Spring Break

We took it easy over spring break. On Tuesday we went to the lake with some friends. We took a picnic and did a lot of hiking. The weather was beautiful and the kids (and Mamas) were thrilled to be outside. Unfortunately, Popeye was running a fever before the day was over and by Wednesday we had three sickuns at our house.

And that's how we spent the rest of our spring break. But I doubt you want to see pictures of that so I'll just show you pics of our day at the lake. Bridget

Eggs

We were hanging out at the creek behind the college in Chicken Town (where the new header pic was taken) and found this nest full of eggs.

The kids were fascinated.

So was I.

I made sure no one touched any.

Bear got the closest. After we left the area, Mama Duck came back. She pretended like I didn't exist.

But I didn't blame her. I'm pretty protective of my babies too. Then we found another nest. Not sure if it was abandoned. There was only one egg in it and we never saw any ducks go near it.

Hmmm.

Bridget

The Myriad Garden Crystal Bridge Fire Alarm Drama Ending. Finally.

After hanging out outside for about 15 minutes we were allowed to go back inside. Still not sure exactly what caused the alarm to go off. The fire dept. came and checked everything out. The kids loved seeing a fire truck and real firemen. Sorry the story isn't more interesting than that but not really.

Here we are back at the entrance. Have you seen Night at the Museum, Dumb-Dumb? We forgot the gum-gum. One great idea that came from the curriculum I used this year is to take clipboards on field trips and have the kids sketch things they see or experience. I only bought three clipboards at the beginning of the year so Princess usually has to wait for a brother to finish before she gets a turn.

Bear found a place to sit while he sketched.

Each kid was required to choose one plant, tree, or flower to sketch.

Bobo decided to remain standing.

Remember: you can click on the pictures to make them bigger. The Crystal Bridge has a really cool pirate ship. We know it's a pirate ship because a silhouette of Peter Pan is on the top of it. There is a ladder inside for the kids to climb to the upper deck. And, yes, I saw the the sign that says 6 years and older, and I know that Princess is only four. I'm a rule breaker, baby. Popeye. Peeking through the window. Princess decided she didn't like the upper deck. Thank goodness for big brothers. When she got down she discovered an unused clipboard and she got after it. I could eat her up right now. I love how her precious little legs dangle over the side. She looks so big and so small at the same time. And she's so proud of herself. I think the boys would have spent the night on the pirate ship if they were allowed. The loved it. Princess kept sketching. Popeye checked on her. And she kept sketching. Look at those beautiful flowers. It was a wonderful time. The kids said it was the best field trip we have been on.

Bridget

Myriad Gardens (The Inside)

After receiving a wonderful and warm wlecome from the gentleman at the front desk, and paying for our tickets we took a quick bathroom break.

Smart.

Then we headed into the gardens but were stopped by some delightful parrots that kept telling us 'Hello' and then 'Goodbye'. We weren't sure if we should stay or go.
The first thing we checked out was the waterfall. It was beautiful and there were stairs that walked behind it. Cool.

This is the new album cover for our family cd that is dropping sometime in May.

Kidding! But it is a cool pic.

One on the coolest things at the Crystal Bridge was the cable bridge that runs along the top. You are up in the tops of the trees and you get a great view of everything. They also had a place with some creepy crawlies. A frog, a turtle, a bullfrog, a snake, and a tarantula.
This is Princess showing me the face the turtle was making. =) Bobo did a good job of checking the flowers out and naming the parts. The gentleman at the front dest came to find us after his shift ended. He showed us the pond with the fish. The kids loved it. And then this is where things get interesting. You see, as we were going about our business the fire alarms started going off. The gentleman told us it was probably just a test even though he didn't know they had one planned. So we just hung out and kept looking at all the flowers.

After I snapped a few more pics, another worker came and asked us to please exit the building because they didn't know why the alarms where going off.

I took this pic while the alarms where going. Bobo and Bear are being my perfect children and smiling like good little boys. Popeye looks worried and Princess doesn't care about the pictures just about the very loud noise. Unfortunately for you, I don't have time to finish this post so you'll have to come back next week for the conclusion of The Myriad Garden Crystal Bridge Fire Alarm Drama.

=)

Bridget