiking. Not quite sure where yet but maybe Brazos Bend State Park.
We went hiking in Tennessee but not Texas. We'll try Brazos Bend this fall when it cools off.
14. We'll all do the summer reading program at the library again I'm sure. With that, I hope to read a chapter book/week with Ashton.
We completed the summer reading program. We read at least three chapter books/week with Ashton. She loves reading Sophie Mouse books. The summer reading program gave out free books for the first level, which was pretty cool. They had great options too. I have been pleased with our library's story times and reading program so far.
15. Visit the Lone Star Flight Museum. They do a cool reading/story time once a week and I haven't ventured there yet. I know Tanner will love going.
I need to see if they still do the story time so I can take Tanner and Gemma. We didn't make it as we didn't have many open Fridays (when they offer story time).
16. Visit the space center as much as we can. Since we got a membership, I hope to go there when it's super hot outside.
We went a few times this summer and they updated some exhibits, which make it more kid-friendly.
17. Visit Schlitterbahn or another waterpark in Galveston.
We spent a WHOLE day at Schlitterbahn (like over 7 hours) as a family and loved it. We initially planned to just have Joseph and Ashton go but at the last minute, we all went. The kids had a blast. It was a fun day and we'll probably do it once a summer if possible. Because of height restrictions, Ashton had to go on a lot of rides by herself so one of us could ride tandem with Tanner. She did amazing at it and showed minimal hesitation. She even tried boogie boarding. She is so little and light that she just flew off the second her board hit the current but I was so proud of her for trying. Gemma hated the lazy river but loved played in the toddler sections of the waterpark.
18. Visit the Houston Dog Show.
I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the dog show with Ashton and Tanner. It wasn't as big of a hit as I expected but they enjoyed it still.
19. Visit some new parks.
We tried out a few new ones. We still prefer the few close to our house though.
20. Be outside as much as possible. I know for many people, Texas summers are not "outside weather." I try my best to deal with the sweating and the heat and just enjoy it. I'm going to sweat no matter what so I am going to TRY to find the joy in the heat. I'll stock the freezer with popsicles to make it better. I really want to try to be outside at least three hours a day when possible. I have read a blog with a goal of 1000 hours outside each year. This averages out to be 2.75 hours/day. Right now, we probably spend 2ish hours a day outside so I'm trying to increase this. Some days are easier than others (rain vs. sun) but I can still be more willing.
I felt pretty successful with this goal. The kids were outside everyday for at least an hour or more. The summer hasn't felt too unbearable plus the weather blog I follow mentions a slight cold front coming next week. I'd love to have a longer fall to enjoy the outdoors more.
Tennessee Day 4
Our last full day in the mountains and we were determined to get a hike in. After the flat tire issue the day before, we knew this was our last day to try. We hiked Laurel Falls and it was great. The kids did awesome and the views were amazing. Ashton and I saw a black bear off the trail a ways on the way back down, which was neat. Gemma cooperated yet again by staying in the carrier the whole time plus taking a nap. Such a champ!
After our hike, we hit up the national park visitor's center and gift shop. Then we met my parents and the rest of the crew for a late lunch in Gatlinburg. This was our only time actually going into the city and I'm grateful for that. After lunch, we visited the Ripley's Aquarium. Then we rode the free trolley around a little bit for the kids and headed back to the campground for a cookout that night.
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| Pre-hike. Waiting at the trailhead while Dad parked the car. |
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| She slept right through the waterfall part. But I think that is okay. I was worried she'd want to play in all the water and be wet coming back down. Plus the drop off was fairly substantial at the falls. |
Tennessee Day 3
This day turned out a little different than planned. Initially, we planned to hike up to some waterfalls but we woke up to a flat tire on the van. While Joseph took care of that (thanks to a spare, we could at least get into town to repair it), I joined the family and we headed to the Deer Farm/Zoo. We spent the morning enjoying that and Joseph met us up there. After that, Joseph took the little kids back to the cabin while Ashton, my parents, and I went horseback riding. Ashton wanted to go horseback riding for her birthday but there aren't a ton of trail riding places in Houston. So we decided to try it in the mountains instead. It was great and I was proud of her for being brave. She got to ride her own horse and did awesome at it. It was pretty mountainous terrain and she never showed any fear on any steep incline or declines.
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| Tanner wanted a turn taking pictures. I'm guessing there was some bug in the rocks for this one. |
8.12.2019
Tennessee Day 1
Our first full day at the campground was Monday, August 5th. We rented a two bedroom cabin, which worked out perfectly. My parents and sister brought their RVs and stayed at the same campground. My brother came for a few days and stayed close by at another rental. It was very nice to have everyone right in the same area to allow for maximum play time. The campground was perfect for us as well. Mini golf, a pool, a great playground, some mountain streams with rocks to play on, etc.
We spent Monday morning on a hike that went from our campground into the Smoky Mountains. There was a waterfall at the top but we failed to realize it was about a four mile hike to the waterfall plus the hike back down. So we made it about 1.5 miles up and turned back around. We saw an old cabin built in the woods and lots of wildlife. The kids complained a fair amount but I also could empathize as we couldn't get the waterfalls. Plus they were anxious to play with their cousins at the campground. Gemma did GREAT in the backpacking carrier we got for the trip. We thought she'd last a few minutes in it but actually made it the whole way up and down. Plus she took a nap in it.
Monday afternoon, we spent time around the campground with family.
We spent Monday morning on a hike that went from our campground into the Smoky Mountains. There was a waterfall at the top but we failed to realize it was about a four mile hike to the waterfall plus the hike back down. So we made it about 1.5 miles up and turned back around. We saw an old cabin built in the woods and lots of wildlife. The kids complained a fair amount but I also could empathize as we couldn't get the waterfalls. Plus they were anxious to play with their cousins at the campground. Gemma did GREAT in the backpacking carrier we got for the trip. We thought she'd last a few minutes in it but actually made it the whole way up and down. Plus she took a nap in it.
Monday afternoon, we spent time around the campground with family.
Tennessee Day 2
Tuesday was a great day as well. We hung out around the campground all morning in preparation for the rafting trip that afternoon. We signed Tanner, Ashton, and Joseph up for whitewater rafting with some of my family. Unfortunately, Tanner was too scared to go rafting and Joseph could not convince him to get on the boat. So they stayed at the rafting place until Ashton finished the trip. She had a blast with my family and thoroughly enjoyed seeing blue herons, turtles, and other cool animals. They stopped a few times to go swimming in the river as well as hit some good rapids. I was proud of her for going. Hopefully Tanner can go next time. He acts all brave and dare-devil-ish and then still has his moments of being three and scared.
I hung back at the camp with Gemma while she took a super long nap. She'd had a long few days of car naps. Then we played around the campground and had dinner with the family.
I hung back at the camp with Gemma while she took a super long nap. She'd had a long few days of car naps. Then we played around the campground and had dinner with the family.
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| No hands! |
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| Like I said, nothing could cheer him up. I wish I had gone to try and help but Gemma napping was a wonderful perk too. |
8.11.2019
Tennesse Trip: Driving there
We left Friday, August 2, to head to Tennessee. On the way there, we split the trip into three days. On Friday, we planned to drive about seven hours to north Mobile. But there was terrible traffic on I-10/I-12 so it ended up being closer to 8 or 9 hours driving. We stopped in Lake Charles for a splash pad, east of Baton Rouge for ice cream at Chick Fil A, and then dinner about an hour from the hotel. We didn't plan to make the third stop for dinner but due to traffic and running late, we had to add it in.
We stayed a hotel in Saraland, AL, which was in a great spot to set us up for an easy drive Saturday morning. Mobile isn't on the way to Gatlinburg but we decided to go a different route so we could see Joseph's grandmothers and some extended family that live near there. We've seen them three times now since moving to Texas. It's fun to do but the towns they live in are little itty bitty towns with nothing much for kids so it's always a bit tricky with little ones.
The hotel went really well! Gemma ended up being a great sleeper when traveling, which I'm grateful for. We got rooms with two separate sleeping rooms, which helps too. Saturday morning, we drove to Brewton to see one grandmother for lunch. She decided to take us out to lunch at a Chinese buffet, which I was pretty nervous about. Not only had our kids been traveling a lot but they also got a little less sleep than normal. And unless a restaurant has a playplace, eating there doesn't end well. Thankfully, I had enough toys to keep them entertained and it allowed Joseph to catch up with some family.
After lunch, the kids and I went back to the grandma's house to play with her kittens while Joseph went to visit his other grandma in a nursing home. We decided not to take the kids with since his grandma is suffering with severe dementia. It wasn't really worth struggling with three kids in a small room just for someone to not even know who they are. Joseph had a good visit though and we were happy he made it there.
After Brewton, we drove north to Castleberry to see a cousin and her kids as well as Joe's aunt and uncle who live on a farm. Once we finished visiting, we drove north to Birmingham for another hotel stay on Saturday night.
Sunday morning came and we went to the local ward. Then we drove further north to Knoxville. A family from Lake Jackson moved there two years ago so we stopped at their home for Sunday dinner and the kids all played together. It was a perfect way to keep the Sabbath day despite traveling. After dinner and playing, we loaded up one last time for the 1.5 hour drive to our cabin. The rest of my family was already at the campground so we were anxious to get there.
Overall, the kids did great traveling throughout the three days. It was a lot of travel time but they enjoyed the stops and hung in there. But we were all very excited to get to our destination and be out of the van for a while.
We stayed a hotel in Saraland, AL, which was in a great spot to set us up for an easy drive Saturday morning. Mobile isn't on the way to Gatlinburg but we decided to go a different route so we could see Joseph's grandmothers and some extended family that live near there. We've seen them three times now since moving to Texas. It's fun to do but the towns they live in are little itty bitty towns with nothing much for kids so it's always a bit tricky with little ones.
The hotel went really well! Gemma ended up being a great sleeper when traveling, which I'm grateful for. We got rooms with two separate sleeping rooms, which helps too. Saturday morning, we drove to Brewton to see one grandmother for lunch. She decided to take us out to lunch at a Chinese buffet, which I was pretty nervous about. Not only had our kids been traveling a lot but they also got a little less sleep than normal. And unless a restaurant has a playplace, eating there doesn't end well. Thankfully, I had enough toys to keep them entertained and it allowed Joseph to catch up with some family.
After lunch, the kids and I went back to the grandma's house to play with her kittens while Joseph went to visit his other grandma in a nursing home. We decided not to take the kids with since his grandma is suffering with severe dementia. It wasn't really worth struggling with three kids in a small room just for someone to not even know who they are. Joseph had a good visit though and we were happy he made it there.
After Brewton, we drove north to Castleberry to see a cousin and her kids as well as Joe's aunt and uncle who live on a farm. Once we finished visiting, we drove north to Birmingham for another hotel stay on Saturday night.
Sunday morning came and we went to the local ward. Then we drove further north to Knoxville. A family from Lake Jackson moved there two years ago so we stopped at their home for Sunday dinner and the kids all played together. It was a perfect way to keep the Sabbath day despite traveling. After dinner and playing, we loaded up one last time for the 1.5 hour drive to our cabin. The rest of my family was already at the campground so we were anxious to get there.
Overall, the kids did great traveling throughout the three days. It was a lot of travel time but they enjoyed the stops and hung in there. But we were all very excited to get to our destination and be out of the van for a while.
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| Careful packing of our van |
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| Ice cream stop at CFA |
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| Playing at Grandma McGlothren's home. I was just grateful they didn't break anything. |
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