Hanging out with friends, Easter, and Gymnastics getting ready to go to State! - 2026/04/08

We've got a lot of stuff going on this spring! From hanging out with friends, celebrating Easter, and getting ready for Alli's final gymnastics meet at State! Let's jump right into it! 

Our RV friends, the Rayborns, are traveling down to the Florida Keys for Spring Break, but stopping at the same RV park that we're in! The kids were all excited to meet back up and play together again. First starting the day by going to play together in the pool. 

Walking back to the RV, but not ready for things to be over quite yet. 

Time for a big water balloon fight! The kids were outside for hours playing in the water together. 

The hammocks and the balloon animals were popular too. 

For dinner, we all had such a good time the last time we did it that Jessica assumed we'd all want to go back to Volcano Hot Pot again. She was right! That place is tasty! Almost as good as Big Wok back in California. 

The adults sitting at a table and cooking their own food. 

The kids really really liked being at their own table, using the hot plate and making food for each other. They'd take someone's order, gather the ingredients, cook it all up, then plate it "special" for whoever it's for. 

Nice Alli. 

Look at the fancy garnish on top of the meat, along with the perfectly cooked bacon. 

Can't forget about dessert either. We try all the flavors of ice cream! 

It's been a great day hanging out together! 

The very next morning was Easter. Once the kids finally woke up (they were very worn out from the day before), they found Easter Baskets waiting for them! 

Lots of tasty treats and even a future taste test. 

Their cheeks are a little rosy despite the sunblock, due to all the time outside yesterday. 

And did we have any visitors outside last night? 

Yes! There's eggs hidden everywhere! 

Before they left to go further south, our friends hid eggs for them all around the RV. So sweet of them! Thank you! 

Finding all the eggs. 

Except one that Theresa discovered! 

There's also Easter egg hunts that are hosted by the campground, but, like the Halloween events, they are really popular and can get pretty crowded. With 1200 RV sites at this campground, there's the potential to have a whole lot of kids! 

We have one of Alli's gymnastics teammates and her family hanging out with us today on this beautiful Sunday. 

The kids re-purposed the eggs from this morning, filling them with candy and coins and we had another Easter Egg hunt around our RV. 

They could be anywhere! Even the RV ladder! 

Such a beautiful day means we should head over to the pool! The kids enjoyed the water, while the adults relaxed and talked in the shade. We've got a visitor! 

We've got to get a picture together with the Easter Bunny! 

It's Sunday so you know what that means. Pizza! To feed everyone, I made 6 extra large pizzas. 

Charlotte helped me inside spreading the sauce, sprinkling the cheese, adding the toppings, and even with sliding the pizza into the hot oven! 

And when it came out 2 minutes later, she was the first one to get a slice because it looked so good. Thanks for the help Charlotte! 

Along with the weather getting warmer down here, it's also getting warmer and thawing out up north too. It's time for many RVs to start their travels or head back home to warmer locations. 

The kids have had such a good time playing with their friends the Blues. They spent their last day together running around, playing games, collecting leaves, and twisting balloons. 

And of course making chalk art. This was their "beach" at the end of the driveway. 

And we've been the beneficiaries of Sarah's baking many many times this winter. 

Delicious cookies, tortillas, homemade sourdough breads, and today fresh biscuits with homemade strawberry jam, made from strawberries they picked a couple days earlier. Safe travels friends! Looking forward to seeing you again this Fall! 

Tonight is a big night for Alli's gymnastics team. It's their last practice before the State Meet. After school, we stopped into Chick-fil-A for a quick bite to eat before the kids both head off for 3 hours of gymnastics. 

Before practice was over, Theresa and I headed out to pick up a whole lot of pizza for the big State send off! There's a big party for all the girls as they get ready to head off to compete. 

Mike had all the decorations including red, white, and blue table covers, banners.

Plus swag for all the girls including cups, goodie bags, and more. 

All the parents of the team pitched in to make the girls celebration a special one. 

Many of the girls on the team are from Brazil, so their parents brought cheese and chicken filled bites. 

And Brazilian chocolate and cream desserts too. I liked the cookies, and especially the cupcakes with gymnastics posed figures on them. 

After practice, the adults and siblings formed a bit tunnel, along with pom poms to cheer for the girls as they ran through. 

Then everyone was happy to dig into the pizza and other treats. 

It was a great send-off and everyone had a whole lot of fun. 

Good luck at State!