Easter week with Jack & Anna

Always enjoy it when the kids can come for an extended visit. We had so many things planned for the week and managed to only get to some of them! Scott, Maggie, and the boys had been in the Chicago area over the weekend so they were able to pick up Jack & Anna on their way back through -- giving the kids time together on the drive. Then, I had Easter dinner ready so the boys stayed here after dinner for a couple of hours. I thought that might be the extent of it.

Jack was elated with his surprise win -- Anna & Ian not so much

Every year the schools in Appleton have the week before Easter off from school, and the Greenfield schools have the week after Easter so the kids rarely get to spend any time together. Fortunately, this year Ian and Alex also had the Monday after Easter so all four of the kids played together almost all day on Monday. The weather was reasonably cooperative so they could be outside for part of the time. I had to have my internet line replace in January and the cable is still strung across the backyard until AT&T can get out here and bury it so I was a little concerned about the kids running around out there, but they did fine. We also played board games; a pretty competitive game of Life had us pretty convinced that either Ian or Anna were going to win, but Jack took the title with a surprise spin of the wheel and hit his number.  It figures, really, with Jack's continual luck!

Jack and Anna had not yet seen the new Disney movie of Cinderella so we went to that on Tuesday. I had assured Jack that he would like it -- and he did.

We never made it to the Y for swimming and we never made it to the batting cage for practice, but we did get in about a dozen games of Life and/or Scrabble.  Ian also taught us a new card game (Pres), Jack had Skip-Bo (card game), everyone had electronic games, and both the xbox and Wii got a workout.

Thursday morning, the library was having a used book sale so we stopped in and got a lot of books, plus some vinyl records for Steve.  Jack has been reading The Hardy Boys and he found a book for me about Larry Bird and the Celtics.  On Thursday night, I had a meeting so Grandpa took Jack, Anna, and Alex to Paradise Island for supper and ice cream.

Great week!  Kids are coming back in June for a week and I'm hoping the weather will be cooperative and we can spend some days at Plamann Park at the lake.