Spring Break Fun

On Saturday some new neighbors/friends of ours invited my girls over to make these elaborate looking 3-D Kites. They take a long time to make each one, like several hours each. They made them out of tissue paper, string, straws and a wooden dowel.

I guess they even look cool if after kite flying season is over you just want to hang it in your bedroom.

They took pity on Kyle and Rilyn and surprised us and made one for them to share.

On Monday, we cleaned house and went to the Dollar Store so the kids could spend the money they earned.

This is their FAVORITE store!


I ran in here to get some ribbon for the curtains I'm making.

When we were at the Mall we missed the first shuttle because I ran back to the van to get a plastic grocery bag for Kyle who said he was feeling sick to his stomach all of a sudden. So we went in the mall to walk around and right in front of us was this play area that I let the kids climb around on for a few minutes.
Tyler sliding down the elephants nose!



Rilyn laying on the green dinosaur.

L-R: Rilyn, Kayla, Alyssa, Kyle and Tyler in front standing in front of the California Pizza Kitchen at the Mall.
The kids looking at the huge assortment of Bubblegum at the Mall.

Finally the free Zip Shuttle was back to pick us up!

This is where we rode the shuttle to. It is this upscale McDonalds Restaurant. The kids all had Ice Cream Sundaes. Notice the fireplace behind Kyle.

And off to the left of the fireplace in this picture you can kind of see a big leather easy chair. They had some of those in there also. It is an unusual site in a McDonalds, that is for sure!

And on our way home, after the Flat Irons Mall, we went through the drive through of this McDonalds.
It is a very old one. And notice the one arch! (This picture is not so good because it was cold and rainy and I took the picture out of my car window.)

Tuesday, 3/27/07

We went on a picnic to a nearby park. We ate, the kids played and we all flew the kites the girls had made with the neighbors.

Here is Kayla flying her kite.

Alyssa working on getting hers up.
The kites really did fly!

After flying the kites, the kids played around on the play equipment.
Kayla, Alyssa, Kyle, Rilyn and Tyler (facing wrong direction) on the slide after they had played a fun game of hide and go seek.

Tyler happily swinging. He and I had to play a classic game of, "I'm gonna get your toes!"

Wednesday, 2/28/07

We went to Hammonds Candies for a tour of the Factory. And we got some yummy candy to eat too, huge lollipops (most of my kids picked the Key Lime Flavor), Mitchell Sweets (this yummy carmel coated marshmallow candy, and some chocolates!

The kids all got to put on a hat for the tour, of course Kayla, Alyssa and Sierra (Kayla's friend) didn't want to do that. We started by watching a movie that told how Hammonds Candies got it's start and then we got to see how they make the candy. Each batch of the candy is 60-70 pounds! It is as big as a giant bed pillow before they start working it on the machine where they mix in the flavor.

Next, they form it into a large pillow again and place a "jacket" on it which is the pretty, outside part of the candy. Then they start moving it through these machines that stretch it into long thin ropes that make it as big around as a candy cane.

Once it's cut it's ready to cool and be packaged. It really was amazing to watch. We were too far away to see them making the Mitchell Sweets (Marshmallow candies) and they were not doing Chocolates on the day we were there.

We came home and the kids had friends over most of the rest of the day, aside from an hour or so when Alyssa went to her friends house.

Today, on Thursday, we went here.

I forgot my camera again (and still need to try and see if I can get the ones off from my cell phone from the candy factory). We all got up early with Dad and went to Breakfast.

I had the Garden Omelette (with the egg substitute). It had fresh tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms in it. It was very tasty! Laren had French Toast and Sausage. Kayla had their new Cinnamon Roll covered with some kind of dark frosting, and it also came with French toast, bacon, scrambled eggs and sausage. The rest of the kids all got pancakes with strawberries and whipping cream on top and sausage, bacon and eggs.

Laren left for work and the kids and I ran to Walmart, McDonalds for some $1 movies to watch and to Target.