Pictures, August 2008

Back in Business

I went back for teacher inservice days, oh, it seems like a month ago. Nick started shortly thereafter. Nathan officially began his year in kindergarten. Michael waltzed right into his toddler class. My students came through my door yesterday morning. The Cobb Family is in full swing for the 2008 - 2009 school year.

My overall impression of my students is that this is going to be a nice year. They seem like happy little creatures, and they're fairly eager to please. I love the age of fourth graders. It is the perfect intermission between childhood and the opinionated teenage years.

Nathan LOVES kindergarten. Curious George runs away and escapes to various locations in the school and the class must find him based upon hidden clues. It's a clever way for the children to learn the layout and personnel of the school. Hopefully the running-away part isn't emphasized too much! :) We get daily play-by-plays of his days. I know this might seem shocking, but the first words that he learned from his Spanish class were "silencio, por favor." Twenty-some-odd five year olds? I can't imagine why those were the words of the day! HA!

After his first day, he went into great detail about what they did. He told us about a pesky kid who was mean to him (and rightfully so, I think the kid was pretty harsh with his words), and all about the fun things they did. I asked him to tell me about his most favorite part of the day. I was thinking that it would be something monumental like circle time, a craft, his magnetic center name tags, or a story. He pondered for a moment and then his eyes lit up with a shiver of his head. In a shy, coy little voice, he said, "The cafeteria had CHOICE of milks. I could get regular milk or CHOCOLATE milk!" And that isn't even part of the tuition! He's such a precious little piece of art. I love him and Michael with every part of my existence. They have begun their new chapters in his life filled with wonder, excitement, and the outlook that life is amazing and worthy of savoring.

Lavender Fest 2008

Today we visited the Chappell Hill, TX, Lavender Fest. We went in 2006 when I was bustin'-at-the-seams pregnant with Michael. A photographer there took Nathan's picture in 2006, and I recently found out that the photograph was published on the website and in the printed pamphlet for today's festivities. The same man was there today. He was delighted to see Nathan all grown up, and said he would e-mail the photo files to me from 2006. What a nice guy. He even took this family snap shot. The fest is small, but worth the trip from Houston. Unfortunately, like many fun things, it is in AUGUST.

http://www.chappellhilllavender.com/

Chocolate Milk

Do you remember the first time YOU made your own glass of chocolate milk? Although it may not seem so monumental now, at one point, this was a BIG deal!

Some Summer Pictures

Believe it or not, my boys have enough toys for a small country worth of children. Yet...they play with the laundry basket. Ugh.


Looking south toward the Reliant Stadium/Astrodome area

Thank you, Wells Fargo, for having such an incredible observation deck and thick glass windows.

Overlooking MinuteMaid Park (open for some sunshine)

Wells Fargo Tower in downtown Houston

We had so many moments of collaboration this summer. I love that my boys love each other.

When big brother has cool froggie-green goggles for the "seeming poo", little brother's #1 priority is to GET THE GOGGLES. Somehow he got them, and was trying so very hard to put them on--whilst running around the house squealing with delight. Once they were on him, he just looked so darn cute. My little green froggie fighter pilot.

Five. My Nathan is five. He just makes me smile.

Michael snuck into the bathroom, pulled out the box of bathroom Dixie cups, stealthly (is that a word?) climbed into the tub, and had the most jovial Dixie cup separating party imaginable. He was quite pleased with himself and the scene was hysterical. Who knew that Dixie cups could create such fun!