SPRING BREAK

Our spring break was full of adventure, as per usual - this time with a lot of hiking/exploring. Spring break also saw my first Chinese student and it has been a whirlwind since. Here is our breakdown - or at least when I can remember:

 FRIDAY

 kicked off spring break with bonfire in the desert with a group of friends

SATURDAY

hiked Flat Iron with my friend Blake

some other stuff - can't remember

SUNDAY

church

MONDAY

low key day

photographed my niece for senior photos

TUESDAY

took the kids to the Grand Canyon with Blake

picnic lunch on the South Rim

saw elk

drove a lot

WEDNESDAY

taught my first Chinese student

some other stuff - can't remember

THURSDAY 

took the kids hiking in the Superstitions with my friend Nikki

picnic lunch in the desert

drove by Apache Lake and Tortilla Flat

FRIDAY

met up with birth cousin at Mesa Riverview Park

picnic lunch at the park

played on the playground and in the splash pad

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

survived

And that's it! I honestly can't remember what else we did to fill our time. Obviously, it was of little import as I did not photograph it. Movies. Toy room. Games. The like. Spring break always sort of feels like this crazy, stressful blur that is just a glimpse of summer life. We shall see...

365.3: WEEK 13

I MADE IT A QUARTER OF THE WAY THROUGH THE YEAR. And I'm still alive, which may be the bigger accomplishment. Less sleep than usual and more things to do than normal. But I love it. I am teaching the cutest Chinese kids before the sun comes up, doing preschool with my two littlest (plus one!), and photographing everything in between. Easter is over, which means the holiday hoopla will calm down for a while. Now, we just brace ourselves for the heat. Here's last week, in a nutshell: Shopping at Target. Playing baseball out back. Reuniting with old friends at the park. Going to the Easter Pageant. Hiking part of Flat Iron (with the mr.). Dying eggs with shaving cream. Celebrating Easter with family.

March 26th - April 1st

365.3: WEEK 12

Things are on the up and up. I'm filling preschool spots for next year. I'm getting more Chinese students for early morning classes. And I'm feeling like our routine is mostly back to normal. BTW, I TEACH KIDS IN CHINA. It still blows my mind. Slowly but surely, I'm getting use to my new schedule of waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but the drawback is going to be early at night. I absolutely love what I do - the kids are great, the lessons are great, the WHOLE THING is great. It's just difficult hours. We'll see how I feel when my contract is up at the end of July... Anyway, last week. Back to school, back to drop-off/pick-up routine. Picking out flowers on the first day of spring. Exploring a new park. Early morning scripture study. Racing cars at the Pinewood Derby. Participating in the Pride Run. Dancing in pretty dresses.

March 19th - March 25th

365.3: WEEKS 10 & 11

Hello? Is there anyone still out there? I sort of neglected the blog, but I have good reasons. First, spring break. It tried to kill me. Entertaining six kids for a week is no easy feat, so I was pretty wiped. Second, new job. I was recently hired to teach English to children in China. I taught my first couple of students, which requires me waking up at 4am. Still not use to the hours. Third, editing photos. I took on the insane project of photographing my husband's entire family. Thats 46 faces, btw. And I have yet to photograph the mr.'s mom and dad. I. am. TIRED. But it's me, so I do ALL THE THINGS. I've got a few posts in the works... First up, two weeks ago. Learning to fly solo on a bike. Auditioning for the school play. Enjoying the park with friends. Playing computer games at the library. Roasting marshmallows at a desert bonfire. Hiking (and gymansticing) at Flat Iron. Waiting out front for dad.

March 5th - March 11th

Still here? Good, because I've got photos from spring break, too. Photographing my niece. Day trip to the Grand Canyon with a friend. Teaching my first Chinese student. Hiking in the Superstitions with a friend. Playing at the park with a cousin. Posing for St. Patrick's Day pictures. Visiting Mimi and Papa on a Sunday evening.

March 12th - March 18th