Spring Break 2009

During break we travelled to the Farm for a Embree & Brice's birthday party with their cousins. It was a rainy weekend, but our entire family loves the Farm so much that we didn't mind. The kids played in the rain and Mom & Dad sat by the fire. It was nice to see so many of our family members at once. Even Todd's Grandmother made it!

After the weekend, Todd left us at my Mom & Dad's in Johnson City, TN for a few days. On Tuesday, we visited Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals and an old covered bridge in Elizabethton. We were the only visitors at the fort that day, and the kids felt as if it were their personal playground. They spent lots of time exploring the buildings & grounds, making up stories about the settlers who once lived there. Embree left wishing we could live there. She wants so much to live in a quiet place in the country were she can have chickens and goats. I hope she'll be able to some day.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Embree's 10th birthday. She got a new bike and finally learned to ride without training wheels! Nana & Poppy took the kids to ChuckECheese that night to celebrate.

On Thursday, we visited the ETSU Nature Center & Fossil Dig site in Grey, TN. We've been before, but the kids always enjoy it and learn something new. I think Nana has promised to take them back to help with the dig in the spring when they begin excavation again.

We also toured the new Children's Hospital at J'City Medical Center. Dad works for the foundation there and had been giving tours of the new facitily so he took us too. It's a beautiful facility. Very child-centered. There is a dedicated St. Jude's wing as well. There are lovely pieces of art and sculpture, and the furniture is bright and child-sized. They have showers & kitchens for families, and a child-sized gym and playroom for patients. It's a place of healing rather than treating. They've done a good thing!

On Friday, Embree spent the morning in the local Urgent Care center with what we feared was the flu. Cousins Emma & Coby had it and so we assumed the worst. Turned out to be some other virus, and very short-lived. Brice seemed to have it on Saturday, but all healed by Monday morning. Whew! Wish our cousins had been so lucky!

Todd came back to get us on Friday night and we travelled home Saturday. It was a fun week, but I think we were all happy to be home ad back in regular routines! We are now planning our summer weeks at the Farm and looking forward to warmer drier days there in June!