our trip to arizona was basically perfection.
it was just what i needed.
we spent 8 whole days just playing and relaxing as a family.
i was really sad when it came to an end. like, really sad!
we stayed at my parent's house in gilbert but, since they are currently serving as missionaries in BC, they weren't there.
it would have been so much fun to vacation with them again, but we also felt pretty cool having our own private vacation home and pool!
this is how i would sum up our trip:
1. pool time. and more pool time.
chet did not pass his most recent swim class.
i don't know what happened.. he loved his previous class.
he had just got it in his head that this class was scary, and there was no convincing him otherwise.
i basically had to bribe him to go to every class, and it took all the fun out of it.
it made me sad, especially because i knew our arizona trip was coming up fast and i had planned on the boys spending all day in the pool and he was wrecking my plan.
it made me sad, especially because i knew our arizona trip was coming up fast and i had planned on the boys spending all day in the pool and he was wrecking my plan.
luckily, things were completely different once we got to arizona.
chet and holden spent every waking moment in the pool.
we could hardly get those boys out of the water!
holden was a crazy kid. no fear!
holden was jumping in on the first day.
holden was jumping in on the first day.
chet wasn't ever quite as crazy, but he did get super good at swimming and floating, and we even got him jumping in after a couple days too!
i loved watching them playing in the water all day and being exhausted from all that play come bedtime.
it reminded me of my summers growing up.
in my mind, kids + water + sun = a perfect summer day.
i definitely want to have a pool someday.
my mom says i come by that desire honestly - she grew up with a pool, i grew up with a pool, and, naturally, i want my boys to grow up with one too!
2. having fun keeping cool.
honestly, most of our time was spent in my parent's backyard.
it was so easy to just walk outside and play - no packing up bags of towels and toys and snacks.
and the pool was all the boys really needed.
but we did spend a few days doing other things too.
honestly, most of our time was spent in my parent's backyard.
it was so easy to just walk outside and play - no packing up bags of towels and toys and snacks.
and the pool was all the boys really needed.
but we did spend a few days doing other things too.
there are 2 splash pads within walking distance of my parents place, we made our way to those a couple times during the week.
it was a fun way to cool off.
it was a fun way to cool off.
but, by the time we walked the few blocks home, we were always ready to cool off again in the pool!
we also spent one full day at a big waterpark called 'big surf'.
it was matt's idea.
i wasn't sure if our family is at the right age for a waterpark but figured it couldn't hurt to try.
and, turns out, matt was right! we had a lot of fun.
we split into 2 teams for a lot of the day:
team chet & matt and team holden & pam.
chet and matt went off and rode almost every slide in the park that day.
we couldn't get over how brave chet was!
holden and i hung around the kiddie areas and slides.
i would definitely do another waterpark day with our boys next time we are down there.
3. hotness.
one of my very favorite things to do is lay out in the sun.
the hotter, the better!
and, boy oh boy, was it ever hot.
we used oodles of sunscreen and still all came home with wicked tans.
i tried waking up early enough to beat the heat on my morning runs but turns out that is impossible in phoenix in july.
no matter how early i woke up, i was still a sweaty mess by the end of my run.
but i will take that over cold weather any day.
i have been craving the feeling of that hot sun soaking into my skin ever since we got home.
but i will take that over cold weather any day.
i have been craving the feeling of that hot sun soaking into my skin ever since we got home.
4. eating out.
eating out is always a highlight of our US trips.
we never go anywhere special - we just have some favorites that we can't get up here.
plus, it is sooOo cheap down there.
i swear everytime i looked at a menu i was blown away by how cheap it is to eat out down there!
we got a lot of sonic drinks while we were there.
personally, i think the food at sonic is revolting. but the drinks are my favorite.
one time we stopped for sonic drinks and then took them with us on a walk around the temple.
one time we stopped for sonic drinks and then took them with us on a walk around the temple.
we also stopped at cafe rio, chik-fil-a, and paradise bakery.
aaand krispy kreme.
(haha it sounds like a lot of eating out now that i am writing it down. oops.)
aaand krispy kreme.
(haha it sounds like a lot of eating out now that i am writing it down. oops.)
i expected our krispy kreme trip to be pretty quick, but we ended up staying and watching donuts fry for a pathetically long time!
the boys found it very fascinating.
5. kid-less time.
once we put the boys down for bed, matt and i always went back outside for one last kid-less swim/hottub of the day.
it almost beats staying in a hotel or resort when you can sneak out to your own private pool!
we didn't get to do any official dates out of the town without our kids, but it seemed like we still got a lot of time to ourselves.
our boys just played so well together this trip. it was adorable!
they are honestly best *BEST* friends.
matt and i are both kind of having baby regrets these days (don't tell the baby!).
but really, why are we having another kid when the ones we have are finally at this perfect stage?!
this next kid better be pretty dang cool ;)
other bits.
- despite the fact that our flight there was disgustingly early, and our flight back was disgustingly late, our boys were amazing little travelers. they are pros at it.
- we went to see the minion movie as a family. i haven't seen despicable me so i didn't really know what a minion was. but, turns out, they don't talk - they just make super annoying sounds. oh my goodness! that movie was painful.
- my plan was to spend a whole bunch of time in target on our trip, but it didn't happen. i have been having serious target withdrawals since target got booted out of canada a few months ago. but, for some reason, we just never had time/need to go there. i only spent about 20 minutes and $10 in a target.. which is actually probably for the best.
- on the first day of our trip, we saw 2 scorpions (one of which matt battled to the death), the biggest spider i have ever seen outside of a pet store, and a praying mantis. it stressed me right out! but, after that, we didn't see anything creepy.
- it only rained on us for a few minutes one night - the rest of the trip was dry. but we did see lots of lightning. there were several nights that we watched crazy lightning storms brewing on the horizon while we sat in the hottub.
- our baby turned 27 weeks old while we vacationing.
we didn't get to do any official dates out of the town without our kids, but it seemed like we still got a lot of time to ourselves.
our boys just played so well together this trip. it was adorable!
they are honestly best *BEST* friends.
matt and i are both kind of having baby regrets these days (don't tell the baby!).
but really, why are we having another kid when the ones we have are finally at this perfect stage?!
this next kid better be pretty dang cool ;)
other bits.
- despite the fact that our flight there was disgustingly early, and our flight back was disgustingly late, our boys were amazing little travelers. they are pros at it.
- we went to see the minion movie as a family. i haven't seen despicable me so i didn't really know what a minion was. but, turns out, they don't talk - they just make super annoying sounds. oh my goodness! that movie was painful.
- my plan was to spend a whole bunch of time in target on our trip, but it didn't happen. i have been having serious target withdrawals since target got booted out of canada a few months ago. but, for some reason, we just never had time/need to go there. i only spent about 20 minutes and $10 in a target.. which is actually probably for the best.
- on the first day of our trip, we saw 2 scorpions (one of which matt battled to the death), the biggest spider i have ever seen outside of a pet store, and a praying mantis. it stressed me right out! but, after that, we didn't see anything creepy.
- it only rained on us for a few minutes one night - the rest of the trip was dry. but we did see lots of lightning. there were several nights that we watched crazy lightning storms brewing on the horizon while we sat in the hottub.
- our baby turned 27 weeks old while we vacationing.
perfect form, right?!
A for effort?!
the gilbert temple.
big surf waterpark.
i like how holden's hat is upside down by this point..
my phone had the same problem a few times!
this is me in all my 27 weeks pregnant glory. chet took the picture.
i am so not into pregnant belly photos but figured i should have some documentation. this may very well be all you get!
on our last day, we did a quick nudey photo shoot.
i couldn't resist snapping a photo of those tan lines!
zonked out on the late night plane ride home.
matt and i have always had full intentions of moving back somewhere south in the near future.
this trip made me want it even more.
calgary is nice and all, but i can't stop daydreaming of our future somewhere else. it's bad!
this trip made me want it even more.
calgary is nice and all, but i can't stop daydreaming of our future somewhere else. it's bad!
