Spring Break 2011 Part 3

     Sadly this is the last installment of our Spring Break 2011 posts.  Our break has officially come to an end.  But oh what a great time we had!  So in our final leg we did so many things.  Friday brought us to the track bright and early.  It was absolutely FREEZING!  47 degrees and lots of wind.  So I only got to do about 1/2 of what I usually do for fear that I would be reported to Child Protective Services!  I had the older 2 on their scooters and the little ones in the sit and stand stroller.  The wind was fierce and Grayson is so fair that his little face gets chapped at the slightest breeze.  So where did we head next to get warm?  Berri Yummi!  The new FROZEN yogurt place up the pike in Wilmington, DE.  This place is fabulous.  They have low fat and nonfat frozen yogurt.  You get your yogurt yourself and then head to the toppings bar.  The toppings include, every kind of fresh fruit imaginable, cheesecake, brownie bites, heath bar, popping bobas, etc. etc. etc.  I'm not doing it justice by naming just these toppings.  Once you get your yogurt and toppings you then proceed to the register and they weigh your cup.  We usually average around $15 for 4 cups, but for some reason on this visit we weighed in at $19!

Gray enjoying a sample

Brayden and Kaitlyn



Zac and Brayden on the cool egg like chairs

     After Berri Yummi, we headed home and the kids played outside with neighborhood kids until it started to rain in the evening.  Everyone headed inside, including Zac's best friend, Brendan, and played Mario Bros. on the Wii.  For some reason whenever this particular game is played the players get extremely loud and rambunctious.  Of course this seems to be whenever Gramy and Papa also decide to come for a visit!  I invited them over this evening since the kids would be decorating Easter Eggs.  They came into an extremely loud house.  Most likely very overwhelming.  But they toughed it out and Gramy even painted an egg with the kids.  This year I dedicated all the eggs to the kids.  I get too caught up in the whole decorating thing that it becomes tense and well, I'm just not very fun.  Jason always just says that it's "Mommy's thing".  Well I thought if I stayed out of it, all would fare better.  Not the case.  Kaitlyn was in tears because she dropped her first egg.  Brayden was next to be in tears after he painstakingly painted an egg for over 20 minutes only to drop it on the floor.  Even with me letting go of my perfections this year, it seems that my kids have inherited these egg decorating genes from me.  It ended well and we had some beautiful eggs to display and for the Easter Bunny to hide. 

Kaitlyn

Gray

Zac

Brayden

     On Saturday morning we were off to Aunt Kris and Uncle Kevin's in York, PA.  We got on the road by 11:30am and had  a great drive.  We saw the horse and buggies through Lancaster, they always fascinate me!  When we got to Aunt Kris's the kids ran in to see their dog, Lily.  Lily is a doll.  She is a black cocker spaniel and is so sweet and cute.  The kids adore her.  Kris and Kevin have all of her toys (mainly webkins animals) all lined up in front of the fireplace.  I'm pretty sure that as smart as Lily is, she keeps them all in the order that she wants them.  We had a wonderful dinner...Kris got an incredible ham that I'm sure Zac will rave about until next year!  Gramy made her cheesy potatoes and I made shrimp souffle.  The encore was Kris's amazing Oreo cupcakes.  She also made chocolate chip cookies and Gramy made her fudge and famous punch.  The dinner was great and we were stuffed!  Kris and Kevin made a basket for each of the kids as well.  They loved that. 

Lily

Zac with Lily's toys

Kaitlyn

Brayden in Lil's bed

Gramy and Gray with a fish in his mouth

Aunt Kris and her amazing cupcakes

1st down!  Daddy

Boom, then Papa

Finally, Uncle Kevin

Me really enjoying my cupcake

     After York we headed South to Leesburg, VA.  We arrived in Leesburg around 7 pm.  Got situated in our hotel room and then headed over to my sister, Cheri's, for awhile.  It was so good to see her and Jac.  And of course Mause stole the show as usual.  She has such a magnetic personality! Jackie was kind enough to let the kids decorate eggs with her that night. 



Kaitlyn and Mause



Mause (not being very lady like) with Zac

 

The cousins





     Happy Easter!  We arrived back at Cher's around noon.  It was such a beautiful day.  Nearly 85 degrees and sunshine.  We weren't used to this kind of weather.  After a heated Easter egg hunt in the living room and dining room,  we immediately got the chairs set up outside and Cher and the kids started up a game of boccie ball.  My kids love this game and always associate it  with Aunt Cheri's lawn.

Brayden scores an egg

Zac's got a handful

Jackie is keeping up with the hunt



Brayden tossing some yellow boccie balls



kaitlyn

Zac

Me, Gray and Zac

     We had a wonderful dinner prepared all by Cher.  She grilled and cooked her heart out!  It was so good.  She grilled salmon and steak.  There was also her wonderful cheesy olive bread which is truly amazing and I will share the recipe soon, I've made it for my family as well.  We had baked potatoes and green beans sauteed with onions and I believe butter, so good!  For dessert she made strawberry shortcakes.  Everything was amazing.  With full tummies and fuller hearts it was time for us to head out.  The kids did not want to leave...they never got to finish their boccie game.  But there were strong thunderstorms in the forecast and we still had an Easter egg hunt and baskets at home.  The Easter Bunny was busy !

The kids

The family



     So we arrived home Sunday evening and the kids ran in to begin their Easter Hunt.  Normally it is held outside but thank goodness the Easter Bunny knew that it might rain and hid them inside this year.  So the kids were off and running and then they tore through their baskets.  As much as they loved all the visiting, they all agreed that they want to be home for Easter Sunday next year.  It was a great hectic holiday weekend!


Untouched baskets



Gray with eggs

Brayden and Zac



Gray



Kaitlyn

     We now arrive at our last day of Spring Break.  And it was the most beautiful day weather wise that we had.  We started the day with me, Kaitlyn, Gray, and Brayden sitting on the couch watching a little Disney Jr.  Brayden randomly asked, "Mom, do I have basketball today?"  OMG!!! Yes you do!!!!  Gosh darn it, I forgot, AGAIN!  Basketball actually started LAST Monday but because of just getting home from Penn State and spring break etc.  I completely forgot until 9:57 am (basketball starts at 10 at the Y which is a good 15 minutes away! not happening!).  So I ran to get everyone Dunkin Donuts and rushed them all to get dressed.  We got there in time.  It was the cutest thing I ever saw.  Six- 4 year olds learning about basketball.  They started out with a little warm up.   Some jumping jacks, squats and a run around the court.  They loosened up those little 4 year old bodies!  Then it was on to some fundamentals.  Dribbling, passing, shooting and guarding.  They also taught them the different parts of the basketball hoop... the net, the rim, the backboard etc.  The last part of the lesson they had a little 3 on 3 game going.  Brayden scored a basket!!! YAY Brayden!  His coach praised him and then he proceeded to run off of the court crying to me.  For some reason, Brayden does not like any kind of praise.  He does not like to be told that he is smart or good at a sport.  I don't really understand this but it makes him cringe.  He doesn't like to tell his teachers how much he actually knows (regarding numbers and the alphabet etc).  We call him the Little Professor because he is so incredibly smart that he amazes us daily but only at his own accord.  If you press him for answers, he will not deliver!  So after he came off the court crying, I took him to the bathroom and then sent him back onto the court and I left the area (I probably shouldn't have been so close by...the other mothers weren't there?).  He finished up his lesson and then just said he wanted to take a nap!

Brayden is in the middle of the 3 boys

     As we left the Y, I realized what a beautiful day it was.  It was nearly 85 degrees and the sun was shining bright.  I felt like going out to lunch, sitting outside and having the kids play on a playground.  So I texted Kristin letting her know that I had a hankering for the Goose Creek Grill for lunch and then the playground and walking trail after.  Unfortunately (for me) she (my best friend) has had to start working.  YUK!!!!!  It is affecting my life as well.  We were always good for the last minute plans and heading somewhere fun for lunch or dinner.  All of our kids love spending time together so it was a bummer to get her text back saying Yes in fact she was working. Dang, shot down, home we went!  The kids headed out to herd up the neighborhood friends.  They played hard inside and out all day.  Tadpoles were brought home from the local neighborhood creek.  I was adamant that they stay outside but I found that Kaitlyn put them into 2 Tupperware containers on my kitchen counter!  I looked at them and they really are kind of cute.  So I googled tadpole care and found out that they need fresh dechlorinated water, boiled lettuce and a rock for a perch that emerges from the water.  I set off to get all of this completed.  Kaitlyn was amazed that I really cared and wasn't mad that she brought them inside!  I am actually looking forward to seeing if they actually turn into frogs.

Tadpole

Cameron, Kaitlyn, Zac and Brendan "The Conestoga Farms Fearsom Four"

  On a side note, tadpoles have always stirred an early memory for me of my brother dumping a container of tadpoles onto my sisters head in a heated argument outside on  our back porch one summer day!  So our spring break has wound down.  Tonight we had to put our air conditioning on for the first time this year, and Jason and Brayden caught 2 frogs in the backyard.  It just reminds me more that summer is just around the corner.  35 more days of school!!!!  I am so excited!  I can't wait for summer!      

Spring Break 2011 Part 2

     After our busy weekend at PSU, Monday was a regrouping/rest sort of day.  The kids played with the neighborhood kids, I attacked the mountain of laundry that we accumulated and we just grilled hot dogs and burgers Monday evening.  Tuesday Grandma came for a visit.  The plan was to go to Linvilla Orchards and have a picnic.  Kaitlyn was going to the Philly's game with her friend, Erin, so we had to have her back for that.  It turned out to be a crummy rainy day.  We ate our picnic in the car.   Linvilla has been a favorite place of ours since we moved to Delaware County nearly 11 years ago.  We pick fruit there every year (strawberries, blueberries, apples etc).  We have taken many hayrides there.  We celebrated Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday party there (remember, I still get to pick the parties for them before the 4th birthday!).  They have a huge playground that all the kids love.  A maze that I hope the kids forget about each time we go because they always have such a hard time finding their way out.  And their are so many animals too...horses, ostriches, chickens, lambs, pigs etc.  They always have amazing festivals in the Spring, Summer and Fall that we go to as well.  There are 2 huge pools that offer summer memberships.  We belonged to the Hidden Hollow Pool for 3 summers...it's great.  Halloween is their busiest time because they have a huge pumpkin land attraction.    When I had to choose a dentist, I chose mine because his office overlooked  Linvilla's orchards.  Jason and Zac have even gone fishing at the stocked pond behind the blueberry bushes.  It is just an amazing place.  It used to consist of a huge octagonal barn that was built in the late 1800's.  While we were at the beach in the summer of 2002, they had a terrible fire and it burnt to the ground.  It was never restored and it's shell is still there.  They built 2 new buildings, but they aren't quite as charming as the old barn.  This past Tuesday was a chilly rainy day so we just got to go into the buildings and see a few animals.  There were two newborn lambs and lots of adorable baby chicks.  I threaten Jason every year that one of these days I'm going to bring home a chick.  Not a chicken chic, but a duck chick.  That's all I want! 

     We were happy to see the Easter Bunny hanging out in the new Gardening building.  I only got Grayson to sit on his lap.  Brayden wouldn't even take a picture with Donald Duck in Disney, there was no way he was going near the Easter Bunny. 

     After Linvilla, I quickly got Kaitlyn to Erin's house so she could go to the Philly's game.  We were all a little jealous that she got to go.  The Philly's played the Brewer's and it was the 2nd game in a 3 game series.  They had nosebleed seats and the Philly's lost terribly 9-0.  But she did get to eat at Chickey and Petes and hang out with a good friend so all was not lost! 

     We had macaroni and cheese and a spiral ham for dinner with my Mom that evening (something tells me Kaitlyn was eating a little better at Chicky and Petes!).  My Mom made the mac and cheese and it was my favorite recipe when I was little (minus the stewed tomatoes, we don't think she ever put those in their when we were growing up). 

Grandma and Gray

     Wednesday was such a Spring Break kind of day.  The temps hit a balmy 83 and we had such a fun filled day.  Zac and Brayden went to the O'Donoghues to "Paint the Shed".  Garnet Valley High School has an annual tradition in which each August the incoming Seniors paint the shack.  Our colors are Garnet and White and they alternate them each year when they paint.  So one year the shack is painted white and the seniors all write their names in Garnet.  Well Kristin got the brilliant idea to have a shed painting party with the kids friends.  The shed is in the pool yard and was in desperate need of a good painting.  The kids painted it white and then did their hand prints on the side in various colors.  They then wrote their names in their prints with sharpie markers. 

Shane

Brayden

Zac

     While the shed painting was going on, Kaitlyn, Gray and I headed to lunch and shopping.  We went to Ruby's Diner for lunch.  The food isn't great but the atmosphere is so fun.  The kids love it there.  Brayden has always referred to it as his "Ketchup Place".  Kaitlyn got a burger and a shake, Gray got some chicken fingers and I got the chili.  Like I said, the food doesn't hit the spot but you just feel happy when you are there.

Kaitlyn

Wow, the trains were actually working!

Gray

     After lunch we headed to the Exton mall and got lots of goodies.  We then picked up Brayden and Zac from the O'Donoghues, Kaitlyn painted her hand print and we headed home.  That evening, Shane and Patrick O'Donoghue came to sleep over.  It was a rowdy bunch of boys so I was glad for the beautiful weather so that they could be outside.  Jason led the party by grilling and then making a fire.  He helped the boys make Smores and they had a great warm spring night.  The boys (and Jason) then watched Tron and fell asleep in the family room. 

Shane, Zac, Patrick and Brayden

     Today (Thursday), I had "My Lindsay" over to help me with the kids.  Lindsay is Kevin and Kristin O'Donoghue's niece and she started babysitting for me last summer.  She is amazing with the kids and just helps me get things done.  I always call her "My Lindsay".  When I need Kaitlyn to help me out some days, I will ask her to be "My Lindsay".  If I had a little sister I would want her to be Lindsay.  Have I said enough about her?   She is just amazing and everyone should be so lucky to have a Lindsay in their lives.  She informed me today that I might get her once a week this summer.  I'm so excited!  Not only does she help me get things done, I really enjoy talking to her as well.  Gray had a great time with her today.  Brayden pretty much napped the whole time she was here, Zac was over at the O'Donoghues....again... and Kaitlyn was playing with Cameron, a neighborhood friend.

Gray and Lindsay

     So there you have it, part 2 of our Spring Break 2011.  We still have lots in store for the last leg of this vacation.  Tomorrow will be the egg painting event (please let me have the strength to just let go and let them do what they want with their eggs!), and then we are off to York on Sat. and Leesburg on Sun.  The kids all have off again on Monday and then they are all back to school on Tuesday.  So far it has been an amazing Spring Break!