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Spring Vacation! 

I tried to do at least one fun thing every day while Kelsi was out of school.

One day we took the kids bowling. June LOVED it. She got SO excited every time she knocked down even 1 pin. She would jump up and down and yell "YES" and then run and hug me. Her big sister on the other hand would cry in frustration that she did not get any strikes. Spares were not good enough for her. Perfectionist through and through.

 We took the fam to the resort for "personal" size gooeys. Always a treat!

 The kids were fascinated with the coy aquarium

 We have been members of our local Kroc center for just about 6 years and finally went rock climbing. Kelsi was so excited and it started out rough - but she started to like it. I just need to invest in some sort of cushion device because the caribeaner(spelling?) kept digging into her.

 My favorite day was taking Kelsi on a mommy/daughter date. She was dying to go to "Applebees" for some reason. So we ate and then went to watch Cinderella. What a great movie! The message was incredible and I am glad I brought tissues.

 We also took the kids on a hike of Tubbs hill. It was Kelsi's first time around the whole hill. She did great! June did great too on my back. My shoulders were killing me about halfway thru - but I am glad she wasn't walking.

Kelsi is had a fun break but is ready to go back to school (she says she really misses writing). She is such a cutie!

Potty Training Take 1

The time has come to be rid of diapers. At least that is how I feel. June has been ready in all sense of the word except for one thing...she is afraid of the toilet. She has been telling me for months when she needs to go potty - but is so afraid of the toilet. But - I decided that I was boss (silly me) and told her we were ready for her to be a big girl. She was VERY excited about her prize bowls and was successful every time I let her go around pant- less. But it seemed anytime I put undies on her - she had an accident. Very frustrating.

 After just two days we took a break because my mom was coming up to visit and we didn't want to miss the fun. That third day - June held it for 6 hours and then freaked out when she had to go. She couldn't decide if she should go in her diaper or on her potty. After lots of tears - she finally let it out. The following day she had me change her diaper after EVERY time she went the bathroom (waste of diaper). Sometimes she would tell me to change it before she even went. We will pick it up again next month when I get back from a short trip with my sisters. Hopefully "Take 2" will be the trick just like it was for her big sissy. Have I mentioned this is my least favorite thing about parenting so far?

March with Friends!

My friend Shawnte was up for a visit in March - so of course we had to get some old friends together for catch up and CAKE! I love how comfortable I feel with these ladies.

 Mama Mia also came to Spokane - so we got our Abba on and had fun together.

Seattle in March

We head out to Seattle every March for John's continuing education. Seattle is just over 4 hours away - so it is a great long weekend getaway. On Friday we toured Pikes Market, went to the aquarium and did some shopping. 

 On Saturday we met up with long time friends the Evans who were up for the same conference. While the men sat in classes, the ladies shopped and chatted and caught up on our lives.  The weather cooperated for the most part, I endured our "hotel" and had a great time with my hubby.

Basketball started again for Kelsi in February and ended in March. She had so much fun. Again - she wasn't the tallest on the team (which always surprises me). She excels in defense - seems to always have. It was funny to watch some of the girls drop their hands and the ball in frustration because of her awesome defensive skills. She loved to set screens and always wanted the ball. Towards the end of the season, she got more confidence in her offense and just started scoring away! One of her games - she had a whopping 18 points (not that anyone is keeping score - wink-wink).

 John and I love basketball, so we hope that Kelsi develops a love for it as well.

February for the Calderwoods

The month started out as a downer. We just got back from our amazing Disney vacation filled with warmth and sun and North Idaho was cold and rainy and dark. But after the first week subsided- we were treated to the sunniest, warmest February's on record. THANK  YOU!!! 

For Valentines Day this year, my Valentine and I went to the temple, did a little shopping and went to dinner. When we got home - our kids and babysitter had heart attacked our bedroom door. It was so fun and cute! Yay for fun babysitters! I am so blessed to have such a fun, loving and handsome valentine all year long. Love you honey!

Our Disney Fantasy

Our family (minus June) took a Disney Eastern Caribbean cruise last January. It was amazing. I doubted why Disney would be better than any other cruise line. And now I can say that if you are looking for an amazing family vacation where you can also have a couples vacation - that Disney is the way to go!

We set sail from Port Canaveral, FL. We flew in the day prior and had a seamless journey. On the morning of setting sail - the only slight hassle was returning our rental car. It seems every one else does the same thing and then takes the shuttle to port. We waited about 45 minutes in line before boarding a shuttle. Once we arrived at Port, Disney was efficient and we were on board quickly. We explored the boat, our room, the kids club and Kelsi wanted right in the pool ASAP!

We went on this amazing vacation with 4 other families from Coeur d'Alene. It was so fun for Kelsi to have her friends with her (fun for Mom and Dad as well). The second day was at sea and it was my birthday!!! It was so nice to be WARM on my birthday for the first time in 10 years. It was also fancy night at dinner and we did a little family dancing afterwards. 

 Our third day was at St. Thomas. One of my favorite ports. We took a shuttle (which was a truck that the bed was converted into benches to hold 30 of us!) to Sapphire beach and spent the whole day there. The water was WARM, we laid out, some snorkeled, searched (and found) some iguanas, jump roped on the beach (Kelsi's fav) and buried each other and just enjoyed the surroundings and our company. It was so amazing.

 Day 4 we arrived in Puerto Rico. We booked a tour of the rain forest. It was so beautiful. While Kelsi and I just waded in the freezing waterfall...John went ALL in.  We had a fun driver and Kelsi was a trooper during our hike.

 Day 5 was at sea and that evening is Pirate Themed. They had a fun pirate show after dinner and shot fireworks off the boat. Followed by a dance party of course!

 Again - going on a vacation like this was SO fun with so many friends that we kept running into on the boat. The shows that Disney put on every night for the family and for the adults were fun and entertaining.  The food was great at all the restaurants - but our favorite was paying a little extra for Palo. It was probably the best food I have had in my life.

 Day 6 was at Disney's private island Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. This was also a highlight of our trip. The weather was WARM, the water was colder than the southern Caribbean but not too bad. Kelsi loved the endless amount of "free" ice cream. We played on the water slides, rode bikes around the island, played in the sand and John snorkeled a little bit more,.

 John tried to be hypnotized- but it didn't work on him. However, it did work on our friend Bryan which was pretty funny. 

 Kelsi loved the kids club - she would often beg to go. She stayed up till midnight every  night and as you can tell from the picture below. Crashed when it was all over. We definitely hope to do this again in a few years when June is older. She loved being at her Aunt Tamars house for a week but was so happy for mommy, daddy and sissy to come home.

Thank you Disney!!!