Arizona!!

We had the most WONDERFUL trip to visit Auntie Rhonda and Uncle Ben this past week.  Rhonda put incredible thought, time, and care into every little detail.  Packed with activities, fun, and sunshine... get ready for a long blog posting!

DAY 1:  The Arrival

First time on plane.  Tyler got the window.

The flight landed... everyone was getting off the plane and the boys started wrestling- phew!  Thanks goodness they waited till the end.

 We immediately started pool time in their backyard pool.  The hot spot all trip! 

Carter left/Tyler right

Travis with Daisy.  One of the THREE Mack cousin dogs! 

Tyler BEFORE

Tyler AFTER (nice shot Carter)

 DAY 2:  The Museum of Natural History

Tyler was dead set on digging up dinosaur bones.  I mentioned it months ago and everyday he grew more and more impatient.  So we had to make it our first excursion

Tyler and his find.

Uncle Ben and Annamarie had a little too much fun during their dig.  You could hear her laughing from across the pit.

The boys had never seen orange trees.  They were so sad I wouldn't let them eat them.

DAY 3:  The Wildlife Zoo & Aquarium

Okay, this zoo was SO COOL!! The animals are all out and about- so close- it's kind of wild.  You could feed giraffes, ostriches, stingrays and kangaroos- YES, kangaroos!!  Plus there was barely anyone there.  What an experience.

The gang with the camels

Carter and Auntie Rhonda with the giraffe

The giraffe just begging for more.

Annamarie dancing for the flamingos

Carter copying the giraffe making Travis feed him the icee.  Too funny.

Okay, this was a but terrifying- a porcupine!  right there!  There was a point he stuck his head out of the wood to see us and the boys could have touched him. scary.

But Carter LOVED petting the turtle

The warthog walked right up to me when he saw me taking his picture.  One of the ugliest creatures I had ever seen but he sure made me laugh because I think he was flattered.  Not many people probably take pictures of a warthog.

Feeding the stingrays.  They just BEGGED- almost jumping clear out of the water (surprising Rhonda a bit :)

Carter getting cornered by goats and deer in the petting zoo.

Classic Anna squawking at the goat to get it to play with her.

This blew me away... you entered an area that was a big field of kangaroos.  There was a path threw it and they were everywhere!  We fed them and one even had a little baby peaking its head out of her pouch.  adorable.

The mama and baby

 DAY 4: Baseball Game

I have fond memories of spring training from our family trip when I was a little girl.  I just loved it so  I was so excited to take the kids to their first game.  We sat on the lawn and it was just perfect.

Tyler orange glasses/Carter blue

Past game- Anna takes a swing... pun intended.

Tyler "The Pteranadon

 DAY 5:  Waterpark!

Phoenix has a fantastic outdoor (obviously) waterpark... the kids loved the kiddie stuff- and us adults even got our fun in on the big rides!  

Tyler:  "Mommy- we are at the beach!  But there are a lot of kids in the water here."

Yes, he's not so used to kids in the water at the beach :)

   

venturing out the wave pool together

DAY 6: Cousin Day

Travis' cousin Cassie and her crew drove all the way from LA to see us.  Taylor (her oldest of 4) was our flower girl and boy has she grown up.  Such a sweet, sweet girl.  We had fun at the park, collecting heart rocks, playing hide and seek, tag, bubbles, you name it.

family packed to drive a golf cart to the park.

Top to Bottom: Taylor, Tyler, Mackenzie, Cody, Annamarie, Peyton, and Carter

Sweet goodbyes.

 DAY 7:  The Goldfield Ghost Town

The last day we too the boys to a mining ghost town.  But as Tyler said "no ghosts... just lots of cowboys."  The old town stuck itself in a gorgeous spot.

my little pioneer

Watching a Ol' West Showdown

Great shot by Travis of the fight- although having to remind the kids they are just "actors"...

hmmm... I could say so much here.

As we were packing up that night we were all a little sad.  Such an amazing time.   Auntie Rhonda really threw us one fantastic vacation.   The kind I remember... every time I looked at a cactus I thought of my brother Brian getting pricked, the baseball game took me back to hunting down players for autographs... great memories.   And now building them with my little pack is just a treat.

Though a little down it had to come to an end...I had to smile going to bed catching how my sons left their mark on Rhonda's PERFECTLY decorated home:

notice cheese topper, candle and oil top switched... little tricky guys. it got noticed.