Spring Break

This week was Spring Break, only the weather made it feel more like a Winter Break. We literally woke up to snow- twice! This meant that we had to find ways to keep entertained INDOORS which is not how I feel Spring Break should be spent but tis life when you live in Michigan.

Tyler was off work Monday so we decided to go check out the one museum in metro Detroit that we hadn't been to yet. We went to the Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor. It was very reminiscent of the Michigan Science Center, lots of Science things for the kids to interact with. Since it was only $5 more to get a membership we went ahead and got one. I'm glad we can go back because it was SUPER crowded and I'd like to go at a time when it's less busy. 

Below Tyler and Lucy are staring into a machine with liquid magnets, it was pretty cool. Lucy is showing off her muscles after she lifted something super heavy with ropes.

Below are pictures of the bubble exhibit, the kids really liked this one. They got to make a bubble around themselves. Steven was really angry because I wasn't taking his picture. I videoed the bubble making but he popped it before I could take a picture. I felt there was no need to take a picture once the bubble was gone but obviously he felt otherwise- oh my mini teenager.

The kids also had fun playing with the fake cash register because of course, money! And Dad had fun trying to match his reflection with the bicycling skeleton. Sometimes I feel like I have 5 kids when I go out ;)

Two unique things to this museum were the ambulance that the kids could play around in and the water exhibit. Ben had fun pretending that he was dying on the stretcher and Penny had fun catching fish. 

We had brought food for the kids to eat at the Museum but we didn't have food for Tyler and me so afterwards we walked to Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger and got ourselves some grown up food. The wait was long but the burgers were good and the kids enjoyed getting to hog down on french fries and soda. The only poopy thing was that they gave Tyler a hard time for saving seats- as if it would be better for us to have all 4 kids in a long line. 

After that fun we took the kids to Target so they could spend their "Conference Cash." Yes we bribe our kids so they will behave during Conference and as much as I hate paying them to do what they should do, it really made for a peaceful Conference. The boys got Pokemon cards because it has become a full blown obsession and the girls got Shopkins toys because they are still obsessed with them.

The rest of Spring Break we didn't do anything extraordinary. We had friends over Tuesday- lots of friends. The Mays, the Brandley's, the Hansen's. I learned that Steven isn't a very god friend. He had a hard time letting his friend take turns on Minecraft and then made his friend clean up a mess. We had to have a conversation about being a better friend but sometimes I feel like nothing is sinking in. I love that kid but he sure challenges me.

Wednesday we spent a few hours at the library and Lucy got her bangs cut- I can see her eyes again! 

Thursday we had friends over again and Friday we met some friends at The Commons. The kids love that place and had fun getting all their energy out. By the time we left they were all pooped-- and whiny. Here's a shot of Ben eating a "picnic" with his bestie at The Commons.

I also have been trying to get things ready for Ben's baptism next week. I borrowed a friend's fancy camera and attempted to take some nice pictures of Ben. He got really emotional about having to put his church clothes on when it wasn't Sunday and then the sunlight was in his eyes so I ended up taking some inside and some in a shady spot and this was the best I got. I definitely see why I usually pay someone to take nice pictures. Not the best but they will have to do. 

I am finding it hard to plan a baptism with another person (we are combining with another girl who had her birthday a couple days before Ben). The mom is super busy and she also has different feelings about how a baptism should be carried out.I feel like her planning is a little more kid centered than ordinance centered. And the fact that I am a control freak does not help at all. So I think things are coming together but it has definitely been a process.

Also this week we watched "Jurassic Park" and "Jurassic World" with the boys (when the girls were in bed). It was fun finally having the boys old enough to watch it with us and they actually didn't seem too scared. Apparently they had seen half of "Jurassic World" when they were in AZ so that could have been why. I had been looking forward to them watching it with me for the first time so I was disappointed that they had seen it without me. However, I still had fun telling the kids all the things that they could learn from the movies like- don't shine a light in a dinosaur's eye and you can't hide from a dinosaur in a bathroom. Lots of real good advice in those movies ;)