happy leap day

today is a good day to leap so happy leap day!

kylie's prayer: february run

last night we went out to serve with kylie's prayer & love on some good people that were down on their luck. kylie's prayer is a christian ministry dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the homeless of downtown houston that was started with a 5 yr old's (kylie) prayer to help the homeless. now a few yrs later, the last saturday of the month a group of people meet together to help serve kylie's mission to spread the Word and Love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the homeless, through distribution of supplies, food, love, and prayer. the family that started kylie's prayer moved to louisiana some months ago so our very good friend lori took it over for them & is doing an AMAZING job!  it's so wonderful going out with our old friends & helping new friends. speaking of friends last night my whole small group from church came out to serve & it was awesome to be there together. some of our friends even brought all the things needed to make fresh hotdogs & everyone was beyond thrilled! another amazing thing is our small group that has always gone out for the last couple of years is now growing & we've never had so many people want to be involved. we're beyond thankful that the word is spreading & people are wanting to get involved to help their community. my teacher (ms. huff) & her boyfriend even came out with us. all together that makes 4 teachers from our school what are serving with us... how cool is that?!?! remember there are just so many ways to help & if you'd like to find out more about kylie's prayer or how you can serve please click here

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me…” Matthew 25: 35-36

friendly neighborhood helpers

last night was livi 's 1st grade program called "friendly neighborhood helpers" & it was so adorable. all year the 1st  graders have been learning about everything that makes up a community & how everyone helps each other. they have been rehearsing since the new year & even had their own script that came home for them to study. all the classes were split into 3 different types of neighborhood helpers like: garbage collectors, crossing guards, firefighters, dentists, grocers, mail carriers, chefs, plumbers, veterinarians, librarians, recylclarians & of course kids. all the songs they sang were so stinkin' cute & very catchy. livi played a kid & was the only one to have lines besides singing & she rocked... whoo hoo!!!

of course after the program it was time to take pics with all of her best friends & wonderful teacher, mrs. tinker.

then it was time for celebratory ice cream... yummy!

what livi has been up to in GT

in livi's gt class they have been studying dr. michael debakey, the world-famous cardiologist from right here in houston.  dr. debakey was not only an incredible surgeon, but also a gifted inventor...he created the first blood pump while still in medical school!  he also had a hand in creating the first heart/lung machine, the artificial heart, and artificial heart valves.  he was incredibly driven, working until he was over 100 years old.  in honor of dr. debakey, they are exploring all about the heart , starting with making a life-sized model of our circulatory system! 

in february, what else to study but hearts?  but no valentines for the gt group...instead we studied real hearts in continuation of our study of dr. michael debakey. we studied the circulatory system and the structure of the human heart. after completing their full body-sized maps of their circulatory system.  it was time for their culminating activity (as i'm sure you've heard by now!) was to dissect a pig heart.  they followed the path that blood flows through the four chambers of the heart.  it was, as one student put it, "awesomely disgusting."  daddy was there to help dissect & mommy was there to take photos. all the kids were fascinated by the dissecting & only on was a little grossed out. daddy made rings out of the superior vena cava. all the students would put their finger in one end of the heart & it would come out of the other like the blood pumps through it. some of the kids thought that parts if it looked like sausage & some parts like cauliflower. some wanted to know if they could take it home for their parents to cook for dinner. they thought that the muscle was stronger than superman's muscle. they all loved & were thankful that the heart felt rubbery & not squishy! 

 of course before livi's class came in daddy had to have some fun in the science lab before they got down to serious business...