Spring Break 2008

Quite sadly, spring break has come and gone at our house. We have had a great time and we love the slower pace of vacation. The older girls struggled to get up and going for school today. They have missed their friends, but are not quite ready to get back into the groove of homework and studying. 9 weeks to go girls! You can do it! Summer vacation is just around the corner and will be a well earned break this year!
My parents have been visiting for the past couple of weeks and we have had a good time. They planned their trip perfectly and were able to spend time with Lauren and Mackenzie. Usually when they visit, the big girls are in school and don't get more than the weekends to enjoy Grandma and Papa, so this has been nice. Of course, this all would have been more fun if the weather had cooperated a bit more. We have had some good weather and the girls have all enjoyed being outside, but it's rained a few days and been kind of cool. Ashtyn got a new bike and she and Sierra have enjoyed riding bikes together. Our trampoline has been worth it's weight in gold this week! While the grass may have been a little soggy, the trampoline was the perfect place for some outdoor time. The girls' soccer games were all cancelled due to rain last Saturday and Grandma and Papa won't have a chance to watch them play on this trip.
We did take a trip to the zoo, which was great fun. My kids love the zoo and seeing all of the animals. They loved feeding the lorakeets and being able to have them land on their arms. We had great timing in that the birds were all hungry and very cooperative. Even Sierra enjoyed the close ups, although she wasn't interested in holding the cup of nectar herself. She did want to cross the fence and climb in the trees with them! Our zoo also has an awesome playground, but we didn't get to check it out because it was so busy by the time we had made our rounds of all the animals! We have a season pass and I have promised the girls a trip just to do the playground the first chance we get!

For Sierra's birthday we made a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. Another big hit! Sierra had a great time and enjoyed the freedom to run around and do what she wanted to do. We love that place! Mark decorated her cake, which she loved! Good job, honey!! She actually blew out her own candles too and was so excited to have her birthday cake for breakfast the next morning!
I have had strep for the last few days, which put a little bit of a damper on Easter activities. I didn't feel up to Easter egg hunts or dying eggs. Thank goodness Mark, Grandma, and Papa stepped up to fill in. (And yes, I would like to think that it took all 3 of them to fill my shoes!) The little girls had a great time hunting eggs and they all loved their new dresses. Unfortunately, it was a little bit cold for the summer sandals and short sleeves, so they were covered by sweaters for most of the day. Of course, Sierra is a little bit stubborn (she gets it from her father) and refused to wear her sweater or warmer shoes. The Easter Bunny found our house and left way too much candy, but what fun is Easter without a lot of chocolate?! So much for losing a few pounds before it's time to squeeze into my swimsuit! But I'll have to start worrying about that next week!

Mark won tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. He loves to play those radio call-in games! Carrie Underwood was awesome and we had such great seats on the floor! We only wish that we had thought to take our camera! We did call the girls at home during one of her songs so that they could hear. During the show that we saw, Randy Travis joined her on stage and asked her to become the newest member of the Opry. Then he sang a couple of songs too. A very fun night! For those of you who have visited us in Tennessee, I apologize for not suggesting such a fun outing. In the 12 years that we have lived here we had never been! We need some visitors so that we have an excuse to go again!