Spring Break 2010

Over spring break we took advantage of the nice weather and enjoyed a few of the surrounding parks (Sorry no pictures.) We also headed up to the Bronx Zoo with friends.


We spent quite a bit of time in the Butterfly garden. They were determined to find each and every butterfly. Unfortunately there was a lack of butterflies in the Butterfly Garden.





The bug carousel was a must!


We were able to see a few animals, but it always seems as though time flies by so quickly that we are only able to see a few exhibits.

We loved the grizzly bear. He was entertaining.




We were fortunate to spend some quality time with Daddy. I convinced him to take off a few days so we could focus on some much needed family fun days. We are always eager to find new places to explore especially when the nice weather hits. We thought we would check out Earthplace, the Nature Discovery Center in Westport. We spent most of our day there.

They had several small nature trails. (We could go on a hike without the kids really realizing they were on a hike.)





They hid some letterbox clues around the trails. We were on the lookout for small boxes that contained stamps. We would stamp our pad of paper and leave our names for posterity in a pad of paper left in the box.


We learned how to use a compass. By following the directions we were able to decode a message.


We were able so see some different birds and animals outdoors and indoors.



They had an indoor nature place with different activities.




Rob tried to make friends with this reptile...


...at first it tried to make casual conversation...


...then it became a little too friendly...


...and then it tried to take him down. Luckily, he survived and lived to tell about it.


This toy provided endless entertainment.




They even had an outdoor playground.







We also tried to incorporate fun into an errand. Rob came up with a fun treasure hunt at Target. Here are a few of the fun answers everyone came up with:

1. Orange ball: Tasha - basketball
2. Has wheels, but not a car: Tasha - cart, Garrett - bike, Steph -clothes rack
3. In a tube: Tasha - lotion, Garrett - sunscreen, Steph - animals in a tube
4. You can eat it, but you shouldn't eat it: Garrett - dog food, Steph - Snickers
5. You put your feet in it, but it's not shoes: Garrett - hot pad, Steph - socks
6. Very heavy but easy to move: Tasha - wheelchair, Garrett - clothes rack, Steph - weights, Rob - elevator

I didn't include all the questions or all the answers, just a few. The kids came up with everything on their own.




Their reward for finishing the treasure hunt: a trip to Carvels Ice cream and a trip to the movie theatre to see How To Train Your Dragon.


Since we haven't been to the City in quite some time we headed to the Museum of Natural History. I'm not sure we will ever see the entire museum. It's HUGE and our kids have their favorites. The dinosaurs and ocean exhibit are definitely on the top of their list.





We ended up at each computer screen. The kids love to push any and all buttons.

Easter

Waiting for the big moment to color Easter Eggs.


So you put the egg in the cup...


... and out comes a beautiful egg.


Ta-da!!!!


You can use a crayon to uncover a design...


...Or a blow dryer to use some shrinky dinks.

The result: Several colored eggs = Too many deviled eggs

Easter morning: The hunt for the Easter Baskets.






The result: 3 happy kids

The Easter Egg Hunt (Special Thanks to Grandma Fredericks)


For your entertainment pleasure. ( a video by Rob.)

The Orchid Show

Storm

On March 14th we had a SEVERE wind and rain storm. We had winds around 60 mph. We had no idea the damage this storm was causing until Rob saw this house on his way home from picking up Tasha from the church. They had a Senior Primary temple trip to Manhattan that morning.


The trek home was difficult for some due to trees and powerlines down. It took our bishop an hour and a half to get home from the activity (This caused some concern for church the next day). Thankfully everyone returned home safely from this primary activity.

I can't say I was focused on the weather at all. I was too worried about preparing my talk for church the next day. Try focusing when you have 3 kids running circles around you all day because they are stuck indoors. I would notice the lights flickering now and then and think, "It would be my luck that the power goes out and I lose my talk." Fortunately we didn't loose power. Now the question was would we have church the next day? Well, the next morning we received the PHONECALL...church was canceled. I can't say I was disappointed, I would be lying if I did. In fact there was an enormous smile on my face. I no longer had to speak in sacrament meeting. Although my celebration was short lived because I was asked to speak the following week, so technically I didn't get out of it.

The damage this storm caused was devastating, as you will notice in these pictures (pictures are from the Greenwich Post and Greenwich Times). Some people were out of power for 3 to 4 days, for others it was even longer.









School was out for a whole week due to power outages and unsafe routes to school for buses or children that walk to school. Luckily, we had beautiful weather the remainder of the week and spent many hours outdoors. I happened to have my camera with me at the Stamford Beach. Here we are at the Sound Waters aquarium.