The Summer Strategic Planning Committee

The Davis 4 Summer Strategic Planning Committee has been in session since late April. Our mission is to keep the kids occupied this summer with various and assorted summer activities and camps to ward off boredom and to keep them from driving me to the brink of insanity and pushing me off, all while avoiding heatstroke in this extremely hot and humid city we call Houston. This is no easy task and requires all kinds of schedule coordinating with friends and program availability, but if it saves me from hearing that dramatic sigh followed by "I'm soooo bored...." then it is well worth the committee's (my) time.

Get Better Cake

Holland opened her graduation present after we got back home from her graduation ceremony. Other than when she said "karate girl" in the graduation video ( I think maybe she cracked under the pressure of being on camera.), she has said that she wants to be a chef when she grows up. Around here, we call that irony.
Anyway, she excitedly opened her gift.

Lo and behold, it's an Easy Bake Oven! Oh, she was ready to start cooking right away at 9:00 at night. However, I was short the right wattage light bulb, so we had to wait until the next day.

The Next Day

Lesson 1: Dress for success.

Lesson 2: Get 100 watt light bulb.

Our mixing bowl was about 20x too big for the batter.

Putting it in the oven. Look at that steady hand.

This is the most love our kitchen has seen.

Waiting.....

Still waiting....

Iced and ready. (She made the icing, too.)

Grey was home sick, (still is) so Holland gave the cake to him and called it "Get Better Cake."

So.....what do you think, Grey?

Though he had completely lost his voice, he was able to express his enjoyment with a thumbs-up. Let me just say, it's an impressive chef that can make a tasty cake using only a light bulb oven. Maybe if I had had an Easy Bake Oven growing up, I would be quite the cook......Nah, I doubt it.

A Little Pomp and Circumstance

Well, the PreK Class of 2008 graduated this week. We had the official ceremony and everything. When I was a kid, we had a kindergarten graduation. (I actually had 2.) Now, since kindergarten is the new 1st grade, the graduation ceremonies are held for PreK and not for kindergarten. That would have been handy information when Grey was graduating PreK. I certainly would have shed a tear or two at his ceremony or at least paid better attention. Oh well. Anyway the kids performed and showed what they learned. I was singing along, because Holland has been singing these songs nonstop. One day I passed her room and she was singing the theme song from "Happy Days". I couldn't figure out when she had watched the show, but it turned out that that was their song to learn the days of the week. Anyway, she did really well, which was a relief, because every event with Holland is a crapshoot.

Class of 2021

Taylor and Holland

When asked on the video what she wanted to be when she grew up, she responded, "a karate girl". Funny, cause Grey said "ninja" on his PreK graduation video. Maybe we can use their college funds for that beach house after all.

In order to get this picture, I had to agree to the picture below.

They can be such children.

Accepting her diploma. And she wore the hat. I point that out because

apparently last week, Holland didn't want to wear the hat, an event which spiraled quickly into a meltdown that held up practice for the other 54 kids. I've learned that when it reaches meltdown status, cut your losses and move on, because whatever you want her to do just ain't happening. I subscribe to the theory, "choose your battles carefully." And that wasn't a hill worth dying on. I let some time pass and then we talked about it and after coming to an agreement which involved a substantial cash reward, she agreed to wear the hat for the actual graduation ceremony.

After the ceremony, the 4 distinguished classes; The Busy Bees, The Busy Bears, The Cool Cats, and The Friendly Frogs had cake. Each cake had a class picture and well wishes.

THE CAKES WERE MADE BY WALMART AND NOT THE SCHOOL.
You'll see why that's an important disclaimer.

Hmmmm..... "Congratautions"

A little closer...."Congratulitions"

Ok, they just gave up on this one.

O for 4

Anyway, Congraulations, Congratuilions, Congratulitions, Congratautions, PreK Class of 2008. You are now qualified to work at our local Walmart bakery

Channeling Elton John

Super Kids Day

Grey had his annual Super Kids' Day where each grade gets about 1 1/2 hours to run around the playground participating in different games and activities. I think it would be the equivalent of our "Field Day", only without the races. I remember I did quite well in Field Day when I was Grey's age. Looking back though, I think it wasn't my athleticism, but rather the 2 Mello Yellos my Mom packed for me. We didn't know then that that was about the equivalent of 20 cups of coffee. Hey, whatever it takes. Mac braved the 95 degree heat and humidity that hovered around 5ooo%.

Rallying the troops for more revelry.

Holland and I hung out here on the covered pavillion with Grey's towel and water bottle. We helped ourselves to both. She and I prefer our direct sunlight in small doses, preferrably after 3 pm. I think we both aquired 4 new freckles just walking from the truck to the pavillion.

Holland's Spring Recital 2008

Holland had her Spring Recital. As with most things with Holland, you can never be sure how it's going to go. Basically, every event is a crapshoot. She wasn't in the best mood when we got there, but when it came time to perform she was "on" and had a great time. Her class danced to "Spoonful of Sugar", from Mary Poppins. (Have I mentioned, we love us some Mary Poppins around here?) And we really enjoyed watching her perform. I'm working on getting the video for you. We had some technical difficulties, translated: when I checked everything out with the video camera that morning, everything was a go. However, when I put the camera in the new camera bag, it bumped the on switch so 8 hours later at showtime, the battery was dead. We did film it with our digital camera, but it's not the best quality and requires some dramamine for motion sickness. Also, we ordered the official DVD from the studio which will come in in a couple of weeks. So, we do have some footage of the event. And I will post it, as soon as I can.

Where do ballerinas go after their recitals? They mosey on over to Texas Roadhouse and dance on the peanut shells.

Happy Mother's Day

I'm not sure what's changed more, the children or my hair.

Spring Recital Pictures, 28 years apart

Holland, 5 years old.

Me, 7 years old

My ballet career ended shortly after this picture was taken.

Native American Giver

I took Holland to one of our favorite places, The Mudpie Company. You get to pick out a ceramic piece, paint it, and then the staff, glazes, bakes, and sprinkles some kind of magic fairy dust on it, 'cause when you pick it up, it looks 1000x better than when you left it. So, anyway, they had a Mother's Day Storytime project. They read a book, and then painted a tea light candle holder with roses made out of their fingerprints. A time for me to appreciate her fingerprints as works of art instead of making a dash for the Windex and a roll of papertowels. Holland really enjoyed the painting. And when we picked it up, she liked how her candle holder looked so much, she decided not to give it to me for Mother's Day, but keep it for herself. She said, "maybe, next year."

Holland had a question for every page of the book. And I've included a picture of Christy, well the back of her anyway, because she went to Mississippi State. Can I get a "go dawgs!" She saw my MSU keychain or maybe she heard the ringtone on my cell phone because it is the Mississippi State fight song, "Hail, State." Anyway, we had a bonding moment. Turns out she was in engineering and actually worked for Shell for 8 years before she decided to open this store doing what she loves and is soo talented at. I will add her to my "Really Cool Engineers" list. Besides my friend Emily, she'll be the only other one on the list.

She chose purple over pink, perhaps some Jennifer in her blood.

The roses with some staff modifications are Holland's fingerprints. It's a shame she won't give it to me. I would have been so surprised.

Photo Shoot

Holland had her end-of-the-year ballet pictures taken both with her class and individually. So, I took her to Glitz and Glam, (that's where she had her 5th birthday party), for a little hair and makeup pampering before her photo shoot. She missed her Christmas recital, because she was in Hank and Christie's wedding. In the wedding, she got to wear a princess dress and stand on a stage decorated for Christmas in front of an audience for 20 minutes. Hmmmm sounds just like a recital to me.

Ashlyn & Holland

Holland, Emma, Madison, Tori, & Ashlyn