Tempered II

Last week, Michaela and Christian went to a paint-your-own-pottery place with some friends, and had a very good time.  I wish I had photos to share of the whole process but my brains just weren't functioning fully that day I guess.  Because every other day they operate in "full-function" mode.  It was just that one day things were a little off.  Seriously.

Anyway, we picked up the fired pieces yesterday and here they are:

They worked very hard on these projects and were proud of the end result.  I think they did a great job.  And I also think I could get addicted to painting pottery myself!  It looks like so much fun.  We will hopefully get to do this again sometime soon.  I see Christmas presents or something in the future...

It's Just Gas

Michaela is having a great time this school year studying science.  We are learning about chemistry in a very basic and fun way with a book of experiments written for kids (it is part of a series called Adventures With Atoms and Molecules).  The experiments are all very simple (good for me) and require things that you have in your kitchen or can pick up at the grocery store.  Today we did an experiment which asked the question,"Are gas molecules farther apart than liquid molecules?"  We opened a small bottle of Coke and quickly covered the top of it with a balloon, shook the bottle (I was a little nervous about this!), and waited to see what would happen.  It turned out to be quite fun, and I don't know why, but a little funny too.  The gas molecules bubbled (whooshed?  foamed?) right up into the balloon and filled it up.  Here are some pictures of the result. This has been the most fun of the sciences for me personally, and I'm looking forward to learning with her this year.  Like I said, it's basic stuff, but I've forgotten so much!  And it's just cool to see her so excited about what she's learning. Oh, this one's for my brother: What did one molecule say to the other molecule first thing in the morning? Up and atom!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

The big kids and Mike have been going to see the Texas Rangers play this summer, and had a blast.  They loved watching the game, learning the rules and strategies, and becoming familiar with the players names, and Mike loved spending that special time sharing something with them that he had loved as a kid.  Dad always got them special treats, like ice cream and Sprite (!), and Christian usually came home with chocolate all around his mouth.   Here are some pictures from a couple of the games.