Spring Break Trip

We gave our children a family vacation as their Christmas gift last year. Our plan originally was to go back to the Oregon Coast, but as we thought about it we thought we should instead go to visit family in Georgia. So that became the plan until we thought that if we're going to spend time with family it ought to be spent with our own kids who we don't get to see often. So that's how we ended up going to Idaho, of all places, for Spring Break. (Another reason was wanting Cambria to see Rexburg and BYUI as she was still trying to figure out what she was going to do after graduating from high school.) 

The trip happened in the following order:

• March 7- drive to Provo. Meet up with Montana, who had driven down to pick up Cambria so she could go to church with him on Sunday as well as going to Singing Under the Stadium, which happens at BYUI on Sunday evenings. We had some stuff to do Monday morning in SLC so this was the only way to get her up there for those events. 
• March 8- Montana and Cambria get up early and head back to Rexburg. We go to church with Nicole's family and spend the afternoon at their home. 
• March 9- we head north, stopping at IKEA to pick up a piece of furniture for Jordan. Then we stop at 123rd S to see if we can find the girls new swimsuits. Eat lunch at Del Taco before jumping back on I-15. The weather is fabulous so the drive is uneventful. Lots of singing and passing the iPad around. Arrive in Rexburg at Jordan and Lindsey's apartment. All the kids get to meet Emerson! Take everyone but Montana out to eat at Applebee's. He is having FHE at his bishop's house. Head back to our hotel in Idaho Falls. 
• March 10- we spend the day in IF. Swimming in the morning, going to the $ theater to see Night At The Museum 3, resting and more swimming. Jordan, Lindsey, Emerson and Cambria come over to IF to swim with us. Montana has something else going on..,
• March 11- Lego shopping and movie watching (Big Hero 6, great movie!) in Rexburg. Jordan and Lindsey prepare a delicious dinner for us and we all gather at Montana's apartment complex clubhouse to eat, visit and play. Unfortunately we forget to bring our swimsuits, but there is a movie room, pool tables, and ping pong. We get to meet Montana's roommates and some friends as well as see some of Jordan's friends again. 
• March 12- last day in Idaho. We check out of our hotel and head to Rexburg to pick up Cambria and say goodbye to the boys. We eat some pretty good BBQ at The Hickory, give hugs all around, and head back down the road. We stop in IF at the falls and watch the water and the birds and walk along the river for a while. The boys want to throw rocks but there really aren't any small ones to throw. Feed the ducks and geese. We decide to go to Fashion Place Mall to see the Lego Exhibit of great American buildings and Monuments. Wow! What amazing work. After seeing all of the exhibits we go to the Lego store to check it out. Our first time in a real Lego store. Realize Soren is not with us and spend a frantic 20 minutes trying to find him. Thankfully he is safe and we find him!!! Drive to hotel in Orem.
• March 13- go to The Living Planet Aquarium. This is the only thing the boys requested to do on our vacation. We spend two hours looking at everything and wonder why they charge so much to get in. 8-/ Yikes! Pick up the trailer at Nicole's, stock up on a few things at SAMs Club and head home. Ahhhh! It's good to sleep in our own beds again. 

We had a good time. It wasn't the same as going to the Oregon coast, or Georgia, but it was important to spend the time we had available to go see our own children and grandchildren and build and strengthen those family bonds. I hope there are good memories of this time together (minus the awful feelings of losing Soren!) 

Idaho Falls

Snake River

Clubhouse at Montana's apartment complex

Emerson wasn't sure about swimming...

My kids thought swimming at the hotel was the best part of the vacation!

Trying to warm up a bit in the sun

kids first time at Del Taco…looks like it was a winner

Charles is 6!

Here it is! The last of the birthdays in the winter version of 'Welch Birthday Season'!

Charles turned six on March 8. I just don't know where the time has gone.

We were leaving on the 7th for our Spring Break Vacation trip to Idaho so we celebrated a day early,  before we left town. We did the usual...sing Happy Birthday, blow out the candles, take gargantuan pieces of cake but only eat 3 bites, 'Heavy, heavy hangover thy poor head' game, open gifts and celebrate the life of this special kid! 

Charles, you're a fun, unique boy who is a fantastic part of our family. We love you SO much!!

Charles and his rather lop-sided ocean cake

Trying not to smile while being sung to

got 'em all!

hmm

Hmmmm

Looks like all he got is tissue paper. Hoorah!

He got some puzzles, money, a superhero cape set, a new retro look cowboy lunchbox and a certificate for a new Lego set. Good stuff!

Cut to show the colorful layers in his cake. It was yummy :)

Thru the Month - Feb 2015

Random event and pictures from February:

Had a fun time at Pack Meeting/Scout Banquet

There was a marshmallow war...

I love this picture even though it's blurry. So cute!

The Vaqueras have a Preview night for the community to see what all their hard work has been for, then they head off to State Drill Team in Richfield

Hannah-2nd from left, kneeling

I helped decorate their bus...Hannah is kneeling in the aisle

We watched the competition on the Internet...love that they stream it live!

Sadie is starting to look very grown up....and she likes the Photo Booth app on the Mac ;)

The kitchen cabinet painting project continues...

More Lego creating going on

Some target practice....

Charles and Soren and some BB guns

Made and decorated valentine cookies-LOVE these cute blonde boys!

Montana gets some love at BYU-I

We got more snow to reblanket the ground...Love how the sun is only shining on the mountain with a soft rosy light....

History Fair.
yay. Not.
This year it's Sadie's turn. 

In an effort to keep caught up on the boy's homework, I try to have a special homework time right after school with snacks. Homework, by Feb, is old and no one wants to do it anymore.

Even James gets out his workbooks to do homework with the other boys.

They look enthralled with whatever Soren is reading to them, don't they?

Soren has fun at scouts. I think they learned about plants and then they got to paint a tractor...love how his is a Ninjago tractor!

James helps me make his birthday cake. He has always liked to 'make'. 

(probably so he can lick the beaters)

Here he is enjoying his creation...and he's 4!!

My baby is 4!

Every year starting in January with Soren's birthday we enter one of our "birthday seasons" where we have a couple or more birthdays within a few days of each other. We have two boys with birthdays in

February, the oldest (Jordan turned 26) and the youngest, James. This year James was hitting the big 4! It hardly seemed possible that my baby could be turning 4. Very soon we will hit the point where it will have been the longest time in my married life that I have not been pregnant or holding a new baby. I have been counting forward to that point and it's nearly here. Yikes, it makes me feel old. 

Anyway, James helped make his own cake since he really likes to cook with me. (And lick the beaters!)

Another low-key family birthday celebration. We lit candles, sang, and he blew them out. Then he got to open his gifts and then the eating(wasting) of cake began. I don't know why my kids like to take huge pieces of cake, take two bites, then throw the rest away, but that's how it almost always plays out. Oh, well. 

This year James got a super hero cape and mask, some transformer type toys and a new cool retro/vintage lunchbox with cowboys on it, also lots of money that he promptly spent on new Legos, Legos are the toys of choice around here and are well worth the cost. They entertain my little guys for hours and days on end, 

Happy Birthday James!! We are so blessed to have you in our family. You keep us hopping and add lots of excitement to our lives. Hopefully your dad and I will survive your growing up years. Whew!!