Back To Life, Back To Reality

Beware: lengthy post with LOTS of pics

Spring break, how did you come and go so quickly?

I decided months ago to brave the roads with my crazy brood and make the long drive to my hometown in Clovis, CA for spring break... without my husband who had to work. My saintly mom (who I'm sure was imagining me trying to hand snacks back to kids while driving 80 miles an hour down the freeway) caught a ride to Utah just to help me with my little monkeys on the 13 hour drive back to California. You rock Mom. Seriously, the 13 hours flew by, thanks to great conversations with Mom, lots of snacks, Leapsters and 2 brand new DVDs. And then the vacation began!



The boys woke up and found super hero costumes, dinosaurs, toy cars and blocks all neatly stacked in the corner of their room. Sorry Mom, that was the last time they were seen so organized and clean. Those toys were drug around, driven through every corner of the backyard and loved dearly by 3 little boys... well, actually 4 since our cousin Bruin got to hang with us all week too!



When the boys weren't playing with Grandma's cool toys we were helping Grandpa plant his garden, working out with Grandpa in the garage, celebrating Aunt Holly's birthday (we had an orange theme, EVERYTHING was orange that day!)



we rode on Grandpa's 4 wheeler, around and around the neighborhood the boys went,



until someone called the cops on us... seriously.



we roasted marshmellows



Bruin learned all sorts of new things from his big crazy cousins



and poor Tessa just watched everything from sidelines (no sticky marshmellows for you yet!)



the boys started a treehouse in one of Grandpa's trees



and when Grandpa saw that, he had to help make the tree house extra cool with a ladder and slide and everything,



it may not have been the safest thing, but the boys sure loved it



though Tessa just got to watch from the sidelines



we went swimming at Aunt Marilyn's pool, well only those of us brave enough to endure 58 degree water went swimming



where Tessa watched from the sidelines



along with her buddy and cousin Crew



whom she loved and he loved her back



we spent a day at the zoo, ate lunch with the camels,



dug for dinosaur bones (Ty was convinced we would make a fortune when we sold the ones we dug up to the museum),



and just enjoyed a warm day outside



where we wore short sleeved shirts and shorts almost all week (sidenote: as soon as I saw this picture my fears were confirmed, my hair is too dark. I am not going goth. I'll be adjusting things soon with my hairlady. Holly R, I sure miss your talents)



and when the weekend came, so did our Daddy! Straight from picking him up from the airport we headed to the hills for some hiking,



where the big boys and daddies climbed rocks and hiked by the river,



and the little boys played in the little beach we found,



and the mommies just loved on their little ones,



no mommy could resist nibbling on this little guy,



or on this little lady, who was just watching from the sidelines.

Sooner than we would've liked we were back in the car for a 13 hour drive back to UT. Which we survived, but just barely. And now we're back to cold weather, long sleeves and jeans, school, work... the norm.