Springbreak Staycation

This year, as last year, Rob's school couldn't get it together and had Spring break a week before our kids had spring break.  On Rob's spring break we do chores, like taxes and fixing toilets.

Fun for him!
On the kids spring break, we slept in gloriously late and did things like trap shooting- I didn't hit anything, but I aimed the right place, finally!!  Sam hit a couple this time.  Emma refused to try.  Joseph was the pulling man- He loves that job!
We had a Super Mario Party 8 day.  Everyone was really sad whenever Mom was on their team, but hey, I was winning on the owning real-estate until the very end!
We went out and had a jump rope party one day.

We did double dutch

 and single.  

We had a hard time remembering the words to the rhymes.  Luckily a couple 7 year old girls came to our rescue.  I couldn't jump longer than about 10 jumps before I had to run in the house and go to the bathroom.  Hmmm, maybe I should have kegled it up a few more times- although, after 4 babies, I doubt anything helps.
We also did a 5 mile hike to pass off a requirement for Star for Samuel.

 He was in charge of the treat and water bag and portioned it out well.  He carried it all but about 1 mile which is when Max insisted on wearing it.

We found some fun things on our walk through the Clifton Gorge,

like our first letter in Ohio

 and a hollow tree,

 some ruins and pretty flowers.  Sam used the flowers to make me into an Elf Princess.

 Don't I look pretty?
We had never been to the gorge before, so we weren't sure where we were going and ended up back at our car around 3 miles.  We took a break then and had snacks and water,

but then the kids didn't want to finish the last 2 miles.  They wanted Sam to do it with just us.  We told them it was a family affair and get up and get going.  They were troopers and everyone finished the last quarter of a mile skipping!
Max had an especially fulfilling Spring Break.  He learned, finally, how to tie his shoes

and how to ride his two wheeler bike!

 His training wheels are up, so they don't touch the ground.  Yeah for Max!!
The last day of Spring Break was April Fool's day.  Emma had gone to a park on Friday with a bunch of friends all but one of which were older than her by a year or 2 and played Ultimate Frisbee.  There just happened to be the guy that she was texting at the Young Women's broadcast that got me into trouble, there that day!  Wonder how he found out about it, since he's her age?  Anywho, I told Rob that he was there and so Sunday we decided to play a little April Fool's day joke on Dad.  I had Emma tell him that she had lost the $500 he was going to give her for not kissing a boy until she was 16- on Friday.  His mouth dropped open and he was like, "What?  What?"  That was the only coherent thing he got out of his mouth before Emma turned bright red and said, "April Fool's!"  Ha ha!  Then Sam made his famous Texas Sheet cake all by himself and we had friends over.  We told them that he had accidentally switched the sugar with salt, so eat it at their own risk.  They were so good or they just really wanted to eat it, because it looked so good!  Either way they tucked in and tried it.  You could see them rolling it around in their mouths trying to taste the salt, ready to spit it out at any minute.  The one little girl said, "it doesn't taste much different."  That's when we said, "April Fools!"  Tiffany then decided she wanted a much bigger piece!!  Later she did my nails for me.  She likes to do my nails for me, because my nails are so ugly!  I had to take a picture, because my fingers refuse to hold onto nail polish.

3 hours after this picture several fingers had lost most of the polish.
Well now it's back to the grind, back to 5:30 am wake ups and soccer galore!  Yesterday, I was not happy about it all, but then everyone said, "let your child get her own breakfast and lunch."  I just didn't like that response.  I feel like I should be there to support my daughter in her righteous goals to get up early, read her scriptures and head to seminary.  She has really long days with soccer and weight training for the high school soccer team.  I believe in the statement that you should be at all of your children's cross roads, that includes leaving for seminary early in the morning.  Today she smiled at me when she took her breakfast and lunch box and head out the door and threw me kisses and that's how I know that what I do means something to her.