Spring Break

   
A picture of Little Man and Kiwi on TV after being filmed at a nearby Children's Museum.  


I wrote this post during Spring Break a couple of weeks ago and was waiting to add pictures to it.  Beside the above picture, all my pictures from our week are on my phone and I can't figure out how to get them from my phone to the computer.  My husband got me some fancy Windows (I think Microsoft is brainwashing him into believing all their products are the best in the "training" videos they require their employees to watch) that does not seem very compatible with our Apple computer.  Imagine that.  Anyways, for now my pictures remain on my phone.  

       This past week has been Little Man's spring break.  We have really enjoyed ourselves and the week flew by.  I love having all of my children home with me.   It's enough to make me consider homeschooling.  Until I remember that homeschooling would actually require school time.  Like more than me reading out loud "Little House in the Big Woods" to them.  And I remember the one time, early in the week when we had some "school time" with Little Man working on a writing project, Kiwi in her pre-kindergarten workbook, and Mason crawling all over me as I tried to help them and he tried to grab all the markers.  I think I will just stick to enjoying vacations.
      The fun started last weekend when Little Man went to his first "late night" party.  A good friend of his from school and church had a pizza and movie party that went all the way until nine o' clock!  He was so excited to be out that late and had a great time.
      Here are some highlights of the week:
Monday:  We met up with my sister in law and cute nieces at McDonald's for lunch and their play place.  McDonald's is not my favorite place by a long shot, but when I asked the kids what they wanted to do during break that was at the top of both big kid's list, so we went.  I always enjoy hanging out with Kari and her girls, however, and all the kids had a great time.  That afternoon was the warmest of the week, so Little Man and Kiwi spent Mason's nap time playing outside, trying to convince me to go swimming, and squirting each other with a squirt gun.  After nap, we went with our neighbors to a park and enjoyed the mild weather.
       Tuesday it rained the majority of the day, but cleared up in the late afternoon.  We went on a walk (me walking, Mason in the stroller), bike (Kiwi) and scooter (Little Man) ride and got caught in the rain.  I called in an adventure and the kids were pretty good about it.  Then the rain cleared and we saw a double rainbow.  Kiwi stopped her bike and said, "I've only seen pretend rainbows before, this is my first time seeing a real rainbow!"  Little Man wanted to try to go to the end to see the pot of gold.  He asked me if there was really a pot of gold and as I opened my mouth to say "no," but instead replied, "I don't know, I've never been to the end of the rainbow before.  It may sound silly, but there was something magic about that moment.  The rain cloud had passed over us and we could see it raining on one side of the street while it was dry on the other.  The air smelled like spring, the children's faces bright and excited, and I felt like anything was possible.  Maybe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...
       Wednesday my mom went with us to a children's museum about a half an hour from our house.  We had never been to this particular museum and it was a lot of fun (if you are local and have a library card, you can print off two free tickets for it).  We spent the morning exploring simple machines, finger painting, playing in the water area, climbing in the cab of a semi truck, and going up into a tree house.  Kiwi loved the paint, Little Man spent 25 minutes working with another little boy making a system of pulleys and levers to put rubber balls through, and Mason's favorite part was probably the water.
       While we were there, a local news show was filming and the kids got on camera.  We watched the program the next day and there they were, showing off their paint colored hands.  They were so excited!  Little Man asked if the whole world was watching the show.
        Thursday we took Kiwi to gymnastics, ran some errands, and spent the afternoon at home.  The highlight was probably watching the big kids play in the rain/hail storm until they were soaked and then coming in, putting jammies on at 4:00 and watching The Muppet's movie.
         Today we made Easter cookies, delivered them to some friends, took a long walk, and went to the park.  Although if I am being honest about my favorite part of today, it would be right now.  When all the children are in bed sleeping.  Mason has a cold and so was clingy and whiny all day.   I know it isn't his fault and felt bad for him, so I spent a lot of time holding him today.  I always love holding my baby, but it is not quite as peaceful when his two siblings are fighting over everything from toys, who had to walk farther on the walk, and where to sit at the table.  It was definitely one of those days where I appreciated bed time.
        All in all, however, it has been a great week and the perfect combination of activities and at home time.  It has made me really excited for summer time!