Vacation from home...

or rather AT home.
As Dane's Spring Break has arrived we have all taken the week off to enjoy...the Wasatch Front.
There are a lot of pluses to vacationing at home. Obviously, it's cheaper, but taking it a bit further:

• There's no travel time (longer than 45 minutes) to eat up precious relaxing time


• Finicky kids can still eat 'the usual'


• No car rental fees or airport layovers


• No nasty gas station bathrooms


• No forgotten toothbrushes


• No 'I hope the hotel room is livable because this is the only place left in the whole town with a vacancy!'


• I don't have to navigate unfamiliar territory and try to explain my navigation to my husband


• We know how to dress for the weather so no packing stuff we don't need or NOT packing stuff we do. Hey, no packing!


• The milk (for cereal) at the continental breakfast isn't warm, in fact, we're having German Pancakes anyway.


• I GET TO SLEEP IN MY OWN BED!

Since we have five people in our family and five days of vacation, Cam thought it'd be good to let everyone choose a day and decide what we would do on these days.

Monday: Poor Bryce. If you're not old enough to speak in full sentences then Mommy gets to plan your day.

First, we got our family pictures taken at Sears. We got some really cute ones and ordered more than I'd ever dared by myself. Husband's permission? Priceless. The kids were super cooperative and that really made it a great experience. Plus I got two birthday presents (shirts) to add to the stash that slowly grows from February until my birthday in late April each year.


We ate at McDonalds and lucky for the kids I talked Cameron into buying the kids Happy Meals. Disney Pirate and Princess toy theme a big plus.


Next, we fed the ducks at Gardner Village and went furniture shopping.

Came home for dinner and then went to a play for kids called Come Back, Amelia Bedelia. It was a lot of fun and it was a bit interactive with the audience. The actress that played Amelia Bedelia was totally full of energy and so cute. Ella didn't like it however because, first, everyone was so mad at AmBe and second, she got squirted with water. They all fell asleep on the way home, except Bryce, but it was early for him anyway.

Tuesday: Today was Ella's day and we had those German Pancakes I mentioned. We did a bit of chores and then went to Color Me Mine. This is a fun place where you choose pottery to paint and then they cook it in a kiln for you and voila! a few days later you pick up your own personal __________ (insert item) to cherish and enjoy.






We ate lunch at Provo's North Park and enjoyed the playground. No pictures, but Bryce is waaaaaaay too brave for his mom's sanity. After this we headed to what Ella was most excited about: The McCurdy Doll Museum. My aunt used to take my cousin and me there and I loved this amazing collection of dolls in this charming little house. However, the museum has been permanently closed. I nearly cried. Ella was disappointed.


We went to the Monte L. Bean Museum at BYU instead and had a lot of fun and got ice cream at the Creamery on the way back to the car. Cam and I discussed how young we feel until we see these scrawny little pipsqueaks that call themselves college students. When did we get so old?

Dane acting scared of the Black Bear (in brown phase) at the Bean Museum. --------------------------------------------------->

Before heading home we stop at IKEA just to look at kitchen tables and...we end up buying one! And chairs, too! Yay! We don't have to use Cam's old folding banquet/college computer desk table and folding chairs anymore!

Ended the day by eating a late dinner, playing Pretty, Pretty Princess and doing only one bedtime story and hitting the hay. But Cam and I had to watch American Idol before doing that and I had to blog so ya'll don't think I've died.