The Sharp Stick That Broke the Camel’s Back

This is a picture of the sharp stick….

…that finally broke the camel’s back.

Let me explain…

This week was our Spring Break. We had so many lofty plans in place. After our kids saw our anniversary trip photos of Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, they commenced begging for a trip that would include them. So we decided to grant the kids their wish. We planned a trip that was supposed to start on Monday, the boy’s official birthday. We thought it would be a perfect way to kick off our vacation week.

When I got around to checking the weather forecast, I discovered it was going to be much too hot for my liking down South on Monday and Tuesday. I convinced Mike to change our trip to Wednesday and Thursday when the weather was supposed to be much cooler. It was a good thing I did too, because on Monday Mary Kate started complaining of a headache and sore throat. By the end of the day she had a roaring fever and didn’t feel much like getting off the couch. (We crossed our fingers and hoped she’d be feeling better by Tuesday night. Our trip was still on).

In the mean time, because it was the boy’s birthday and they were feeling like their special day was turning out to be quite lame; Mike and I decided to take them to the local pool for a swim. When we got home we banished Mary Kate into the basement for awhile and invited a couple of the neighborhood boys over for Grasshopper Pie (the boy’s requested this in place of traditional birthday cake).

Once the presents were opened and their bellies full of ice cream pie, the boys decided their birthday wasn’t SO lame after all.

Birthday saved! Phew!

When Tuesday rolled around MK insisted that she felt much better, but I wasn’t convinced. When you’re a mom you can tell when your kids don’t feel well just by looking at their eyes. With MK in mind, Mike and I were back and forth about whether or not we should go ahead with the trip. We had pretty much decided to play it by ear…

…and then there was the incident with the sharp stick.

I was sorting through the clean laundry trying to decide what clothes to pack for our maybe-we-will-maybe-we-won’t vacation, when Jonathan came running in the house screaming in agony. I’ll spare you all the gory details (some of which caused my gag reflex to kick in), but the long and short of it is this: he was climbing out of the tree in our front yard and decided to jump down from the last branch. In doing so he inadvertently caught his back on the sharp stick (pictured above). That stick decided to lodge it’s pointed, jagged self into Jonathan’s back, take of chunk of skin with it, and leave a few choice splinters behind as well.

So…after a LONG and horrible afternoon at the doctors office, an afternoon that included shots and stitches in the double digits, Mike and I decided once and for all that a trip to Zion and Bryce must not have been meant to be and we called off the whole thing.

That sharp stick finally broke the camel’s back. (And did a number on Jonathan’s too).

When Wednesday rolled around though, and Mary Kate really was feel better (I could tell by her eyes) we did get to see our proverbial camel…

At Hoogle Zoo!

It wasn’t Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon, but it wasn’t so bad. We managed to have some fun even…

Proof that my nick name for Mike, Ape Arms, is appropriate.

The boy’s favorite zoo feature was the courtesy map. They were obsessed!

The giraffes are my personal favorite. I want one for a pet.

Mary Kate liked this little guy…

…and this bigger guy.

Our Spring Break was nothing like we planned, but it hasn’t turned out too badly. We even took a trip down to Arches for one day. (Details coming soon).

Sometimes you’re forced to be flexible, because life happens.