Winter Break

I have had a really hard time thinking of something fun to post about! We are in the middle of the winter blues. Outside has been brown and cold... and now it is WHITE and cold. We just need some warm spring-like weather to boost our spirits! I also have been really bad about taking pictures, so it's not too fun to blog without fun pictures.

However, Lauren has had the week off from school for Winter Break. So we have done a few things as a family. I was also responsible for our ward's Enrichment activity on 72-hour kits Thursday night. That meant Monday was filled with shopping for forty 72-hour kit supplies. The girls didn't find that too fun, but we did eat at McDonald's for lunch.... so I count that as an activity for them! Brandon had Monday off as well, and he was a huge help on our shopping trip. Our best find was at REI. We found $10 Maglite flashlights for $3 on clearance.

Tuesday we went to the zoo with Tanner and Ally. Lauren and Elle really have a fun time with them. Lauren also played at their house that afternoon while Elle had a long nap. I had a few minutes of quiet time. Yeah!

Wednesday included getting Lauren's hair cut about three inches at Snip-its. Snip-its is a kid-friendly place for hair cuts. They are a little pricey, but supposed to be fun. Lauren likes the idea of getting her hair trimmed. Luckily she isn't trimming it herself.... this is something I'm sure Elle will do at some future time. After the haircut, we did a little shopping. The girls ended up with a few new things to wear.

Thursday was the much-anticipated day to go to Chuck E. Cheeses. I really don't like this place (I think it's the combination of paying for tokens, greasy fingers, greasy pizza, and winning a cheap prize in the end), but the girls LOVE it. Lauren has been asking to go since we passed it last fall. I promised her we would go sometime... and then when I found out about her winter break, I promised her we would go then. So, Thursday was the day. Luckily Tanner and Ally joined us for some fun games and mediocre pizza.

Yesterday was Friday and Brandon decided to take the morning off. We drove over to the Harvard area to pick-up the MAC Office software for our new computer. I am always envious of students in Boston, because I would love to be in their place... learning at such great institutions. For lunch we found the "Garage." It is a multi-level building of restaurants that was converted from an actual parking garage. We ate at Crazy Dough's Pizza and had some gourmet pizza of Potato Bacon Cheddar. It was yummy! It also snowed like crazy, and we ended up with about eight inches of fresh snow.

Overall, after typing this up, I think I need to go on a diet! We ate fast-food style like we were on vacation.... but since Lauren was on vacation, maybe it was okay?