Spring Break 2018--Family & Friends Come to Play!

My parents decided to come down and visit during our spring break again like last year. It really is the perfect timing: Mom and Dad are tired of cold winter weather, and we are excited to have the week off from work and school to be able to spend time with them! The weather this year could not have been more beautiful. Every day was sunny and breezy with super low humidity, making it very comfortable to sit outside. And we did exactly that! Whether it was a park, the jetty, the beach, or our lanai, we were outside every waking moment. As always, Andrew was our grill master, and we cooked out almost every night. The pool water was still on the chilly side, but we all got in at some point. Even my mom accidentally got in when she rolled off her float while trying to get on it--hehe! After faithfully tearing a link off of the countdown chain for 30 days in a row, Ryder and Harper were bummed at how fast Grandma and Grandpa's 7 day visit went by. I was too! I already have a flight booked for the kids and me to go to Wisconsin for a couple weeks this summer, so at least we know we'll see them again fairly soon!

Making blueberry muffins with Grandma!

Replicas of the Nina and the Pinta were here in Venice for a few days, so we decided to check them out. It was cool to walk around on the ships and see what little space they actually had on them. I definitely would not want to spend months at a time on one of them with no land in sight. 🤢

We made Harper walk the plank--ha! Just kidding. She wanted no part of being in a picture at the moment.  

orange ice cream!!

relaxed and happy :)

I texted Andrew while he was working one morning to let him know I found us a new pool boy! 

Dad did a great job making sure the pool vacuum hit every nook and cranny.

thawing out in the warm sunshine

A Fajita Fiesta
Since my parents were in town on Grann's birthday, we decided to have the whole family over for fajitas one night to have a joint celebration for her and Steve, whose birthday was two weeks earlier. Dinner was delicious, and Alison made buster bar for dessert--yum!

Easter (plus a few days) with the Archambaults!

My parents left early Saturday morning for the airport, and I spent the day straightening up the house and getting air mattresses inflated before Mike, Jen, and the kids arrived around dinner time. For the second year in a row, our spring breaks didn't match up. :( But we got creative! They spent a few days with us before heading to Orlando today to finish up their vacation week at Disney. The kids and I had to head back to work and school, but we packed in as much playing and visiting as we could while sticking to decent bedtimes! All four kiddos got along so well, and it was fun to watch them play together. They picked right up as if they had seen each other two weeks ago instead of two years. I was amazed! Sometimes they paired up by gender, other times by age, but the majority of the time they were all together in the pool or running around outside. As the grownups sat outside one evening after the kids were asleep, we were laughing and reminiscing about past vacations and get-togethers... and that we've been friends for 12 years. Lots and lots of good memories!

Easter basket time!

Ryder gave Zach a little Lego-building assistance.

Ahhhh....no homework all week!

Mike was the only grownup who would go all the way into the water, so he became the kids' favorite "toy".

Ryder introduced Kendall to his DogMan books. They sat side by side, silently reading. 😍

Ryder was the last one out of the pool one afternoon and was left to round up all of the toys!

ready to eat Chinese!

eating bubbles--gross!

I didn't do a good job taking this picture because you can't see Zach's legs. They were wrapped around Ryder like he was a little monkey climbing a tree!

a belly rub for Garcia, who loved all of the extra attention!

photo shoot--behind the scenes

double family picture!

Pinched Ears

Harper has been talking about wanting to get her ears "pinched" (pierced) over the past month or so. She has a few friends at school whose cute earrings she always talks about: roses, bunnies, purple "diamonds". I guess she finally decided it was her turn! Andrew and I talked about it and agreed that she is old enough, but we didn't rush right out and take her until we knew she wasn't going to change her mind. Ha! We had several casual conversations with her, telling her that it will hurt like a shot, and that once she gets one ear pierced she has to do the second one to match. We told her about taking care of her ears and earrings so she won't get an infection. She would always say, "I know" or "okay". Instead of taking her to the mall, Andrew wanted to take her to a tattoo shop where piercing is one of their specialties. I was hesitant at first, but I definitely wanted someone with experience and the best equipment--not just a teenager at the mall. Andrew set up an appointment for Monday evening, and Harper was so excited to go! She decided she wanted Daddy to take her, and while I felt a little sad that I wasn't going to be there, I knew she would be braver with Andrew than with me. And let's be honest, Andrew is way more in his element in a tattoo shop than I am! The two of them headed out together, and Ryder and I stayed home watching the Olympics and reading books. Ryder was definitely preoccupied while they were gone. He would occasionally say, "I wonder how Harper is doing" or "I hope it doesn't hurt her too much and make her cry." I told him what a sweet big brother he is, and that Harper is one tough cookie! He chuckled a little and agreed that she is tough. :)

Meanwhile, after signing a parental consent form and taking it to get notarized, Andrew and Harper made it back to the tattoo shop. Andrew said Harper did really well with the first ear--she didn't full-out cry, but she looked really sad right when she felt the prick. The second ear was a little rougher because she knew what it would feel like and she was anticipating it. But she did it! She picked out some small "diamond" studs and was excited to look in the mirror. When she got home, she ran right over to show me. I asked her if it hurt, and she nodded and said 'yes'. Then I asked her if she's still glad she did it, and she more excitedly said, "Yes!" Ryder gave her a big hug, and then they were both ready to be tucked into bed. What an evening for both of them!

my 5-year-old, hanging out in a tattoo parlor

Andrew said the guy who pierced her ears was great. He has a 4-year-old daughter, so he knew how to talk to Harper and make her feel more comfortable. He even texted Andrew the next day to check in and see how her ears were feeling. How thoughtful!

marking exact points with a marker

Harper insisted on wearing her hair up in a tail on Tuesday so she could show off her new earrings! And I don't think there is anyone at her preschool who DIDN'T see them. :) She is so proud!

Skateboarders and Contusions

Andrew thought it would be fun for Ryder and Harper to get their first skateboards, along with the necessary kneepads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. They love being outside riding bikes or using their scooters, and Andrew loved skateboarding when he was younger. The skateboards arrived over a week ago, and the kiddos started slowly by rolling around on their tummies or sitting on the boards and scooting around the lanai. 

One afternoon last week, while I picked up Ryder from school, Andrew and Harper headed outside for Harper's first official "lesson". As Ryder and I headed home, I got a phone call from Andrew and his first words were "my knee!" 😮 Apparently he forgot he isn't sixteen anymore! He said he was coasting down the driveway full speed ahead when he hit a piece of mulch. The skateboard stopped, but he flew off and landed on his knee. (And of course he wasn't wearing any of the protective gear that we require the kiddos to wear). His knee immediately swelled up and was extremely tender to the touch. For a couple of days he hobbled around like an old man, groaning any time he had to move or bend his knee. He decided to go to a walk-in clinic the other day to have x-rays taken because it is still super sore and makes a clicking noise when he walks. Fortunately there are no broken or fractured bones, but he is supposed to see an orthopedic doctor soon to determine if anything is torn. Until then, his diagnosis is a "deep contusion". 

Despite his injury, Andrew did manage to take a couple of slow motion videos of the kids using their new boards. I love how the videos truly show the kids' personalities!