Spring Break

It was lovely. The weather couldn't have been more perfect -- clear, wide blue skies every day. The one day that had suggested a chance of rain turned out just as amazing as the days before and those after. We had great company, too, in the form of great hosts. I had plenty of time to get my baby fix for the year (although with three new babies in our immediate family, I feel we'll have plenty more time this year for baby fixes). Jackson seemed to warm up to me pretty quickly and although he's a hefty 12 lbs., I loved holding him, too. He is such a sweet baby. The girls are a riot, as usual, but because of an unfortunate stomach bug that Katie got just before Easter, Kyle and I actually had significant alone-time with Maddie. I kept trying to remember life as a 7-year-old and I really can't. I'm always so impressed with her perception and sympathy and reasoning. I'm not sure I was that mentally developed at age seven.

Kyle and I got two great hikes in during our stay, both on the mountain just behind the Forman's home (the trail starts about 3 blocks away). The first trip, we climbed the first peak we could find. It was really difficult and we encountered a bee hive in a small cavern on the side of the mountain. Hundreds of bees. Luckily, we were a distance enough away to stay safe. It was mating season for some sort of nasty beetle with a red thorax and head. They were everywhere, but only at a certain elevation, which was interesting. The second trip we decided to do the entire WestWing Loop trail, which circled the mountain near ground level on the south side, and then climbed to several scenic overlooks. That hike lasted 2 and 1/2 hours, and it was very windy which helped cool us off.

Here is a list of other really fun things we did:

• Fire pit and roasting marshmallows on our first Sunday evening in town.
  
• Barnes & Noble / PetCo with the girls and Jackson.
• Movies with Em & Franz nearly every night after the kids were in bed.
• Kyle and I played tennis on two beautiful mornings at a nearby park -- our first tennis matches of the season!
  
• The Wildlife Zoo (just Kyle and Maddie and me).
• Convertible trip a la Franz with Maddie and Kyle and me through Sedona (which Kyle had never seen) and up to Flagstaff, where we had dinner at the beloved Casa Bonita Mexican restaurant.
• Easter church service and a wonderfully relaxing day, full with Easter egg hunting and a scrumtrulescent feast of ham, cheesy potatoes, broiled & herbed asparagus and green beans, delectable rolls, and two kinds of pie.

Maddie is always so creative and there were two very small, but fantastic things she did for us while we were there. Upon our arrival, as we unpacked in the guest room, I found a tiny vase of our great-grandmother's that had four beautiful, tiny flowers in it. The desert was aBLOOM because of the recent rain -- everywhere was green, purple, orange, red, yellow, white, and pink. The fuchsia bougainvilleas were full and crawling every wall you could see in the neighborhoods. So, Maddie had chosen a few of these flowers to welcome us. It was precious!

The second thing took place under my nose and I didn't even realize it until days later. After school on Monday, Maddie was very busy cutting and coloring and glittering. I didn't pay any attention to it, but the morning we left, she brought down two little egg-shaped pieces of paper that were bedazzled in various glittery designs, with messages on the inside, specific to the person she was giving each to. I'm constantly amazed at her thoughtfulness and creativity.

The vacation was so relaxing, despite the fast-paced life of the Formans. It was fantastic to get away from here, to rest, to play, to hike and have sunshine every waking moment, and to be with family. I'll have some pictures up here shortly; there just hasn't been time yet for laundry or picture-sorting!

Upon returning, I've noticed that everyone on campus is smiling, has some color in their cheeks, and seems to have reversed the bad attitudes from stress that accompanied the weeks prior to break. It's nice to have the hope of Spring and Summer, shortly thereafter!