Spring Break 2012 + Easter

We had the very good fortune of being able to spend Spring Break in St. George this year.  I love visiting there whenever we can manage it.  It's such a nice little town; the weather is usually pretty darn near perfect; and despite the fact that I'm now a 40-year old mother of 5, I still love the comfort of being with my mom & dad and the fun of hanging out with my siblings.  I miss them so much.

My kids enjoyed hanging out with their cousins too.

Girl cousins!

Boy cousins (minus baby Benson)!

As SOON as we arrived, Jared got a much-needed haircut from my sis, Sheri.

We spent every possible minute that we could out by the pool.  ALL of my kids are little fishes.

My little bro, Joe, and his awesome wife, Katie, are expecting their first baby!  They found out what they are having while we were there.  This is how they did the big reveal.  They ordered two cakes from a local bakery - one with pink filling & one with blue.

They had my mom slice into the correct one to find out that we'll be getting another GIRL cousin!  Yeah!!

Of course, we had to eat as much In-n-Out as we possibly could.  And indoctrinate our youngest in the love of the best fries ever made.

More swimming.  Ohhhh, how I miss that glorious sun.

Lots of play time at the parks, too.   Torah LOVED being able to climb & slide all by herself.

She also adored her gpa and snuggled up with him every chance she got.  He was MORE than happy to oblige.  Gpa sure loves his little ones.

We had a baby shower lunch for Katie.  Left to right:  Katie, Sloan (my older bro's wife), Sheri (my "baby" sister), Mom, & me.

The night before Easter, we all gathered at Mom & Dad's house.  It was the first time in years that all of my siblings + our spouses were together.  We were just missing a few cousins, who hadn't been able to fly down.

Uncle George helped the little'uns decorate Easter eggs.  They all look so serious here, but they had a great time!

We also roasted Peeps & made s'mores outside.  Notice NO jackets!!  :)

Gpa & Baba chilled on the back deck.  I just love seeing my two favorite men enjoying each other's company.  They are so much alike.  I often tease Nathan that I feel like I married my dad.

It was even warm enough to swim at night.

Easter morning, the cousins joined us for an egg hunt in the back yard.  Jared & Micah were so sweet and woke up super early to go hide the eggs (then promptly went back to bed).

It didn't take Torah long to figure out what was inside all these plastic balls laying around the yard.

I attempted to get some cute group shots, but the excitement of the eggs was just too much.

Oh well.

After the egg hunt, we all went inside for a YUMMY Turkish breakfast. 

I would have loved to stay longer, but we had to hurry to catch our flight.  I'm so thankful that we were able to make this trip.  It was a bit of a sacrifice, but I will treasure the fun times and memories from that week.