Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Spring Break=Dates with The Kids

.....And a lot of this:
This 2 week Spring Break of ours was wonderful!
Although we didn't go out of town or do anything big, we still managed to have a blast! I do have to say that there were a number of days I thought I might lose my mind with all the fighting going on in our house, but as the kids calmed down it all ended up great.

~Our Goal for the Break was to have each of the older 3 kids go on special "Parent-Dates" with both Tim & I. It was so much fun & we definitely need to do this more often:

I stole the "Date Card" Idea from The Bachelor...{hey at least something good came of that show!} So 3 Times each week there would be a magical card on the kitchen island that looked like this:
When the kids would see it they would yell to the others to run quick so it could be opened. They'd all gather round anxiously to open it and see who it would be for. That person would read their date card which had their own name, the parent they'd be going with & the "clue" to what they'd be doing.
"I took Dude to the park to play a little catch and also to Chick-Fil-A for a little lunch and playground action." -Tim

"I took Kaylea to Polar Ice to ice skate for the first time! After 20 minutes she was skating like a little star. She had a lot of fun and quickly conquered her fear of falling." -Tim

Spencer's DATE CARD said: "Your day will be filled with Reels & Wheels..."
(Have a guess what it was?)
"I took Spencer to see the movie 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' on it's opening day which he loved since he has read all the books. Then we went to buy him a bike since his last one was stolen before we moved out here." -Tim


DATE: KAYLEA w/ Mom: We saw the Play- "Princess & the Pea" @ the Hale Theatre & ate lunch @ Joe's BBQ
Kaylea's DATE CARD with me Said:
"An Actress you will see while eating a Cookie...."
& that she did.....here are some of the actresses.
It was so funny to hear her in the car trying to figure out what she'd be doing. When we finally got there & walked in so was trying so hard not to smile. We had so much fun just sitting & giggling together throughout the play....& eating our BIG cookie. Of ALL the actresses{Princesses included}, she said the Cat was her favorite...that's my Kaylea.

DATE: SPENCER w/ Mom: Rock Climbing Wall @ Freestone Rec. Center & then found our new favorite cookie @ Einsteins Bagels -The "Chocolate Mudslide Cookie"=the best cookie ever upon the Earth!
He scaled this wall like it was nothing. There was another mom there at the bottom watching Spence get up there so quick & asked how long he's been doing this. I told her it was his 1st time ever climbing a big wall like this.
Spence got to the top so quick each time...He showed all the teenagers up
....& especially his Mom! Spencer climbed the wall on all 4 areas I think 12 times. I was tired after 2. I was sure proud of him & his determination.
...{don't laugh}

DATE: DAYLAN w/ Mom: Peter Piper Pizza-lunch & games
What could be more fun for a 4 year old than pizza & games?....a indulging in an orange soda pop which he never is allowed to have. I had fun with Daylan playing games and seeing his cute face excited each time a ticket came out.
Below is a picture of Dude winning the Jackpot of tickets!
{....this was his real live face caught up in the moment of the excitement.}

~Although these little dates might seem so cheesy or simple, I know that to the kids it was so important they get one on one time with us and be reminded that they are loved individually.

Being parents of 4 rowdy, busy little ones things can get crazy & loud. It was nice to have quiet alone time with just them where there was no tattling or whining but real conversations about things that THEY wanted to talk about.


*Some Other Notable Events of the Break:

*Began teaching Piano Lessons {15th}
*FHE @ Tumbleweed Park with Gpa Ron, Lundells, Gma Debbie
*Lundell cousins sleepover {15th} & {25th}
*Steph & family experience 1st Earthquake in Cali {16th}
*Dad celebrates Bday {16th} while in Hawaii w/ mom, phyl & sara (Sara's Sr. Trip)
*Kids teeth cleaned @ the Dentist & by Aunt Brit
*Me to Dentist to fix huge hole in tooth {18th}
*Jax takes his first step {13th} & turns 10 months {21st}
*Met Brit's boyfriend Nate -babysat the kids while we went to Temple {18th}
*Dad's Birthday Dinner -Goodwin's joined us via Skype {21st}
*Throwing Up w/ a 24 hr. Flu Bug -Spence, Me & Kaylea {22nd}
*Waking up to the marvelous smell of rain {23rd}
*Easter Egg Hunt & Picnic w/ High School Friends & kids {24th}
*Trips to Library, Pet Store, Dunkin Donuts, Mc'Donalds


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, I love the mother you are, I look up to you more than you know Audy. I love the dates you took the kids on, it is so nice to have time one-on-one without the sibling tattling, and little tiffs tehy get into. reading your blog makes me miss you so much~!