Gunpowder and What?

This past month we celebrated Richmond, TX.  We also celebrated the county in which Richmond resides, Fort Bend.  (And yes, to my Louisiana friends, county is a strange word better replaced by parish.)

So what have we learned from our celebratory experiences?  Well, let me tell you...through a series of pictures and captions.

Festival celebrating Richmond's 175th year of incorporation:

Richmond Texans love America...and Texas.

Poodles and cowboys clearly go together.

These were some of the possible clothing styles worn between the years 1837 and 2012.

This old timey firetruck is pretty cool.

American flags make any parade better.

Not everything in Richmond is old or historic.  There is a Zumba class.

Did you know there are cowboys here?

Miss Daisy is here, too.

It's totally cool for kids to ride these things.

Jail isn't really a joking matter.

This wagon is one (or two) steps away from having a bicycle pull it...Troy Becker.

There is an old timey barbershop in town and it's totally fine for the manliest men to go there.

American flags really do make any parade better.

That was fun.  All 20 minutes of it.  Even though I jest, I really do like the people here.  I also like the history.    It's like trading in Cajuns for cowboys.

Now onto the 76th Annual Fort Bend County Fair:

You can get a gallon of milk from one cow in one milking...!

Baby ducks are about the cutest, most cuddly thing!

I spoke too soon.  This pig is pretty darn cute.

And big.

The FFA and 4-H are alive and well here.

Auctioneers talk fast, even ceiling fans are bigger in Texas, and did I mention that there are cowboys here? 

What a fun time.  I think we'll all need a pair of cowboy boots before we can really feel at home.  I don't know that we'll be raising any animals anytime soon (do bees count?!).  And another thing, I'm not sure that any amount of time spent here, no matter how long, could convince me that girls are made of gunpowder and lead.   I don't know that I will ever get into country music.                                     

So there you have it.  A small taste of our small country life.

How Our Garden Grows

I'll start out with a simple request.  Please pray for my hen and chicks.

In case you aren't familiar with succulents, these are hen and chicks.  Named so because the big plant (the hen) shoots off smaller versions of itself (the chicks).  And they snuggle in a pot.  So cute.  But my little hen...not so cute.  She started to rot due to her soil being the wrong mix and staying too wet.  So we tried our best to help her out.  We removed some of the chicks in the off chance that she doesn't make it and we mixed her damp soil with more sand and rocks.  I do not have a green thumb, so she may very well need a miracle to make it.

Isaac's chick

Annie's chick

Transplanted chicks

With our little plot of land, we've been enjoying some gardening.  We are currently sprouting our fall/winter garden in our sunroom.  Where that will go, I'm not sure.  But we're getting ready for some lettuce and chard.  Yum.  We have also spent a little time cultivating a butterfly garden.  Here are some photos:

Mystic Blue Spire Salvia

Turk's cap

Who can identify this butterfly?

Hibiscus, zinnias, and other types of salvia are also growing in our garden. We've also installed a couple of old dry logs that serve the purpose of giving the butterflies a place to sun themselves.  When we have overripe fruit (juicy fruits are the best) we cut it open and leave it out there and watch the butterflies land on the fruit to drink the juice.  Yellowjackets also like overripe fruit.  As do lizards...who knew?   Some of the most notable visitors to our little garden have been Cloudless Sulphurs and various Swallowtails (the hummingbirds actually chase these bigger butterflies away).  The butterfly in the photo is quite common here, as is the Hackberry.  Here's a list of Houston butterflies and moths.  Want to check out butterflies in your area?  Here you go.

We are still enjoying the hummingbirds, which have grown in number now that migration is happening.  The cooler weather also brought another deer family to the backyard.  The most we've seen at one time is five (two does and three fawns).  And we've got bees in our future!  Buzz, buzz.  

So, what have you got growing in your garden?  Or your flower beds?  Or your indoor pots?

Back in Session

*Allow me to start out by saying that this blog has been written for some weeks now.  I am just now getting around to putting pictures with it.  I am too lazy to try and rewrite it, so I will post it as is.  Pretend as though we are living in the moment.*

School's been going strong for a week now.  And there's not too much that I can say about it.  Strange, huh?

Since Troy is one of the assistant principals at the school, he has been taking care of all the "details".  He met the teacher, he has seen the students, he took care of the paper work.  I just pack the lunches and wash the uniforms.  But I shouldn't sell myself too short.  I do make sure the homework is done.  All one page of homework that he brings home daily...

But he's having a good time.  When asked what his favorite part of the day is, he happily replies, "Recess!".   Duh.  And there are cute girls, but we'll have to see what their conduct is like.

I asked him to be honest and tell me who was a better teacher, Mommy or Ms. Serath.  Ms. Serath won, but I'm not surprised.

At the end of the first week there was a picnic at the school.  It was a gathering with the intention of having parents meet parents and parents meet teachers and students meet parents, teachers, and other students.  I will add in here that I was impressed with what I saw.  There is a diverse mix of students and lots of parental involvement.  Also, since the school is K-9 there are children of all ages (up to about 15) there.  It was really heartwarming to see the older kids including the younger kids and watching out for them.  An older boy attempted to teach Orry how to properly throw a basketball.  Poor child, has his mom's sense of coordination.

*Now I'll update you with more recent tidbits.*

Orry tested out of the first grade, but we have decided to keep him in his class.  Instead of moving him up a grade, we will opt to do GT and harder assignments from his teacher.

This past week was a short one since school was out on Friday due to staff development.  We decided to make a day of it and head over to the zoo and take a ride on the train around Hermann Park.

All in all he is growing up to be a fine young boy.  Eager to help out and aware that he doesn't know everything.  He's imaginative and well behaved (when not around his mother).  He's considerate of others and willing to share.  He also eats like a horse!  

Here's to a great year of first grade, Orry!  Go get 'em!

Country Roads Take Me Home

Boy.  I'm quite embarrassed when I see the date of my last blog entry.  But on we go!

We've done it!  We've moved.  We are now living in the country.  I laugh a little when I say that or when I call our new home a "country home".  Allow me to explain.

Mowing grass and taking names

Our little house sits on an acre, almost at the end of a dirt road.  Behind our backyard is a field where we have happily watched a hummingbird, a few deer, a variety of birds (hawks, roseate spoonbills, scissor-tailed flycatchers, chickadees), and butterflies galore.  Our water comes from a well.   There are horses on our "street".  Our dishwasher is portable.  Dirt comes into our home every time we do.

Which is cuter, portable dishwasher or Isaac?

Now, on the other hand, we live off a semi major highway.  There's set of train tracks that run along that highway.  Follow that highway in either direction for about 7 miles and you'll run into a shopping center.

I like to think that we've got the best of both worlds.  Houston and all its offerings aren't too far away.  My house sits in the dark and the quiet.  Amenities are close.  Woodland creatures are even closer.

We really lucked out.  And that makes us happy.  Troy is enjoying his new job, as well as getting his hands dirty planting plants in our butterfly garden.  The kids enjoy being outside and sweaty.  I enjoy letting them outside without supervision and without worry.  Yep, the place where we belong.  It's going to be a good year.

Up, Up, and Away

Watermelon, lemonade, snowballs.

Things you love about summertime!

Oh, sorry.  That's not in the form of a question.

Summer is in full swing!  Our summer has turned out to be very different than what I imagined it being a mere 2 months ago.  But there's something about summer that is quite dependable.  And that's VBS!

This was the boys' second year doing VBS and we even got to do it twice!  The theme this year (both times, no less) was about the sky and trusting God.

The kids had a blast!  The first VBS we attended was in Houston.  I got to volunteer during this one!  It was a spectacular week!  Unfortunately, Orry didn't get to finish the week since he started running a fever. He missed the last two days and was quite sad about not knowing how it finished.

Luckily, he got to find out how it ended since my parents' church in Houma did the same VBS.  Things about it were different, for sure, but all the crucial part were the same.  What were the crucial parts, you ask?  Well, the message, for one, and the MUSIC!  Man, the kids have been digging the music.  Annie even loves the songs and she didn't even go to VBS!  Next year will be her first chance and I can tell you already that she's excited.  We adults haven't gotten too tired of listening to the songs just yet.  I admit that those songs are hundreds of times better than the ones on some of the radio stations...

So add VBS to the list of things that make us think of (and love) summer!  Can't wait until next year!!

*And some off topic info.  We are moving!  Where, you ask?  To Richmond, TX.  Troy has accepted a new position at a school in Katy, TX and we will move to be closer to the school to reduce commute-time since Orry will attend the same school.  We have our reservations about moving to another part of "town" since it means moving farther away from our church family that we love so dearly, but we are excited about all the new opportunities and commited to keeping our church in our lives!  Prayers will be needed for all of us as we start in on yet another chapter of our lives!  Thanks for reading and keeping up with us!!

While Away

We are on vacation!  And have been for over a week now.  Where did we go?  To my parents' house.  What are we doing?  Working.

Kitchen ready for an update!

That's not entirely true.  Troy has been working.  He helped to prep their kitchen for granite countertops and then went to work putting in some beautiful glass tile backsplash.  And on top of that, he's been doing work on our rentals, getting them ready for the next steps (whatever that means).  

The kids and I are vacationing.  We've been keeping quite busy while still managing to enjoy some indulgences, like excessive snowballs and TV watching.  Here's a string of photos to get you up to speed:

A trip to the Waterlife Museum (Yes, we are still checking things off the list)

Looking at the bayou

Counting the turtles

It wouldn't be a trip to Mamita Donna's without a trip to Chick-fil-A

Dinosaur arts and crafts

Playing the rain

Eating ice cream sandwiches

We've done a bit more, but I tend to forget to bring the camera along.  Give me a break!  I'm on vacation!!

And finally, if pictures weren't enough.  We've got video.