What I would really like to tell you. . .

Last night I reminded the kids that their break was over and that they would be going back to school in the morning. Lots of groaning and I really wanted to sleep until 7:30 was heard. This monrning I woke them up at 7:00 to long faces. They are now dressed and sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons. They ate their breakfast in silence. It's weird how none of this happened in the two weeks that they were home from school. Cole was up before 7:00 most mornings, they had disagreements before 8:00 about what to watch on TV or even what to do, breakfast was filled with lots of talk about what we were doing next - this morning - SILENCE! It's as if they are in a state of mourning! Ah! The sound of silence!

This has been one busy spring break. The kids have logged many miles of walking in the past four days. We have been to the zoo and seen all of downtown Raleigh. We have visited three museums (the Natural Science Museum, the History Museum and Exploris), the Legislative building and the State Capital building. This morning Katie slept until 9:00! Cole was up - of course, at 7:00am. I did convince him that we could sleep in until 8:00. It was blissful. I have to say that this trip to Raleigh was much better than before. The kids were not vomiting - that always makes for a better trip. The weather was nice - it did rain on Wednesday, so we spent some time in the hotel pool. We really enjoyed being with dad! Today has been washing and more washing. We are gearing up for our beach trip. When I told Cole how many different places he was getting to go to during his break he said, "Life is wonderful." I tend to agree.

We went to the zoo today. This is one of David's least favorite trips. I had to promise not to ask to go back for one full year. It was cold this morning, but the weather did warm up slightly as the day progressed. We had a great day. The animals were all out and where you could see them. The monkeys were right up against the window and Cole was amazed at their thumbs and hands. It really was a sweet day. This was also the first zoo trip without a stroller. Katie walked the entire zoo - which is about 5 miles! A trip without a stroller is very different. We did not have to fight our way around people and objects and we were not constantly lifting Katie out of the stroller so that she could see the animals. It was a picture perfect day - thanks Dave!

Today we had breakfast with the Easter Bunny - granted he did not eat - but the kids enjoyed pancakes, eggs and grits. After waiting for about twenty minutes for our picture to be taken with the bunny, we ran out for the Easter Egg hunt. Needless to say, it's VERY COLD OUTSIDE! The wind is blowing - HARD! We hurried inside and got everything set up. The kids had fun decorating cookies, making a craft, coloring, and dying eggs. We never were able to have the egg hunt much to Katie's sadness. We then hurried to have lunch at McDonald's and waited in line with many of the same kids that we had at church. We have now rushed home so that we can make a cake and casserole for tomorrow. I have also made 27 deviled eggs (never again will I volunteer for that job). Don't ask why it's 27 deviled eggs and not an even number - things just happen. The kids are now hungry and I'm really ready to sit. The house smells like eggs and chocolate which is really not a ple...

Last night the deacons at our church had the family meal. To speed the last deacon meeting along, David volunteered to head up this event this year. In the years past, many HOURS have been spent while the men decided what to have and who would be responsbile for what. So, this year, David said, "I'll head it up and call everyone and tell them what we are having." It was the shortest deacon meeting in the past two and 1/2 years. With David working out of town, our little family kicked into action. The kids and I set up all the tables and chairs, got out all the necessary eating stuff, and arranged the room that made sense. Cole maned the drink table like an adult. He filled all the glasses with ice and asked what everyone wanted to drink. He would take the drinks to the tables if the person had too much to carry. At the end, he collected all the finished plates and drink cups. He cleaned up with out being prompted. Katie maned the dessert table - mainly picking...