Spring Break

Spring Break was just over a week ago and I think I am mourning it's passing. This year has been an emotional roller coaster with Alex starting middle school and Trevor being on his own for the first time, and in the newly built neighborhood school. So .... spring break was a welcome retreat for me and the children. I felt like we all regained the strength we have felt to be such a challenge as we face the world around us. It was such an escape and a bonding time. I hate that school has started again so I will relive our Spring Break joy through the blog.

Monday:
We caught up on some much needed shopping. Alexandra volunteered to keep Grace home with her to make cookies while Trevor and I found a new suit for him. Trevor and I really enjoyed our date and went to the craft store to buy paint by number kits once we found the perfect suit. It was so nice to have that one on one time with him.

Tuesday:
I'm so glad we had those paint kits! Alexandra got sick the night before so we used Tuesday as our 'recovery day' and sat in the breakfast room sunlight as we painted the day away. Trevor realized that the kits were a little more intensive than he cared for so he took over the art project I was doing and I enjoyed his paints.

Wednesday:
Ahh, what a beautiful day! We went to the Houston Arboretum and had a wonderful walk enjoying the world around us. It was so peaceful and the weather could not have been more kind, 70ish with a wonderful breeze. We saw some of the most beautiful things of nature. We even enjoyed a whole slew of snakes, one of which even came across our path so we could see his many ways of moving and we giggled as he couldn't decide if he wanted to come toward us or scoot away. We took our packed lunch and met Ken at work. They have a beautiful area between the buildings with tables, water art, and beautiful landscaping, which is where we enjoyed laughter and sweet moments of conversation with Dad.(I love this flower picture. Grace loves to pick flowers and this one lasted only long enough to take the picture. As soon as I finished putting the lense cover on Grace showed me her new treasure, freshly picked.)

We couldn't end our day there, however, and finally took the kids scriptures to the bookstore to be engraven with their names. I love how Alex and Trevor both have their distinct desires as Alex had her full name printed but Trevor just wanted the initial for his middle name. They were both so sure of what they wanted, I love it.

Thursday:
Yea, we made it to the zoo. What was really fun is Herman Park was finally finished with their construction so we were welcomed with the beautiful park rather than the barriers we became so accustomed to. Of course, we were able to directly see the lake now and took advantage of the opportunity to rent a paddle boat. Oh it was so fun. Alex and Trevor sat in front, steering and laughing while Grace and I watched from the back. About halfway into our allotted time we all switched seats, much to Alexandras dismay as she feared capsizing, and managed to stay upright. Oh how Grace loved to mimic her siblings power in directing where we went. We finally made it to the zoo and I was so impressed with how well the children worked together to decide where we went. They all picked 2 exhibits they wanted to see and Trevor was so valiant in making sure that everyones desires were met. We even got a funnel cake, the Texas sugar rush.



Friday:
Haha, I laugh even thinking about this day, as it truly was an adventure. Ken had taken the day off so we planned to go to the Safari park in Houston, packed our lunches and made it out the door just in the nick of time. (Alexandra had her first babysitting job that night and we had to be back in plenty of time). Between the drive and the wait in the car line it took us just over an hour to find out they took cash only but there was an ATM just over 3 miles down the road. On to plan B, thanks to Trevor's idea and our GPS for getting us there, we went and played games at Chuck-e-cheese. It's funny how much fun we had be it a simple game trip or a major trip to see the safari animals.

So there you have it. No major trips out of the state, just a wonderful opportunity to enjoy being together! We all enjoyed it and I loved seeing the stress and worry melt from our childrens minds. Even Grace was fed by all the time and attention with her sibilings.

(I'll post pictures when I can figure out how to put them in between the text)