Six Flags and Planes

This Spring we participated in the Six Flags reading program. Since I'm a homeschooler
they gave both myself and my son a free one time pass for the summer.
We've had some unusually cool weather for Texas lately so I thought I'd take advantage and
use our passes before it got TOO hot. Don't get me wrong, it was still hot! 

These little Frogg Toggs are AWESOME! Seriously. The Officer scored two free at a Hershey's 5k he worked. Not only did they pay well they handed out free chocolate milk and Frogg Toggs afterwards!

This was my "Just in case you get lost" picture.

We made our way in to Six Flags around 11. The heat really wasn't terrible. It was hot, but it stayed under 100. Barely. We hit up Bugs Bunny Boom Town first for a mini roller coaster, jet planes and a water spraying ride. I hadn't been to Six Flags in well over ten years so this was new to me. This little section was great! It was kind of like carnival rides but a little more sturdy.

"WOAH, that was scary"!

After getting drenched on the water buckets we headed over to Aquaman. Beemer was super excited about Aquaman until he started seeing the ride in action. He wanted to get outta there. We were already part of the way through our wait so I convinced him to stay. It was a big drop for the likes of the two of us. We aren't big on heights! It was fun though. We stood on the bridge afterwards to be completely soaked. My shoes were squishing.

Wanna do that again? Nope!

The sprayers and fans really helped and there were many of them. Though I think they could add a little more shading around the Boom Town rides they have done a pretty good job at interspersing water in the park to help with the heat. (Major bummer Roaring Rapids is closed!)

Twisting back and forth in the water.

 When I told Beemer we were going to Six Flags this morning he said

"YAY, we're gonna get Cotton Candy!" 

I'm not sure what gave him this idea but it was the one thing we bought while we were there! It was a nice little break. $7 is a big steep for cotton candy but it was huge! It would be perfect for a family! We had tried to bring our lunch in but had to eat it outside the gate because they don't allow it. (I'm sorry, but for the price of tickets and parking I ought to be able to bring in my sandwich lunch. We did manage to circumvent both tickets and parking though so I guess we beat the system.)

 

After our cotton candy break we did the carousel. Beemer asked if they would be

around to buckle him in on the horse. When I said no he promptly moved to this seat while
I rode the horse. As soon as the ride ended he promptly ran over and picked up a
piece of trash somebody left in the floor. He takes this kind of initiative frequently.

We rode the antique cars. Beemer drove and I pushed the gas. I distinctly remember

riding these with my cousin as a kid. We fought the whole way about who got to drive.
Hey, somebody had to make up for me not having a brother! Beemer liked the cars.
This was more up his alley than much else we did. I pretty much drug him onto the Mini Mine train and then promised him I wouldn't force him onto any more rides. Even though he said it wasn't that bad he did not want to do it again! I think Aquaman traumatized him a little!

After our carousel ride we wandered down to Mexico and rode the Sombrero. Before it started Beemer said he wanted to get off and not do it. I told him we were already on so let's just go for it (as I thought to myself, I'm going to regret this.) In his words, "It was HORRIBLE." It killed me for the rest of the day and I think it made him a little sick too. I just can't spin in circles and go up and down like I used to. Even swings on the swingset make me dizzy. I haven't felt right since we got off of that darn Sombrero! Up. Down. Slanted. Backwards. Too much for this old lady.

At this point we had walked the entire park so we headed back over to Boom Town while I quickly called The Officer to come pick us up (thanks Six Flags, but you can keep your $20 parking spots). He had been out with Sister running errands and playing/eating lunch at "Walmart." Oh wait, I mean Central Market. Sister was a little confused about their whereabouts! Beemer rode the trucks one more time and wandered up to a cash-only game. I only had $4 so the very nice dad next to us offered us the extra buck and played against us. We lost, but we still came home with a superhero cape.

After getting cleaned up, popping another Excedrin and eating a quick dinner we went to the movie theater with our FREE tickets! We scored 4 from Summer Reading at the library and The Officer was given 4 at work. We saw the new Planes, it was really good. My favorite of all the Cars movies. As usual, the music was great. The kids danced up front at the end.

It was nice to spend some one-on-one time with my sweet boy and a night out as a family. We haven't done that much lately. It's also technically our last day of summer, we plan to start 1st grade tomorrow! You know us though, we'll still be out having fun when school starts. Day 1 we have a date at the pool. Like I said in my last post, in under 2 hours a day school is done so we get to play!

I Sat

Just as I was about to drag the trash to the curb it started pouring rain. I did something I rarely do. I pulled out a chair and I sat. Not with my camera. Not with my phone. I sat to watch the rain, to listen, soak it in and relax for a rare moment. Soon, two little bodies joined me on a stool and in a stroller. We sat. But, you know how that goes with kids!

Timidly, they threw a toy into the rain and jumped out to get it. Sister opened her mouth wide and caught the rain coming off the house. Giggles of pure joy escaped. Quickly timidity turned to adventure. Running and squealing across the front of the house took it's place.

Beemer offered to drag out the trash for me. "I better go help him," I thought. The water was pooling up on the side of the trash can. "WOAH" the trash can is moving! Look, it's making a dam! The squealing moved to the street, running up and down the gully of the street in the rushing water. All of us in our pajamas might I add.

"Maybe we can make a dam," I offered. Twigs and sticks were drug from the yard. A large rock came from somewhere. Beemer ran in to grab his rock collection. Teamwork at it's best. Science at it's best. Learning, at it's best.

Sometimes when we sit our problems dissipate. The stress of life slows down for a minute. We discover joy that has been forgotten in the moments of craze and to do lists.

We are less than a week from starting First Grade. All summer long I have had my doubts. Can I really do this? Am I really up for it again? Are they missing out on the fun of friends, colorful classrooms and teachers?

But these moments solidify it for me. They are the ones that make it worth it. Because dams aren't built inside colorful classrooms while familial experiences are left at home. Because when it rains and pours it should be taken advantage of. When the sun shines we should soak it up. Because children can learn reading, writing and math in a couple of hours a day and spend the rest playing, creating, and exploring what interests them. Those are the real gems in life. These are the precious memories.

And this is while I homeschool.

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Take a moment. Sit. Watch the rare July rain and enjoy the cool. Joys will be unearthed. Passions will be renewed. Stresses will fade.

BIG Field Trip Day

Back at the beginning of the month we headed out to tour the vet tech facilities at one of our local community colleges. I wasn't sure how excited the kids would be, but they did really well and enjoyed it! We also had some other homeschool friends tag along and that was fun too.

One of the school vets gave us the tour, it was very nice of him. We saw xrays of several animals.

Why look at xrays when you can hang on Nana's shoulder?

Ummmm, don't get bit kids! We've been there and done that...

One of my favorite parts, seeing the horses.

The kids enjoyed feeding grass to this beauty!

The cows also all came running in hopes of food. The boys were really excited to get to see one pee!

After our friends left we visited the Anatomy lab for a few minutes. Beemer was really into it! Mommy was really embarassed at her lack of knowledge as to where things go.

 

This was such a simple part of my day, but probably my favorite. Right as we were leaving I heard something hit the floor. I feared we had broken the body! It was actually a tiny little baby that fell out of the model uterus. It was a nice moment to teach my kids about where life truly begins and have them see it with their own eyes. One of many seeds of truth being planted.

We also visited the rooms where they practice their nursing skills. I think this was where
Beemer hit the patient. You're not going to make a very good nurse buddy!

 

 Beemer is trying to figure out if this guy is here for a broken leg. Hah!
(The Officer broke his leg back in December and spent three days in the hospital.)

 We headed on from here to Texas Discovery Gardens where we visited the Butterfly House.
Check it out here! It was a long day, but a fun one and very educational.

Butterfly Release

For our Butterfly unit we purchased the butterfly kit. It was about $30, but totally worth it!
I think I may shell out the almost $20 to get the caterpillar refill next year. We really
enjoyed the ants also. There is much to be learned from God's creation and it was so neat to
see the caterpillars truly become a New Creation!

We were heading to the Botanical Gardens for lunch and a playdate so I thought it would
be the perfect time to release our butterflies! That, and I was afraid I'd kill them if I kept
them any longer :) We hit up Sonic for 50 cent corn dogs, thankfully my friend was driving
by right as I needed to borrow some money. Left my wallet at home!

Dearest Sister, thank you for being so cooperative for this picture!

  

Off they go!

Watching one fly away.

All five of our caterpillars formed into chrysalis and eventually emerged. One fell in
the forming process and his wings never formed. Beemer had it on his Spring Bucket List
to touch a butterfly, I really didn't think we were going to see this one happen!

We saved our crippled beauty for last and he gently placed him in the garden.

You can see our other butterfly activities, including the Butterfly Garden, here.
I didn't go all out like this for many of the units, but we were really excited
about butterflies and enjoyed the activities we did do.

Butterfly Garden

 We are getting close to wrapping up the end of Kindergarten! I have really enjoyed the
My Father's World curriculum and I love all of the hands-on activities. It's hard for me
to do them sometimes, but generally the kids have so much fun when we do. 

I was really excited for the butterfly unit and wanted to put a little more into it than
some of the others. In Bible we learned about how God makes us new. 

This was the highlight of my year right here:

Beemer told me during Bible time he wants God to make him new and live inside his heart.
I talked to him in more detail about what it means and said let's pray, fully intending to do the praying. Before I could, he started praying and telling God he wants Him to make him new
and live inside his heart. Oh my word, sweetest moment ever! The next day when I mentioned
God making us new he said "So, everybody but Sister". I asked him further about it and
he told me that he was being made new too because he prayed the day before.

One of the things I really enjoy is field trips related to our studies. For butterfly we visited
Texas Discovery Gardens and saw their butterfly house. It was so neat! Beemer enjoyed it a little more than Sister. The whole thing starts upstairs on a bridge and Sister wasn't a fan. She also is squeemish about flying things, any guesses where she got that from?

This was a long field trip day. Before heading to Discovery we spent the morning
at a local community college touring their vet tech building. This was unrelated to butterflies,
but a really fun trip. You can see those pictures here.

I wish I could remember what he was saying,
something about how God created everything!

Trying to have a butterfly land on their hands.
Mom went to the garden in Missouri and had much better luck.
Probably something about her sitting still for more than a few seconds.

Watching the caterpillars eat.

Butterfly hands again.

Sister: Can we go yet?

Can you see that huge moth he's looking at?

This butterfly had just emerged,
his wings were metallic blue on one side.

Touching a butterfly wing.

Then we headed outside to wander the actual Gardens. It was pretty, but not super enjoyable with little children. I think they offer free admission on Tuesdays (Gardens only). Pricing is very reasonable for the whole thing though and we parked for free.

We made one more pass through the butterfly house.

These two were really, ahem, close to each other.
When they flew off and didn't detach I figured it was time to move on!

Lots off Chrysalis waiting to emerge.

Additionally, for this unit we purchased a butterfly kit. You can see our release pictures here.
We also checked out a Story Kit from out library about bugs/butterflies and enjoyed
Spring weather while reading some books. The kids loved pretending to go through
the caterpillar process. After we did it once they kept going!

Eggs on a leaf.

Rolling around in the Chrysalis, not that Chrysalis roll!

Emerging.

Cutest caterpillars I've seen!

Flapping their newly formed wings!

Getting a drink of nectar.

I don't buy juice often so this was a special treat.

Ahhh, I think I'll just lay here.

And then the fun kept going! They wrapped each other up, rolled each other around
the yard and encouraged their chrysalis to open. "Hey, Chrysalis, come out!