Tag Archives: Flying Squirrel Spokane

Another Special Holiday Break At Home

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Alright, I made it through the first couple days of work for 2024. I think we can agree that returning to the office after the holidays can be tough. But I believe that working those initial days of the new year can give you a better appreciation of what you got to experience while on break. Such is the case for me.

For the second consecutive year, I had the relaxing advantage of staying put in Spokane for the holiday break. My children completed their last school day of the calendar year on Friday, Dec. 15, and I worked my last day of the calendar year on Tuesday, Dec. 19. From the evening of that Tuesday through New Year’s Day, we had a spectacular time together. As I did last year, I want to offer up 10 of the activities we engaged in during our holiday break…

Ornament Craft – As I said in my intro, we literally started doing fun stuff on that Tuesday night. Our kickoff event was at the North Spokane County Library where Sloan and Beau joined their cousins for an ornament craft. The kids made sleigh decorations with Sloan placing a snowman in her sled while cousin Mikayla crafted a Santa to ride in hers.

Sloan and her cousin, Mikayla, making Christmas crafts at the library.

Geocache – At Sloan’s request, we ventured into the world of geocaching during break. We devoted an entire afternoon to finding them. Although we couldn’t seem to find the geocache at the first location as Beau’s bladder forced us to stop sooner than desired, we did find the capsule at the second geocache location we visited.

Sloan holds her first-ever Geocache capsule.

Flying High – After my kids expressed their desire to get strapped into a bungee and jump high, my parents told Sloan and Beau they would take them during winter break. Grandma and Papa lived up to their word when they met us at Fanorama Bungee in the Spokane Valley Mall. With cousins Mikayla and Johnny in tow, the four kids had an excellent time jumping for the stars. Wait a second—scratch that—Beau wanted out the moment he was strapped in 😂. But the other three kids definitely had fun.

Sloan jumping her heart out at Fanorama Bungee

Bowling – I took Sloan and Beau to Lilac Lanes for 60 minutes of bowling mania. We set up the bumpers and Beau had a ball ramp so they could each have the chance to actually knock down pins. Much to my surprise, we only had to call the staff over once to retrieve a ball that stopped in the middle of the lane.

We bowled a few strikes at Lilac Lanes.

The Grinch – Spokane’s old-fashioned Garland Theater welcomed the three of us for a showing of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” starring Jim Carrey. Sloan and Beau had a fun time eating popcorn and “stretching their legs” as they took a couple “breaks” from the movie to walk around our section of the majestic theater. Me? I walked in thinking I didn’t like the Jim Carrey version but actually thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I actually really enjoyed watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at the Garland Theater.

We Play – Thanks to the generosity of Numerica, Spokane’s best play center opened its doors for free over winter break. On Dec. 22, admission was complimentary for the entire community. You better believe we took advantage! My sister and her two kids (you are very familiar with them by now…Mikayla and Johnny) met us at the facility for a hardcore play session that left the kids very entertained but surprisingly (and unfortunately) not very tired.

Thanks to Numerica, the kids played free at We Play.

Baptism – On the Saturday before Christmas Eve, the three of us (Sid had to work) went to St. John Vianney Catholic Church for the baptism of Eden Rose, the baby daughter of our friends, Brian and Hailey. Fr. Kevin Oiland performed the baptism as Fr. Jeff Lewis had the blessing of being selected as the godfather! Eden did a great job remaining calm for most of the ceremony, even when the holy water was poured over her head.

Hailey looks over her daughter, Eden, during the baptismal ceremony. Fr. Jeff Lewis, Eden’s godfather, is on the left. Fr. Kevin Oiland, who performed the baptism, is on the right.

Hibachi – As a Christmas gift from me to Sid and the kids, we ate at Fujiyama Japanese Steak House. What a fun and cozy place to eat! Our friends, Dylan and Fidela, joined us for the evening as our cook entertained and amazed us. Although Beau was a little afraid of the flames at first, he warmed up to it all. And oh yes…it was delicious!

Entertainment and delicious food is a great combination. We had a lot of fun at Fujiyama.

Mobius Discovery Center – Who says education can’t be cool? To be honest, visiting this children’s museum may have been the most fun activity that the kids did the entire break. I couldn’t believe how engaged Beau was with everything from the “launch it” stations, excavation pit, bubble area, and costume corner. When it came to Sloan, I literally let her loose and didn’t see her until it was time to go.

The kids may have had the most fun this break at Mobius Discovery Center.

Trampoline Park – It wouldn’t be a winter break without a trampoline park visit, right? On New Year’s Eve weekend I took the kids to Flying Squirrel. The best part? Sloan and Beau actually honored my request that they just jump and NOT hassle me about the arcade games.

Is it even winter break if you don’t go to a trampoline park? This is Beau at Flying Squirrel.

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It was a dad’s dream to have so much quality time with his kids. I am very fortunate to have a job where I am able to take an extended period of time during the holidays to re-charge and be with family. As I predicted in my Dec. 19 blog post, memories were made! Don’t Blink.

A Staycation Holiday Break

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I don’t think there is a harder day to return to work than after the holiday break. After so much fun, joy, and celebrating, it isn’t easy to return to the (virtual) office, even for people who really enjoy their jobs, like me. But today I ripped off the band-aid and worked my first day of 2023. It wasn’t that bad and after a couple more days the holiday vacation hangover will be a distant memory.

With that said, while the hangover is still lingering a bit, I can’t express what an awesome break it was. This year was different because we didn’t travel anywhere. When you fly cross country, like we have for many of the past several years, you lose a couple days to travel and then you have to deal with jet lag. Thanks to staying in Spokane for the nearly two weeks I had off, I was able to maximize the time I had.

Much of the joy I experienced from my break centered on hanging with my children. We did a lot. Yep, this wasn’t a hiatus from work where we slept in and watched Disney+ the whole time. Tonight I thought I would share 10 of the fun things we did over the past couple weeks (in no particular order). I would have included 20 things but no one has time for that…

Rise of the Guardians – The Garland Theater is a large, historic theater in Spokane. During the holiday break, it offered free morning showings of older movies. At the start of break, I took Sloan to “Rise of the Guardians” where she watched the film while enjoying popcorn and soda.

Sloan stands at the marquee of the Garland Theater after we watched “Rise of the Guardians.”

Craft Day – The Spokane Valley Library held an ornament craft day the first week of break. Sloan and I attended and had a great time. We decided to make an elf ornament that turned out pretty great and earned a place of honor on our Christmas tree.

Sloan made an elf ornament at the Spokane Valley Library ornament craft event.

Outback Dinner – One of my favorite things we did all break was a family dinner at Outback Steakhouse. After Sid finished her last work day before Christmas, the four of us went out for a Blooming Onion and steaks. It was relaxing and special to enjoy a nice dinner with the impending Christmas holiday just a couple days away.

It was cold outside but inside it was toasty and the steaks were warm. In all honesty, it was a wonderful dinner with the family.

Trampoline Park – A couple times during break I took Sloan and Beau to the Flying Squirrel, one of the many trampoline parks in Spokane. On one of the visits Sloan had a play date with her school friend, Aminah. During the other, we met up with my sister and her two children.

Sloan and Beau jumped at the Flying Squirrel twice during break. This is her with her friend, Aminah.

McDonald’s Lunch – The same day that Sloan and Beau jumped with their cousins at the trampoline park, we continued the fun at McDonald’s. The kids ate Happy Meals and played with their Mario Bros.-themed toys.

It is always a great day when you get to eat a Happy Meal.

Build-A-Bear – Sloan and Beau decided to use some of their Christmas money for a Build-A-Bear experience. After much debate, Sloan opted for a rainbow unicorn and Beau chose a Chase doll. It was a long process but what kid doesn’t need another stuffed animal to add to their overflowing collection?

Sloan and Beau holding their creations after an afternoon at Build-A-Bear.

Lunch With Sid – After the Christmas holiday, Sid returned to work. On Tues., Dec. 27, the kids and I joined her for lunch! We drove out to River Park Square which is right next to where my wife works. The four of us ate in the food court and then walked around the mall for a bit after.

We went to River Park Square to have lunch with Sid. As we waited, we crossed the sky walk and enjoyed a beautiful view.

Jump For Joy – Close to our house is a fun center called Jump For Joy. It specializes in inflatables such as jump castles. In-between our trampoline park visits, I took Sloan and Beau here for a fun afternoon.

Beau loved running around Jump For Joy.

Noon Year Party – On Dec. 31, Sloan, Beau, and I headed to the Shadle Public Library for its noon year celebration. We arrived at 11 a.m. and listened to a New Year’s Eve-related book. We then went to different stations and made noise makers, party hats, and a fireworks craft. As noon approached, the kids all surrounded a play parachute and ruffled its sides before launching balloons out of it at 12 p.m.

Sloan and Beau had a lot of fun making crafts at the Shadle Park Library Noon’s Year Eve party.

New Year’s Eve Date Night – Call me a bad father, but I allowed Sloan to stay up with me until midnight on New Year’s Eve. She just about made it on her own devices, falling asleep at 11:30 p.m. I couldn’t let that solid effort go unrewarded, so I woke her up at 11:55 p.m. to watch the ball drop. We spent the evening watching “Edward Scissorhands,” baking cookies, and watching the fireworks go off around our house.

Sloan and I all snuggled up for New Year’s Eve.

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After so much “out and about” activity, it is tough to confine yourself back to a desk. However, I am managing, as are Sloan and Beau at school and daycare, respectively. We will hold memories tight from this past break and will look to have just as much fun in 11.5 months. Don’t Blink.