Spring Break 2013 - Skinner Style

We arrived home from our Lava Hot Springs reunion on Sunday evening, just hours before Laura and her kids and Krista arrived for SPRING BREAK in Utah. Then, just about an hour after that Bryce and Serena showed up with their suitcases on our doorstep. It was going to be a week long party. 

We were ALL so excited to have them come. It was a fun filled week with the cousins. We had a blast with them. We spent each day waking up, eating and letting the kids play in the morning while we lounged around a bit. In the afternoons we took them out of the house for some fun. Just right.

Here is how our Spring Break week looked. Get ready to scroll. You know by now how I like pictures.:

Monday: We took everyone to AirBorne Trampoline Park. This was an awesome place for all the different ages we had together. Everyone had fun. The place is covered floors to walls in trampolines. They jumped and played until they were exhausted. 

I thought this was so funny. These girls jumped for 1 1/2 hours straight until they just laid themselves down on the tramp to watch a little TV. All done.

 

We took the Skinners and Bryce and Serena to Scheels - a huge sporting goods store with a Ferris Wheel inside.

 They also have scenes set up to snap a picture. Look at what good actors they all are. RUN!!

 This scene included a bunch of skunks. We told the kids to plug their noses because the skunks were so stinky. This is how Zachary does it, I guess. So funny.

Tuesday: We went to the zoo. You know how they say that the animals are more active in the winter? They are right. We saw all the animals up moving around. It was a cool day at the zoo.

Zach learned to plug his nose! Thanks Skinners.

We got to watch them feeding and training the seals and sea lion.

Just look at that face.

A friendly little game Ava likes to play with just about anyone that will let her - "Let's see if I can pick you up."

 Someone must have found us very attractive.

After the zoo we met up with Landon (Sarah and kids were at Bear Lake), Evan and Krista for a most of the siblings dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Just happy to be together.

Wednesday: I think this was the favorite day for everyone. I really wanted to take the kids sledding and had  a great spot in mind up Big Cottonwood Canyon. It turned out to be an awesome day. It was sooooooooooo warm. I was actually dying of heat because I had all my snow clothes on, but those from AZ or CA that don't have all the right clothes did just fine because the sun was really shining down on us. It was beautiful up there! And the Skinners got to sled for the very first time!

Bryce kicking his cowboy heels up! They really caught some good air on a lift that Brie and Davin built.

Davin might have found his heaven. He and Brielle were all over that mountain.

Serena helped Zachary and Lila build a snowman.

Bryce and Zachary threw snowballs at the ducks in the river while Lila screamed from the top of the hill, "We don't kill animals!!"

Thursday: We went from sliding down snow to sliding down a water slide in swim suits. We went to the Rec Center pool. Luckily, our school district was the only one in Utah on spring break that week so we literally had the whole pool, slide and a few lifeguards all to ourselves. Sarah and kids joined us for our own private pool party. Yahoo!! Twelve cousins together swimming the day away. That is the life.

 The giant purple slide!

Friday: Our fun was coming to an end. The Skinners packed up their suitcases and sleeping bags all morning. Before we had to say good bye though, Sarah and kids came over to help us decorate all of the Easter sugar cookies that Grandma sent up for everyone. Grandma Sue made cookies shaped like Easter eggs, bunnies and chicks. So cute. The grandkids went wild with frosting and sprinkles!

And of course, look who stayed until the bitter end to eat as much sugar as possible. All the other kids are playing and Zachy is still "enjoying". No surprise at all. Thank you Mom for the all the cookies!

The Skinners went out to load into their van to drive home to Cali. The Allreds went out to their van to head home. And as they were leaving the driveway, our Buchanan cousins from Oregon pulled in. The good times kept on going. Glenn, Renee, Ariana, Mina and Siena spent the day with us and we really were so grateful for the time with them.

We had such an awesome spring break with so many cousins and family. Ava kept saying, "I wish that they could just live with us forever." We eventually had to get back to our normal life though and we did.