This year Easter came at the end of our Spring Break week. The kids were out of school but Pete was not, his district's spring break week was a few weeks earlier. So, for a week it was me and the kids keeping each other company. As usually is the case, spring break or no, there were a lot of things going on. Soccer and baseball were canceled for the vacation, which was the "break" part of the week for me! The "spring" part never fully showed up however, this week was a bit cooler and overcast. We filled it with an educational research field trip and project, merit badge activity, beach trip, cooking sessions, stake youth basketball and Easter weekend prep. Thursday and Friday Jack and the scouts took off on a camp out which Pete joined up with on Friday, but I will cover that in more detail in the next post.
For now here is how we spent our Spring Break '11:
In third grade the kids start learning about California history. Part of this is a poster project focusing on one of the cities in Orange County. Henry could pick any city in OC to research and make a poster on except for our home city of Lake Forest. We chose our next door neighbor Mission Viejo for several reasons - our cousins live there, it is close by and easily accessible for photos and research, and I had some ideas in mind of places to feature for the poster.
The other big research projects the third graders have worked on this year include volcanoes and whales.
In Mission Viejo there is a small outdoor display featuring a whale fossil that was unearthed in the 1970's. I thought this would be a fun thing to feature on the poster because it ties into the whale theme that has permeated third grade. It is located just down the street from the Coe's home, across from Mission Viejo High School. Monday after we drop Porter off from a cousin sleepover we drive down to the display to get some photos and information for Henry's poster.
Henry viewing the large whale skull in the foreground and the whale vertebrae
fossil facts
Henry with his completed OC city poster - turned in the day after Mother's Day
Wednesday we head down for a half day at Laguna Beach - it is cool and overcast at first, although the sun does eventually come out for a bit. My kids and a friend we brought along spend as much time in the sand as they do in the water - here's Jack after he's been buried.
We have to pack up and leave by 3:30 as Jack has an appointment at 4:00 to go with his Scout Troop to deliver blankets they have made to Mission CHOC. They spent 8 hours total cutting and tying and sewing labels on these blankets for the kids at CHOC as part of their Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge.
Jack (with wet shower hair fresh from the beach) and boys from
his troop displaying some of their hard work before they deliver them.
Harriet too worked on many projects this week - she has been sewing a lot and drawing
and cooking - here she displays a loaf of banana bread with a chocolate chip smile
she made, which we decided resembles something out of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Thursday morning we pack up and send Jack off with the scouts and ward youth on a camp out.
Pete plans to join them tomorrow - but tonight we attend a youth basketball game at the stake center.
Jed watches with his dad, and looks for any break in the action to go and shoot some hoops.
Friday we make plans with friends to meet up at our Sun-n-Sail club and, for the second year in a row, decorate Easter eggs together. We've decided this is the perfect setting for such an activity, all the kids together, no one has to mess up their kitchen with all of the dyes and dropped eggs, and if it's warm enough (which it barely was today) the kids can rinse off in the pool! Harriet spends the day away with friends and Jack is on the camp out, so this leaves Henry and Jed with the perfect crowd of their friends to decorate while the moms and I chat and chat.
Green eggs and Henry
The Easter baskets are simple this year, a chocolate bunny for each
kid, some of our decorated eggs, plus a few pieces of assorted other candy.
In the afternoon we prepare for all of our immediate area family to come over for dinner. I am making side dishes which include a yummy green bean casserole, steamed carrots tossed with butter, dijon mustard and brown sugar, and cheesy potatoes made with fresh potatoes. Grandma and Grandpa bring the avocado and orange salad and pies for dessert, while the Coes bring rolls and a perfectly glazed ham.
But before dinner while I finish up the last bits of food and table prep Pete, the Coes and Grandma and Grandpa take the kids to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt hosted by a family in our ward. They have the street blocked off and an estimated 600 hidden eggs and goodies in the few participating yards of their cul-de-sac.
Dave, Abbie, Sue and Grandpa watch the action from the sidelines
The older kids participate, but must pick up any eggs or treasure they find
with a giant spoon or other utensil to put them at a disadvantage over the
younger kids.
Jack doesn't seem too hampered by using a ladle to gather eggs
Henry on the hunt
Jed just getting started
Grandpa and Porter discussing strategies
Jed finds a giant egg, one of two containing a $5 bill
Henry checks out his goodies, hanging with the daughter of the family who invited us.
They are buddies.
We've made it through Spring Break!
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