Last Saturday(August 23) we made our first trip to PawPaw and Grandmommie's (Grammy-mommie for Kathlena) farm. Kathlena has taken the liberty of renaming two grandparents now! Her cuteness let's her get away with it too. Well we had a great visit at the farm riding four-wheelers, golf carts, playing in the kiddie pool and picnicing. It was a nice day...not too hot and a great time to sit back and relax and just enjoy the day. We had a little shower come through about dinner time that made for a fun run for the barn time...just adds to the fun memories.
This week our B4 FIAR book was My Blue Boat. It was a great book for us to learn about the ocean, boats and colors. Andrew has become quite proficient in his primary and secondary colors in English. We checked out some great books from the library on colors as well as practicing his colors with a game called Brain Warp. Mostly, we reinforced what they had learned by recognizing colors in our everyday life and taking the time to point it out and name them. Andrew loved learning about boats and his favorite boat was the speed boat just like his Daddy. Mommy preferred the sailboat while Kathlena liked all the boats. Watercolor painting was another first for Andrew and Kathlena they loved mixing colors and seeing the colors change and creating their own masterpiece. All three of us enjoyed this activity and painted pictures (see pic below). We used stencils to create our boat and lighthouse outlines.
Thursday
Andrew, J.Michael and Daddy went to their first Astros baseball game together courtesy of a generous man that David works with. Thank you, Gary! So, the boys got to have an afternoon of "take me out to the ball game" filled with peanuts, hot dogs, and ice cream with the works. It was so fun to hear Andrew talk about the game and to see Father/sons make memories. We had tried to explain to Andrew about baseball and where he was going but, it seemed to only be words without meaning...I guarantee you that when he hears the word baseball now it has a specific meaning for him and a sweet memory with his Daddy and brother.
Saturday
We were given the opportunity by some dear friend and fellow Aggies to attend the opening season Aggie football game at Kyle Field. David and I have not been to a game since we left College Station over 12 yrs ago. This was actually a first for Emily and J.Michael too. Everything has changed so much at Kyle Field from what I remembered...12yrs is a long time. We all had a great time...it was hot but we had great seats. We were close to concessions and bathrooms...a real bonus with little ones. While the Aggies couldn't manage to hold on to victory...the Shiflet's enjoyed the warm Aggie atmosphere especially the Fight'n Texas Aggie Band. Another amazing performance! We even ran into some people we knew from Hillsboro years ago...small world. Thank you Parker family for your generousity and for blessing us with another fun first to celebrate together.
Father and son watching the game together.
Kathlena is excited about the game!
"Saw varsity's horns off!" "Short!"
"Saw varsity's horns off!" "Short!"
Daddy explaining the game...football.
2008-09 Fight'n Texas Aggie Band...whooop!
Our almost family portrait...Emily taking photo.
Kathlena fading almost as fast as the Aggie victory.
Sunday
Another special first was Kathlena in big girl panies all day long; away from the house without an accident. WAHOOOO! We are so proud of her progress. We are still working on the nighttime/nap training but a really big move in the right direction for day training. Thank you to all who have sent me tips on potty training I appreciate it.
Today Monday
Labor Day we had our first Shiflet 6 backyard baseball game. It rained on us a little but we still managed to get some hits in and have some fun. Here is a video entitled "Who's on First" and "Base Running Practice"
