“Spring” Break

Elena is back to school today, after nearly two weeks off.  The week before last we were both down for the count with colds and fever.  Last week was spring break.  At least that’s what they tell us.  It started out beautifully, weather wise.  Sunny, warm, upper 70s.  On Tuesday the bottom fell out and today was the first day it was above 40.

The highlight of spring break was a little day trip we took to Chicago.  My mom tagged along, which was really nice.  We spent the morning at one of my favorite stores, IKEA.  In the afternoon we went to the Museum of Science & Industry.  They have a special exhibit called "Body Worlds."  It’s somewhat controversial, as they have real human bodies that have been "plastinated," whatever that means.  Part of the exhibit is whole bodies, with most of the skin removed so you can see muscles and organs.  The other part of the exhibit consists of display cases with different organs and bones.  You might be thinking, "How appropriate is this for a 4-year-old?"  Well, she must be mine because Elena was fascinated.  After we got home she drew this picture, showing some of the things she saw:

The picture is titled "My Bode" (My Body).  The first sketch on the left is her heart.  The next is her nerves.  The next one is her muscles.  I particularly like the way she chose to use stamps for the head and the feet 🙂  The next one is her skeleton.  Above that is her stomach and intestines, or as she likes to explain, "where the poop comes out."  The big plan is to take this to show and tell on Wednesday.

This is what an Easter egg hunt looks like in Indiana: winter coat and mittens.  I guess it could have been worse – we could have been in Cleveland digging our eggs out of the snow.

We had a great Easter, despite the cold.  Now that Elena can read, we decided to make her hunt for her basket.  Mike wrote up some simple clues and hid them in plastic eggs.  She had a blast running from clue to clue.  After church we spent the afternoon at my parents, eating and visiting with my sister and her family.  Here’s our little bunny wearing the biggest bow they make north of the Mason-Dixon line . . .

On Thursday I’ll be leaving for my first ever girlfriend weekend at the beach!  I’m flying to Tampa and meeting two friends from my Nashville playgroup.  Then we’re road tripping to Santa Rosa Beach to meet another friend from Tallahassee.  So say a little prayer for all the men we’re leaving behind!