Spring Break

We had fabulous weather during Spring Break last week. Clear blue skies with 75-degree weather and no humidity. We did a whole lot of nothing and yet we had a lot of fun.

We had to do some boring things like get groceries, go to the dentist, give the dog and cat a bath, and rake some leaves on another windy day. With so many kids around, it’s inevitable that someone will forget to close the gate, and Emma will take advantage and escape. It’s never fun to go chasing after her down the street trying to round her up and get her back inside. We did take her over to the dog park to let her run free. The house was a continuous revolving door of kids wanting freeze pops or push-ups. I started off each morning with two pitchers of Kool-Aid on ice, and they were empty after lunch. The kids sat at the patio table doing artwork one afternoon and then had a jump rope contest in the driveway which drew a crowd. My son is a daredevil with his bike. I really don’t like it at all because he likes to ride his bike down the street and stand up on the bike seat while bent over to steer. Where do you draw the line between he’s just being a boy vs. this is plain dumb and dangerous?!

I took the kids down to the rodeo on Wednesday afternoon. It was family value day which meant the kids got in free and my ticket was only $4. Parking was $12, and tickets for the carnival rides and food were about $100. We got to see the pig races which were hilarious. We walked through the exhibit hall to see the small farm animals and collect animal cards at each location. The kids love riding the escalators, so I let them do it because there was no waiting line at all for the bathrooms upstairs. Up and down the escalators they went. A ride in and of itself. And totally free! The kids went to the Farmer’s Market which was a walk-through exhibit teaching kids about farming. They put on aprons and carried baskets while collecting things at each station and performed tasks like feed the chickens, pick up eggs, plant seeds, pick vegetables, milk the cows, and carry the produce to the farmer’s market. They “sold” their produce at the farmer’s market and collected fake money that they were able to “spend” at the grocery store. They were able to see how farmers plant and grow things and eventually harvest and sell their crops for money and then they saw the final product on sale in the grocery store. Mitch threw darts at balloons and won two stuffed animals. One for his sister, even, which was so kind. The rides were the most fun. It didn’t seem that crowded at all, but by the end of the day, there were long lines for food, rides, and tickets. I think we left at the perfect time.

The kids went to see Race to Witch Mountain. Funny, but I remember seeing Escape to Witch Mountain when I was a kid. Jerry and Rachel went to see Taylor Swift in concert on Friday night, while Mitch and I went to the Rockets game. He outgrew his Tracy McGrady jersey. He had his heart set on a Ron Artest jersey. I let him get one at the Rockets shop before the game because they were 40% off. Artest scored the most points that night, which made Mitch happy! Mitch is really excited about basketball, and the Rockets seem to be doing well heading into the playoffs. They are having another event this week where the kids can play basketball one-on-one with the Rocket players. Mitch will get to go if he manages to stay out of trouble.

Last night, we took a family bike ride through an adjoining subdivision. Our family bike rides are fun, but lately they’ve turned into a trip-to-the-convenience-store-to-buy-candy bars disguised as a bike ride, meaning we ride our bikes to get there and back. The kids got their candy bars and drinks and we continued riding through the other neighborhood and stopped at the new playground to try out the new equipment.

We had the windows opened most of the week to air out the house and enjoy the fresh air. Last night it was 80 degrees when we got back from our bike ride. I finally caved and turned on the AC. It kills me to have to turn on the AC when people to the north are still dealing with snow.