Spring Break 2010

With the exception of Dad being away for the week of spring break, we had a wonderful time together and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather.

An entire day was spent at the zoo - which was so nice

after a long and uncommonly cold winter.

We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed seeing all of our

favorite animals.The best part was watching Haley experience the

animals for the very first time.

While she has been to the zoo a dozen times already, her current age is perfect to "spy" the animals and enjoy the excitement.

We went roller skating twice.

It was so fun to watch Ryley and Kadyn take off - and even hide from me at the end of the session just so they didn't have to stop.

Thatch loved the food and games and Haley loved running back and forth on the carpet.

One of the days was a birthday party.

In hopes of a picture I placed Haley on the bench near Ryley and asked her to set her arm behind Haley's back so that she wouldn't fall.

Ryley did just that and clever little Haley "spied" her cupcake and quickly helped herself to a chunk.

No hands!

Kite flying has become a favorite family activity.

Kadyn And King Arthur

Our elementary school hosted a children's traveling theatre company this past week. The company gives children the opportunity to be in a production complete with lights, sets, and costumes. Ryley and Kadyn were both very excited to audition. They only had forty parts to offer over a hundred children and when names were called, Kadyn was cast as "the raven" (a vital role in a play about King Arthur and his knights).

Ryley, on the other hand, experienced her first encounter with rejection. My heart broke for her. Although she was disappointed in the short term, her positive attitude completely blew me away. She went to every rehearsal to support her sister. While I entertained (i.e. chased) Thatch and Haley outside, she sat, watched, and clapped for every move her sister made.

Kadyn did a wonderful job with this new and exciting experience and we had a great time cheering her on when the curtains went up. As her reward for a job well done we returned home for an ice cream feast in her honor- everyone picked their own half-gallon, plus toppings, and cones.

When Steven was asked about the experience- he pointed to the kids jumping off the walls from their sugar high, gave a wry smile, and simply said:

"Quoth the raven- Nevermore!"

What they did was actually quite clever.

They wrote the play so that all parts had a "mini" character, or a double.

That way when King Arthur and his people (who were played by much older and bigger kids) went off to fight the giant and dragon, the "mini's" could come on in their place - thus making the giant and dragon appear very large in size.

This clip makes me laugh every time.

Kadyn looks out at the audience in hopes of spying our faces

and you can tell the exact moment that she does.

It's priceless.