Days of Christmas

Documentation was lean on account of the belly bug Cyrus brought home for the holidays. Safe to say there was an abundance of...

family
and critters
books and music
toys
friends AND a fancy new fort
and fine wine and food

...to make our Christmas bright.

Immigration Celebration

Ella Rae and her fellow 2nd graders interviewed immigrants, made posters and prepared speeches to present to their parents, peers and educators. Undoubtedly I was more nervous than Ella Rae when she took the stage. To my great joy she smiled wide, spoke clearly and seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience.

A big thank you to our delightful friend and interviewee Dorte, who helped ease the inherent challenges of multi-step projects and public speaking.

poster

Cyrus Lee Jones turns 4

birthday suit other birthday suit and balloons
signage
friends & food
sparklers

Blue Santa Parade

I have such vivid memories of my Girl Scout troupe strutting in procession through the streets of downtown San Juan Capistrano for the Swallows Day Parade, circa 1977. Flash to 2009, I find myself on the other side of the rope cheering on our girl and her gymnastics team.

snazzy no?
ella rae fan club president and co-chair
more images of blue santa 2009

On my way

Saying so long to my kinder class was bittersweet. My student teaching assignment is complete YIPPEEE!!! but I have grown so attached to my eighteen little learners. I can hardly wait to have a class of my own.

keepsake

Hambone Halloween

That holiday season tingle struck early this year. By "tingle" I mean that special moment when you feel a volt of gratefulness for the life that you have mixed with excited anticipation for the life to come. The pomp and circumstance of the holiday season usually elicits this feeling sometime after I finish wrapping the presents and position them under the tree. Some years it requires a dose of Bing Crosby's immortalized "White Christmas" or the like to draw it out. Not so this time around. While I was lighting candles arranged around miniature pumpkins for a surprise dinner with Uncle Craig I got the tell-tale shiver. I think this bodes well for the year to come.

bat, wolf, witch
bat, ham
flaming pumpkin

More GivingCity

When Mr Mooks isn't weaving scintillating marketing and PR yarns he rustles up articles like this one for GivingCity, about the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and its new cancer patient navigation center.

Mr Mooks and Doug Ulman, president LAF

Prep Team!!!

Our little hot shot has progressed to the next level. She was proud as punch after her performance last night. We celebrated at our local pizza joint with a pie and a gazillion games of Frogger and Pacman.

Empty Bowl Project

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than making art with friends and family. Cheers to Mathews Art and Philanthropy patrons for bringing projects like this to life in our community. These lovely bowls will be auctioned off (and filled with yummy soup) to raise money for the Capital Area Food Bank's Kids Cafe Program.

photo credit: elizabeth breston

Camping

The Papas took the pigeons for a romp on the Guadalupe River this weekend. They came home tired, dirty, fire ant bitten, smelling of smoke and talking a mile a minute about their adventures in the wild.

bonfire
bonding
fishing

A little bit of this and of that

The unstructured moments spent close to home are often the sweetest.

bugs sewing doll clothes
fetch with new pal chubaka
fresh air before supper

Fall and Friday Night Lights

Finally a break in the heat. We sat on the porch wrapped in blankets to watch the rain. Ella wore her new hat courtesy of our sweet friend and beloved early years nanny. She brought us some delightful and unique gifts from her stint in Korea. Thank you C!

What would fall be (especially in Tejas) without football? True to the spirit of Austin the high school bands were in fine form. The back and fourth between the horn sections almost upstaged the game. Mr Mooks snapped a picture from the stadium of the gorgeous fall sky at sundown and the tower that marks our little patch of turf on earth.

Pickem UP games

Neighborhood soccer and such....
before the big kids come along
stretch jones
flirting
high