The rest of the break

We've had a very rainy and wet winter (compared to what we're used to) so on a whim the day after Christmas we decided to drive to Mt. Charleston to see the snow and maybe go sledding! Of course, we didn't really have winter clothes or sleds. Quick thinking led me to grab a large piece of cardboard out of all our Christmas trash as we were pulling out of the driveway. It was funny to see the girls not know how to handle snow at all. They didn't know how to brush it off their clothes or anything like that that I suppose you just learn while growing up in it.

I think we double-pants'd the girls and then brushed them vigorously after snow angel attempts.

This was not good packing snow and they were very disappointed that our attempts at snowmen failed. Luckily, we found a pre-made one to get a photo with.

Cardboard sled!

Ryan actually went into work that Monday afternoon, but most of the day still felt special and like vacation. However, on Tuesday I woke up with the full-on blues. It was sad to see Christmas over and to have Ryan back at the daily grind. Bleh. I pulled myself together and decided to try this awesome jump place a friend had recommended. I checked their website and they had a deal every morning from 9-12 pm for kids aged 6 and under. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. Plus, we almost had the place to ourselves. It was just the kick in the pants that I needed. To top it off, after almost three hours of jumping, just as we were leaving I ran into Emilie Wong - who was a friend from our USC ward 7 years ago! What were the chances? We didn't have long to chat, but it was so great to see her again.

The girls called this the Green Jello.

Foam blocks, they had gladiator style weapons you could fight someone with and try to push them into the blocks.

They even had a climbing wall with harnesses and the workers were so friendly and helpful in getting Willa buckled in and helping her.

My parents came to visit and see our Christmas haul a few days later. They brought a sled and some old snowpants they had from their house. Since my girls are the youngest grandchildren on that side, they left the snowpants for us to keep. The snow was almost melting, but it was amazing how much more pleasant actual winter gear can make a snow activity. Ryan and I took the girls one more time a few weeks ago after a heavy rain here. There was about 18 inches of great snow to play in at Mt. Charleston.

For our last day of break before Willa went back to school, we decided to check out this new aquarium. Friends had talked about it, but I wasn't too interested until I learned that it was really hands-on and tactile. I figured that we might as well try it. The girls stayed for hours and begged to come back, so we ended up upgrading to an annual pass (it wasn't that much more). It's small and kind of weird, but the staff was so friendly and helpful. They were standing everywhere with animals to pet or hold.

You can use tokens for "enhanced experiences", one of which was to feed the parakeets. I'm just going to say this was the freakiest thing ever! It looks sweet at first until a second or third or fourth bird lands on your and they start fighting each other. By the end of our time inside the atrium, both girls had handed their cups of bird food to me and it felt like a horror movie as birds flocked around.

I went back the other day with June and some friends during a school day and we were standing by another "enhanced experience" where you can feed the sting rays. We didn't do it this time, but you could tell that the sting rays were starting to expect it because when we'd go look at them through the glass they'd come up really close and flap up the side of the tank so high that one of their fins would be slapping the glass above the water. Ugh. not right. But, overall besides creating all these new phobias for me, we've had a good time there and I'm glad we get to go back for more.