We Love Ice Cream ANY Time of Year!!!

Missy wears a Blue Bell Creameries Hat.

Today Missy learned about Blue Bell ice cream.  It may be cold outside, but it is NEVER too cold for ice cream!

The Blue Bell Creamery is over 100 years old.  Blue Bell was named after the Texas bluebell wildflower.  The company was started in 1907 in Brenham, Texas.  Brenham is located about an hour's drive north from our house.

Blue Bell ice cream is famous in Texas.  We think that it is the very best ice cream in the whole world.  The people at Blue Bell told us that they know why their ice cream tastes so good.  It is because the cows that make the milk for their ice cream think that Brenham is heaven!

Blue Bell ice cream is only sold in 19 states across America.  I feel sorry for those folks who have never been able to eat Blue Bell!

When you visit the ice cream factory, you can take a tour of the manufacturing plant.  We watched a short movie about Blue Bell Creameries.  Then we visited where they make and pack the ice cream. We watched workers pack ice cream bars.  At the end of the tour, you get a scoop of ice cream.  You can choose from over 32 flavors!  Missy chose chocolate.

Blue Bell makes old-fashioned ice cream.  It tastes GREAT!!!  This afternoon, Missy tried two of our favorite flavors... Homemade Vanilla and Peppermint.

Missy chose the vanilla ice cream.  She covered it in sprinkles and chocolate syrup.  She put a cherry on top.  She said that it was the best ice cream that she has ever tasted!

If you like ice cream, here are two pages for you to color.  Have fun!

• Ice Cream Cones
• Ice Cream Island

Missy Goes on a Nature Hike

Missy and Roxanne go for a hike.

This morning when we woke up, the sun was shining.  It was another beautiful day in Texas!  It was a great day to be outside.  We decided to go for a hike.

We drove to the George Mitchell Nature Preserve, one of my favorite places.  The preserve is deep in a thick forest.  It has a beautiful hike through the pine trees and hardwoods.   Hiking is one of my favorite things to do.

Missy at the George Mitchell Nature Preserve

While Mom took this photo of Missy, I was already on the trail.  I was ready to go hiking!  

Roxanne is ready to hike!

 The hike is about a mile and a half long.  It goes through the woods and to a beautiful little lake.

Bedias Lake at George Mitchell Nature Preserve

While we were hiking, we saw the first sign that spring is on its way... flowers!!!

First signs of spring.

Then Missy saw a new plant that she had never seen before.  It is called a saw palmetto.  Palmettos only grows in southern forests from Texas to Florida.  Here's a photo of Missy and me in front of a palmetto.

Missy and Roxanne in front of saw palmetto.

We had a long hike today.  It was so much fun!

Texas, Our Texas

When we left Galveston beach, we drove to the San Jacinto Monument in LaPorte, Texas.   We wanted to help Missy understand why Texas is such a special state.

San Jacinto is a famous battlefield in Texas.  It is where the Texas army won our independence from Mexico.

The fight for independence had been very difficult for the Texans.  Six weeks earlier at the Alamo, every single soldier fighting for Texas had died.  Sam Houston led the charge at San Jacinto.  It was a surprise attack.  The battle took just 18 minutes.  On that day, April 21, 1836, Texas became an independent republic.  Texas joined the United States in 1845.

Because San Jacinto has such a special place in Texas history, Texans built a monument here.  The wind was still blowing really hard, so Dad took hold of Missy when Mom took this photo.  We didn't want her flying up in the sky again!

Missy in front of the San Jacinto Monument

They say that everything is BIG in Texas.  Here are some fun reasons why...

• Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America.  Only Alaska is bigger.  If you want to know HOW BIG TEXAS IS, just check out my post by clicking here:  How Big is Texas?
• Houston, Texas, is the largest geographical city in the United States.  Houston has over two million people living in it, making it the fourth most populous of all U.S. cities.
• The Texas state capitol in Austin is the largest capital building in all the states.
• The San Jacinto monument is the world's tallest war memorial and stone column, standing a little more than 567 feet tall.

The San Jacinto monument is the tallest war memorial and stone column, standing at 567 feet tall.

There are so many more things that make Texas special.  Here are just a few more facts:

• Texas is the #1 state in the U.S. in production of oil, cotton, wool, hay, and cattle. 
• Texas is a word that means "friendly" in the Caddo Indian language.  
• Texas is called the Lone Star State because its flag has one white star. 
• The Texas state flower is the bluebonnet.  Bluebonnets only grow wild in Texas.

Texas Bluebonnets

Would you like to learn more about Texas?  Here are two great coloring book about Texas facts and symbols:

• http://www.texasbob.com/documents/texascolor.PDF
• http://kids.house.state.tx.us/worksheets/symbols.pdf

Here is a great book about symbols of Texas State Parks:  Symbols of Texas State Parks

Our state song is Texas, Our Texas: 

Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!

Texas, Our Texas! so wonderful so great!

Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev'ry test

O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest.

Chorus

Texas, O Texas! your freeborn single star,

Sends out its radiance to nations near and far,

Emblem of Freedom! it set our hearts aglow,

With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.

Chorus

Texas, dear Texas! from tyrant grip now free,

Shines forth in splendor, your star of destiny!

Mother of heroes, we come your children true,

Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.

Chorus

God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,

That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.

God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,

That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long. 

Sea Turtles and the Texas Coast

When we visited the beach today, Missy learned a lot about the Texas coast and its sea turtles.

Turtle sanctuary on Galveston island.

While we were walking, we found a turtle sanctuary along the beach.  This is a special part of the beach where sea turtles come to lay their eggs.  

Turtles visit many places along the shores of the Texas Gulf Coast.  Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are the most common turtles that come to lay their eggs in the sands of Galveston's beach.  

Sand dunes on Galveston beach

All sea turtles live in the open ocean.  Female sea turtles only come to shore once a year.  They come at night to lay their eggs.  Their nesting season is from April to August when the sand is warm.  The sea turtles may lay as many as 120 eggs at one time.

About 60 days later, tiny turtles emerge from their shells.  They normally hatch at night or during a rain storm.  Then they scurry to the water as fast as they can.  They must make it to the water quickly to keep safe from predators.

The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is very special.  It is the smallest sea turtle.  An adult can weigh 100 pounds and is about 30 inches long.  Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are also the most endangered of all sea turtles and must be protected.  For more information, click here:  Most Endangered Sea Turtles

You can help to save sea turtles.  You can help by keeping beaches clean.  You can help by protecting beach vegetation.  You can help by not disturbing a turtle if you see one.  If you would like to learn more about helping turtles, click here:  Protect Sea Turtles

We didn't see any sea turtles on the beach today.  Here is a photo that Mom took a few years ago of an injured turtle at the Houston Downtown Aquarium.  Soon after this photo was taken, the turtle was well enough to be released back into the ocean.

Sea turtle at Houston's Downtown Aquarium Restaurant

After our trip to the beach, Missy wanted to know all about our Texas turtles.  Here is a photo of Missy coloring a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle.  She is a very good artist!

Missy learns about Kemp ridley turtles.

Would you like to learn more about sea turtles?  To learn more about Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, click here Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles or here Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles TPWD

Here are three great activity books about turtles:  

Texas Sea Turtles

Sea Turtle Activity Book 

All Kinds of Turtles Activity Book  (Missy colored the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle picture from this activity book.)

You can also check out these great books from your library:

• I'll Follow the Moon by Stephanie Tara
• National Geographic Readers:  Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh
• One Tiny Turtle:  Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies

Missy's Day at the Beach

Today Missy learned a wonderful lesson about Texas winters.  It may be really cold one day but the next day may be warm enough to go to the beach!

We drove about an hour south of our house to Galveston island yesterday.  The sun was shining through the clouds.  The warm wind blew.  The waves splashed on the shore.  It was a perfect day!

Missy and Roxanne making sandcastles at the beach.

Missy and I had a great time at the beach.  We made sand castles.  We ran...

Missy running on the beach.

Missy played fetch with me and tossed me my golf ball.

Roxanne and her golf ball.

The water was too cold for Missy to swim.  It wasn't too cold for me!

Roxanne in the surf.

The best part came right before we left... Missy went FLYING!  The wind gusted, and Missy was airborne.  It was amazing!  We sure were happy when she came back down to the ground!

High-flying Missy

We had a wonderful, wonderful day!

Missy is a happy girl!

Play Day with Missy

We had another great day with Missy today.  Since it is still very cold outside, we decided to play inside.

First, we had a good breakfast.

Then Missy played her guitar.  She plays the guitar VERY well!

I showed Missy how to work my puzzle.  Mom hides treats in it, then I find them.  Missy told me that I am a very smart dog.

Then we played a game of Monopoly.  Missy won!!!

This evening, Missy and I snuggled together on my bed.  I am having so much fun with my new friend!!!

Birds, birds, and more birds!

Missy watches birds with binoculars.

It is a cold day in Texas.  We are having another winter storm with sleet and a little snow.  All the schools and many stores are closed.  We are staying inside where it is warm.  Missy tells us that it snows a lot in the winter in Colorado.  We rarely have snow in our part of Texas.

Today is a good day for Missy to learn about Texas birds.  We always have lots of birds at our bird feeders.  This time of year we also have many very special birds visiting Texas.  These birds have two homes.  They nest in one home and winter in their other home.  Twice a year, the birds fly from one home to the other.  This is called migration.

Many birds migrate to our part of Texas in the winter.  They leave their homes in the cold country and migrate here to stay warm.  Some of these birds fly all the way from the Arctic ocean!

Central Flyway Migration map (courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife)

The most famous Texas migratory bird is the whooping crane.  Whooping cranes nest in northern Canada and migrate to the Texas coast every winter.  They fly over 5,000 miles to get here!  In 1941 only 14 whoopers were still living in the wild.  People in Canada and Texas began to work together to save the whoopers.  It worked!!!  Now there are over 250 whooping cranes that come to Texas every year.

At our house, we have many migratory birds that visit us every winter.  Hawks and hummingbirds migrate here.  We also have many warblers and flycatchers.  Sometimes we even have spoonbills and the bright red scarlet tanager.

We knew that the birds would be hungry today because of the cold weather.  We filled our bird feeders early this morning.  Soon many, many birds came to visit.  Here are a few that Missy saw:

An American Goldfinch poofing up his feathers to keep warm.

Red Cardinal

Black-capped Chickadee

Mourning Dove

Downey Woodpecker

Red-breasted Robin

Blue Jay

Carolina Wren

Missy and I had fun watching the birds today.   We learned a lot about Texas birds and migratory birds.  If you would like to know more about Texas birds, we have found some great information for you.

Just click here to learn more about Texas backyard birds:  Texas Backyard Birds

Here's a great activity book about Texas birds:  Texas Birds Activity Book

If you would like to learn more about whooping cranes, click here:  Whooping Cranes

You can also check out these great books from your library:

• Backyard Bird Watching for Kids by George H. Harrison
• On the Wing:  American Birds in Migration by Carol Lerner
• The Peregrine's Journey:  A Story of Migration by Madeleine Dunphy
• How Do Birds Find Their Way? by Roma Gans
• Whooping Cranes by Karen Dudley