SPRING BREAK!!!!

It's a disappointment that Auntie Jill came the week before spring break for Lux. Now we have no big plans and nothing to schedule around. Oh well! And Mom and Dad had to leave on Monday the 12. Gotta finish up the school year after having used up 70 SICK DAYS! That's a huge blessing she had saved all those up and decided to spend them on us. We are very lucky to have people giving up so much for us. And on Sunday Chayse headed up to Idaho. Of course for this week...but it's too cold. We shall stay here instead of joining him for the days!

Monday 12
We did the gym and then came home, packed some lunches and hit up the park with some friends! We met up with Karen, Carly, Becky and McCall and their kids for a good 2 and a half hours. The kids all played so well together and had a great time. Then back home it was for a nap for Pippa and then we got ourselves geared up for the evening event...swimming at the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center. We have never been and since we are staying in town for the week, we will live it up! And it was only about $11 for me and the kids to get in. That's a steal! And the kids had a wonderful time playing with their cousins. I let Pippa wander close by without floaties and got her warmed up to the water with our first visit for the season. After three hours at the pool, Julianna had offered to take the big three for a sleepover. It was very nice to just put Pippa to bed and then no one could poke me awake. I had to get her from the crib and just enjoy one baby!

Tuesday 13
I went to go get the kids in the morning, but Julianna just took Pippa instead and made me get my grocery shopping done and a bit of the house cleaned. I had a huge list to complete and it was barely scratched. I think I need to tone down my expectations. I brought the kids back for Pippa's nap and they were a bit worked up from the sleepover. Oh, my love-hate with those things. They sure love them. But the lack of sleep is difficult for the kids to overcome. But the memories they make are worthwhile. Then that evening, Grandma Andres invited us to join her to watch "A Wrinkle In Time". I have a few reservations about the movie...it was alright. Nice message, but just an okay movie. And then add in that only one out of four kids would actually watch the movie...then the one that watched it said he didn't like it. I guess our time and money could have been better spent. Oh well. Lesson learned! But I'll still probably do the summer kid movies again and be told repeatedly from the kids' behavior that it wasn't a good idea. Hmm...

Wednesday 14
Got my gym time in and then hurried to clean up and get off to storytime at 11. It hasn't been part of our routine for a few years and I am confused how that even happened. At one point with Lux, we were meeting friends each week for the library and now if I get there every few months I am impressed. We played at home and then after eating dinner we went to visit Grandma, Great Grandma and Grandpa for a little bit before bed. We sure do try to visit Great Grandma as much as we can. It also helps teach the kids how to speak to elders. I sure try my best to teach and sometimes it pays off. Others...well...yeah. About midnight Chayse came back and I'm thrilled he made it back. Glad he still knows where his house is!

Thursday 15
We helped Chayse return his rental car and then he spent some of the morning with us! It's always a surprise when he does that and the kids were excited to have him around! After the gym we went to House of Jump because the kids enjoy it and we had a coupon! So why not! This time Pippa absolutely loved it. She jumped right along with the rest of the kids. It was wonderful. I guess I didn't really need to get a ticket for myself to jump with her because she held her own so well!! We also met some friends there, Staci, Sara and two of their neighbors. The hour ran up very quickly and I couldn't believe it was time to go already. Chayse went off to work and we got rested up for the 3 o'clock Coco movie with Grandma. I took my chances and asked Chayse if he was coming as we were heading over to the theatre. He surprised us and came to see it! I loved the show. It was a great one. And very informative too. I finally understand Day of the Dead! We had also promised the kid to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for spring break and delivered that promise today. We enjoy it because the kids play on their pads at the restaurant and actually eat all of their dinner as well! So it's a place we go to twice a year thereabouts with the kids and can actually eat and talk! Chayse's family joined us for this and it turned out to be a good time!

Friday 16
Chayse surprised us again and joined us for the morning gym and then we took the kids to fiesta fun to end the big week. I followed Pippa around while Chayse managed the other three. They had a great time with just $20 between them. It's nice to save these kind of things for rewards...which was what this was. They had all filled their puff jars to the top and earned a fun party for doing so. They all wanted fiesta fun and it went well to add it to spring break. It takes a good deal of focus while there, so we had to be on our toes for this adventure!

That night I was invited by a friend I hadn't seen in 10 years!! We met in Chicago for our internships in that wonderful city. We loved going out and exploring together and it was wonderful to see her and spend some time together. She has started her own company (The Mama Ladder) to help moms grow their businesses. They had a retreat down here with some women and ended up with a spare ticket to the Pat Benatar concert. IT WAS AMAZING!! She has been singing for 39 years with her husband of 35 years and her voice was incredible!! I couldn't believe her vocals. And I loved it. Especially spending time with Crystalee! It did feel like we were back in the 80s, but it was so much fun. I am thankful for kind, loving friends!!

Saturday 17
Chayse went to help our friends move into their new home. There was a lot of heavy lifting at first, so I got (too much) shopping done. Target, Chayse's birthday presents, Old Navy, Dicks, Costco, Walmart, back to Target. Dollar store. I dropped a pretty penny trying to catch up on things that I had neglected and wanted to find a few specific things. And I ended up getting a solid three hours of searching and finding while a babysitter, Miss Kelsey, watched the kids. I was going to help with the moving...but I only was able to just see the new house and then let them get back to work doing the heavy stuff. Chayse came back early afternoon and then we spent some time with the kids after that. It was a nice Saturday.

Sunday 18
We taught at church for our 11 year olds and nothing too much happened. Then we had dinner with Chayse's family that afternoon. And at 6 we went to have Chayse help hang a few things at Kris and Bryce's new house. It is a beautiful home and we are thrilled for them. We ended up staying a bit later than we planned and the kids loved playing with their dogs. Phew...and just like that Spring Break was over!!