Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Spring Break 2018

We stayed here for spring break which should come as no surprise because vacations are not an option right now with the practice and a tight budget.  I debated driving to Utah but then I remembered I had five boys and visions of Henry screaming in his car seat quickly snuffed out that idea.  Also, Marcus had a pet-sitting gig that meant some majorly much needed cash so we stayed.

Day 1: It was great!  The sun was shining so I planned an adventure to Discovery Park and invited any friends who weren't in Hawaii to join us.  I'd never been to Discovery Park so I did some research and away we went.  Basically we ended up walking aimlessly through acres of forested park trying to get to the beach and lighthouse with 5 other women and 23 kids in tow.  I'm lucky they are still friends with me but in my defense, everything online said all the trails would be marked so finding and staying on the right trail would be easy.  WRONG!  And anytime I saw a runner/dog walker, they'd see our huge crowd and detour around us before I could ask for directions.  I'm not even joking.  Eventually we made it to the beach though and it was perfect.  There was a ton of big driftwood for forts an teepees, an actual hobo camp with a Christmas tree {One of the boys threw the tree in the ocean.  Poor hobo!}, endless amounts of rocks to throw, a lighthouse, and a sea lion.  Yep, it was cool.  After we got home from the adventure my boys all gathered up their sports gear and I dropped them off at the middle school to run on the track and play ball in the sunshine while Henry napped.  It was bliss.  The fun pretty much ended here because the next afternoon it started raining and basically didn't stop.  This has been the wettest April on record and we are only halfway through!

All these cute kids following me, hoping I'm leading them to the beach

1.5 miles later and we were almost there!


As soon as the boys saw the water they knew just what to do:  throw rocks!

Half our group having lunch



Sitting outside the hobo camp

Marcus my pack horse.  Henry was out cold and got a sunburned head.  Mom Fail!


Day 2: I tried to go out and do some marketing for the office.  The goal is to drop by monthly to every office that sends us patients with some sort of gift to keep their referrals coming.  I love visiting the offices but hate coming up with something to give them.  But it's my job and I'm trying to embrace it, anxiously awaiting the day when I can hire someone to do it for me who is creative and crafty, unlike me.  After marketing, I took the boys to lunch at Costco.  Three slices of pizza, two hot dogs, and a churro later and we were all fed for $10.  Then it was off to an awesome park by the lake.  It wasn't crowded and there was a family there that we knew so that helped the fun last a bit longer.


You can practically hear him giggling in this picture

One of the coolest playgrounds around
Day 3:  More marketing for me followed by taking the boys to the mall.  I probably go to the mall twice a year and the boys never go.  Marcus absolutely refused in a way only a teenager could but Ethan was bribed by ice cream and the fact that we needed to pick out a new Sunday suit for him.  Luckily we found him a suit quickly and it was on sale 50% off.  {Are you noticing a theme here about me spending little to no money?  Go me!}  Then the boys explored the Disney store and Lego store.  It was fun and I honestly enjoyed the Lego store just as much as they did.  And no one asked me to buy them anything which was a huge miracle.  On the way home we stopped at Dairy Queen for blizzards, paid for with a gift card I've had for awhile.  That night we went swimming at the YMCA.  I didn't break any important rules or get kicked out.  Success!









Parker is killing me in this picture!! Nerd alert.

Day 4:  A bucket list trip to the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon.  I've never been and decided it was now or never.  A couple other families met up with us and because I drive much faster than the average person, we arrived 15 minutes before everyone which meant by the time our friends arrived, my boys were ready to leave.  I tried to make it fun and even let them pose for pictures however they wanted but they would have none of it.  Boys and flowers just don't mix.  I admired the small gardens which were beautiful but not much more impressive than Temple Square, just sayin'.  Then we headed out to the muddy tulip fields.  They were amazing!  So much color!  From far away it looked like a farmer had planted a rainbow.  I walked slowly with my friends and their daughters who were enjoying the beauty and taking picture while all the boys ran ahead.  They found an old school bus sitting at the edge of the field and went inside.  Thank goodness because that bus kept them entertained for a half hour.  It was filled with rubber bands.  Like thousands and thousands of rubber bands so naturally a rubber band war followed suit.  On our way back through the fields it started to rain buckets of water, drenching us in seconds.  Marcus sprinted to the van with a screaming Henry on his back.  I told my friends we were done and thanks for coming on another adventure and when I got to the van the boys were all buckled and ready to head home again.  I offered to take them to lunch and they refused.  "Just get us out of here!"  they yelled.  So we drove the 90 minutes back home but along the way we passed Randy working at his other job and he treated us to a quick lunch.  Henry sucked on the table.  I'm waiting for him to get sick any day now.  That night we went swimming at the Y and I actually put Henry in a swimsuit so he could swim.  He loved it and I loved that Marcus swam with him so I didn't have to get cold and wet.


We walked through this part so quickly I didn't even notice the yellow star shapes until later

Hard to believe he isn't a teenager yet, huh?


The only kid that would sit for this picture before heading to the muddy fields




That rebellious red tulip!





This bus saved the day



Day 5:  I took the boys swimming at the Y for a couple of hours.  They had a ton of fun because the lifeguards were miraculously allowing the kids to have fun and didn't blow their whistles once.  They did make me get in the pool with Parker so I rolled up my pants and stood in the shallow end while he swam around.  Stupid rules.

Henry's first time wearing a swimsuit and swimming in a pool.  That swimsuit was first worn by Marcus.

Marcus refers to himself as Henry's dad and the boys couldn't contain their excitement having Henry in the pool with them.  Brother love runs strong with Henry

Day 5:  Lots more rain but the blossoms are popping so our yard is a sight to behold!  I bought some cheap freezer pizzas from Costco for lunches during spring break and here is Marcus eating all but one slice.  We are officially feeding a human garbage disposal, folks!  And we are currently going through a gallon of milk per day.  So fun!  Friday night some friends invited us over to watch The Greatest Showman.  Randy bought a digital copy a few weeks ago and we have all been watching it non-stop but decided to hang out with our friends and watch it again.  We had a good time while Marcus stayed home.  And that puts an end to our Spring Break 2018 run down.  We survived and sometimes thrived.  And then we cleaned the house from top to bottom.  I think my boys were more than ready to get back into the school routine.  We just barely started 3rd trimester so we've got a long time before the finish.  Ugh.
Feeding a teenager until they're full is no small task!

Game night/The Greatest Showman and yes, that guy is crazy tall!

This picture doesn't do the white blossoms justice but it sure is beautiful!

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