Spring Break

Since I blinked again and now it's March (nearly April!), I'll just skip to our Spring Break fun!  My mom and I decided to go visit my brother's family in Phoenix, where a balmy 80 degrees sounded much nicer than the 2 inches of snow on the ground in Albuquerque.  We were not disappointed!

There was playing at the park next to their house....

After the park, we went to Tina's parents' house and enjoyed a fire pit and the first S'mores of the season!  While the adults enjoyed the fire, the kids ran amok in the driveway, mostly chasing each other and screaming in mock terror.  They discovered a storehouse of Halloween masks that delighted them even more.  When the sugar rush wore off, they finally went to sleep!

The next day, Jeff finished setting up the newest Schuler attraction - a backyard zipline!  The kids spent hours streaking through the backyard.  And despite what America's Funniest Videos has taught us, no one even got hurt!  (Not even when Grammie tried it!) 

The next day we toured the Ostrich Festival, a Chandler attraction we always discuss but have never actually seen.  It was mostly a small state fair, I guess.  We never made it past the midway, because Tina had bought wristbands for the kids to ride unlimited rides.  My reluctant, safety-loving children were apparently under the influence of their more dare-devil cousins, because they both suprised me with their bravery!  They started off small, with the carousel and the Fun Slide....

 Then they worked themselves up to the Fun House and a roller coaster.  Paige stood as tall as possible to squeak through the 52" height requirement for the coaster, and loved every bit of it!  She wanted to go again, but the 30 minute line just wasn't worth the 30 second ride!  They both loved the swings, and Garrett even managed to get his hands in the air!  Wow!  Whose kids are those?

After we returned from Phoenix, we picked up the newest member of our household....

 Jake is a Golden Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix and is about 1 1/2 years old.  A fellow teacher inherited him when her daughter brought him home from college.  He had been abandoned at a shelter in Lubbock, and her daughter couldn't bear to leave him there.  So, we ended up bringing Sadie to meet him, and they got along great!

 The kids absolutely love him, and he is the biggest baby you'll ever meet! (Literally, he weighs at least 100 pounds!)  He wants to cuddle and get in your lap, or grovel at your feet.  So far he's been a fantastic dog, with my running shoes being the only real casualty of his still-a-puppy chewing habits.  Oh well, I needed a new pair anyway....

We are settling into a "new normal" with the added chaos of another dog who is still mostly a puppy.  I've been taking them on 2 walks a day, and we've bought stock in chew toys.  But, one look at his big puppy dog eyes, and we all know he's worth it!  Sadie even likes him, or at least tolerates his crazy antics, safe in the knowledge that she is still the queen of the house. If dogs could roll their eyes, I could see her doing just that when Jake chases his tail for the hundredth time or slams into a wall while chasing his ball.  But I've caught her licking his face and waiting for him to catch up, so I think she's smitten too! 

Overall, our spring break was a blessed success!  God has surrounded us with great family, good memories, and sweet animals to brighten our days.  Now we're just hoping He will bless us with beautiful spring weather too!