Creative Cars

We've established through the years of Awana Grand Prix races that the Boaz family doesn't do fast, but we can do creative.  Here are our cars this year - Kevin's Grand Prix racetrack car, Naomi's tea table car, and Johnathan's ice cream bar car.  All winners in the creative categories and... last place in speed!

Ezra These Days

How do we describe Ezra these days?  Well, he's...

... into everything (and on top of, underneath, around, or yanking on it to get it open!) 

 ... sometimes cranky - especially if you are taking away the very interesting thing he found to play with, like your camera, phone, car key remote, tv remote, school supplies, or favorite toy.

And oh-so-sweet.  He freely gives put kisses and big hugs to Mommy and Daddy.  He calls out, looking for his big buddies, "JJ" and "Omi".  He also loves finding Naomi's baby dolls and taking them for walks, showering them with kisses and smooshing them with hugs.  He should be very fascinated when we bring a real, moving, crying baby home in a few months for him to keep!

Family Fun

 Heather and Carolanne were in Austin for a few days, so we were excited to have a chance to hop over on their free day to have fun together.  We did our favorite Austin kid activities - playing at the Children's Museum and riding the Zilker Zephyr.

 This was Ezra's first train ride, and he is deeply interested in "choo choos" these days, so he was exceptionally excited!

Naomi was thrilled to have a little shadow in Carolanne to pay with all day, too.

Mayborn Museum

While Dad was at the district conference in Austin, we hopped up to Waco to the Baylor campus to go to a birthday party at the Mayborn Museum.  We had such a fun time playing in dozens of rooms on all different topics, like bugs and reptiles, the human body, communication, tons more.

Everyone spent a lot of time in the communication room, trying out typewriters

(the kids asked, "What are those, Mom?" when they saw the typewriters.  Made me feel kinda old!). 

Johnathan got really good at putting himself inside bubbles.

Naomi didn't have to ride the school bus for this field trip!

Ezra made beautiful music, running across the giant piano over and over!

Minor Flooding

After a long period of drought, we've gotten a little relief with some good rains.  This one was so good, the drains clogged up!

Water-loving Naomi couldn't resist the urge to run through the massive puddles barefoot, in her tights, with her characteristic enthusiasm for life!  Meanwhile, the men of the family supervised the unclogging of the drain.

Grandma's Visit

 I got a treat for my birthday... my mom came to visit!  Grandma was kept hopping for the visit, making carrot cake, having tea parties, going shopping, visiting the Children's Museum, and much more!

Just a little more Christmas

After Christmas it was time to take Grandma and Grandpa back to the airport, with a little stop for pecans along the way.  This giant squirrel was just asking for us to pose for a picture with it!

 We continued our gingerbread house making tradition with Ellie and Margaret.

Ezra takes any opportunity to get a friend to read a book to him by grabbing his book and backing into their lap - inviting them to read to him!

And Christmas cookie making technically happened after Christmas this year... but hey, anytime is a good time to eat cookies, right?