Jacob's 11th Birthday

 Jacob turned 11 at the end of March!  I can't believe he's out of cub scouts and going to middle school next year.  We celebrated the night before his birthday since there was a lot of testing going on at school the week of his birthday.  He got a BYU shirt from his dad.  (Dallin has been promoting BYU to the kids after researching college tuition costs.)

 When the LeSueur grandparents were here in January Jacob had this book checked out from the library and they noticed how much Jacob loved it.  He was so excited to open his very own copy of it!

 We got him a circut board (which he asked for) and some legos.

 Jacob requested cheesecake from Sam's Club this year, which was easy for me.

 Jacob invited his Webelos scout leader (who also used to be his primary teacher at church) over for the evening.  She brought her Harry Potter Clue game and we all played that together to end the night.  He got Barnes & Noble gift cards from Melissa and his Strong grandparents, which he is saving to get a Nook Color sometime next year (if he can earn enough).  Happy Birthday Jacob!  We love you!

Jacob also got to go to the Spring Carnival at school with his friend Cole the week of his birthday, which he was very happy about.  He went with Cole and his dad, so I don't have any pictures.  But they had a great time.

Inner Space Cavern

 On March 23 I went with Jacob to his very last elementary school field trip.  We went to the Inner Space Caverns, which is only about 20 minutes away from us.  We haven't been before because it's pretty expensive for a family our size, but Jacob and I had a great time together.  I'm so glad I got to go with him. 

 Jacob is on the far left of the class picture.

Their tour guide was really great, using modern stuff and storytelling to keep the kids interested.  We could tell he was a fan of Star Wars.

 This is a picture of him shining his flashlight on a little sleeping bat.  We passed by quite a few that were sleeping, most of them within easy reach of us, and a few that flew past.  Jacob's teacher said it was the most she'd ever seen there.

 This cave used to be a large underground river, and he showed us the marks on the walls and ceilings where the water used to go, and the different levels.

 Jacob's favorite formation was "Jabba the Hut," although it's kind of hard to see in the picture.

 This was the hole that the Texas Highway Department drilled and found this cave in 1963 (it's right next to the interstate, and actually goes underneath it).  They kept it a secret for 3 years.  They drilled right into a bat roost. 

 I loved the underground waterfalls.  Last year there was no water because of the drought, so I'm glad we got to see it after all the rain we've had.

 

 Jacob and his teacher, Miss Corbett.

 The ladder at the back of the room is where they have a second escape exit in case of collapse or something.

 Proof that I was there, even if it's really blurry...

 This is a picture of the "bacon" formation, which I took because Jacob loves bacon.

 The underground river...

Ferguson Farewell

  The week after Spring Break we said good-bye to some good friends, the Fergusons.  We've gotten to know them better this year since Connor & Jenna were in preschool together and Jacob has been able to just ride his bike over to hang out with Isaac.  It was nice for me to have a carpool buddy for lots of activities too.  We miss you already Fergusons!

 

A park like no other

 Also during Spring Break we tried out a new city park that just opened.  It is the "Play for All Abilities Park" and is our new favorite.  It is HUGE, completely fenced in with two gates to open to enter, has a huge sand area, lots of sensory things and toys, the playground has ramps (which is Landon's favorite part), and there are lots of neat toys not found in normal parks.  Another plus is that there are separate fence gates for the swings, so you don't have to worry about little ones running underneath.

 I love, love, love the "Round Rock Village" area.  It is a miniature town, with working 

crosswalks.  They made the building to look similar to those here in town.

 

 

 

Our library has a pet snake, "Miss Rockssssssssssane."  Connor was thrilled to see a large picture of her and a list of facts about her in the "pretend library."

 Savannah loved playing "cashier" in HEB (a grocery store).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landon wasn't with us on this trip (he was home napping), but I brought him later and he was in toddler heaven. 

Fun at the farm

During Spring Break the kids and I went with a group of friends to Crowe's Nest Farm in Manor, TX. The first graders from our school go every year for their field trip, so we'd already been before. In fact, Savannah is going back with her class next week! But it's a fun place. Savannah's best friend M came with us also. Landon was not too excited about being trapped in the stroller, but such is life when you are a loud little boy who loves to get into everything and run away from Mommy. I used the jogging stroller since we were walking over rough terrain.

Connor loved being in "the big red barn" the best because of all the snakes, reptiles, and insects they have for the kids to look at.

We watched a milking demonstration where they teach the kids how the milk goes from the cow to the store. But I didn't get any pictures of that since I was trying to keep Landon quiet.

Most of the kids liked the hayride the best. We saw longhorn bulls, buffalo, ponies, and ostriches.

We walked around and saw lots of creatures, some farm animals and many other kinds of birds and miscellaneous animals.

Our last stop was the "Fairie Wood," which Savannah had been waiting for all day. It's based on some books, and you go down this little fenced path where all kinds of fairies are in the trees and bushes.