Showing posts with label spring break. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring break. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

SPRING BREAK Sleeping Accomodations!

People keep asking me where I put everyone!
I'm Not Gonna Lie-I was ecstatic to have 5 more adult bodies and 2 more child bodies in my home of already 2 adult bodies and 4 child bodies (even though we are starting to feel a little squeezed in home w/out the additions) --AND I really did NOT care about where the bodies would LIE. BUT thankfully I have friends w/ campers that heard of my numbers and brought a camper over. I had it all figured out in my mind where everyone would be, BUT after having the company and reality--I am GRATEFUL for the extra space it provided.We ALL had beds w/ mattresses, not even and air mattress had to be busted out!
BUT even with the extra space we still had some sleeping in the Living Room, and in any spare corner.
Largely because Dacie 'the princess' sleeps so much better on her own-we threw caution to the wind and let my sis sleep in there w/ Dacie, BUT then my sis spent one night with Dacie laying ON her and we removed ALL humans from her room!

The RV/Camper made it seem more like a vacation anyways, and like we were camping and in the Great Outdoors-wahoo!
Uncle Brendon slept on top, and the three older cousins (Colton, Sterling, and Kayden) slept below on the King bed. Grandpa slept on the converted table bed!
It was a nice place to send the cousins for afternoon nap time-so they could color and give some breathing, quiet room in the house!
It also freed up space since we kept some of the luggage in there.

It definitely made spring break more enjoyable, as we each had space to call our own!

However, we learned the hard way someone had to be in the camper w/ the boys until they were asleep or while they played (even with a baby monitor). So some of the 'chosen' few who went in there, went in to catch up on some reading or game boy playing while chaperone'ing the cousins (come on, who really NEVER got into trouble with their cousins, or did something naughty, we are just grateful they are not to the toilet papering stages or booby trapping!)

This was, definitely, the relaxing part of spring break!

DAY 5 SPRING BREAK (3/21/08): They are Leaving-Boo Hoo!!!!

It is rare that we get overnight company from our families (about once a year)-not very comfy sleeping arrangements (3 bedroom house 1550 sq.ft.) and gas prices don't help....SO when we do get company we try to KEEP them as long as we can and do as MUCH as we can!
It was not a FUn Friday for us-as we were losing the Fun we had all week

You cannot come visit us and NOT go and see SEDONA (about 15 miles from our home); a resort red rock town-
SO as our last HURRAH I took my teenage siblings (below, Brendon and Breanna) on a driving tour of Sedona.

No matter how many times I have been there. I am still in awe at the beauty of it!
...and I am still in awe at the 'extraordinary' people that live there!

They are really into vortex, crystals, etc. AND we got lucky to see one of the classic mountain men (below). They really do have a group of these guys that look like this and go and rescue people in the mountains, etc., usually in the parades they are on horseback NOT motorcycles!
It was beautiful farewell to such a FuN WeEk-

We hope we gave them lots of memories so they will come back again y'all!

*Not soon after they left our baby chick got eaten by a cat and Sterling fell off of the neighbors trampoline splitting his teeth and gums open. I was definetely not a happy camper aymore, I lost my family, friends entertainers, extra hands and helpers-it was a bummer!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

DAY 3 SPRING BREAK (3/19/08) : Ryland's Birthday-Pre NAP

(Ryland caught his FIRST fish)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYLAND!
CELEBRATING IT W/
A MORNING AT DEAD HORSE STATE PARK
(RYLAND AND GRANDMA-SNACKS WERE PLENTIFUL)
~KAYAKING ~
We borrowed some kayaks from some friends, and met up with them at the pond/lake at the park (about 5 miles from our house)-
We all boated to our hearts content!
Dacie and Aunt Breanna
Ryland and Uncle Brendon
Colton and Uncle Brendon
Sterling and Uncle Brendon (check out the life vest's fit!)
~FISHING~
The boy cousins trying it out!
Dacie and Ryland watching as the fish swim by!
and waiting....
and waiting...
(Cousin Kayden is the pro fisher of the group and barely missed the biting frenzy b/c he was on the boat)
Colton's first catch!
Sterling's first fish too!!!!
It was a Great Day out on the lake, so they say!

~HIKING~

All the kids starting off at the head of the 1/2 mile trail to some falls
With no water....it was a cool view being on TOP!
Then Uncle Brendon decided to get the real Arizona experience and scale the rocks to a little cave.
Aunt Breanna made it by herself to the top! Go NaNa!
~BUBBLES AND DOGS~
Bubbles and dogs completed the perfect morning/afternoon of Fun! It does not get much better than that!
However,we could have done without the BURNS we got that day...oops! NEVER forget the sunscreen!

Dacie starting to walk up a storm! She LOVED the DOG who was so kind to her-
and, of course, bubbles are always a hit with MY KIDS!
Full tummy's (pizza) and sleep (naps for some) would help complete PHASE I of the BirthdAy FUN!
(to be continued...)

Friday, March 21, 2008

Day 2 SPRING BREAK (3/18/08): Paint Day !

(Sterling painting ceramics)
THE BIG KiDs and the LITTLE kIdS Got in the action today!
(Dan the bandanna paint Man)
(Uncle Brendon)


You LOVE being my company-I wake you up and put you to work!!!

I grabbed any spare hands I could collect and we went and painted Sterling's preschool early Tuesday morning 3/18/08.

They are putting in new carpets at the school and decided to paint as well--so they asked for volunteers AND I could not say NO! Service builds character right?

The rest stayed home and watched the ACTIVE bunch!


(Cousin Kayden and Ryland)

Afterwords it was off to do painting of our own at the Serenity Ceramic Shop in town, With all the cousins...


(Colton)


We still have 'aftermaths' from the night before on our faces AND getting Sterling to take off his leprechaun pin!


Then we were off to do some shopping for my parents Easter packages out of town and some last minute touches for Ryland's 3rd b-day (the next day). You have to visit Walmart, at least, one time while visiting to get the TRUE Cottonwood experience.

Dacie had to try out the sunglasses JUST to be sure they would be a good fit for Ryland (below)!



With 6 kids under the age of 6--you can NEVER visit too many parks. We had a Fried Chicken picnic dinner at the park #2 (as opposed to park #1 the day before)!
aaaah-the joys of sliding!

Grandpa became the official sunglass holder for the evening! (below)

And, of course, Dacie has been a DIVA ALL week! Hands to hold her ALL the time, and play with her hair, and put on cute outfits....being the ONLY girl has it s benefits. (below)

AFTER wearing the kids out we could NOT have 'carried' them to bed ANY sooner!
Then the adults settled down for a GREAT late night movie, Enchanted!
Spring Break is RoCkIn'!!!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

DAY 1 SPRING BREAK (3/17/08) : St. Patty's Day!

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time-a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic"
-Adrienne Cook "The Company" (5 adults, 2 Boys) arrived at 1:00am-to kick off our spring break! The morning was getting unpacked, the cousins playing with every TOY in the house, grocery shopping and...
Dawning the Green Apparel!
Grandma brought tattoos, stickers, and green stuffed animals as well. It was a morning of GREEN- Oh yeah, and Lucky Charms cereal w/ green milk for breakfast!

Then we set the remodeled "skunk trap"/now leprechaun trap to try to catch the leprechaun that seems to sneak past us every year and trash our house!

Afterwords we watched our traditional Disney Gnomemobile movieThen we were off to feed the nearby ducks a holiday treat..


and then a trip to the nearby library under renovation. We built w/ the blocks and picked out books until we got KICKED out!
So we swung on over to the nearby park and SWUNG to our hearts content

AAH! and while we were gone LUCKY the leprechaun got us again!!
Here is our trashed Living Room!

~Check out the footprints and rolos (gold) he leaves all over~
We did, however, catch his little green underwear in the trap
Some of the St. Patty's day Fun activities the leprechaun got a hold of.
The boys assessing the damage!
He even found the boys bedroom!
After cleaning up...
While we were cooking our green dinner,
we pumped up the volume to our Irish music and did some jigging!
Grandma even got in on the action!!!
We ended the evening w/ some green tuna shell salad, green tampica punch, green tossed salad, and green veggies! I cannot believe we did not take a picture of the FOOD!
My teenage brother and sister went to a party that some of the youth were having here. It was out there, and they went looking for Indian ruins in the dark!
While the small kiddos ,at home, were getting a lesson on Easter w/ pictures from the gospel art kit!
It was a PERFECT beginning to a FuN Filled spring break!