Spring Break.

We decided that we were going out of town for spring break this year. Yes, we were the people who used a portion of our tax refund this year for a vacation.

This isn't the first time we have taken a road trip with the four kids. So before the trip I stocked up on things that would keep them busy. We borrowed a DVD player with two screens so all the kids could watch at the same time. We stocked up on movies, music, books, toys, snacks, and food for lunch and dinner so we didn't have to eat out.

Then I packed. I tried to pack light, but four kids certainly require a lot of gear. I was determined to not need the rooftop carrier on our Tahoe this trip. I succeeded, but it was certainly tight. Luckily my kids are used to being packed in tight when we take road trips.

Finally I headed out with the kids with the promise of John meeting up with us later in the week. I was nervous about being the sole driver with 4 kids, and one that has just barely been potty trained in the last month. But as long as we stopped regularly the kids made it through the drive. I can't say they were the best behaved children the whole vacation. They certainly had their moments. But that was to be expected. You take children out of their element, throw them off their schedule, and they aren't exactly the happiest campers in the world! And no, my kids are not immune to meltdowns.

I think every one of my children had a meltdown at one point or another during the entire vacation. However, we made it through. It was impossible to keep them on the same strict schedule we keep at home while on vacation. Meal times, bed time, it was all thrown off kilter. But the memories we made as a family certainly outweigh the meltdowns!

We were able to go the pageant at the Mesa, Arizona temple. It is an amazing pageant about the life of Jesus Christ. I have wanted to attend that pageant for a very long time and I'm so glad I finally had the opportunity. I'm not sure the kids cared for the pageant, they all fell asleep, but that was something I wanted to do for myself! The kids did enjoy walking around the temple grounds the next day while it was light.

Here are some other things we were able to do. We took a driving tour of Phoenix, because Jeff had to show us the sports arenas! Of course that was the first thing he showed us, even before he took us to the temple! We went swimming because it was 90 degrees every day. We went to the Firefighter's museum, and the Arizona museum for youth (AMY). The AMY was fun because there was a fairytale exhibit and a baseball exhibit. There were multiple areas where the kids could dress up. This entertained all of my kids for hours.

There were two areas at the firefighter's museum where the kids could play. The kids loved playing on the fire engine and putting on firefighting coats and hats. Emma was not very happy when I announced it was time to move on to see more things. She wanted to stay and play.

We planned to go to the zoo one of the days, but I'm such a cheapskate that I couldn't swallow the price tag. So we didn't go. I preferred to spend money doing a lot of different things instead of just one thing.

John flew to Phoenix on Thursday. Friday morning we went to the military museum. John fit in well there. They let the kids get into the helicopter and play with all the buttons. Oh my, they could have played there for hours. The kids had a lot of fun, especially when they learned how much their dad knew about all that stuff. John enjoyed talking to them about the military. It was the perfect opportunity to talk to them about some of his experiences in the military. Amber was shocked to find out John had carried a gun. She has seen him in uniform, and she knows he was in Afghanistan, but she had never equated that to carrying a gun. I think it was an eye opener for her. It was cool. Friday afternoon we were able to drive a couple of hours to Tucson to meet up with one of my dear friends. I haven't seen her for many, many years and it was so good to see her. We all went to dinner and had a good time. The only problem is that we had to say goodbye at some point. Then we drove back to Mesa.

Despite our desperate need for sleep, we stayed up enjoying one last night with Jeff and Cori. We are so grateful they opened up their apartment to us despite my 3 yo boy who terrorizes any place he goes to!

We headed for home on Saturday morning. Despite our efforts to get Ellie to come back with us, she ultimately decided she wouldn't be happy in the cold! :) So we let her stay. The drive home was mostly uneventful and we were all ready to get out of the car for good. Timothy only unbuckled his seatbelt about 8 times during the 13 hour drive so I'd call that a success.

We had a good time. And we are glad to be home. Today it is back to the schedule. Regular meal times and bed times. And the kids will adapt once again. They are much more adept at adapting to lots of changes than I am!

I have pictures to post, but I need to load them onto the computer first.