Spring Break 6

"To improve the golden moment of opportunity, and catch the good that is within our reach, is the great art of life."

~SAMUEL JOHNSON

Tessa and her friend Wesley

Tessa had several potty training successes, including the elusive "#2."  She is just about ready for the big switch out of diapers.  I, however, am not.  As wonderful as it would be to welcome our new baby as the only member of the family in diapers, I know I don't have the energy to stay on top of it now, and most likely won't for a month or so after the baby is born.  So--she has to wait, unless she can do this thing all on her own.  But will we miss the "golden moment of opportunity?"  I guess I'll keep you posted~

Spring Break 5

"It's got a remarkable texture."

- Kramer, in "The Non-Fat Yogurt"

We love this place!

Yogurtville on a hot day = YUM.  Yogurtville on a hot day with five kids = tricky.  Yogurtville on a hot day with five kids and a husband to help = do-able.  Yogurtville on a hot day with five kids and a husband to help while 34 weeks pregnant = mama in her own, sweet world while dad is wrangling children.  Yogurtville on a hot day with five kids and a husband to help while 34 weeks pregnant with coupons = Spring Break bliss.

Spring Break 4

"Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job."
- Franklin P Jones 

This is Harley.  We watched him for four days over Spring Break.  The kids were smitten, and so anxious to walk him every morning, and play all day with him.  The parents were reminded why we don't have our own dog yet.  A couple days a year of having a dog around are just enough for us...

Spring Break 3

"Cheerily, then, my little man, live and laugh, as boyhood can."

Author: John Greenleaf Whitier

Lucky Scott (in red) got to go to Amazing Jake's with his good friend Spencer and his family.  He is still talking about their adventures!  Thanks so much for inviting him (and for the pictures).

Spring Break 2

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

Author: ~Margaret Atwood

See what a couple of girls can do in an afternoon?  That is our trampoline!

We bought our trampoline used a couple years ago.  Lately it has started popping springs off as the attachments on the mat have worn out.  We had a couple friends over one day, and once they got the go-ahead that the popping springs were OK, since we were planning to buy a replacement when there were enough broken, they took it as a new mission to pop them all off.  There are no "before"  or "during" pictures of this process--I wasn't fast enough to get any.  Needless to say, they were successful--and once the springs were all off, they went ahead and took the frame apart for us.  Caytie summed up the feelings of all of the six girls when she came in sweaty three separate times to tell me, "This is the best day EVER."

Spring Break 1

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

Author: ~Charles Dickens

Happy First Day of Spring!  Last week we had our Spring Break.  I'm going to have a little "series," I suppose, of quotes and pictures and a few captions to share some of the things we did.  We started out the week with rain, and it came back again yesterday and today (which my thirsty plants appreciated this morning!), but  the days in between were perfect.

Scott's new hobbies

I'm not at all sure how I feel about this picture:

Scott paintballing at a birthday party

Ben, however, was soooo excited to see a potential target paintball companion.  Better Scott than me, I guess.

Now, here is something both Ben and I are excited about:

"Boil 'em Cabbage Down," after Scott's first month of guitar lessons

Ben has big plans, I tell you.  BIG plans.