Spring Break, Day One.

Sometimes, the best types of spring breaks are those spent around home, enjoying the comforts of home and what your own "neck of the woods" has to offer. And that is what this year's spring break is all about for us. Because we are not going on a big trip far away, I decided to break our week down into fun activities for us to enjoy, right here at home and in our surrounding area. I made up this board, which has a card for each day. The kids then get to open the day's card to see what is in store for them, so there is the element of surprise that they think is so fun!

Today, the kids opened the MONDAY card to find that we were headed to the Blandford Nature Center, a nature conservatory just a few minutes away from us. We packed up a picnic lunch along with our hiking gear, and away we went for a day of hiking and enjoying the spring day. We ate our picnic, enjoyed seeing some wildlife (including several owls, a bobcat, a baby garter snake, and some turtles), explored a wigwam and a sugarhouse (where they make maple syrup), and wove through the woods and streams on various trails. What a delightful place it was, and so close to home! The kids enjoyed putting their cameras and binoculars to work, and we got a lot of good exercise to boot! Hmmmm, I wonder what the TUESDAY card will bring?



And here are a few highlight photos from our hotel weekend. Thanks again, Mom and Dad S., for the fun gathering (this was a Christmas present from them to our family). We had a great relaxing time, the kids loved swimming and spending time with everyone, and we hope to do it again next year. It brought back lots of fond childhood memories of each year when we would meet for a hotel weekend with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins on my mom's side.......so fun.






And tonight, we brought a yummy lasagna/salad/bread/chocolate eclair dessert dinner over to our friends who just had their second little baby. What a joy it was to meet and hold and breathe in the sweet smells of little Madelyn Grace. She is just gorgeous, with lots of dark hair and a dark complexion. Now tell me that this group of kids wouldn't keep any room full of adults entertained! We sure enjoyed our time with them and look forward to many more get-togethers as the kids grow up. Welcome, little Maddie, to this crazy group of friends!