Home is where it's at!

It's not a secret, the Bracken Family is usually on the move!  When the weekend rolls around we hit the highway, or airway, or dirt road or any road for that matter.  Yet in all of this chaos the one thing that remains constant is that we always hit the road running with an adventure in mind.  This has worked lovely for us  in the past..........but, now we have an 8 yr old.   An 8 yr old who approached  us a few Saturdays ago and specifically asked the question, "why do we always leave on the weekends and what if we just stayed in Mesquite?"  This got us thinking why not?  So a few weekends ago we had a "stay -cation"  right here in our cute little town.

It started like this.....  Friday night, bowling and pizza!  No pictures here!   I was unusually busy trying to keep Braden in his too big bowling shoes and Layla from being used as the bowling ball as she kept running past that line you are never supposed to cross.  You know the line, that scary red line that tacky bowling shoes are forbidden to venture over.  The line that if you cross you will immediately have your feet slip out from under you and you fall directly on your buttocks.  Tell me you all did this on a bowling date too, right?

Fun Night for all!  Minus the fit thrown by me as I tried to change Layla in the parking lot while she did the Crocodile roll in the poop and BMan was last seen running around like a crazy man in the busy  lot with me not quite sure if I would find him before a car did.  Can you imagine that all this can happen in the 5 minutes Rand was gone because I sent him to check on Jake in the bathroom and make sure that he was not being kidnapped by a scary Virgin River Gambling Man.

 Again, I know you all thinking this woman was allowed to raise children?  To that I say "I know, it even shocks me!"

Moving on to Saturday!  We were joined by the lovely Ali and the 3 darling Threet boys!  All bright eyed and cheery anticipating a day exploring the Mesquite Hills.  Oh and there were things to explore and observe I assure you!

Observation #1

My kids are cute even in their grubbies!  

I think they are cute right up until I say picture time and then they show their true colors. 

I don't say I blame them, I hate pictures of me, but love, love, love pics of my kids.

Observation #2

Jake's newly purchased glasses used to belong to Cindy Lauper, I am almost positive of this fact!

Observation #3

Layla loved her first Rhino ride out of the neighborhood. And although Ali drove safe and sound my next observation is that we must be ordering some helmets.

Observation #4

Jake can catch any kind of creepy gross bug, lizard, snake or in this case horny toad.  

This horny toad also provided many inside jokes for Ali and I the rest of the day because Jake named him, "Fast Horny Frogger", I didn't have the heart to explain the inappropriateness of this name.  Let's keep them young and innocent, shall we?

Observation #4

This is Rand's favorite pose!  I will spare you the trouble of going back years of blog pictures and just inform you now...... on this blog alone he has appeared in Italy, Switzerland, Hoover Dam and Jackson Hole with this exact pose. 

Observation #5

Kids love water!

Even with broken legs!

Even when the water is frigid.

Especially when you are a boy and can take your shirt off.

And then you grow up and hold your baby in a weird awkward pose because she has mud, bugs and lot's of that lovely water on her.

and that's all we have to say about that, right Lu Lu!

The festivities didn't end with 4 wheelin, we even made it to the ward Easter Party!  Miss L was in rare form and refused to hunt eggs preferring to sit and eat the grass.

While the BMan  "leaned" in Easter joy.  What's with the leaning?  I am not sure.

Jake also attended this Easter bash, we saw him for a minute at the beginning and I think he rode home with us.  When you are 8, you are to cool to hang with the fam at a ward Easter Party, don't you know that???

Sunday  - Day of Rest! 

Observation:  You can have fun by just staying home one weekend!  

Thanks for the idea Jake the Snake!