One of the hardest parts of hitting the 4 kids at home mark is how hard it is to go on outing with all of them. The probability of someone having a major meltdown with 4 kids this young is about 400% (meaning each of them will have at least one meltdown). It helps that Charlotte has preschool 3x a week but that also limits the mornings I can go on longer outings. On Spring break I was determined to actually do some fun things even if we don't do big trips very often.
Monday-Wednesday I drove up to Cornville while Matt stayed home and worked.
We made it in time for our St. Patrick's day nephew's 8th birthday! We came back up for his baptism 2 weeks later but I forgot the camera!
I love watching my kids get to know their grandparents.
Abby always remembers to bring her boots to Cornville because granddad wears boots!
The new fish pond is coming along nicely- the grass around the edges is filling in. Next up- water slide! I like their reflections in the pond.
The neighbor always has baby lambs this time of year. I was surprised how strong it was- and very soft!
I was able to meet up with 3 friends for lunch one day! It was so much fun getting to catch up with my childhood friends Lyndsay, Corina and Gail. Some people will always be easy to talk to no matter how long it's been since you've seen them. I was planning to bring all the kids with me but my dad offered to watch them- and then he amended it and said, "Maybe you should bring the baby!" I did get a text message on my way back that Olly was doing his business so I should hurry! Having granddad babysit is always funny! Thanks dad!
Granddad took them fishing in the pond and they all kissed the fish. I even went fishing! I can't remember the last time I did that! I have never kissed a fish before but my kids talked me into it!
Olly was the most enthusiastic kisser!
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| Grand kid rite of passage, finding the grand kid cupboard. He hasn't climbed in yet though. Miles stopped army crawling and started going faster on all fours while we were up there. |
The next day after we got back we used our groupon to go to the
Phoenix Children's museum. It's usually $11/person but we got 4 of us in for $25! We usually go 2-3x per year. It's so much fun! The girls played the longest in the grocery store section.
Olly always loves the ballroom- with tons of ball ramps all around the room.
My sweet friend Donna made this trip possible. She has been such a blessing helping me. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her picture. She was my mentor teacher when I student taught in Mesa and now she's retired. We've been getting together more often, she's a great friend!
McCormick Stillman Railroad Park
The Friday of Spring break we met up with some friends from the mom's group I was in when Charlotte was a baby. We were all first time moms and had lots of time to go on outings, and it was so fun to make so many friends.
The little train is a big hit!
Saturday we went to Uncle Jerry's for a family party on Matt's Fife side. He's the uncle who got our tortoises for us.
I love the texture of their scales.
One of his three Galapagos tortoises. They are finally laying eggs pretty regularly. Now Matt wants one of these! It is pretty awesome watching them walk around the yard. They are HUGE and have a lot of personality.
They love when you rub the underside of their neck and the top of their shell.
Matt, and Miles Fife with Grandma and Grandpa Fife. We sure love them!
I think I definitely met my goal of going on some outings. Nap times were almost non-existent but we had a ton of fun living it up for Spring Break in the beautiful Arizona weather!
The first thing they did was give Olly and Dad the cupcakes we saved for them. I almost ate them. It was very tempting.
