Easter 2021

It feels like Easter was months ago because it was so warm that day, Kade and I walked the dogs the 2 miles into town and got sweaty, the kids played in the blow up swimming pool at Erik's parents and we spent the evening outside playing bean bags at my parents.  Since that time it's snowed, it's been below freezing multiple times and it's just generally been COLD!!  These pictures remind me that summer will be here...eventually.

This year, instead of hiding candy, we did a scavenger hunt where they found their Easter baskets full of baseball gear and their summer sandals/crocs.

Brunch with the cousins!

 

Spring Break Part 3

Seems weird to still be posting about spring break but time is moving way too fast these days and I'm falling behind!!

We did cave and take the kids to Knuckleheads one morning.

We drove indoor Go Carts, played video games and did the high ropes course.

They were intending to do the trampoline park too but the sun was shining and the adults were itching to get back outside.  Although the kids had fun they all agreed that hiking around Devil's Lake is more fun.  Whew!  We must be doing something right if they all chose the outdoors!!

So, we went back to Devil's Lake a second time and did an awesome hike up some steep rocky trails.

It WAS super cool but way too stressful for this mama to see the kids teetering on the edge of a steep, rocky drop off.  I stayed in the way back and kept my head down.

Ahhh!! Back on solid ground, where if Mason trips (which he does A LOT!!), he just falls into leaves and dirt!!

That's the end of the spring break posts!

 

Part 2

More pictures from Spring Break '21!

Kade's first time playing Monopoly.  

I thought he would hate it (I do) but they played for over an hour!! 

They were all fighting a bath so we told them they at least needed to clean their feet.

By the time they were done, they might as well have gotten in the bath!

More games!

Hey look!  I got a snuggle from Kade!  

See that leg sticking out under his?  It's mine.  

Oh this next picture is both wonderful and terrible at the same time.

Jenna and I took these 3 on a scooter ride/walk in between the rain showers on Saturday.  

Mason and Isaac (who we call The Middles or The #2's.  Who are NOTHING like their first born siblings when it comes to: following rules, or listening, or using common sense, or sticking close to your parents in strange surroundings or pretty much anything else pertaining to ease of parenting) decided to scooter WAY ahead of us on the way back to the cabin.  So far ahead, in fact, that we lost them.  After running down the path, then getting in the truck and driving up the road, then going back to the cabin and getting Jay and Erik to split up and help search, and more driving down the road the other way, these 2 came meandering back down the sidewalk happy as clams because they "explored".  

Hands down the scare of a lifetime.  

And this picture is the very last one we had of them.  

The one we were thinking we'd have to show the police when we called them.

Onto more calming pictures...

The view from our cabin.

It was so nice, we were even able to get the canoe out for a bit!

I'm driving, Mason is trolling.

He swore he got 100's of nibbles but no bites.

More hiking at Devil's Lake

Rolling down the hill

Quite the adventurous path we found!

Everyone waiting and laughing as it's my turn to cross.

Thanks to Jenna and our "scene from Dirty Dancing" I made it across safely!

While Erik and Jay laughed and recorded it, waiting for me to fall in!

We found a beach on Spring Break!!

 

Spring Break Part 1

This year the boys actually got a real spring break!  They had Friday off from school and then the entire week following.  That's NEVER happened before!  We took advantage and rented a cabin in Wisconsin Dells with Jay, Jenna, Violet, Isaac and Eve.  We didn't really do "Dells" stuff though; no waterparks--which was fine by me!

We left Friday after work and came home Wednesday morning.  It rained all day Saturday, good thing there was the NCAA tournament to watch!  Otherwise the weather was good!  Our cabin was right on the water so the kids tried to fish.  Of course Mason tried to swim.  And Kade got tossed in the water by Uncle Jay once for being mouthy--he had it coming.  

There's so many pictures, I have to split them up into separate posts.  

On the road!

10 minutes later.

The coloring station.

Vacation means eating LOTS of food.

The rainy Saturday didn't stop Kade and Violet!

Being cooped up inside meant lots of wrestling.

We went to Devil's Lake State Park a couple of times.

Everybody loved it and the trails were so cool!  

Lots of climbing rocks, which the kids couldn't get enough of and I just stayed in back so I couldn't see anything--less worry that way.

Isaac, Kade and Violet

Can you spot Mason waving to the camera?

He's right next to the tree.

Nothing better than a picnic in the back of the truck!!

The kids all said hiking was the best part of their day.