Spring Break!! March 2014

Spring Break has always been my favorite break of the year. There is no rush to prepare for a holiday and the weather is usually perfect.
The kids and I would spend one day cleaning and then plan picnics and park days with friends and cousins. We would have a lot of fun back in the good old days.
As they grew up it became a week of lounging around, maybe some spring cleaning, for sure scrapbooking and lunch with a friend or something.

 But...that all changed as the Grandkids started coming along. Since they came a few at a time we just eased into the changes easily. The same type of activities for the most part and I would take in the quiet times and get things done or not depending on my mood.
Now.. there are 8 Grandkids that we see, They are all ages and getting together to do a few fun things involves ALOT of work!! Lindsey and her family live in Logan now so they come down most breaks and liven things up. Because they are here we can all do the cousin things and have fun together. We make the best of the lovely weather and try to make sure we have a good time. Which pretty much means there is NO lounging around, sleeping in or quiet time for scrapbooking, lunch out, or anything else that is not crazy and hectic.

I love the Grandkids. It's means a lot to me when we get to spend time with all of them. For the most part, that is what brings me the most joy in my life. As I have gotten older though, I have learned a few things.

1. All my dreams of being the "perfect Grandma" were really "high expectations".

2. Having a clean house (most of the time) makes me happy and a lot less stressed.

3. I need more rest than I thought I did.

4. Jeff and I are used to quiet evenings in front of the T.V. relaxing. I am used to being alone while he goes to meetings a few nights a week and I like the quiet.

5. Playing with the kids and entertaining them is sometimes exhausting.

6. Going out to dinner or cooking for 2 is MUCH easier than finding something everyone will eat and cleaning up meal after meal after meal. It's a lot of work!!

7. A visit from Callie is much more relaxing than work. We have fun and we give each other space. She makes very little mess, cleans up after herself and likes to cook. She spent a few days at the beach this break. Lucky her!

8. I am old, I get tired and stressed easily, and need down time. A lot of down time.

9. Gramma days are awesome! One child at a time for 24 hours. A really fun getting to know them experience and it's a lot less hectic!

10.  At my house Spring Break is not a break, it is an explosion of chaos, that includes lots of messes, lots of noise and very little rest.

That being said, we had a nice visit. We had a fun birthday party for Braelei. We had a cousin day and loved the weather.
And now after I finally slept last night for the first time in a week, I am spending the day trying to relax and not to clean. I am enjoying the chance to blog and pretending tomorrow won't be a day of cleaning and preschool prep and time to face reality again.

So here we go...One million pictures and most of them are from the same day!

Karver loves to help me cook. He wants to measure and stir everything and I let him!

Brodeyn and Karver having some wiggle bike fun.

Grahm likes to sleep on this old camp cot in the office. It collapsed on him in the front and he was still  fast asleep head to the floor. I found the picture below on the desk. I had him pose the next day for a picture with it, but he won't tell us what it says.

They love to play outside in the gorgeous weather. Logan is cold in the spring too.
Grahm is sweeping the sidewalk around the sandbox to make a road.
Reese is into the sidewalk chalk and Kenna is still Kenna. She LOVES to swing.

When they are here we take turns letting them go with us for a Pepsi.
 This was Grahm's day.
Brodeyn sent us a Flat Stanley too. (more on that later) We brought him along.

We didn't see much of Callie but she did pose with Flat Stanley for me.

Jamie and Braelei before her party!

We started at McDonalds so they could eat. Of coursed more playing than eating went on so they were pretty tired after that.



Getting a decent picture of all of them is SO hard!!
This is the best one. The worst part is Brodeyn is Mr. photogenic. His pictures are always perfect, so in the one photo where Kashden isn't ducking out and Kenna is actually looking at the camera and sitting where we put her. Brodeyn isn't smiling. I can't win!

They were taking the whole thing very seriously as you can see.

 

First room at the Children's Museum is the Farm, planting gardens, finding eggs, and all.

Karver was SO excited to "milk the cow" that's all he talked about when we were going over. He told Kaden when he got home that he milked the cow and that the cow peed on him. He just kept saying it over and over. So funny...the water comes out of the udders when they milk and apparently he thinks the udders are something else, although he says he is milking the cow, I think he is a little mixed up on the concept.

Braelei taking it all in. Jamie trying to keep her safe.

They all loved the post office.



Braxton and Kashden were taking their jobs pretty seriously.

Kenna found a carrot in the garden and packed it around for awhile.

The boys LOVED the car room. They have all the tools and car supplies. I think they would have stayed in there forever.

Something tells me Karver has seen his Dad do this a few times (like a million)
He loves to "help" Kaden and mimics him all the time.
Braelei thought it looked like fun I guess, or maybe she was just after Karver again.

They had a lot of fun at the airport too.
Kenna loved the luggage the most or just sitting in the plane.

Brodeyn waiting to be the pilot

Next stop "The grocery store"

Karver did not appreciate Braelei's help. For some reason she was all over him that day.

They all took their jobs to heart. It took us forever to put the food back.
Thanks heavens there was a lot of other kids so we didn't have to do it all!

Braxton weighing the fruit for me.

About this time we realized that Kenna was very thirsty!
Lindsey forgot to bring a sippy cup for her so all this time she hadn't had a drink.
She won't drink from a cup, can't drink from a straw or fountain.
Luckily Jamie offered Braelei's milk for her.
 Yes she is 4, Yes she was thirsty and Yes she loved the bottle!! Thank heavens!

This room is pretty fun. Not sure what it is exactly. Kind of a mining and desert theme. They loved loading the "rocks" and sending them across the pulley.
Kenna loved the stairs and Braelei loved being able to get down and crawl around without being stepped on. Plus we could keep track of them easier in this room and sit down!

The little kids liked the wheel chairs in the basketball court.

They tried so hard to make a basket on their own. I don't know where the bigger kids were. They went to some of the rooms for the older kids. It was so crowded and hot in there we didn't even make it to all the rooms before they were done!

 



Brodeyn and Karver loved the plumbing pipes and ball drop game.

They were pretty excited to be Firefighters too.
 Both of these boys were firefighters for Halloween this year so that was fitting.

 

Back at Grandma's we calmed down a little but finished the cousin day off and although they were all worn out (mostly Jamie, Lindsey and I) we loved the day.

Kenna is now using a fork and spoon consistently! So exciting for us.

Grahm is getting to be a good little musician . He played me Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Callie was teaching Reese how to dance and she loved it!
 

Kenna's Happy Place! Electronics and chair and she kicks back and loves it!

Karver and Kaden went camping for a long weekend. Jeff went over for a horse ride and the day. He snapped a few photos , but he said he was holding on so tight to his wild horse he couldn't get any pictures of the actual riding!

Karver up on the bunk in the toy hauler. For a 3 year old boy, this is the life!

These are the great pictures from our crazy week and now looking at them again, I realize it really is all worth it and I do want more of it!
 Along with all the craziness comes smiles, hugs, kisses, tears, triumphs and celebrations. 
I am sure it will happen over and over again for years to come and I am grateful for each and every memory we make!!!