Spring Break Road Trip

For spring break, I took the kids on a road trip to several states and destinations.  We first made the trek to  Salt Lake City where we watched their first Utah Jazz game. We got there early to watch the players practice, had dinner at the arena and then watched a very exciting game.  The kids got to experience the  whole NBA atmosphere, they even were on the jumbo-tron several times thanks to the fun kids sitting behind us that liked to scream and dance. 

  We visited my Grandma Rush both days we were in Utah. She's now 86 and hadn't seen the kids since they were tiny. It was very special to see my kids and grandma together. And only at 8 years old, Abby is nearly as tall as her Great Grandma.

 We spent Easter in downtown Salt Lake, which I figured would be nice around Temple Square.  But after the kids got some history lessons about their extended family, there was not a place to eat open for miles.  We took the train and kept our eyes open for a place to get some food and were pleased to finally find a sandwich shop.

  The next morning we made the drive up to Jackson Hole and stayed in beautiful log cabin bed -n- breakfast.  It was the first time in such a place for me and was a little odd being among strangers, but leave it to Abby to learn every one's names and make new friends for all of us. 

 The next couple days we spent at a hot springs near Butte, Montana.  Fairmont springs exceeded our expectations with it's fun pools and fast water-slide. The kids roamed the resort all day while I got some nice reading done, a perfect match. 

 It was a great trip overall.  We put lots of miles under us and I tried to take lots of back roads with lots of fun stops.

Spring Update

I know, I know...it's been too long since I've posted on the blog, I'll try to be better. Here's a few highlights of the last few months.

*In a recent conversation with Caleb (8) about what he wanted to be when he grows up, he was naming off the different proffessional sports, trying to select just one. Abby, who usually says that she wants to be the lady at the library that scans the books, joined in the converstation by asking, "Dad, do rock-stars make money?" I laughed and said that indeed, rock-stars do make lots of money and then she anounced that she wanted to be a rock-star.

*We made a quick trip to Medford over Memorial weekend. The kids spent the whole time with Grandma, Grandpa, and cousins. While Monica and I ran a booth for her business at a scrapbook convention. Mon does a show like this 2-3 times a year, but this was the first time I had worked with her. I came away with a whole new perspective on Mon's business. I learned that Monica works very hard at these shows, not enouch play time for me. And I also learned that Monica is very popular amoung the scrapbookers of the Northwest. She's a celebrity! 1000 miles of driving in 5 days later and we were home.

Putting the sexy back into Scrapbooking

Wallace Men with a little Fyer

*I hate to become one of those parents who always boasts about how awesome their kids are...but my kids are awesome! Caleb has been doing very well in baseball this spring! You'll have to trust my biased opinion that he kicks butt. He's played 8-9 games so far and he's had a home run in every game. And yes, it's true that in his coach-pitch league, a ball hit into the outfield can usually turn into a home-run as long as the kid keeps running around the bases, but Caleb has had some great hits. Caleb, Abby and I usually play baseball, soccer, or football several days a week at Wallace Park (our huge front yard), so Caleb has had a lot of time with a bat and a glove. It's hard to tell if he's better than the other kids due to playing a lot more or if he has some natural talent, but one thing is for sure, he and I are both having a blast during little league.

*Our little princess Abby turned 6 in May. This spring she asked several times to learn how to ride a "two-wheeler" or a bike without training wheels. I must admit that though my kids have had many more opportunities than most kids (skiing, boating, motorcycles, etc.), niether kid has had the chance to spend much time on their bikes. Since we have a gravel driveway and live on top of a hill, riding around the house isn't ideal. Infact, we keep their bikes at Grandma and Grandpa Foster's house since they live in a traditional nieghborhood cul-de-sac. But Abby wasn't going to be denied her chance of being a "big girl" and after a few practice runs with me and her Grandpa Foster, she was flying around the neighboorhood with the other kids. We were given a older Barbie bike that she used despite it's wobley rear wheel. But to someone who's never riden a bike, she probably thought all bikes shook back and forth as they were ridden. After a couple months of doing the bike version of the Jitter-bug dance, she saw a newer, cleaner, less crooked(er) Disney Princess Bike. After a little haggeling with Abby doing her best puppy-face impression, she now has a bike at home that she rides nearly everyday. Which was quite comical at the beggining since we only have a small 30 feet by 30 feet concrete pad so she would just ride in circles all the time. She's since sprouted her wings and is now riding her bike up and down our long gravel driveway.

Princess Abby with Grandpa Wallace

Abby playing with her cousin Ella in Medford

Caleb's birthday. We're a fine looking family!

Spring Break in the Snow

Spring Break in Spokane is a little different than what I was accustomed to while growing up in southern Oregon, mainly because it usually involves snow. And even this year, with record low amounts of snow, we still had snow over spring break. But by doing what's becoming a family tradition, we took full advantage and hit the slopes. We were even blessed with 8 inches of the fresh stuff on the last Saturday of the season, ironically making the last day of the year one of the best days of the year .
Caleb and Abby continue to get better and better at skiing. Particularly Caleb has grown into quite an aggressive skier. He's doesn't have the best form yet, but what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in courage. He loves to brag to anyone who will listen that he thinks the ski runs that are rated as 'black diamond' are "easy". It is true that he'll go down just about any slope on the mountain, but I'm not sure why he has to boast about it all the time? He must get that cockiness from his Mom.
Caleb did humble himself one time while tree skiing when he fell into a large hole under a tree where there was no snow. I was in front and by the time I realized he had crashed and taken off my snowboard, he was in tears wondering if anybody was going to find him. Poor kid was in a hole taller than him, and stuck at such an angle that he couldn't reach down to take off his skis. I had to lye on my stomach to reach down and pull him out. But after wiping away the big tears and a short hug, he was flying down the mountain again.
We also filled up some Spring Break days with other activities like going to a few movies and watching our local Arena Football team the Spokane Shock. The movie after a day of skiing wiped out poor Abby (see picture below), but not to worry, Caleb and I took care of her popcorn and drink. And the Shock games are always a blast. Of course they lost (mainly because I was rooting for them and attended the game), but we had a great time and we all got a free Taco Bell Chalupa since they scored 65+ points. Go Shock!!
It would be nice to have spring weather during spring break one year, but until then we'll continue to take advantage of our time together.

He requested this picture with the double black diamond name plate in the back ground.

This is a ski run that Monica doesn't even go down.

You didn't think I was going to spend the money and buy good seats did you?

Movie time. Thank goodness she wore her sun glasses to the movie???

Caleb and his homeless looking smile.