Spring Break: Fun and Flops

I love holidays. All of them. We celebrate the big ones and the little ones, even ones that don't belong to our country (Cinqo de Mayo, etc). And Easter is one of my favorites. All those yummy pastel colors and the fun of finding a pretty basket stuffed with fun, not to mention the gorgeous spring weather it always welcomes back! We are not traditional about our Easter meal - we don't usually have a ham or even have family over - we often spend it in the park and have even gone so far as to have KFC one year. But for 7 years straight we have one tradition: The Bayside Easter EGGGGGGGGGGGGGstravaganza, said in my best announcer voice. Its filled with people we enjoy, silly carnival games, petting zoos and face painting. Not to mention Fritz the one man show.

We had some candlelit fun to celebrate Earth Hour. Tristan shut himself in the bathroom once without a candle though, and told me he couldn't see where to go! Ah...duh, bring a candle with you.

Then we attempted these yarn eggs that should have been adorable and easy according to Family Fun.

Turns out they were messy and hard and we never did end up with a final product because as the kids and balloons got gluier and the yarn slid off the balloon over and over again - we decided that cupcakes were a better project and between that and dying Easter eggs who needed a silly complicated craft anyway! Our attempt was a mess and not the fun I had planned but hilarious nonetheless.

Around the World in 80 days 8 hours

Spring break has begun and the weather is amazing, could not ask for a better start to this glorious week of freedom from schedules and homework. We started a few hours early and headed to Epcot for the evening. My kids are at such a great age to truly appreciate the world showcase and thanks to techie daddy even loved the future land and the ideas it had for what the future might look like! Love that Disney is right there leading the way for greener ways to do all sorts of things. From Mexico to the Forbidden City of China, vikings and flowers in Norway to a phone call from England and dinner in Japan we had a great time going "around the world!"

Walking up to the park all you can see is "Spaceship:Earth" but as Tristan says "It's like a golf ball...for God!"

Also very cool - while we there an event was going on called the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. I am excited when I plant a seed and get any green thing comes from it. But this was beyond amazing. Whole areas just drenched in colorful blooms that looked from far away like pictures of dolphins diving and stars and rainbows and all sorts of other things. But more than that were the shaped topiaries of characters. Stunning...and the little guy in the middle could be found throughout the park and he just cracked me up!

Etsy Quilts

Just listed, spread the word! Thanks!

Puppy Love

Flip Flop Fun

All boy.

All boys should be constantly surrounded by caution tape - or here in Fl - the caution/cuadido tape! Santa brought a skateboard and the process to even sort of ride it has been a long one with quite a few scrapes and spills. Funny how you can buy any brand of kids jeans under the sun for him and they all end up a bit like this pair - sprouting holes and growing dirt.

Under Construction.

I want to post normal size pics as I learn fun new things on my camera. That being said this blog is under construction until I figure out what format works for that!

Wash. Wear. Repeat.

Tristan got in the car Thursday March 18th wearing a shamrock shirt...the very same one I had laid out for him to wear the day before, you know on St.Patrick's Day. And I have a picture proving he wore it for the holiday so ????????

Me: Tristan did you wear that shirt yesterday?
T: Yep.
Me: Did you wear it two days in a row?
T: Yep.
Me: Why?!?! We don't wear the same shirt two days in a row.
T: I like it, its soft and comfy!

ITS A T-SHIRT! All his t-shirts are soft and comfy! Now I cannot decide if I am more upset that he wore the same shirt twice in a row or upset that he does not care or upset that Todd let him out of the house wearing the same shirt as the day before. But as we tell a clueless Todd about it over dinner, Todd reaches out and touches the shirt and says to me laughing "It is soft."

So while I asked Tristan to please make sure his clothes get in the laundry and not back on him from here on out I was reminded that I want to teach my kids about giving and compassion and kindness and holiness...not to care what others think or that what they wear really matters.

Happy St.Patrick's Day

Leprechauns are not like Santa. Where everyone know exactly who he is, what he looks like and what he does. Not to mention when he comes (the night before? after?). So the kids wanted to make a leprechaun trap. Tori likes to make things in general and Tristan is still considering the possibility that all things fantasy might exist if he believes hard enough. So we made the trap from the Family Fun website but alas we did not catch him. Question of the morning - if he was small enough to fit in our trap how was he big enough to carry all those gold candies?

No pinching here!

Always wanting to be the center of attention Tori was prepared with song and dance...or at least this ridiculous jig!

And no St.Patrick's Day is complete without a shamrock shake to wind up the night. Yummy.

Go me!

Sometimes you have to cheer for yourself. This is one of those moments.

Day 6 complete - no coffee, no aspartame, no prepackaged snacks, and no meat.

Happy Feet and Happy Fun

Spring has arrived! And how do I know? Because I have happy feet! My beloved flip flops have returned, sorry for the ugly picture! I think it's time to dig out that spa gift card from last mother's day - eeks - and get myself a pedicure. And it was warm enough but still breezy enough for me to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement this week - not once, not twice but three times!

And speaking of spring...Tristan got the opportunity to attend a free baseball clinic at a local spring training field. It was amazing - 9 former professional players, an army all star team of young guys as assistants and 200 kids on this gorgeous green spread. And with all the dead grass and recent cold temps sitting in the bleacher staring at the field that looked like it had been painted being baked in the sun (I might be just a tad sun burnt - oops!) chatting with a great friend was just the perfect Sunday afternoon.

Then we headed back to the park for some playtime - the kids on the rock/rope park - they have this sudden love for it - and me with my new toy!

Love, love, love how white and skinny his little legs are at this time of year!

In playing with my new toy I wanted the kids to jump - I love those picture of families jumping and I just wanted to know if I could do it. Well, I can. The kids, however found jumping from where I asked them to a ridiculously hard task. So I borrowed Todd. And I was reminded how much he makes me laugh!

One more thing...

So excited!!! Today I got a really early (long boring story) birthday present:



Isn't it pretty?

Reading List

Some great books I've read lately and highly recommend, some were recommended by other friends/family!

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

What Difference Do It Make also by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donal Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz, also awesome!)

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Skinny B***h This one I would like to add a comment to - this book promotes a vegan lifestyle, that is not really going to work out for me but it has a lot of good info and easy substitutions to create other positive changes in your diet - easy subs for aspartame, white bread, etc - and the awareness it creates is good. That being said it uses "shock" in the form of cussing which was highly unnecessary and just kind of dumb throughout the book. Like they wrote it and then threw words in later to add hype. But the point is good - just read over or past the useless junk! But it does inspire change - this is day 4 without coffee, meat, sweet and low, and prepackaged snacks for me. And believe me when I tell you those first three are big for me!

Enjoying...Warmer Temps & Lazy Days

The sun came out! Sounds like a cause for celebration - or at least lots of time outdoors. Family time!
First game of the year - Go Cubs!

Tori, less than thrilled about sitting at a ball game.
Saturday Afternoon Basketball by the Bay.
Basket...and the balls.

Sunday afternoon at the Ropes & Rocks Park.

Regroup: 30 Coming Soon

I am now less than 6 months away from my 30th birthday and decided it was time to regroup...new goals needed. You can see the originals here: 365 days to 30. So here are my new goals before I am 30.

1. Still run - just not for a race - just because I want to, because I have legs that can, and because it would make me overall healthier.

2. Eat healthier - less fast food, more home cooked meals, more veggies, more fruits, more of an effort to be an overall healthier person.

3. Enjoy the small things - Laurie (my sister in law) pointed me towards this blog that is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. It is called Enjoying the Small Things and you can find it right over there ----------->. AND our church is doing a study called 30 Days to Live - which encourages the reader to really decide what's important and live every day like you only have 30 left - in relationships, actions, spiritual walk, etc. So I am trying.

4. Do the things I love - sometimes I get so busy with the stuff I have to do, feel I should do or someone else wants me to do that I forget to do the things I love. I love to bake with my kids, I love to take photographs, I love to go to the beach, I love to see new places and go to museums and the theater and sew and the list goes on. So I am going to make more time to do these things and include the people I love in them.

So these are my new goals - which if accomplished should be easily seen here as I write about the fun I have, the relationships I build, and photos of fun projects and life make their way amongst the text!

Vocabulary

Todd and I were bickering (as in play arguing not real arguing) about something silly in the car the other day and then Tristan who was in the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back of the van decided to yell up his opinion. At which time Tori says "THIS IS BEDLAM!"

Dead Silence.

Todd says um what?

Tori - "a state of noise and confusion (pause) chaos."

Tori Mirriam-Webster Maddex. Love it.

Tori's Great Week

Florida schools have a list of books for various combined grades called Sunshine State Readers. This years list had 15 books on it which can be viewed here. Then the kids take a multiple choice/short answer test and the highest 3 scores for a team to go to a quiz show program called Battle of the Books. Schools compete against other schools in their district, region, etc. Does this sound familiar? Well last year Tori made the team as an alternate but since the three team members stayed healthy and required no bathroom breaks she did not actually get to play the game despite having practiced with them. This year she scored the second highest grade on the test and is one of three students on the team!

Her 4th grade chorus will be presenting a spring concert including a Broadway medley of songs. She also earned one of two solos in the entire concert - singing an entire verse of Tomorrow from Annie.

Maddex Family Get Together

Partners in Crime

And Cuteness!

Ian's Take: "Aunt LeShayne, could you come live by us because your kids are SO much fun."

Tristan's Take: "I know that I will get to see Ian again this summer but doesn't that seem like a loooooooooooooooooong time from now?"