Feeding time

On Saturday we took the kids to a pumpkin farm. There was a small collection of farm animals to see and feed, including several longhorns.

Both kids tried to feed the longhorns, but I don't think either of them actually got any food into the cows' mouths. The longhorns seemed mostly gentle, but you really have to watch out for the horns when they put their heads over the fence!

On 2 wheels

When the movers brought our things from England, Ben told them that they didn't need to put the training wheels back on his bike. (Of course, I don't think they were taken off before we moved, but the pedals were, so we had to switch.) He decided it was time to learn how to ride on two wheels.

It didn't take long for him to get the hang of it. Our neighborhood has sidewalks that are mostly flat and straight, with a some slight slopes mixed in, so its a good place to practice.

Not only has he gotten good at riding the two wheeler, he also moved up to Susanna's bike, which is a bit bigger than his. Which means Susanna will soon be getting a new bike, and we promised her she could get a girly one this time.

Americanization

Its now been more than two months since we left England, and we are starting to feel more settled in Texas.

While some people still hear an accent when my kids speak (even Ben, who to us hardly seemed to have one), Brad and I have noticed that Susanna's English accent is fading fast. I was sort of surprised it held on as long as it did (I was expecting full American within a week!) But six weeks of school seems to have [mostly] done the trick.

I've also noticed a change in her handwriting. She learned to write with little curves at the bottoms of the letters, which is to help with cursive writing when the time comes. But in her recent writing samples, all the letters go straight down and stop. This change surprises me much more than the accent change.

And Ben has taken to correcting me when I use an English word instead of an American one, just like he did after we moved to England, only opposite.

All just a few more signs that we really are here and not there. But Susanna still insists that she is an English girl!

Big D

On Sunday, I finally went to Dallas. I've been hanging out here in the 'burbs for weeks now. But we had a guest for the weekend and I wanted to show her something a little more exciting than our little town.

I can't exactly say I succeeded. It is Dallas, after all. Not the most happening city in the nation, especially on a Sunday afternoon.

But we ended up having a nice day. Brad drove us all in and parked by his office. So that was the first exciting thing we saw. Then we rode around on the DART (light rail) for a bit and ended up in an area called West End. Other cities (I can think of at least one, anyway) have areas with that same name but this was a little different. Just a few blocks of restaurants, mostly chains. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant (possibly not a chain) and had a nice, very filling lunch.

Then we walked to the art museum. This turned out to be great as they have a really big hands-on kids area. They had texture rubbings, drawing, and craft materials. And a special craft room where the kids made crowns. Susanna and I did do a quick tour of some of the galleries, but Ben was quite happy to stay in the kids' area (with Brad.)

Overall the city was quiet. It seems like there are nice bits scattered around, but you have to know where you are going. London its not, but there is a bit of culture available if you look for it. And for now its the best we have!

Susanna's first game

After Ben's game Saturday, we had just enough time to run home and get snacks ready for Susanna's first soccer game. It was a hot day and she wasn't too sure about playing, but she didn't have a choice. So we went and found the field (but no parking spot - this place is soccer crazy!) and after a few minutes she joined her team.

She played about half the game. It took a few minutes for her to get into it but she had some good kicks. It was fun to watch - plenty of action. The goalies all did a great job, and the final score was 3 to 2, Pinkalicious. Though maybe two of the three Pink goals were kicked in by the other team. But it still counts.

The initial coin toss:
Getting directions from the coach (seen here in his manly Pinkalicious jersey):
Running after the ball:
After the game and ready to go home:

Ben's second game

Ben's tee ball team played its second game bright and early Saturday morning. It was fun to see all the little guys (and girl) out on the field. The other team had the same name and same blue shirts, so it was a little hard to watch, but it all seemed very organized and everyone had fun.

Here is Ben getting ready to be catcher (they still have a pitcher and a catcher even though there is a tee):

Coach Dad issuing instructions:
Ready to bat:
Running to second:
Running to third:
Once again, even though score isn't kept, it looks like Ben's team would have won. But all that really matters is that they had fun!

Tee Ball, Game 1

Ben had his first tee ball game tonight, and I missed it.

I had to take Susanna to soccer practice. It had been three weeks since her team last met (due to a two week rain break) and she wasn't too sure about going back. So I didn't feel like I could leave her, and I wouldn't have had much time at Ben's game even if I had.

So Coach Dad and Ben went off to tee ball together. Ben could hardly contain his excitement. He got dressed about three hours before the game. We brought snack for the first game, and he wanted to have Gatorade for the drink. Fun stuff for a first-time tee ball player!

It sounds like the game went very well. The coach for the other team was laid back and happy to do a bit of rule bending to make it more fun for the kids. A lot of the dads on Ben's team were ready and willing to help with coaching and Brad felt like things ran smoothly.

Score isn't kept for tee ball, but according to Brad, if they had been keeping score, our team would have won.

His next game is Saturday at 8:30 in the morning. I'm not a big fan of getting up in the morning, especially at the weekend, but I will be too excited to sleep!