A Dollar Saved is... very hard to part with

Nathan has been saving his money for quite a while now, well over a year. He had over $100 in his bank and has been holding on the $100 bill with a tight grip. At Dinosaur World, he fell in love with this Archaeopteryx fossil replica. It was $70! He has been reading about and talking about this particular species for a few months. It has been described as a transitional fossil between birds and dinosaurs. Technically, I think, it's like one of the first birds. However, it has more in common with dinosaurs than modern-day birds. I think that's why Nathan likes it so much.

Anyway, Nathan decided to part with $70 of his money to purchase this replica. It is now proudly displayed in his room. He actually had about $158 in his bank. When he realized he was going to have to break his $100 bill, he was quite upset. Jason put him on a payment plan for the last $12 and Nathan's $100 is still intact. He will continue to the next hundred, I suppose, on his quest to save $1,000. Wish him luck!

DINOSAUR DAY!

Today we made a trek to Glen Rose. We went to Dinosaur World first, a new attraction that opened last March. Then, we went to Dinosaur Valley State Park. We've been to the park before, but it's been a while - and it started pouring down rain last time. Previous pictures here.

We took a ton of pictures, so if you want to see them, you should probably go here.

Christmas 2008

We went to my parents' house for lunch and played with the cousins - Abby & Emma.

Christmas Eve 2008

We had Jason's parents over for dinner for Christmas Eve. We had Luna's tamales, Spanish rice, and tortillas. Janice also made a wonderful flan. I had promised the boys that they could open one gift on Christmas Eve after dinner. Brandon was losing his mind. He has no patience and he could not take the wait! Brandon & Nathan decided to open their gifts from each other - they had already revealed the contents. I guess opening what you knew you were getting is better than the unknown - a bird in the hand....

They also were privileged enough to open all the presents from Grandma & Grandpa. They already had a full load before Santa came and before opening a single present from us. They are spoiled rotten. Here's some pics from Christmas Eve.

Leo

At the boys' school, each classroom has a pet. Nathan's pet is a Leopard Gecko named Leo. Each weekend, a student will take Leo home and care for him. Over Christmas break, Nathan has the honor of caring for Leo.

Both Nathan & Brandon have been excited about Leo's visit. Brandon likes to hold him and pet him. Nathan, not so much. Nathan enjoys pets from a distance while Brandon has more of a hands on approach.

Nathan thinks that Leo is 14 years old. I just looked up some info on them, and it said they can live to be 20. I'll have to ask his teacher when we return to school. Leo has been eating crickets and king meal worms. He seems to prefer the worms. Leo gave us a show the other day. He shed his skin and then proceeded to eat it. It was interesting - the kids were fascinated by it.

Gingerbread House

Brandon's kindergarten class assembled gingerbread houses on the last day of school before the break. His teacher had collected small milk cartons, hot glued them together and on plates, and then we decorated. She suggested not eating them, but it didn't stop the kids. They were snacking and sampling throughout the decorating process. Lots of parents showed up to help. It was a nice change from our old school. Here's Brandon's lovely house.

Cold Snap

We had a bit of a cold snap this week. We had a little ice on the road, but school did not close. The boys saw a little snow, but not nearly as much as Jason did by his work. We saw freezing fog when I picked the boys up one day from school. That was an interesting weather event. I had never heard of such a term, but when I was in the midst of it, it made total sense.

I bought Missy a new sweater for the week. At first, she was a little apprehensive about putting it on. After wearing it all day, she didn't want to take it off. I took it off before bed and she looked at me like I just took away her dog bowl. She very willingly put it back on and kept it on for a couple of days.

Grandma's Birthday

For Grandma's birthday, the boys and I went shopping. Brandon decided that Grandma needed a new purse. Purses are, of course, a personal item. Picking a purse for someone else is a difficult task - especially if you are a 5-year-old boy. I wanted to make sure that Grandma got something she would use. The boys hunted and hunted for a good size bag with pockets whose color was not atrocious. In the end, we found a nice brown leather purse. Grandma moved into it the next day.

YMCA

I went to Nathan's school because he was giving a presentation over one of his FAVORITE subjects, dinosaurs. It was not for a grade, it was strictly for fun. He and his two buddies, Ben & Dominic, worked on this presentation for over a week. They skipped recess every day to work on this. In the end, the presentation took more than 2 hours. They really had fun and the rest of the class seemed geniunely interested. In the middle of his presentation, we were interrupted by the South Garland Show Boaters. They are a musical group who came to entertain the kids with singing and dancing to Christmas songs. As the group was getting ready, they had music playing. The kids were all coming in, sitting down and waiting for the show to begin.

One of the songs that came on was "YMCA." I was surprised that all these 2nd - 5th graders knew this song. As it came on, the whole room started motioning the letters with their arms. I was just very surprised that they knew it and knew the moves.

Missy's First Trip to the Groomer

Missy went to the groomer for the first time. She was a little excited about the day because she got to go somewhere. I think she's had a little cabin fever lately. When she walked in, she announced her presence and was extremely loud and obnoxious. The lady who checked us in wrote "Beware" and "Warning" on her paperwork. I don't think Missy is a particularly aggressive dog, but maybe she is!

Missy did make the mistake of walking in the office and immediately growling at a big pit bull. I can't imagine what she was thinking.

Anyway, she came home - the lady who groomed her said she was an angel - and she looked very cute in her new bandana.

Christmas Decorations

Christmas decorating... it's a chore, but always looks so pretty once complete. The first photo of our stairs with the lighted garland. The second is from outside. We're a little too chicken to actually do roof lights, but these tend to work out OK for us.