March 2017- A mixed bag | The Harris Family Blog

March is always a whirlwind of opposites it seems. There are inklings of spring in the air, followed by a foot of snow. The sun starts coming up earlier, followed by daylight savings time, which ruins it all. There is March Madness (snooze), followed by Spring Break (yea!).

As a further example, there’s Walter and Charlie. Now, you might look at this picture and think we’re being mean to poor Charlie….making him sit and watch Walter eat. The truth of the matter is, Charlie couldn’t care less about food. His breakfast often goes untouched. He eats half of his dinner. Both Walter and I could benefit from his laize faire attitude about food. Walter is extremely food motivated, obsessed you might say. Charlie knows this and teases and taunts the poor guy. He will pick up his bowl of dog food and carry it around the house, not eating a morsel….he’s even been known to jump up on the couch with a full bowl and look at Walter as if to say “You’re my bitch.”

Anyway, the true story of this picture is that it was Walter’s third birthday and the kids had made him an ENORMOUS birthday “cake” out of canned dog food and treats. Just what his 65 lb. self needed. Charlie had already had his one tablespoon of dinner and now was celebrating through the window.

Happy Birthday Walter Woo!!

The beginning of March was also Jackson’s graduation from cotillion. I am not sure he learned any social graces, but he fully enjoyed getting dressed up and dancing with the ladies.

Remember back in January when I started ~~drinking~~ choking down kombucha in an attempt to boost my immune system? Well, I am happy to report that I can get it all the way to my mouth now without gagging from the vinegar-y smell and taste. I kid (mostly). I have found a few flavors that I like….they’re not diet Coke or Sauvignon Blanc mind you, but they suffice. One in particular has a nice little pick me up inside the cap to distract you from the awful taste. Inspirational.

There are 2 things of note in this next picture. First and most importantly, Reese’s artwork was displayed at the citywide art exhibition. Her dragon is the one in the top left corner. I am biased, but I think it was the best one by far. Second, is that you’ll want to take note of this particular outfit that Reese is wearing because it will show up time and time again. It must be the outfit that makes her feel the most fierce because she wears it AT LEAST once a week. Go with what works, right?

Let’s talk about Spring Break, shall we? March is the perfect time to take a vacation, but this Mama didn’t get her poop in a group enough ahead of time to take a real trip…like on an airplane. Plus, a certain member of our family was too busy running, biking and swimming to go anywhere fun…more on that in future posts. So, I scrambled to plan something fun for the week off from school. Great Wolf Lodge just opened a new location in Colorado Springs and I was ~~lucky~~ smart enough to book WAY ahead of time and get a great deal on a “suite.” I say that with sarcasm, because although it was perfectly suitable and clean, the word suite in my mind implies luxury accommodations….soaking tub, feather bed, gorgeous view and most importantly a mini bar. Yeah, this was not that type of luxury. We did have a lovely view of the brand spanking new HVAC system. It was breathtaking. More on Great Wolf Lodge later.

First, we started the spring break activities with a stop in Denver for niece Landry’s birthday party. I have no pics of the actual party, just a few selfies with my little peeps.

And this picture that perfectly sums up what it’s like to go out to eat with five young kids. These two are a hoot.

We couldn’t make a trip to Colorado Springs without hitting up the Cave of the Winds. Once again, no pictures inside because I was frantically trying to make sure Malory didn’t wander off into a cavern. It was dark. And treacherous. And smelly. And cramped. Why did I think this was a good idea? I remember it being way cooler when I was last there….in 1983. Or, maybe it was my mind’s way of blocking out those wool plaid pants that Jane made me wear. I wish I had photo evidence of those pants….it exists somewhere.

I will spare everyone a play-by-play recap of the GWL. A summary is that you get wet, you eat questionable food, and your checkbook gets emptied. Great Wolf Lodge clearly needs to hire me to write reviews for them….

Now, no offense to those of you that live there, but I generally consider Colorado Springs to be pretty blah. It’s like the stepchild to Boulder/Denver/Fort Collins. Kind of a stopping point on the way to a real sh$thole….Pueblo. However, it does have a few redeeming qualities….The Broadmoor (5-Star resort in the middle of the ‘hood), Cave of the Winds (always seems like a good idea until you’re half a mile below earth and can’t see your hand in front of your face). And my personal favorite, The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo…..

It’s hands down the best zoo in the country. I could feed the giraffes all day, but then they’d end up looking like Walter…or really like every other dog I’ve ever owned. Food = Love.

Aren’t they the coolest? My kids I mean, not the giraffes.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, March is a mixed bag. We had absolutely beautiful weather for our entire spring break, and then it rained for a solid two weeks. At least my little lady and I got to break out our Wellies.

Two more things before I sign off of what may go down as the most boring post in the history of this blog…..

First off, it’s no secret that my dogs are supremely spoiled. I mean, look at him eating ice cream off of the spoon. One for you, one for me. I have often eluded to the fact that Walter is a big boy….mystery solved.

Lastly, during one of my 700 trips to King Soopers this month, I glanced over at the magazines while waiting in the checkout line and almost wet my pants from laughter. Seriously? Can you even blame her? Bless her heart.