our spring break in a nutshell

This past week was our Spring Break. And all those great plans I had to catch up on other things or accomplish things I normally don't have time for...never got done. I am really looking forward to tomorrow and starting up school once again. I realize the structure does well for all of us and we seem to get more done than when we have "time off". So I will just give a quick update of our spring break and I'll put the few pictures I did take of our "break".

Monday - was our only down day and we were just basically lazy.

Tuesday - Jason had hernia surgery so our day was spent picking him up from the hospital, going to get some pain meds, being quiet so he could rest, etc.

Wednesday - We had a field trip to the Aquarium to attend the "Ocean's Alive" class with some of our friends. There were crafts, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses through the "reef", and looking at all of the underwater animals and all of their habitats.
Ethan watching the sea lion feedings.
Jude watching the fish in the outdoor aquarium.
The boys had a chance to hold a live hermit crab in their hands in the outdoor "hands-on" aquarium.
Tropical fish are so colorful and unique...the boys were mesmerized by them.
Jude's favorite part was watching the "shawks". He had at least 20 questions that he asked the aquarium guide

The outdoor obstacle course......where Ansley was glad to finally get out of that stroller and use her legs a bit.

Thursday - Our next field trip was another aquatic experience (surprise, surprise). We went with the homeschool group to Sea Life park where we got to see the dolphin show (we got totally wet even though we were in the no-splash zone), the sea lion show, the stingray exhibit, and the touch-pool where the boys were able to touch a sea cucumber and a baby sea turtle. I forgot to take my camera to capture the memories but I must say that there is nothing like seeing your children light up over a new experience.

Friday - we had a friend over for lunch while the kids played and that night had some new friends over for dessert.

Saturday - Jude learned to ride a two-wheeler bike...WITH pedals and enjoyed feeding a wandering duck our green St. Patrick's Day bread. We live near a canal but rarely get a visit from these interesting creatures...they're a cross between a turkey, duck and peacock. Not sure what breed they are but as you can see are very friendly...especially when you have bread.That night we had a babysitter for the kids and went to a friends house for dinner to celebrate a birthday.

Sunday - Jason preached a great sermon on Revelations (our pastor is out of town and Jason is filling in) and had our small group over tonight. Sweet fellowship, challenging discussions, encouraging words, joy in the gospel...what a great way to end our spring break and refresh us for the coming week.