Tenerife Sea Won the Heart of My Family!!

What an awesome vacation! I'm a big planner and I didn't do much in the way of research for this trip so we pretty much just winged it. It was so fun and relaxing (when our sickos weren't whining). Portugal has always been at the top of our favorite trip list and I was starting to think there was no way it could ever be topped. The Canary Islands are verrrrrrry close!!! The beaches of Portugal are better and we had great company there, but everything else goes to the Canary Islands. Avery says this trip is her new favorite!

I will pretty much let the pictures tell the story, but I'm sure they don't do the Islands even close to justice of what it's really like.

The Resort {El Marques} We got a great deal on the AFV Club site for only $350 for the week!

Spent several days at pool/beaches. Most of the beaches were black sand.

{Playa San Juan}

{Playa Fanabe}

{Teide National Park}

Highest peak in Spain and is home to a volcano. Allie was super excited to visit the volcano as she had just finished up a unit on volcanoes at school and wanted to collect some rock and crystals to bring back to share with her class.

Dance like nobody's watching

{Flipper Uno}

Since we are big into boating and it has been a while since we've been on one, we decided it would be fun to go on a boat ride. One of the many pamphlets in our room was for this cool looking pirate ship themed boat. There are even pirates on board and there is a plank (rope swing), and it's all inclusive -- food and drink. It just so happened the day we signed up to go that the wind decided to pick up and the sea was ANGRY! It was so incredibly choppy. We were surprised they still went out. Allie and Avery started freaking out right away thinking that we were going to tip over. The water started spraying over the side and getting us wet. They didn't like that either. Then I threw up! One of the pirates took Blake from me while I did my thing and then they helped us to the back of the boat where it wasn't as rough. As soon as I get back there I see a huge wave come crashing over the boat and immediately know that the girls just got soaked and are probably freaking out even more. Sure enough they are then being brought to the back of the boat, crying and wrapped up in blankets. Then I throw up again, and then Derek follows suit! Meanwhile, Blake is sleeping on my lap.

(The girls were looking at the blog tonight and I was sitting next to them. We came to this picture of me and the kids. I mentioned something about my smile and then Avery said, "You look so pretty and so skinny and you look like you're 10." LOL Then I turned to Allie and asked her if she thought I looked skinny. She smiled and said,  "You look like a woman is supposed to look." LOL!!!!!!! I know I am not skinny and I make jokes about being fat too much....I need to stop so my kids don't have low self esteem and worry about body image like me. They sure do know how to make me feel good though.)

And then we left the port and it was the worst flippin 3 hours ever! And yes, it looks calm here. This is when we pulled up close to the shore for the food/swim break.

{Loro Parque}

This place was awesome! Very similar to Sea World, but the ambiance of the place is out of this world.

Allie so badly wanted to get picked for this.....

Allie did get picked for a part in the bird show

{Siam Park}

Dubbed the Number 1 water park in the World.

The last day we realized we didn't have a family photo........so we pulled off the side of the road and got one. :)

{Random Photos}

Island across the way....La Gomera

Doesn't this kid look like Macaulay Culkin?

I don't take food pics often, but here is one of Spanish Paella. Super yummy!

And we always get the yummiest pastries on these trips. This one isn't the prettiest we've had or the yummiest but to give you an idea (and this is just from a cheap supermarket!)

Poor Gummy Bear!

Last night, we had dinner in Playa de Americas. I love the restaurants right along the ocean!

And Allie had to get a pic with this dolphin statue

Here are a few takes of the whiny part I was talking about. In all fairness, I don't think they were feeling 100%. Avery missed most of school the week before the trip. She was just really congested since she can't blow her nose very well and then it all gets into her lungs and her lungs are weak as is. Blake started the cough the day before we left and he doesn't know how to blow his nose at all so he was miserable.

Plane ride over was easy with him....he just wanted to sleep

Every time we turned around, this is what she looked like. So disgusting! We really need to work on her manners.

{Kids Say The Darndest Things}

Avery reallly had to go the the bathroom, but we had no where to go so we told her she was just going to have to hold it. She was freaking out saying that she couldn't so then we told her to think about something else. She said, "I can't! I can't even look at you and Mom because you have blue shirts on!" Obviously the blue made her think of water, which made her think of pee.

I got a little bit of a tan. During the last couple of days Avery started calling me "Hot Cocoa."

I Lied

Ha, well so much for no more blogging before spring break!!! I completely forgot about all of these happenings going on this past week/weekend. Blake had a full day of Easter festivities at school on Friday. He loved having me there with him. His teachers had so many fun and cute crafts for the kids to do.

This kid really knows how to make me forget all of my worries!

Easter Egg Hunt

The squadron egg hunt was this past weekend. I didn't end up going so that I could work on my Easter lesson without any interruptions. So sad I missed out on it though. Derek took some video. Luckily, others got some pictures! Blake was really into it this year.....well the egg hunt anyway, not so much the Easter bunny! 

Daddy Daughter Date Night

Derek took the girls to dinner and a dance. They had sooo much fun! The old man even won a limbo competition. The girls were wiped out when they got home. Love my handsome BIG boy and gorgeous girls!!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Avery's Kindergarten teacher stopped me one day last week and told me the absolute sweetest thing. She started off by saying that my daughter sure knows how to make her day. She said that her and Avery were walking around the playground and she had asked Avery if she was having a good day. Avery said, "I'm having a GREAT day!" So she asked her what made it so great. Avery said, "It's so great because I'm getting to walk with you." I melted! Those 2 will forever be "stuck like glue." Then she said she doesn't know what she'll do when we move.....that we'll just have to pack her up and take her with us. Too funny and super sweet! I just love hearing these kind of things. Makes me realize that we are doing something right in raising our kids.

On a Roll

I've been on a roll this month with the blogging! Will probably start slowing down again after the big Spring Break post since things are getting SO busy. I really shouldn't even BE blogging as I have an Easter lesson to plan for this Sunday. Not looking forward to that at all......probably why I'm procrastinating. I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that the last time I taught a sharing time lesson, my skirt fell down! Sooooooooo embarrassing! I will be sure to wear a dress this Sunday. :)

Anway, 2 things I wanted to blog.

1. This pic of the kids at movie night at school. They have always wanted to go to one and we finally decided to take them.....only wish we had some floor pillows. ;)

2. THIS video! The nightly reading has been becoming a bit monotonous. Avery decided to play teacher the other night. Hilarious!!!

Also, a flashback video that I just love! It was blocked for the longest time by YouTube because of the music. So lame. But it's working again now!!!

Just Call Me Martha

Several weeks ago Avery came home from school and we had our usual after school conversation. "How was your day?" "What did you learn?" and so on. Out of nowhere she told me that she told her teacher that her brother was the one that put the tear in the beanbag that they have in their reading area. I don't know what made her think of it because after more questioning she said she didn't tell her that day.....she told her a while ago. Either way, my jaw dropped! Way back during the first several weeks of school.....whenever meet the teacher was, Blake had been playing on that beanbag and I was patiently waiting to meet the teacher, which never happened, because my kids were whining that they were hungry and then I saw Blake get up and I did see a small tear. I didn't know if he caused it, but assume he probably did. I tried to wait around as long as I could so I could say something and of course meet the teacher but the kids were just being too impatient. I never did say anything to her teacher because I kind of lost the right opportunity to do so.  I have always felt super guilty about it. So, I finally said something to her (in an email) after Avery came home with her confession. She was so sweet and told me she didn't recall Avery saying that her brother caused it and not to worry about it. Before I even emailed her I had already ordered supplies to make some floor pillows to replace the beanbag. This was a huge task for me as I have only sewn a couple of times and am still very much an amateur.

Then Avery came home from school saying her teacher had a birthday this month. She really wanted to get her something.......specifically, an electric pencil sharpener because they don't have one in their classroom and are always borrowing the teacher's across the hall. I was so torn on whether or not to get it. I thought it was a great idea but was it too much for a teacher's birthday? I have never got a teacher a birthday gift before. We do love her teacher, but was that going overboard? Would she think it was weird?

It just so happened a couple days later I was contacted by another Mom, asking if I would want to go in on a gift for Mrs. Kautz' birthday, help decorate her classroom, etc. So, now I knew that it must really be her birthday.....never know with Avery......and maybe it wasn't overboard to get her something if other parents and kiddos were having the same idea??? I was most definitely on board!

Anyway, long story short........the fabric came in just in time for me to get the pillows done for her birthday. I was kinda impressed with myself!! I think they turned out pretty cute and didn't realize just how perfectly they go with her classroom. And we did go ahead and get her the pencil sharpener.......and made cupcakes. It was so fun to decorate her classroom and I hear she was pretty surprised when she came in to school the next day. I think it made her day. I know something like that would make my day! Totally worth it!!

Closer look at the pillows. I am sooo in love with them! I don't impress myself often, but I was very impressed with my work. I almost gave up when I first started because I was having trouble with the sewing machine right away. After about......oh, 3 hours or so!...I finally figured it out. So much time and money went in to these. I just hope they are appreciated! Now my kiddos want one of their own!! I might want one too! ;)

Looking Back at Paris

I know Momma bear has been wanting to see a pic of the girls I went to Paris with. Sadly, I never took a pic of all three of us together. Jodi did take one group selfie of us and she sent it to me the other day along with a couple of her other pics. So.....a look back at my first ever girls trip. :)