Starting last Thursday the kids had their Spring Break which also coincided with Easter weekend. They had a half day off on Thursday, then Friday - Monday off of school. I think they were all ready to have a little break so they could recharge their batteries to power through the last month of school. They started off the break by building their own rope swing. Zac climbed up the tree and using his new knot tying skills from cub scouts he managed to tie the rope so it stayed put. I must say the location over the rocks seemed a little dangerous, but I let them do it anyway. I just read this really good article about how kids need to do more explorative play that involves minor risks. The article basically said parents should stop hovering so much and let their kids play like kids use to play in the good ol' days. A few scrapes and bruises build character and help kids know how to be more cautious as they get older. So I closed my eyes and waited for the tears! So far there haven't been any major incidents, knock on wood!
We also did several crafts over the break. I really liked these sand art kits. We got them from a community activity we went to a few years ago and I recently found them in a drawer. Each kit has 8 different colors of sand. You peel away a section of the picture and sprinkle sand on the sticky surface underneath. Then you peel a different section and do other colors until you have a completed project. They were easy enough for everyone to do but still held their attention. I just found some more sets of them on the Oriental Trading website so I think I will buy more. We had a fun time with this project and they all turned out really pretty.
We also got really crazy and dyed Easter Eggs. I know that doesn't seem crazy to most of you but this is actually the first time I've ever done this with my kids! (they have done it at Uncle Gerry's before) I've always thought it would just be too much hassle and I never remember to buy an egg dying kit. This was so spur of the moment that we didn't even worry about a kit. We just used food coloring, water and vinegar. And guess what, it was actually fun! Maybe I'll stop being such an Easter Grinch and let them do it again next year! By the way, Garrett looks a little rough in these pictures. He has been experiencing some pretty serious allergies this Spring. Poor kid! It also doesn't help that he had a run in with a tree while riding his bike (remember.....explorative play is good for them!)
We also tried another craft that I found on Pinterest. Usually I get lots of great ideas on Pinterest, but I think this one should come with a warning - way too difficult and messy! The idea is that you wrap embroidery thread, dipped in Mod Podge and fabric starch, around blown up water balloons. After it dries you pop the balloon and end up with a stiff beautiful egg shaped thread design. Drake's face pretty much says it all! The balloons were too slippery, the goo was too slimy, and the thread was too tangly. The boys all got pretty frustrated. Lexi did seem to like it though, so between the two of us we ended up with 5 fairly decent eggs.
Then on Easter we did our traditional treasure hunt to find their baskets. They were all very happy, probably because almost everything was candy this year. I usually try to fill the baskets with other things (shirts, sandals, books etc) but I didn't get my act together very good this year. Grandma Susan had given us about 8 pounds of chocolate to put in the baskets so that's mostly what's in there. Yes, 8 pounds, I'm not exaggerating!
We also had a really good Easter dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, and jello salad. Garrett loves to decorate and set the table. He did a really nice job and put a lot of thought into how exactly to place everything!
Since the kids didn't have school on Monday I took them over to Lehi to play at the Seven Peaks Fun Center. We stopped in to visit Aunt Anna and her kids for an hour or so before we went to the fun center. I don't have any pictures because I didn't take a camera. But we did mini golfing, go cart rides, rock climbing, laser tag, mini bowling and the little roller coaster rides. It was a perfect day for it. The weather was perfect and the air smelled like blossoms. We spent nearly 4 hours there and then we grabbed some dinner at Wendy's and made it home just in time for bedtime. Tyson didn't get to go with us this time. His Spring Break was last month so he had to work that day. All in all, I think it was a fun Spring Break for the kids. Only one more month until summer vacation!
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