Spring Break 2014

This year for Spring Break (or let's be honest, Winter Break) we went back to good ole Jackson for some Babagaga fun :)  It was awesome - as always.  Even though Jack ran a fever the entire time and Mother Nature insisted on keeping us trapped in the house for 4 days, my parents were prepared to make this break memorable (of course they were - their my parents and honestly my parents = awesomeness.)  For example, soon after arriving Jack went on a worm hunt in the backyard with Baba.  He managed to find 4 to 5 worms all in 10 minutes! (I say 4-5 simply b/c he was holding a worm w/ two hands at one point, tripped, ripped it into two pieces, & proclaimed with a sadness that he "broke it." I had to make up something about how that's the way you make new worms but in my panic I may have said the exact wrong thing to an almost 4 yr old...)

Gaga had a stash of stuff to play with (behold the bubble mania) which sometimes I wonder if she buys this stuff more for my dad than my son :)

Jack got pretty darn good at the wand.

The next morning Jackman woke up with a fever and spent the rest of the visit sipping Children's Ibuprofen.  Even so, my children are troopers when it comes to sickness.  They will power through like a mug.  (The bandaid on the ear was a "love scratch" from McGee who got a little too excited while playing with Jackman.  It's an Alabama bandaid if you can't tell - we don't mess around here.)

And don't worry,  Jackman made up with McGee.

Whenever fever & the rain clouds broke, we would venture out to the real world and do some shopping.  Jack has recently decided he wants to be a farmer and is totally into ANYTHING that grows.  I got these little painted pots at Target that are really grass growing kits.  He loved planting the seeds (obviously he has my DNA) but didn't really like the whole "waiting" part.  Thankfully they sprouted pretty quickly and he now loves to check on it each day to see how tall the grass is and what a good farmer he is :)

Sometimes the fever came back.  In case you are wondering - yes that is a Ghostbusters sleeping bag.

With Jackman napping, Goose became Gaga's newest shopping buddy.  Here she is demonstrating the comfy nature of Pier 1 papasan chairs.  (I had one of these in college.  They are the bomb.com)

Lucy also enjoyed checking out Babagaga's bed as well.  One thing I did not document very well during this break was Lucy and her accomplishments.  She started walking in Jackson and made sure that I spent most of my time chasing after her instead of taking pictures of her.  She has no fear and was eager to make use of the electrical outlets, stairs, kitchen cabinets, sharp corners, and appliances at my parent's house.

We also happened to be there over St Patricks day and our little leprechaun helped us make pancakes that morning :)  I am reminded every year on this day that red heads truly are the most awesome kids ever (tied with Geese of course :)  The only thing I love more than Jack's smile is my dad's.  Look up pure unconditional love in the dictionary and you will get a picture of the way my dad and his grandson look at each other.  Every time.

Speaking of St Patrick's Day, here are a couple cute Portland leprechauns as well!

Look how big these girls are getting!  I'm not ok with this.

We made sure to send "check in" pictures to Andy so he wouldn't get bored without us there.

We also had fun looking through old family pics.  I reaffirmed two certainties in Jackson - bald is beautiful...and my mom is too :)  One of these days, I'm going to scan a ton of pictures I confiscated from my parent's house.  I have a feeling that over the summer we will have a huge post containing big perms, clunky electronics, child safety hazards, and absolutely awesome childhoods.

And not only is my mom beautiful, she has infinite patience.  This is her idea of fun - finger painting with a preschooler.  The only reason I have a picture of this is b/c I wandered into the kitchen to grab a beer, snapped a shot of this endeavor, and returned to my personal vacation where my parents raise my children.  And people wonder why I went to Jackson TN for my spring break?  Duh!

After 3 full days, we packed up and drove back to K-town.  I have started a habit of stopping off at the Mt. Juliet Chick Fil A as our halfway point.  It's a good place for lunch, has an indoor play place, and let's be honest - they may be bigots but they are the cleanest, most courteous bigots out there.  I was informed while standing in line (with a worker standing by my side-high chair, napkins, condiments in tow) about the Chick Fil A Mommy Valet Service.  I won't go into detail here about it but it basically confirmed for me that we will always, always stop here on the way to Jackson.  Plus can I also comment on how great it is that both my kids can now scarf down kids meals?  Game changer  It does get easier folks.

Once we got home, we made sure to Facetime Babagaga to let them know they were missed and that we had an awesome time.  Where else can I go with a feverish preschooler and constant rain/cold temps but still have a great time?  Answer:  my parent's house.  :)