As I mentioned in my Spring Break Part 1 post (here), I had planned several play dates for the week since we weren't taking a trip or doing anything "big". We were certainly blessed to spend some great time with friends we love, but Tuesday of Spring Break was an extra special day!
When I was in college, there was a group of us girls who were all very close and spent tons of time together. Four of us (Amy, Angie, Kendall, and myself) are all still besties, and if you've been a reader for long at all then you've seen them and read about them on here. There were several other girls that were part of our crew back then, and one of them is named Miwa. Miwa is Japanese and had come to Oklahoma from Japan to go to college. We spent three years with her in college before she graduated and moved back home to Japan. She's married now and has two boys who are six and two years old. We all keep up with her through social media, but it's been 12 years since we've seen her in person.
Our crew in 2006 . . . Miwa is the one across our laps!
The last time I saw Miwa . . . December 2006
About a month prior to Spring Break, Miwa contacted us letting us know that she was planning a visit to the US and Oklahoma with her boys. She would be staying about a week in Oklahoma, and wanted to all of us to get together with our kiddos. It worked out perfectly that her visit was the during Spring Break (as Amy and Angie are teachers), so we could all spend a day together.
Everyone came to my house not too long before lunch. It was SO GOOD to see Miwa, and a bit surreal to all be together again with a bunch of our offspring, haha. We had hot dogs, mac and cheese, fruit, and salad for lunch, and Miwa said, "Oh, my boys have never had food like this before!" Welcome to America, boys! 😀
Thankfully, the weather was beautiful so everyone could eat and play outside.
We had a ball watching all the kids play together! Miwa's boys were amazed at how big our yard is (it's about 3/4 of an acre). She said that our yard is bigger than the public park where they play at home!
I absolutely love having our backyard full of playing children! It makes my heart happy!
Bren and Miwa's 6 year old son, Y, really hit it off. Y spoke some English, but there was certainly a language barrier. It didn't matter to them, though. They played and chased and shared and laughed the whole time they were together. It was really sweet to see, and I'm thankful they were able to meet each other.
Julia, Caroline, Brenson, Y, Charley, Brianna, Mark, Brooke, Jack, Annie, and Brecklyn 💓
Love the friendship these crazy kids have!
We definitely look different these days, but our love for each other is the same! We had an amazing time visiting with Miwa. She brought us gifts and just showered us with her love, and I hope she felt the same from us!
Kendall, Miwa, Amy, Angie, and Chelley in 2018 💗
Of course, not everyone loved the pic we took outside so we had to try again :-).
It was truly a wonderful and super special day spent with Miwa!
Wednesday was a little more low-key than Monday and Tuesday had been, but I think we were ready for it. We attended our usual library story time, but had the special treat of our friends, Sadie and Caroline, joining us.
Sadie, Brooke, and Brecklyn
Caroline, Brianna, and Brecklyn
While we were at the library, Brenson realized he was finally old enough for his very own library card. He was thrilled to be able to get it, but then he didn't want to use it while we were there. On the way to lunch, I was trying to figure out why he didn't want to use it and finally he said he didn't want to "use it up". I had to explain to him that it's not like a gift card that will run out!
After the library, we grabbed lunch at Mazzio's with our friends.
We followed lunch up with a nap (for everyone!), then some outside play time. My kids truly never get tired of playing outside, and I'm so thankful for that! Of course, Charley joined us while playing outside.
The remainder of Wednesday was our standard dinner out and Bible study.
On Thursday, Daddy left early, early in the morning for a quick business trip, and we had more plans with friends. This time, our *almost* neighbors Anna, Gavin, and Blake came over for a few hours.
Gavin, Brianna, and Brenson played a little Headbandz,
then the whole crew headed outside to run off some energy!
Anna and I don't know each other too well, but our kiddos have been in school together the last few years. I really enjoyed visiting with her, and I felt like we hit it off really well. Brianna and Gavin are good little buddies, so everyone got along just great!
AND, Anna brought snacks so that was an automatic win in my book!
Brecklyn and Brooke had the dirtiest little faces after eating sugar and playing outside all morning :-).
After our friends left, we had some quiet/rest time, then went upstairs to watch TV for several hours. This is a rare and special treat, but I felt like some veg time was in order. This also helped keep everyone's mind off of worrying about when Daddy was going to be home.
Bren and Brooke
Brecklyn and Bri
Daddy did get home just fine after bedtime that evening, which is always a good moment for me.
Up until this point, we had yet to have a morning where we didn't have to get up and immediately get ready for the day. I was ready for a slow morning, so that's just what we did on Friday. We spent several hours playing and lounging in our pjs, relaxed, took too long doing chores, and just had a lazy morning! Then, we finally got ready and headed to downtown Tulsa to meet Daddy for lunch since we had missed dinner with him the night before.
One of my favorite places to eat downtown!
The big kids love going to work with Daddy, so after lunch they stayed with him at his office while I took the little girls home for nap time.
They always have a great time "at work"!
Somehow while they were at work with Daddy, Brianna and Brenson talked him into sleeping in the backyard in a tent that night. I was surprised as it had been chilly all week, but they were too excited to be talked out of it. After a simple dinner at home, Daddy, Brenson, and Brianna headed outside to set up their little camp. The little girls and I enjoyed the comfort of our beds!
On Saturday morning, Daddy had arranged to go pick up a double slide from someone who was selling it online. We are planning to build a new play set soon, so Daddy didn't want to miss out on the great deal on this slide. The big kids both wanted to go with him, so the three of them did that while the twins and I stayed home and played.
Brianna and Brenson working together to carry the slide.
I like to see the teamwork!
When Chris sent me this pic of it all loaded and ready to bring home, I was shocked. I didn't realize how BIG it was going to be!
After getting the slide, they went to spend a few hours helping our friends who are moving from Sapulpa to Claremore. Once they got home, I had some errands I needed to run, so Bri and I went to do that. I had a great evening with her, but found myself feeling really sad about Spring Break coming to an end. It had just been a great week spending time together, and I wasn't ready for it to be over!
But, as we all know, time doesn't stop. Sunday welcomed us with a beautiful sunrise!
We went to worship services, out for lunch, and had good naps that afternoon. After evening worship, we went out with some of our church family for dinner. I couldn't think of a better way to end a Spring Break where the over-arching theme had been spending time with friends and loved ones!
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