January 28th - Charlie's first field trip

Today Charlie had his first field trip. His class went to the aquarium at Moody Gardens down in Galveston. I met him there and we had a great time.

A penguin skeleton

Checking out all of the penguins.

They had gentoos, kings, chinstraps, and rockhoppers.

The jawbone of a prehistoric whale

Definitely taller than a king penguin!

Almost as tall as an emperor penguin.

In the shark cage

On the school bus on the way home

January 24th

January 23rd - Finger painting

January 15th - Proud Charlie

January 12th - Eating octopus

Jack, our super picky eater, went on a field trip to a local Chinese buffet for lunch because they are studying China at school. His teacher, Miss Ricki, convinced many of the kids to try "octopus", which was really calamari - squid. Jack was so proud to tell us that he ate octopus. I was so excited to add an item to the very short list of foods he eats. I tried to recreate the scene the very next weekend, but he wouldn't eat the squid when we went. Oh well.

January 4th - Our little gophers

January 3rd - The girl and her brothers

After another trip to the urgent care, Josie got some antibiotics and is on the mend.

January 1st - Grandma and the rascals

December 30th - My boys

December 29th

Grandma put Josie in this plastic bin with some toys while the rest of us ate dinner. You can see in some of the pictures how sick our little angel is. Poor baby. We went to urgent care on the 27th, but they didn't find anything. She seems to be getting worse now. :(

December 28th - Story time with the boys

December 28th - Jack's Experiment

Jack must have been missing his weekly science experiments from school. He put a bunch of snow in a bowl to watch its progress. The first set of pictures is from 12:28pm.

Now at 12:53pm there is still a lot of snow.

Now at 1:15pm it is almost all water, but there is still a bit of snow.

Now at 2:12pm all of the snow has melted into water - dirty water.

December 28th - Playing in the snow

It was high time we get these kids out in the snow. We never ended up having a good warm day with wet sticky snow so we could build a snowman, but the boys still had fun in the snow, shoveling, making snow angels, and throwing ice chunks at their favorite mom/aunt.

December 26th - Minnesota Christmas

We had our Texas Christmas early in anticipation of flying to Minnesota on Christmas Eve. Then when our flight was slipped until Christmas day, we decided to have our Minnesota Christmas celebration on the 26th. Crazy holidays this year.

The kids got these great gopher hats from Holly & Espen. Love them!

December 25th - Finally home in Minnesota

Espen was so cute with Josie - always trying to do something to make her laugh.

December 25th - Flying to Minnesota

After a disastrous time trying to fly out of Houston Hobby Airport on Christmas Eve, we made it out on Christmas Day. It was probably for the best, since the airports aren't quite so busy. We were able to have a free seat for Josie since the flights weren't full.

There were lots of funny faces on our flight.

Like father, like son...

Even Josie got in on the funny faces.

December 24th - Rub a dub dub

December 24th - Christmas (Eve) Morning

Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk. The excitement begins...

December 23rd - Christmas Adam

Since our trip to Minnesota starts tomorrow, we decided to have our Texas Christmas celebration today. Charlie tried on a new sweater with panache.

Grandma and I got super cute personalized gifts from Katherine and Joel. Mine is a set of greeting cards with caricatures of the family. Grandma's is a platter with her grandkids. We love them!

Jack got this little grill set from Joel and Katherine. It is so adorable to hear Jack ask, "Do you want a shish kebab, Charlie?"

Josie got some fun pink toys.

The boys left cookies and milk for Santa.

December 21st - Santa picture - year 6

December 19th - Baccus Family Christmas

Today we celebrated Christmas with Ronny's family. Camilla had to hold Josie a couple of times. She has always been very sweet with her. Here, Voilet got in on the action as well.


The girls got right to work on the art kits that my mom brought for them. Violet told her to sit down. She would hand her a marker and show her where to color.

All of the kids got some awesome presents. I think Josie was more interested in the wrapping paper, though.

Aunt Melanie gave the kids some awesome soccer goals, so they played a little match outside. I stayed inside with Josie and the grandmothers. I had never heard the house so quiet.

December 19th - All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

We finally caught a little picture of Josie's first tooth. The first tooth is pretty easy to see, but at this point you can just feel the second one.

December 17th - Santa visit

Today Santa visited the boys' school. I asked Charlie what he asked Santa for. He said, "A candy cane." I think that is what Santa was doling out to the kids. Jack said, with a laugh, that he asked Santa for socks.

Is she the cutest little Santa baby or what?

December 16th - A Christmas concert

Today Jack's class sang Christmas songs in Building 9 in front of the Full Fuselage Trainer. It is a pretty amazing place to be, but these 4- and 5-year-olds probably have no idea.

I just can't get enough of this...

December 14th - A new baby

A new baby is using the megasaucer. He used to do this when Charlie was a baby too. We have a video of Charlie laughing loudly while Jack bounces in the baby saucer.

December 12th - Josie loves gelato - VIDEO

We figured after strained pears, apples, green beans, butternut squash, and turkey, Josie should try Mango Gelato as her next new food. :)

December 12th - Santa's Arrival

Every year, there is a Christmas party at my work where Santa arrives in a T-38. I love it and so do the kids. Check out the anticipation as Santa taxis in.

Here comes Santa Claus.

Here comes Santa Claus.

Right down Taxiway E.

He climbs down the ladder and the mechanics help him pull the parachute bags full of presents out of the travel pod.

Santa had gifts for all of the Baccus children including a Ben 10 watch for Jack, which is exactly what he asked Santa for yesterday at the mall. Santa has a good memory.

I was a little worried that Charlie would be too shy, but he went right up to get his present, which was a lego-type set that made an airplane (what else?).

Even Josephine got a gift.

But she was more interested in playing with the paper...

And trying to eat it.

December 5th - Cooking project

I warmed up some white chocolate bark so Jack and I could make white chocolate pretzel sticks. After about the fourth time I made him wash his hands, he stopped trying to lick the spills off. :)

December 4th - Banana Phone

Lately, Charlie has been using all of our family minutes on the banana phone.

December 1st

Tonight Jack was compelled to draw something – asking for paper and crayons. He started with the brown crayon and drew a great little gingerbread house and gingerbread man. Then with the red crayon he drew two starlight peppermints on the front. He lined the roof lines with peppermints too and drew a door on the house so the gingerbread man can go inside. Then he drew a car for the gingerbread man next to the house. On the other side of the house, he drew a baby cart (carriage) with a baby in it that he called “Little Cutie”. Then he said that the Mommy was in the attic getting the Christmas stuff down and drew that. Then he drew a tree with either apples or ornaments on it. And then he put a reindeer on the bottom on the page. After that he made a black sky. He then picked up a blue crayon and made a sleigh and Santa. He put a harness on the reindeer and drew a line back to the sleigh. He then drew a moon and a Grandma and Grandpa. Finally he wrote “Gingerbread house” on the drawing, which looked like RGiG bRhrA ?? He explained everything as he drew saying, “And do you know what?” before every part. It was so cute.

November 27th - Family Portraits

November 27th - Expectations

This week I had a talk with my kids to tell them my expectations for our appointment Friday morning at the portrait studio. I showed them the nice pictures we have from past years, pointing out that our family has grown so we need new family pictures. We talked about following the photographers instructions and smiling nicely. Some of my kids got it. One did not.

November 26th - Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving with the Baccus family in New Ulm, Texas. With all the little kids running around, it may have been the loudest Thanksgiving in my history.

Papa gave all of the kids rides on his tractor. Jack laughed all the way down the field and all the way back. This may have to be a new tradition at Nana and Papa's house.

Josie did a little bluegrass pickin'.

Arts and crafts time included making apple turkeys with marshmallows and raisins. Nana and the kids also made a gingerbread house.

November 22nd - Art time

Jack's room at school has an art center that is available to the kids any time they have free play. It has really encouraged him to be artistic much more often than before. Here he is drawing a picture of our family. He is drawing himself in yellow after already drawing me, Daddy, and Charlie. Later, he explained that Josie was in my belly during the time at which the drawing is set and he drew her in yellow too.

November 21st - Hanging out

November 14th - Disney on Ice

Today we went to Disney on Ice, which was lots of fun.

This is the grand finale with all of the Disney princesses and their princes.

Sometimes these boys just need to hold their little sister for a bit. She loves it.

November 11th - Children's Museum of Houston

Does this kid look like he is ready to go to the Children's Museum or what? Cool dude, eh?

We saw three other NASA families at the Children's Museum today, which is Veteran's Day. The kids had a great time. Here they are working in the restaurant area. They had fun serving up some food to Grandma. Jack loved putting things into and taking things out of the oven - something he doesn't get to touch at home.

Josie had less fun than the boys, but she was a good sport as always.

The Children's Museum was recently revamped and the new store area was awesome. The boys loved shopping and working the register.

Lobster for dinner? Excellent!

After some painting, the boys went to played veterinarian. Charlie was very serious with the stethoscope.

When I ask Jack, "What are you doing in this picture?" He answers, "Being a vegetarian."

November 7th

Less than thrilled with green beans

November 6th - Josie's first solid food

After months of subtly hinting that Josephine needs other types of nourishment, I finally let her Grandmother feed her some scrumptious rice cereal. She loved it - opening her mouth for each bite.

November 2nd - Happy Birthday Charlie

Today my big, little guy turned 3. We had a nice low-key Monday evening and then opened presents.

October 31st - Happy Halloween

Instead of our usual 8 houses, we went all the way to the end of the block this year. For "real" Halloween, Jack was Spiderman. Charlie was loyal to Captain Hook. Josie just wore her pink skeleton onesie.

October 30th - Part 3 - Party at Madsens

Bat girl invited Peter Pan to sit next to her, to which Ronny and I sigh, "Awww". Sam is such a nice girl.

Josie got to test drive Kenzie's Jumperoo, which she loved. I guess that means it is time to get ours out of storage.

We tried to get all of the kids together for a picture, which is really impossible, but hey - we tried.

We did try to get a picture of these three, though, just for the characters - Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and Peter Pan. Obviously, they weren't too easy to get looking in the same direction.

October 30th - Part 2 - Jack's trick-or-treating

The bigger kids at the JSC childcare center get to trick-or-treat at NASA - going from building 1 to building 12 to building 45. They collect TONS of candy and have a blast. Charlie's teachers said that we could bring him along, so we did. Our Peter Pan needed his Captain Hook anyway.


People loved the adorable little flower that I grew. I dressed as a gardener with my rubber boots, scarf, and a trowel. Jack's teacher, Miss Tess lent me the mini watering can to complete the outfit.

October 30th - Part 1 - Charlie's trick-or-treating

Today was a full day of Halloween celebration. We started with Charlie. The rooms with little kids trick-or-treat at the childcare center around the big kid rooms. Charlie is often shy and uncomfortable when I am in his school room and today was no exception. Charlie and his friends were adorable, though, and collected some good loot.

October 28th - Space Center Houston Halloween Party

This was our first Halloween party of the year - the NASA Children's' Party at Space Center Houston. We've gone so many times that we have a "strategy". Dinner first, which is always pizza. Here are our well-behaved boys awaiting their dinner.

I love this shot of our man-of-mischief. He had been asking to wear a pirate costume for "pretend Halloween" and Spiderman for "real Halloween". So I ordered a pirate costume and just for fun, a Peter Pan costume for his sidekick, Charlie. Of course I could have predicted this outcome - Jack wanted to wear the Peter Pan costume. Good thing I didn't tell Charlie that I ordered the Peter Pan costume for him. He was happy to be Captain Hook.

I adopted a few new kids for trick-or-treating. I recently told someone that Emma was my first baby. Her mom was the first one of my friends to have a baby and I loved visiting her every week when Emma was a baby. Now look at our 9-year-old. (And did I mention she is brilliant?) At first, I was apprehensive when Jenny asked if we could take the girls around with our brood. 5 kids? But then I remembered something - THEY ARE GIRLS. Emma was great at herding our boys and keeping the group together. And Daisy was sweet as always.

Here Jack and Charlie are waiting for a girl to make them balloon ghosts, which were very cute. All night long, people called Jack "Robin Hood" which is probably why there is a picture of Peter Pan right on his costume.

This star made Josie smile for the first time all night. It was so cute. He was very sweet to her.

October 24th - The birthday party

Today we had a birthday party for Jack and Charlie at Acrosports. The kids had a lot of fun running and jumping and hanging with their friends.

Ronny said that Charlie would yell, "I'm on top of the world!" before jumping from this platform into the foam pit.

October 24th - The Ballunar Liftoff

Today we woke up bright and early to go to the Ballunar Liftoff. Really we always wake up bright and early. The latest Josie has slept in the last two weeks is 5:47am. The earliest wake up call for me was 3:15am. Painful! The boys aren't supposed to leave their room until is "says 6 on the clock", but they are usually down by around 6:30. Anyway, we were already done having Ronny's waffles and able to leave the house ~7:30 - in time to see the balloons fly in for the morning balloon competition. It was the first chilly morning in quite a while and the balloons were beautiful.

October 23rd - Happy Birthday Jack!

Today was Jack's 5th birthday and quite a day it was. In the morning, there was a Halloween puppet show, which both boys loved. Ronny and I had lunch with Jack - a picnic outside with his class. We had brownies afterwards with his classmates (his dessert choice). In the afternoon, the boys' school had their Fall Festival. They played all the games and then ended up at the playground for a while.

October 22nd

October 21st - Look what I grew

This costume really didn't look so good on the hangar and then I put it on my baby girl. ADORABLE!