Sunday, May 18, 2014

There was a safari in Sienna!

So Sienna put on a really cool event a couple of weeks ago! It was called Wild on Sienna & had well, a bunch of wild animals.

As some of you may already know, Addy has been asking to ride a camel for months. So that was the very first thing that we did when we got there.


Then we went to the petting zoo where the kids got to feed & pet goats

and camels

and even a yak (which got up close & personal with Addy!)

After that, the kids played on the bouncy slide

and jumped in a bounce house.

And then they tried their hand at hula hooping!

Then we took a family picture. 
Look how brave we are, that lion didn't even scare us, lol!

After that, the kids were ready to see the exotic animal exhibit, but there was a pretty long line for that. So while Nick waited in line, Addy & Alex rolled down the hill

And Addy rode a pony.


Just as Addy finished her pony ride, Nick & Alex were at the front of the line for the animals, so we jumped off the pony & ran to meet up with them!

In the exotic animal exhibit, we saw kangaroos

baboons

spider monkeys

kinkajous

lemurs

a tortoise

and this lion cub!

There was also a white tiger & a panther but they were in cages in the back of the tent so I wasn't able to get a very good picture of either one. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day, it wasn't crowded & everything was free!

This was by far the best Sienna event we've ever been to!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Girl Scout Spring Fling 2014

On April 26th, Addy & her Girl Scout troop went to Spring Fling, which is the community wide camping trip at Camp Windemere in Alvin.

We met up with our troop & left Sienna around 7:45 (which is super early for me, even earlier than Addy has to be at school!) and got to Camp Windemere around 8:30ish.


We had 12 of the 20 girls in our troop go to Spring Fling!

As soon as we got there, the girls started trading SWAPS with girls from other troops.

Around 9:00 am, we attended the opening flag ceremony.

And when that was over, we unloaded all our supplies & set up our troop's campsite.

When we were done setting up, we had about 2 hours before our first session. I had remembered that last year we had a lot of unscheduled time without much to do. So this year I brought bug boxes for all the girls. They were the highlight of the day! All the girls loved them! Addy caught a moth & a couple of ants, another girl caught a beetle & one girl even caught a lizard!

After looking for bugs for about an hour, we hiked back to our campsite to make & eat lunch.

Last year, the girls all brought sack lunches from home but this year we decided to have the girls cook their food at camp. We split the girls into 2 groups or patrols. Addy's patrol were the hostesses for lunch which means they set out the blankets & sit upons & served the food after the other patrol was finished cooking. We had ham & cheese sandwiches, bananas & goldfish. And for dessert, zebra cakes!!!

After lunch, the girls went into Lindsey Lodge where they got their faces painted & had their first camp session of the day. 

Addy got her face painted like an elephant. (This was not a surprise to me because she's been googling elephant face paintings for weeks now!) Look how happy she is seeing her elephant face in the mirror!


When she was done with the face painting, she did her first camp session, which was making trail mix

and making SWAPS.

Our second session was Camp Basics where the girls learned how to pitch & take down a tent.

Addy got to help put up the tent


and then roll on it to flatten it out before putting it back in its bag.

Our third session was Songs & Games. 
Look at Addy participating in the motions of the song. I was so proud of her!

After singing several camp songs, they played games with a parachute. 
Some with a ball

and one like Duck Duck Goose, which is one of Addy's favorite games!

After Songs & Games, we took a little break before our last session to let the girls get sno cones.

And then we went to our last session which was Bounce Houses!

After that, it was time for snack. Addy's patrol cooked the meal this time, which was smores made with marshmallow fluff instead of roasted marshmallows. They were so yummy that Addy even ate a whole one!

After snack, we had about an hour of free time before the day campers could check out for the day. So we let the girls just run around & play. Addy spent some of that time back in the bounce houses

and some of that time checking on bugs!

At 5pm, we checked out for the day. It was a really fun day, but by that time, I think we were ALL tired & ready to go! 

Addy had such a great time even though we didn't get to sleep in a tent or cook over a campfire, which she really wants to do, because that's what camping is all about, right!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

St. Catherine's Trike A Thon

Last Thursday, Alex's class had a Trike-a-Thon to raise money for St. Jude's.
Here are a few pictures from that event.







They were all getting tired & stopping to take a break in the shade, lol.


This just might have been the cutest thing ever seeing all these little boys & girls pedaling around!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Crocodile Encounter

On April 22nd, Addy's class took a field trip to The Crocodile Encounter in Angelton. The place had lots of different animals that the kids got to see & some they even got to feed & touch. (And it didn't smell bad, which was a plus after going to the Brazos Bend Wildlife Park for the previous 2 years.)

Addy loves all animals & so she was very excited for this field trip!

As soon as they arrived, the kids got off the bus & broke up into 4 large groups to tour the encounter.

First up for Addy's group were the crocodiles!

She learned a little about these girls & then watched them get fed raw chicken quarters.

After that, she got to see & pet this animal, which is a Patagonian Cavy. It is one of the largest rodents in the world, it's a herbivoire & can jump really high. It looked kind of like a rabbit & was pretty cute.

Then she saw some pigs & deer

& this animal, which if I remember correctly, is a Kudu antelope.

Next up for Addy's group was a see & touch show 
where she got to touch a bearded dragon

a snake 
(ugh, I HATE snakes! I even hate looking at pictures of them in books. They creep me out big time. I did not touch this one but Addy did! And then she asked me if she could have a pet snake. Umm NO!!!)

And a baby crocodile.

The next thing her group did was learn about tortoises.  

And then she got to touch 

& feed them.

Towards the end of the field trip, all the 1st graders came back together to watch the Chomp Show. Addy's teacher Mrs. Lowe got a kiss from a giant lizard!

And these 2 teachers had a giant snake (I think its an albino boa constrictor maybe) placed around their necks. OMG I would have died! The head of the snake was all moving & slithering around & its tongue was sticking out. Creepy!

After the Chomp Show, the kids all ate lunch & then headed back to school.

It ended up being a really cool field trip & Addy & I both had a fantastic time!