Spring Break

On St. Patrick's Day, we flew to Reno, NV, to visit Matt, Jen, C & M.  The boys & I wore green, because we're fun like that.  Plus, it creates this instant "bond" with others throughout the day, as you notice each other sporting the green.  Chad seemed to avoid wearing green, on purpose.  He's not really in to bonding with strangers or matchy-matchy occasions, but that's okay.  I think the kids only pinched him a few times. 

On our flights, to and from Reno, the boys proved to be wonderful, little travelers.  Armed with fresh crayons, new coloring books, and electronic entertainment, they remained busy & content.  Drinking pop, checking out the cockpit, listening to the in-flight stations on their headphones, receiving "wings" & using the airplane bathroom were certainly highlights.

They weren't crazy about the turbulence, but who loves sudden & disturbing drops in altitude?  L only hollared out loud a few times, and consequently received a few worried looks from other passengers.  ;)  Oh, and in case you're wondering, the following speech isn't exactly comforting to hear, while at cruising altitude, but it happened on our last flight home.  True story.

Pilot:  "Hey, folks...we've just been notified that our brakes overheated, during our long taxi out of there.  We've put down the landing gear, to let them cool off a bit.  Hopefully, that should help.  It's nothing to be worried about.  We'll give you an update, once we learn more."

Otherwise, we were able to sit back and enjoy the flights.  The attendants were sweet...especially Laura, the attendant on our first flight.  She brought L & J snacks that were intended for only first class passengers (which we were not; we were seated next to the bathroom) & she checked on us regularly.  When she had to buckle up, during the take off/the landing, she was the lucky lady whose seat folded down from outside the bathroom door.  This put her directly in the cozy aisle, between Chad & me.  Since we were shoulder to shoulder, we took the opportunity to get to know her better.  Lovely lady, inside and out, mother of four grown children, & grandma to a few little ones. 

I don't want to forget to note that L, always thinking of safety first, took it upon himself to make sure we were all always following the airplane rules.  Among other things, he wanted to know if the seat belt was fastened tight enough and when we were allowed to turn on/off our electronics.  He also followed along in the safety brochure, during most flights (even though he leaned over & whispered to me that he didn't really know what they trying to share).  He was amused that the seats could be used for floatation devices. 

Thankfully, we never had to test out the plane's "floaties".  Matt & C (my nephew) came to pick us up at the airport.  From that point on, the cousins laughed & played nonstop.  It was so cute!  Each day was filled with Lego fun, Bionicles, watching movies, & "helping" keep the youngest cousin away from all the tiny toy pieces.  My boys slept in sleeping bags on their cousin's floor.  They only see each other once or twice each year.  Yet, it's like they always pick right up where they left off the last time.  It was just so good to see our Reno family members!!

As a special treat, Aunt Jen made a birthday cake for J.  Even though his birthday was a few weeks away, they all wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate with him.  J's smile was priceless; I could tell he felt so loved.  What a treat to also discover that the cake itself was green...in honor of St. Patrick's Day!  Yep...Aunt Jen rocks!    

   

During our visit, we planned to take the kids skiing.  On Friday, we got all suited up in ski gear, only to learn that we'd face 100 mile an hour winds on the slopes.  Skiing in hurricane-like winds didn't sound exciting, so we postponed the adventure until Saturday.  You know...dressing everyone from head to toe in that type of gear can be a lengthy, not especially fun process.  To put a positive spin on the situation, I announced that Friday's experience was just a drill.  ;)

By Saturday, the wind was better, but we knew we'd likely encounter snowy conditions.  Jen stayed home with M.  Matt, Chad, L, C, J & I loaded up in the Tahoe...to drive near the Tahoe area.  With a 4-wheel drive or chains advisory in place, we slowly & carefully made our way toward Soda Springs.  Once nearby, we could not believe our eyes.  The amount of snow near that resort was unbelievable.  We're talkin' entire homes buried under a blanket of heavy snow.  Shoveling rooftops kind of snow. 

We reached the resort & Chad said something about maybe we wouldn't even bother trying this out with the kids that day.  The snow was still coming down like mad.  I reassured him that someone would indeed strap on a pair of skis, because I had just sat for a couple of hours in the back of a vehicle with three, "active" little boys...and there had been instances of gas escaping their bodies and engulfing me.  :)

In the end, the boys did get the opportunity to try out skiing.  As it turned out, it was the perfect place to let them try this for the first time.  Incredibly kid friendly!  It snowed on us the whole time, but it was the best watching those boys learn.  They did a great job!  None of them fell, during their first time down the tiny slope.  When they did fall, we tried to keep a sense of humor with them, so that they wouldn't become too discouraged.  They also enjoyed tubing.  Had the weather been better, we would have stayed much longer.  We all had so much fun!   

Besides skiing, we also spent time visiting Matt & Jen's new house (they may be moved in by now), a sporting goods store (Scheel's), a local planetarium, & the University of Nevada's sports facility.  Chad's brother is the director of strength & conditioning there.  L & J were fascinated with the weight room, with Uncle Matt's office/endless supply of tennis shoes, with the football field, & with the chocolate milk cooler.  Go Wolf Pack!

At the crack BEFORE dawn, on Monday morning, we made our way back to Kansas.  It's always hard to say goodbye (Isn't that a 90's Boys II Men/Mariah Carey song?).  Anyway, we hope we can all get together this summer, at Chad's parents' house.   

The boys & I stayed with my parents for a few days, while Chad drove back home to go to work.  During those three/four days, I was able to spend time with lots of family & with longtime friends.  Carrie (another awesome sis) & I even stumbled upon free entertainment at the local Target.  While waiting our turn at the check-out counter, we discovered we were in line behind a grown man...who was proudly wearing (to the best of our knowledge) a fox tail.  That's right.  A full-sized tail.  Hanging from the waistband of his jeans.  Carrie was ever so sneaky & took a pic with her phone.  We don't encourage making fun of others.  We only assume that if you wear a tail in public, you want your picture taken.  Obviously another fashion trend I wasn't aware of, until that day.  Now, I know just what to get all the guys in our family for Christmas.  Foxy!  ;) 

For lunch on Wednesday, Mom, Carrie, all the kids & I ate at Fritz's.  This served as another early birthday celebration for J...lucky boy!  Fritz's is a restaurant where tiny trains travel on an overhead track & deliver the food directly to your table.  The kids loved it!  Later, at my parents' house, everyone enjoyed iced sugar cookies that reflected J's current love of March Madness.  Thanks, Cheri's Bakery!   

The whole spring break trip was special in many ways.  I'm thankful for all the quality time we were able to spend with those we love.  We had good times, good food, & good laughs.  Enjoy the slideshow of photos!