Christmas Snow

We were blessed with Christmas snow as a storm moved through the area that afternoon and evening. Since there was not enough snow to construct a real snow man, we went straight to the requisite snowball fight.

Emma takes a powder from Uncle Matthew.

Claire is next, but one finds a moving target difficult to hit. Note the lack of proper gloves, shoes, coats, or hats. This battle won't (and didn't) last long.

Claire fires back at close range. 

Emma exacts her revenge.

And with wet gloves and cold hands the battle ends almost as soon as it began. Based on historic trends, we should be able to resume this fight in about eight years.

Happy New Year!

Claire - November Star Student

Claire was selected as Star Student for November. We attended her award breakfast last Friday where she received her medal and certificate.

Congratulations, Claire!

Soccer is a Smash

Last Saturday was Emma's last soccer match for the Fall season. The action started slowly on this rather warm December day.

Emma was keeping the goal. She stopped the first shot attempt with a beautiful two-handed block. On the next attack, she set up for another save.

And then it happened.

In this series of Zapruder-like photos, instead of using her hands, Emma choose to use her face.

She went down. Glasses smashed. Tears. Eye swelling.

But she got up. Put some ice on the eye. And with a replacement pair of glasses soon returned to the pitch.

After a few minutes getting used to the new equipment, Emma made several attacks on the goal, outrunning the defense. Only the attentive keeper prevented her from scoring.

Finishing strong, our hero looks forward to the Spring season.

Congratulations, Emma. A season well-played.

Thanksgiving Morning

Sunday Soccer

A rare Sunday soccer match found the Dynamo on the short end of the score against the Blue Knights. Emma had a very good game, hustling on defense and stopping several shots as keeper.

Here's an example of her helping on defense.

One of the many goals she prevented -

Emma got the assist on our lone score. Here she moves the ball down field before completing a wonderful pass.

The rest of the days photos are here.

Squirrel

Using a longer lens I rented for soccer, I captured one of the squirrels availing himself of our backyard feeder.

Dynamo Soccer

Emma's fall soccer season has started. And now she's a Dynamo! I think she's just happy the uniforms are different from the previous seasons.

Let's get right to the highlights. Emma had a tremendous day on defense. Closing your eyes lessens the pain of the ball slamming into you.

No one could get past her to score. Here she clears the ball and launches the offense on a break.

Emma's teammates are much better at passing the ball and setting up shots. If we could just get rid of the goalkeeper...

In the second half, Emma stood her time in goal. This is the best action shot as the other team's offense never crossed midfield. Maybe next time she'll bring a book.

The rest of the day's photos are here. Enjoy.

Emma's Book Poster

Emma's English teacher picked her to create a poster about her favorite book series. Since Emma's a big Disney World fanatic, she picked the Kingdom Keepers books. They all have plots based on various Disney theme parks. You can click on the photo to read the details.

Claire Reports the Weather

Claire and the Giraffes

One cool thing about the new Africa exhibit at the Houston Zoo is the chance to feed the giraffes. Here's Claire taking on the beasts:

And yes, that is Claire's all-purpose pink shirt. Can't leave home without it.

Claire's Day at the Zoo

Claire suffered through a school holiday by going to the zoo. As one would expect, she set the pace and the agenda.

The main attraction this summer is Dinosaurs! So that was our first stop.

A carousel ride is always on the agenda. With the sparse crowd (all the other area schools were in session), Claire got her pick of the animals. Went with the Red Panda.

On the way to the Africa Forest exhibit, we got a good look at the male lion, right before he fell over for a nap.

Claire tries out a Halloween mask.

Some of her African favorites.

The bald eagle at the Children's Zoo:

Next on the agenda - the Primates.

And the final destination - the Red Panda.

Night at the Races

Last Saturday night found us and some friends enjoying a hot summer night at Houston Motorsports Park. With all the rain we've had recently, the track doubled up on the races to make up for several cancelled events.

You need few things for a successful night at the races. Number one - a big American flag.

Number two - cheap concessions:

(Since this was a special night for some reason, they also offered $1 hot dogs and $1 draft beer.)

Next is ear protection. With the classic Houston summer weather, a fan is a nice option. Claire rocks both as the sun began to set prior to the racing action.

There are several classes of vehicles, with drivers as young as 8. The track is a 3/8-mile, high-banked, asphalt-paved oval. The races last between 15 and 40 laps.

The first race of the night was the Bandoleros:

Then the Legends:

The NASCAR Stock Cars:

The NASCAR BWFS 360 Trucks:

The Ecostocks:

And finally the NASCAR Fiesta Modifieds:

And if you like wrecks, there are plenty of them. Here's one with the added bonus of fire:

I have more photos here.