Since we've had spring-like weather since January, we were more than ready for a break by the time it finally got here. We packed in as much family time as possible and even started our break early when my nephew and his family arrived from New Mexico to spend a day with us.

Since my nephew loves history and he has small children, we opted for the trolley as an activity that would have something for everyone. The visitor's center gave the children George Washington masks that we all got a kick out of.

Add in several meals, lots of visiting, hugs, snacks, handbags and a trip to the Chancellorsville Battlefield and their visit was over all too soon.

The next few days were reserved for tasks around the house. Lots of yard work, scrubbing the walls in the poolhouse with bleach, mowing and trimming bushes gave things a spruced-up look and we were ready for more family time.

We met my sister and one of her sons in Frederick, Maryland for a relaxed day. We walked along the canal, stopped in at the visitor's center, hurried through an arts center and had lunch before heading the park.

I had promised JJ that one activity during spring break would be the bike trail which he had discovered. The trail is 4 miles long, but since we had to finish up where the van was parked, we did not attempt the entire distance.

After a trip down the trail, we hurried home to welcome friends for the afternoon. Unfortunately, I failed to take any pictures of all the kids or mothers.

Justin had been wishing for a fishing trip, and we managed to squeeze one of those in between shopping and a trip to the orthodontist.

He was joined by JJ while Jeremy and I read and visited.

We finished our extra-long break with a family weekend in Pennsylvania. Justin took his guitar and Jeremy took his ukulele and both boys spent time giving their cousins music lessons. I'm sure that there have been multiple requests for guitars or ukuleles from the cousins to their parents.

After a very full ten days, I wasn't sure if everyone would be ready to resume a school schedule, but all three boys seemed to slip back in without any major trouble.

One of the benefits of living closer to town is that the boys can be more involved in extra-curricular activities Since all three boys had friends in choir and drama at church, they decided that they'd like to add both classes. Jeremy and Justin's drama group began working on a play about Daniel after Christmas and Jeremy was very glad to learn that he would play the part of King Darius.

Justin snagged the position of guard and he served under all three kings.

They came home from each class with stories about how practice had gone and doubts about whether they'd be able to learn their lines.

After their performance was over, they were all smiles. Both Jeremy and Justin were in roles where frowns were part of their role.

JJ's group began working on a play titled "The Story of the Bible" and he was one of the children of Israel in most scenes, but was most excited about being able to chase the Israelites with a sword during the time of the judges.

He smiled from ear to ear during most of the performance and was still smiling this morning when he crawled out of bed.

We enjoyed watching all three boys along with many of their friends two evenings in a row and are we are all anticipating the next time we get to see them in action.