SPRING BREAK!

Whew!  We made it.  We have officially arrived to spring break and I am ever so thankful.  Michele's kids started their spring break a little earlier than ours, so they arrived on Friday morning.  Michele got to enjoy some Whitley time on the last day I had her before the break.  Stephie has accumulated enough "comp" hours to be able to stay home with Whitley during spring break- so happy for her!  

This pic was snapped on Saturday morning.  Michele's not thrilled that she looks grumpy - I think it's amusing that Whitley's bouncer is still in the living room from the night before when the Whites were over, and John is snuggling Mikayla's polar bear pillow pet.  That's what you get when you snap a candid pic trying to get the whole family in the shot.   I'm pretty sure it was "Auction Hunters" that was on the tv that had everyone semi-interested.  Throughout the day, the kids spent A LOT of the time outside (Hallelujah!) - playing on the court, playing "Hide and Go Seek", etc....and as for us adults, we were busy watching the Ducks make it to the "Sweet Sixteen" in basketball.  Such a shame that our UO athletics have been so lame this year!  ;) 

Sydney managed to wrestle the pillow pet away from John to cuddle with it too...

On Monday morning - this happened.  Because of the year age difference between Traig and Brayden, Traig got to bump up in his roll at Harlow - this year qualifying as a CIT - Counselor in Training.  That means he gets to spend the night at Harlow during the day camps, including spring break.  I wish that Brayden got the opportunity this year, but then again, it's a great thing for them to develop their own identities - especially Traig as this isn't his home town.  It's a very cool thing when he visits high school group on Sundays and has a group of friends that look forward to seeing just him.

We're also happy to have Brayden around during the evenings for one more year.  He's in a really great place in life right now- so his enthusiasm/happy factor is pretty high.  Other than exasperating us to a huge degree when it explodes at the bedtime hour, it makes him pretty fun to be around.  =)  

Go get 'em Phineas!

After dropping Brayden off at Harlow on Monday morning, Michele and I took our girls and headed north.  (John's able to pick up and drop off B at Harlow - giving those two some quality bonding time in the evenings through Wednesday).  Our first destination point was the Woodburn Outlets.  That place just keeps getting better and better with its constant expansion providing more and more shopping (spending!) opportunities.  Of course, it was at Nike where I spent the most....love me some sporty comfort clothes! 

Now on Tuesday morning, I'm sitting in Michele's bed, watching a little "Today" show and anticipating a day of "R & R" before heading back to Eugene with everyone on Wednesday.  Michele will hang out for the rest of the week with us, and then Michael will join us on Friday afternoon in time to watch the Ducks play their next basketball game that could lead them to the "Elite Eight".  I'm looking forward to the weekend as well - the temperatures are predicted to be in the low 70's (are you kidding?!).

On a final note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!  As I wrote on Facebook, I couldn't ask for a more extraordinary mom - who plays so many priceless rolls in my life.  I hope today marks the beginning of one of the richest, most abundant years ever for you!