Sring Break

For spring break this year I was feeling a little bit guilty.  Jon and I took off and had our own little trip this spring, but didn't make plans to take our kids anywhere.  It's just hard to do anything when April is such a busy month for Jon at work.  I was determined to take the kids to do a bunch of fun things around town.  With the weather being so cold rainy, I tried to come up with some indoor activities my kids haven't done before.  My first idea was to take the kids to a candy factory.  It was shot down for two reasons:  They have peanut dust, and Tanner wouldn't have been allowed in.  The other reason was that all the kids hated the idea.  So much for something new. 

Our first activity was the Gateway Kids Museum.  We hadn't been there for a few years.  Calla was a fun age.  Watching her discover all the things she could do was so much fun.  She especially loved the water and the playhouse.  Anika's favorite was probably the shopping--something that she absolutely hates to do in real life.

 Tanner had a great time forecasting the weather and watching himself on the TV. 

 Nathan thought he was too old for the kids museum...but he sure got into the balls and construction areas.  He used his leadership skills to get all the kids in the construction area to work on a game together.

Two days later the weather decided to cooperate.  It was off to Thanksgiving Point before our season pass expired.  They hadn't been to the gardens since last year, so it was all new and fun again.  They played their favorite game of "Follow Calla".  Calla gets to choose where to go, and we all follow her.  Somehow she always finds her way to the Secret Garden. 

My mom ended up getting a Grandparent pass to Hogle Zoo this year.  With the weather still holding up, we jumped at the chance to go.

Calla was really interested in the animals this year.  But of course, no animal can compare to a ride on the carousel.  I think her favorite animals were the elephants, giraffes, and monkeys.

Nathan has a huge smile here, not necessarily because he is on a carousel, but because he got the sucker he wanted, and the animal he wanted to ride on (compared to Tanner, who is not pictured here because he did not get the one he wanted, and refused to give me anything but a scowl)

 Tanner was all smiles once he hit the playground. 

 You can't hit the zoo with Nana without getting some icecream.  It puts a smile on everyone's faces.

Jon and I had been wanting to see the new City Creek shopping center in Salt Lake.  It was nice, but very busy.  Our kids were not in the mood to shop or stay by their parents.  So we escaped the crowds and walked over to Temple Square.  We always go to Temple Square for the Christmas lights, but rarely take the kids any other time of year.  They were amazed to see how things looked in the daylight, with all the flowers out.  They enjoyed not having to be bundled up in puffy coats and gloves.  I think we need to take them there more often.

I think the break was a successs.  Despite all the activities, they still found lots of time to fight and bug each other, so sending them back to school wasn't too hard.