Spring Break

March included a lovely two week Spring Break...everyone was able to stop the busy-ness that school adds to our lives and just enjoy each other. We took the opportunity to visit friends in Memphis who were the best hosts! They have two girls who sweetly shared their rooms with our girls and patiently shared their toys.

Our favorite Memphis attraction this trip was the Botanical Garden's Big Backyard. If you're within...let's say...100 miles, check this place out. The flowers were blooming, plenty of places to climb and run, dirt and sand for digging. All the things children could want! We found out Miriam out grew all her sandals from last summer when she had ugly blisters on her feet. Thank goodness for Amazon...she had new, properly fitting shoes waiting for us when we arrived home.

Flower beds...get it!?!?

One year ago we ran into these same good friends during our Spring Break Trip to St. Louis! 

The girls together at the St. Louis Zoo a year ago.

The girls + Simon a year later at the Memphis Zoo.

When we weren't sight-seeing the girls were zipping around the yard.

Playing on and dancing around the swing set.

Running the Power Wheels out of batteries.

Crafting while ingesting "Monkey Drinks" (kid smoothies)

More driving around in circles.

You get the idea.

Sarah and two of her lovely friends from her Xavier days

Alexis was super generous and took care of the girls so we could visit Elvis' home, Graceland. It was certainly unlike any other place we've visited. When Elvis got an idea he really ran with it. White furniture...mirrors covering the walls and tables...carved wood...300+ yards of pleated fabric on every surface...3 TVs so he could be like the president...It was really something.

AND a swingset like the one Tim grew up with (finally something normal!)

Sarah loved the paisley all over Elvis' wedding suit!

Simon was along for the trip and was preeeeetty fussy. By the time we got back to home-base, he was in full-panic-scream-mode. Turns out to be ear problems...again. We were able to get an antibiotic called down to Memphis from our doctor. Hallelujah. (This saga is not over so stay tuned.)

 Simon was also working on his skills...

His naps and grasping seemed to be improving. 

Nana generously gave the girls a dollar each before we left for our trip. They carefully planned how they wanted to spend their money at a gas station. On our trip home they each got a treat!

 We had a dinner at a brewery on the way home so Mommy and Daddy got a treat, too.

The girls watched Trolls for the first time while we were in Memphis. And then they watched it a second, third, fourth, and fifth time. Until they could recite it. When we got home we did some fun Troll projects! Miriam and Vivian made cute troll characters. Felicity made a picture of the Burgeons eating the trolls. YIKES.

Thus ends the first week of Spring Break. The second week included a kinda-feeling-better Simon who loves to cuddle with Dad.

Proof.

More proof.

And a Simon who was more receptive to trying solid foods!

Mommy and the kids met up with friends at our hometown botanical gardens. It was so springy and fresh indoors. A lovely, lovely place to be!

Felicity and her bff Olivia

Strangely enough, our botanical gardens has a corpse flower blooming (named for it's decaying-flesh-scent). It was cool to see but horrible to stand next to...do some research about this bizarre plant. You'll be AMAZED at the creativity of God all over again.

Then we ran down to Indy for a day at the Children's Museum. Thing is everyone else had this same great idea for Spring Break! To the point it wasn't even fun for the kids to be there.

We left. Went downtown for lunch and a walk along the canal. A much, much better way to spend the day!

Later in the afternoon we went back to the museum hoping the crowds had dispersed...they had! Back to playing!

We closed out the week by inviting the neighbor girl over for a day of pancakes, crafts, Barbies, and popcorn and a movie. She doesn't have any sisters so she got a taste of what it would be like to be a sister in our family.

Maybe next year we'll be able to convince the school to give us a three week break!