Spring Break... and beyond!

As I write this, we are experiencing a very sunny afternoon, something we've haven't had in a very very long time. The camellia bushes and red bud tree are in full bloom in my backyard.

 Spring Break is over.
We are trending the right direction.

April 1 marked three years in this house that we've certainly made into a home. There's certainly been a lot of living and growing and memories.
Facebook always seems to "remind me" at just the right time just how far we've come.

Our most recent project on this house is the basement. John and I are celebrating 12 years of marriage on April 9.  I've learned that John needs to have a project brewing somewhere at all times.

The current project is our basement. John is building an entertainment area with a reclaimed wood wall and matching bar. (with taps, of course!) 
No doubt this will be a job well done if John has the vision for it.

Spring break was filled with a lot of hammering and a lot of sawing. ;)
We managed to keep ourselves busy though. I tried to think of unique and fun ideas to do with the kids, despite the over crowded "mom and kid places" we already frequent.

Spring Break: Everything cancelled; everything crowded. Let the fun begin!

Baking cookies turned more into eating cookie batter  and chocolate chips

Monday was probably our most interesting outing/activity; we baked cookies and delivered them to the Tualatin fire department and police station. (I know....you can take the mom out of teaching, but you can't take the teacher out of mom....)

It was pretty quiet around the station when we arrived, and the four firemen on site welcomed us in. They appreciated the cookies and gave us a full tour!

Such a neat experience for the kids (and me!) 

We climbed in engines. The firemen flashed the lights. They even gave us a fireman's hat and badge. They were truly the nicest, most genuine people.

Cards for the firemen and policemen

 

When we dropped the cookies off to the police,  Evie was very excited to jump into the patrol car. The policeman informed us that the back seat was for "time outs."

John and I actually braved the crowds the first Saturday of Spring Break and took the kids to the zoo! We parked a stop ahead and took the Max train in, an experience the kids enjoyed even more than the zoo!
John and I commented that this was the first zoo trip we did solo that we didn't hate. It was actually pretty fun.

And now we look ahead to spring!

And back to preschool, which adds a rhythm to our life and routine; it makes everyone happier.

It's hard for me to believe that this is the last little trimester before Evie is done with preschool and on to full time kindergarten next year.
She is so happy at preschool. She enthusiastically announced that it's her 100th day of school next week;  she just beams when she talks about the things she's learning. She adores her friends.


Even though she gets a little sad about leaving her preschool and her friends, she's so ready, and I know she is going to thrive at West Hills Christian school.
Recently, Evie has been teaching herself to read! In fact, to our amazement, she's piecing together sounds and letters, making sense of what things say around her. The girl just wants to be in "the know", so she's dedicated herself to figuring it all out.  (she's also picked up sign language... She knows the entire alphabet...)

Well, that was my proud mama paragraph..
Back to talking about Spring...

I frequently comment to the kids to look at the blossoming trees lining our street that have seemed to erupt over night.
The petals resemble snowflakes as they float gracefully to the ground. This is probably my favorite time in Oregon. Spring just keeps on going and going...I love every moment of it.
It also allows me to simply take the kids outside. On a lovely spring morning this week I took two of the boys walking in the woods behind our house.

Boys are so great. Give them mud and a stick and they are happy for hours. 

It put me in such a good mood...and really tired the boys out. In fact, we wandered so far, I had to text John to come pick us up! Luckily he had a break from work calls and was able to come out and rescue us. (Caleb simply collapsed and declared his knees hurt! 😮)
I find that walking in nature and exploring the surroundings is such great entertainment for kids (and adults!)
I get so absorbed into the busyness and routine of life that I forget about the slugs slowly creeping across the moss covered logs in the forest.
I forget about how beautiful the birds sound in the green canopy above; I forget about the simple things.
Kids have a way of bringing you back to what's important in life.