Catch Up for Days 28 through 31 (Thursday through Sunday)

Well, lots of catching up to do with all of our wonderful company. In fact it was such good company I didn't even have withdrawals from not blogging! LOL

Thursday and Friday (Day 28 & 29 )

Aunt Kathy Branconier and Teresa come out to visit us late Thursday night. Cope and T tried to stay awake, but they fell fast asleep after Jamie and Bobby's visit the day before. The adults stayed up talking and went to bed around 11:00pm. Up at 5:30am and out the door by 7:00 while we tried to be quiet and not wake our company. School went well and back home by 5:00 for me (earlier for Jeff and the kids). Aunt Kathy and Teresa went to the outlet mall all day and we were treated to a fashion show when they got home...and even a present from Teresa for each of them!
Off to Islands for dinner and Jeff went to his softball game. We had a great time at dinner and came home and relaxed! It was wonderful!


Here we are at Island's enjoying a great meal.





Saturday (Day 30)

Ahhhhhh...Jeff and I slept in until 9:00am and everyone else was up by then. Such a beautiful night and morning with all windows and sliders open...a cool fresh breeze woke us up at 9:00am. We don't get those too often, so it really felt heavenly.
Continuing with a nice relaxing morning and pretty soon the girls donned their suits and off they went onto their next leg of their journey Marriott style!
Showered and dressed, the four of us headed off to the Indian Wells Arts Festival where my class had entered an art competition using recycled bicycle parts. We walked around and I was impressed, not only with the art show, but also the tennis gardens. There were many great artists there with paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothes, iron work, water features and much more. Great musicians were all around, as well as food vendors. It was a great day and we found the sculpture...wow! It was in a class all by itself, whereas the other bikes looked like bikes...
We couldn't tell if they had been judged yet, so Ill ask on Monday. It looked really great though!
Here is our project:While we were there, I developed really bad allergies, and was completely miserable. Have you ever felt like you needed to sneeze and it wouldn't let you? I was in a perpetual state of needing to sneeze and I couldn't! My eyes were half closed, in anticipation of the sneeze. My nose also itched, I really couldn't tell where exactly, but the whole thing itched inside, and my eyes felt as big as golf balls...When we got home, I took some medicine and by the time we went to pick up Abby and Jimmy T, I had fallen asleep on the couch, and was groggy and grumpy the whole rest of the day...ugh. I'm worried I'm developing really bad allergies.
Well, smiles on and trying to only be grumpy to Jeff (haha), we took the kids home, played in the toyroom, and went out for pizza. After pizza, we thought we'd drive by the movie theater to see what was playing. Alvin and the Chipmunks! So at 7:30, we all piled into the theater, picked out our candy, and enjoyed the movie. A quick trip to McDonald's afterwards for an ice cream, and we were all ready for bed when we got home!
They were so cute sleeping together that I had to snap their picture...










Sunday (Day 31)
We woke up at 7:22 am on Sunday, (today) ...did I say 'we'?? I mean the kids.... we could heard them playing all over the house and I eventually got up around 9:00am... Jeff got up earlier and woke me up so I could make breakfast...LOL So, pancakes were requested and pancakes I made! They all got to add what they wanted to them (sorry Jim!) and they gobbled them up...
Here is our yummy breakfast! LOL We them got dressed after playing all morning and went out to lunch. (At this point it seemed like all we did was constantly eat!) Asking Abby what she wanted to eat for lunch, she said, "Chicken noodle soup".
I had to laugh and asked, "If you couldn't have that, what would be your next choice?"
"Split Pea Soup", she said. After thinking hard about where we could go that would have that, I asked her,"Where do you and your dad usually get that?" ..."From a can", she said...(Insert Homer Simpson-Duh) So.... the next unanimous place to eat was Panda Express, and after that...the park! The kids played off all the food we ate these past two days and had a great time. Jim called and off we went back home to get the kids back to him. Abby and Jimmy T are now on spring break so they will have a nice relaxing week.
I suppose things will be slow from now until summer as school is back on until then. I'm looking forward to it, but the company all week was just wonderful!
This weekend we will be in the Carrizo Plains dry camping and ballooning. Ill talk more about that tomorrow...Im bushed and Star Wars is on and I'm trying to learn this all over again! :) Talk more later!

Day 24 and up early....well, 9:00am is early for me!

What a great vacation this has been! We have been spoiled and had pancakes for breakfast everyday this week!
The kids have taken turns making them and putting them in the skillet. T actually tried to 'turn' the pancakes today, but ended up folding it in half on its wet side....but she tried hard!
She likes to add things to food she makes, so she has been putting in sprinkles into the batter...Easter sprinkles, Christmas sprinkles....it was very pretty in the bowl!
They both gobbled them down and were satisfied. The past couple of days they both had asked for seconds on pancakes!
Jeff and I both think they are going through growing spurts!
Well, our vacation is over and now it is crunch time until the end of school. At the bottom of this blog I have a countdown bar until June 16th comes! The kids and I leave for Couer d'Alene, ID on the 17th! I cant wait! I'm hoping my weight is way down by then! :)
By the way, I ate 2 blueberry muffins topped with a mound of blackberries, a peach yogurt and a homemade iced coffee! YUM! (yes, all on the program!)
Cope wanted to be in the blog too!

Day 16 and seems like a year already...

I cant believe it was a short 16 days ago that I learned about and started my own blog! Seems like a year ago... Geez! Of course I am still learning and cultivating my own voice and personality in this world, but that also comes with time.
For at least this very minute, I have found the perfect balance in our lives. This day started off with my eyes closed but ears open as the kids were talking (not even whispering) at the doorway to my room. I didn't hear what Cope said, but T said she was going to tell on him and as I could hear her walking into my room, I could hear him say, "T, I'm sorry. I'm not gonna be your friend!" My eyes were still closed when she said, "Mom, (and there was a long hesitation)...Mom, can I watch TV?"
Ah...two things happened here.
Either she knew she had really nothing to tell on Cope with, or she knew I would get upset with her for tattling. I smiled inwardly and said "Yes". Oh, a few more moments of quiet until the next argument.
Then I remembered the 'bug guy' was supposed to be here at 10:00, and I wanted to shower beforehand. As I lay there enjoying the peace and quiet, the phone rang... and as I hung up, I contemplated whether or not I should even get back in bed. I laid back down, closed my eyes and my brain started thinking of things. Darn brain! So I got up and started off the day. BUT WITH ONE DIFFERENCE...no rushing and yelling down the hall to make the bed, get dressed, pick up room, etc. AHHHHHH...how nice it was!
It was so great that I had time to fix myself a huge glass of ice water, sit in the toy room and delegate who puts what where, take a shower, and pick up the kitchen. Cope offered to help me make breakfast, which I jumped at. He made "C" and "T" pancakes from start to finish! I made mine and we all enjoyed the most wonderful breakfast ever! Fresh strawberries, real maple syrup, orange juice...yes, a breakfast of champions!
Bug guy has come and gone, and we need to get to Walmart for egg coloring stuff since we are celebrating Easter tonight. Weird, I know, but fits us.
Tomorrow morning we will get up early and go to LegoLand! Spend the night in a hotel, get up early Easter morning and go see Jimmy's place (which we haven't seen yet) and then head off to the Wynne Easter Brunch. I think we might go back to Uncle Don's afterwards, but we'll see.
Ahhhh...spring break is wonderful! I really wasn't sure if I would make it to this point.
Well, got to get these 'lazies' to put their shoes on so we can go to Walmart! More later!

Well, I'm winding down my day and it was wonderful for my first day of vacation! We celebrated Easter tonight and they had 2 baskets each to open up- one from us and one from Fred and Trudy, our awesome neighbors next door. They had a great time decorating their eggs too- each one got to pick out their decorating kit and we had great colors with glittering them too! :)
We've packed and now just relaxing! I'm going to add pictures of our evening.

Happy Easter!
(will be on again Monday!)