Spring Break!

Knowing that our summer would be cut short due to the birth of a baby, we decided to take our family vacation during Spring Break. We thought we'd try one of those "stay-cations" that people talk about and spent our money on admission fees instead of gas. The first day we stopped at a place in Springville called "Jumping Jacks". Everyone had a blast.

McKenna is one tough cookie.

McKenna's little friend just happened to be there as well. They had too much fun running around together.

After Jumping Jacks we drove up to Salt Lake and checked in to our hotel. We went over to the Olive Garden for dinner (a sit down restaurant is a real treat for us). After dinner we got all ready to swim and found out that the pool was closed for the night. Bummer. We went back to the hotel room and played Uno until bedtime.

Spring Break - Day 2

The next morning we drove a few miles to the Hogle Zoo. We hadn't been there in years. (Blogger won't let me move the pictures, so they'll be a little out of order.) After the zoo we ate lunch and spent the rest of the day swimming...finally. :)

The giraffes are always my favorite. Maybe I just relate to them... I'm tall and spotted too. :) We first saw them indoors and one bent down and put his face so close to mine it was a little scary. The kids got a crack out of it.

The train ride ended up being a major highlight for Derek. Part of the ride takes you through an area with Bison. When Derek saw them he yelled "Bison, bison! I didn't know there would be BISON!" Who knew a buffalo would make the kid so happy.

Spring Break - Day 3

On the morning of our last day we toured a few sites on Temple Square. We started with the Conference Center. We saw the main conference room, the original Book of Mormon paintings by Arnold Friberg, many other sculptures and artwork, and then saw the grounds on the rooftop. Our family on the roof of the Conference Center.
We then walked over to the Church Office Building and took a ride up to the observation deck. What a view!

Our next stop was a visit to Brigham Young's house (Beehive House). It was so interesting and the kids stayed engaged for the most part.

McKenna loved the pretty "dess" and really wanted to play with the toys in the kids' room.

Outside after the tour. McKenna is mad that she didn't get one of the lemon heads they handed out at the end. She's just not old enough for hard candy. But isn't it a cute pouty face??

We wanted to see and do more, but it was so cold outside and we were hungry. So we bailed on Temple Square and ate lunch at a place we've been wanting to try for years. We are always on the lookout for an authentic Philly Cheesesteak and this was supposed to be the best place in Utah. Like others, it came close but not the real thing. Besides, they had great customer service and no one yelled at us for ordering too slow.
After lunch we went to the Living Planet Aquarium. It was very crowded since it was Spring Break. But we (meaning Dave and I...the kids were too chicken) were able to pet a stingray. We saw sharks, eels, a huge octopus, and the new penguin exhibit. The penguins were so fun to watch!

The stingrays were so slimy!

(It's hard to get a good shot of the fast-swimming penguins.)

And that was the end of our little trip. It was a lot of fun and just staying in a hotel, eating yummy breakfast, being together, and swimming was enough of a vacation for us. Everything else was just icing.

The Kindy 500

The Kindergarten classes at the boys' school hold a "Kindy 500" each year. We are new to the school, but have seen a video of previous years. I knew that this was a big deal and some cars get pretty elaborate. Taylor asked for a "black Jeep" we did our best and he said his Jeep was "Awesome!". Dave built the body of the car and Taylor and I added the details.

Taylor was assigned Texas for his license plate.

Before the parade the classes sang a program of patriotic songs. It was so adorable that it made me cry...okay, so everything makes me cry these days. It's just that this is such a fun age and Taylor is going to move on too soon. :( Taylor was one of the few to have a speaking part and he gave it perfectly! "She is mighty and tall with a torch in hand. Touring this country sure is grand."

Speakers played "Life is a Highway" (by Rascal Flatts) throughout the whole school and all the kids came out to watch the parade.

It was a stress to get the car done, but he was so proud of it and the program and parade were fun to watch.

Happy Birthday, Dave and Welcome, Family!

Dave turned *cough* *cough* this year. His parents and brother were in town from California, so we had plenty of family to share the day with. Happy Birthday, Dave! Man, you are getting old. :)

Dave, Matt (his cousin), Judy (his mom), McKenna, Jacob (his brother), Amy (engaged to Jacob...can't you tell), and Derek.

With family visiting, Dave took off work and we tried to fill the days with some fun. These are pictures of a rare treat...bowling. Derek is hooked!

Even though I was bowling with two "bowling balls" I scored a 75 on my first game (boo) and a lifetime high of 135 on my second (yeah!).

Jason (Dave's brother) and his son, Ryker battling....

....Dave and McKenna.

Pre-Easter Party

My sister and her family were in town from Colorado, so we held our annual Easter egg hunt early this year. It's always fun adding more family to the group.

(My mom finally won a 4-year battle and the men took down a tree that she's always hated. My dad said that he waited the 4 years so that he'd have an excuse to use a chainsaw. It would have been too simple of a job if he'd given-in years ago. Us women were a little concerned with their technique, so we took one last picture of our husbands before they were permanently damaged. They cause stress, but these projects always seem to work out. Shwew.)

McKenna and her cousin, Maddie. They played so well together...pretty amazing for girls their age. Oh, and in case you were wondering, McKenna hurt her eye when she tipped over on a chair and hit the corner of an end table. That's what we are telling people anyway. :)

All the grandkids minus 3. We missed you Scott and Traci!

My parents' house has an amazing view!