Spring Break 2014

Spring Break started off great....with Pete and I being kid-free for the entire week!! The boys were picked up by their Papa and headed down to Yakima. Their cousins were there as well, so we knew they'd have a blast. Sadly, Clifford started having breathing issues while down there. We knew it was bad when he called me at 9 pm on a Sunday night crying and saying he wanted to come home. He never wants to leave there, especially when his best friend-his cousin Howard- is there! It broke our hearts, and we were a little disappointed that we wouldn't have our much-needed break from the boys anymore, but of course their health is more important and they came home (Clifford immediately got better once he was home, and looked so much better the next day). So the week got tweaked a bit, with me looking into what I could do with them while they were home since I hadn't budgeted (time or money) for the break. Here's the highlights:

Monday: Peter and I spent about 6 hours in the car going to and from Yakima to pick the boys up. Of course, that day had to be the most beautiful day of the year, and none of us could actually enjoy it. So, as a special treat, we stopped at Ron's Tacos and Burgers for some soft serve before heading out of Yakima. This place can definitely be classified as a hole-in-wall joint that has been there forever! But you get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to their soft serve. And it was absolutely perfect on that gorgeous sunny day.


Tuesday: One of the local libraries had a few activity programs scheduled throughout the week. We decided to hit up one called Bubbles. The presenter told a story using the character Pete the Cat and incorporated bubbles into the story, using a variety of tools (some bought, some homemade) to make the bubbles. Afterwards, there was a craft station set up where everyone could make and take home two of the bubble tools she used in her story. This was fun, and I know Clifford enjoyed it as well, even though he acted like he was too old for it.


Wednesday: We started the morning off by watching Jackson and Lucas, our friend Anne's boys. She had to go in for knee surgery and her babysitter had to cancel at the last minute. I was more than willing to help her out. Later that afternoon, the boys and I went back to the library, this time with Pete, to see a presentation from Sarvey Wildlife (for info on who they are, check out http://www.sarveywildlife.org/) titled Raptors. We had the privilege of seeing different wildlife birds while they presented facts of the species. The boys (and Pete) really enjoyed this one.

Lunch with Friends

 Raptors presentation

Thursday: The sun decided to pop out that day, so the boys and I headed to Picnic Point to enjoy some time at the beach. We dipped our feet in the water, looked for seashells, played in the sand, and enjoyed some lunch. We had so much fun that the boys didn't want to leave.

Friday: Shortly after we left the beach yesterday to head home, either something I ate, lack of water, too much time out in the sun, or all of the above made my stomach queasy. I was miserable to rest of day all into the evening. I eventually got up out of bed later that night and finally puked, which then put a damper on Friday for us. I had intentions of taking them to a movie, but instead laid around on the couch. The boys didn't mind too much. We cuddled and watched some movies on Netflix. Later that afternoon, we did drive up as a family to Arlington to see about an addition to our little family. Since moving to a house with a yard, our dog Sheeba has officially become an outside dog. Peter and I have been thinking for a while to look for another mid-size dog to add to our family and for Sheeba to have a playmate. We've looked at PAWS and Craigslist, but with no luck, though we were close to getting an Australian Shepherd mix puppy from PAWS, but because the boys weren't with us we weren't allowed to even meet the dog. Well, Thursday night as I was perusing through Craigslist, I came upon an ad for an Australian German Shepard listed for free (I'd actually seen him on the site previously but the owners were asking for $200). I contacted the owners via email to see if he was still available and gave Pete's phone number. Sure enough, they called Pete a half hour later and we set up a meet 'n greet for Friday. Friday came, we visited, and the dog came home with us! His name is Jax, he's just barely over a year old, and, according to Pete, is a big dumb pup (I say this in a good way). He knows some commands, but definitely needs some training. We immediately kicked his habit of jumping up on people, so that's good. It's been almost a week now as I type this, we still have a ways to go, but he's adjusting to us nicely.

Saturday and Sunday: We did yard work both these days. There is still so much to do with this house before it's completely improved, but what we did is a start. In fact, the neighbor to the right of us came over Saturday to introduce herself to Pete. From what I was told, the conversation was basically her happy to see us outside doing something to improve the place (last tenants did NOTHING and it showed). On Sunday, she was outside tending to her garden and at one point politely shouted out to me "Looks good!". It's nice to hear that. We have a feeling that ALL the surrounding neighbors are happy with us.

BEFORE

AFTER

 BEFORE 

 AFTER