Spring Break 2016

Spring Break was officially off to a great start when I fed the kids Cheez-its and Pop-tarts for lunch that Monday.  For their entire lunch.  And I had them eat outside so there was no clean up.  Win-win!

We'd planned to hang out in town all week until Friday, then head to Garner State Park.  Great plan except for the severe thunderstorms that rolled in Friday night but thank goodness for our weather app which kept us from camping in the rain.

Instead we hit the movie and had supper with our camping buddies Friday night, then had them over all day Saturday and chilled at our casa where it did not rain, playing games, hiking, eating camp food, and-Bonus-shooting, which obviously wasn't in our original camping plan.

The most important aspect (neck-and-neck with Monica's chocolate chip cookie s'mores) was that we were all able to sleep in our own real beds and I didn't have to pack one thing.

I've always enjoyed our kids.  A lot.  But this break we turned a corner.  A huge one.  The one where all activities we did were just as much fun for me as for the kids.  This is HUGE and I didn't see it coming.  I've arrived!  (Moms of little kids and babies, this is even bigger than them sleeping all night, I'm afraid.  Something else to look forward to!)

We shot hoops at the gym on Monday and Wednesday mornings and I just hate that I forgot to snap a pic of all of us gym rats.  J, L, and I all practiced shooting, worked on our ball handling skills, and got so much exercise that I awoke the next mornings thinking my body aches must be the flu. #dustingoffninelongyears  Even SK had a ball.  More photo opps coming soon, as I look forward to much more gym time this summer.  :)

We also spent time in the garden and Tuesday the kids helped me plant some thirty tomato, squash, pepper, zucchini, and watermelon plants.

J climbed our fig tree while I tilled.

Farmer Luke!

SK wanted so badly to run the tiller.

Didn't let her do that, but she did plant our spaghetti squash seeds!

Thursday we hiked at our place with our neighbor boys and then swam at their house that evening till dark after Kaydie and Grandmama had the boys for a few hours while SK napped.  J was all over the slide and I couldn't believe they weren't frozen.  We had three filthy worn our kiddos every single night.  #success

Friday Hots went fishing and we went to the splash pad.  The boys were all about it as usual but SK was tentative and hung out near me which is SO strange to this mom of two very active boys.  At my advanced age I'm all about not having to worry about her running straight toward the river, into traffic, the woods, perfect strangers, or just all over the place.  I did not sit down until L was at least three-and-a-half years old & J was five.  Ever.   #ilikemyloungechair   #supervisingatoddlewhilesitting-what?!

She would walk over to the water spouts, then turn around and come right back.

When I opened her door to get her out at home she had re-purposed her unused swim diaper.  This girl cracks us up!

Spring Break 2016 goes in the books as a raging success!

And Monday morning we were back to normal.

This is normal.

"I fix it, Momma!  I fix it!"

She can fix her own hair now and smile on cue.  She's practically all grown up.

She's also ready for Eighties Day.

P.S.  Not sure what came over me, but I think I'm done with hashtags now.