April 2024: Spring Break

Our Spring Break officially started on Monday, April 1, the day after Easter, and we spent the first few days of it hanging with Mom.  Rachel finished the puzzle she was working on. 

As the person in the house that likes dogs the least, it always makes me laugh how they seem to gravitate to me. 

The kids enjoyed some reading. 

And my mom took some breaks from work to play some games with us. 

Brian and I enjoyed some walks around my mom's neck of the woods. Can I tell you how much center pivots and farmland sooth my soul? 

We spotted some Canadian Geese out in the fields as we were walking.

Michael spent every spare second out exploring my Grandpa's hand tools, cleaning them and sharpening them. 

Michael, Brian, and I all brushed our teeth at the same time one night, so naturally, we had to capture this special moment. 

On a visit to the Barn, we saved this poor butterfly was trying to get out of the shop, so I took a picture of it, and then helped it escape. 

Gabe learned the game 5 crowns. I think this is his notes on how to play. 

On Wednesday, we said goodbye to my mom

and then headed south again. We stopped at Taryn's house in Tremonton to change into swimming clothes, and then we headed to Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, where we met Lea, Danny, Skyler, and Nana & Papa for a soak. 

Danny and Michael wanted me to capture the snow on the mountains in the background. It was a fairly warm day, but not a swimming day if the water wasn't really warm. 

The kids enjoyed going down the slides. 

While the rest of us just soaked up the minerals in the water and talked. 

We got home later that night. 

As for the rest of our break, we had a nice, relaxed time at home. Rachel gave me a pedicure. 

Brian took us to Adobe for lunch and some time in the game room. 

We all got to play MarioKart together on the arcades. 

We met Lea, Danny, and Skyler at the new park in Highland. Before Lea got there, Michael hung out with his siblings, which I always love. 

Danny and Michael played some basketball, deemed that it was way too windy for pickleball, got bored, and then walked all the way back to my house. 

Meanwhile, Rachel and Gabe played with Skyler and his friend. 

After the park, we convinced Lea to stay for dinner (pizza on the grill!) and recruited her to help put them together. Then, we convinced her to stay and go on a walk with us around our neighborhood. We got to experience this beautiful sunset together. 

We read some more. 

Brian and I went to Home Depot to get supplies for garden boxes, but we forgot gloves. They had these insulated ones on clearance, so we grabbed a couple of pairs and he used one hand from each pair to load the lumber. 

Gabe's watch is always missing because he takes it off in the strangest places. During Spring Break, this is where I found it. (On the floor, next to the sink in our mudroom bathroom.)

There are so many tiny rocks in our garden that it's hard to use all the spots, so we decided to add boxes to the borders with the most rocks so that we can put better soil in them. Here's our plan: 

We spent the rest of our Spring Break putting these together. 

We'd be getting much more dirt later. 

We ended our Spring Break with General Conference. I made cinnamon rolls to enjoy after we were all finished listening, and it was, as usual, a terrific spiritual feast. 

 Then, just like that, Spring Break and a quarter of April were gone!