Our flight wasn't until 8pm on Friday night so the kids had a full day of anticipation and Andy and I had a full day to get packed for the week! Ryan doesn't remember his last plane ride so he was especially excited when we got on the plane. He stayed awake the entire flight...until the last 20 seconds. I couldn't believe he fell asleep right as we were landing!
We got to my parents' house pretty late so the kids went straight to bed. They were stuck on central time so they got up pretty early even though they went to bed late. Mom and I took them to an Easter egg hunt at Mom's friend Alice's store early that morning.
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| We caught Ryan doing a little pre-work before the Easter egg hunt started! |
After we took their candy back to the house, Mom and I took Drew and Kayley hiking. We went a little over 2 miles and they seemed to enjoy it. Much better than 3 years ago when Kayley decided she had enough after walking .25 miles!
Andy and Mom took Drew and Kayley to a White Sox game that afternoon. The kids had fun even though it was pretty hot. That night we took the kids to Lance and Sara's house. It was so good to see them! I definitely miss working with Sara. Their kids are in high school and junior high now. I can't believe how grown up they are! We had a lot of fun and Ryan may have had the most fun of all. They have a pool and he waded around on the steps in his shorts all night (and managed to get SOAKED).
The Easter Bunny found the kids in Phoenix so we had an Easter egg hunt outside Easter morning.
Mom and I went hiking later in the morning with some of Mom's friends. It was a strenuous, but so much fun. Hiking is one of the things I miss most about Phoenix (and the weather, but that goes without saying). That night we went to Cave Creek for dinner. We intended to go to Silver Spur, but it was closed so we settled for Harold's. We were able to sit outside and watch the sunset so it was really nice.
Monday morning we left for Sedona. We arrived at lunchtime so we went to The Hudson for lunch and enjoyed a gorgeous view while we ate. The only thing that would have made it better is if it was sunny that day.
After lunch, we checked into our hotel and enjoyed more gorgeous views from our patio.
About mid-afternoon, we headed out for our Pink Jeep Tour. We did the Broken Arrow Trail, which is one of the more rough ones. It was so much fun! Ryan was a little unsure at times, but he did great!
That night we had dinner at the Cowboy Club and then headed back to our rooms because we had an early morning drive to Williams to catch the train to the Grand Canyon.
Ryan was more than a little excited for his first official train ride! Oh my gosh, he was SO excited! Drew and Kayley really enjoyed it too. We definitely made the right decision taking the train up rather than driving.
It was COLD at the Grand Canyon. It was also windy and that made it feel even colder. While I wish we would have had better weather, we enjoyed our time there. Ryan was a wild man at every lookout point though. I think he aged me more than a few years during our afternoon at the Grand Canyon. Andy or I had a hold of him at every stop, but he was trying his hardest to break away and run free.
On our train ride back to Williams we sat in the dome car. You sit up higher than the rest of the train and have windows all around and above you. We really enjoyed that!
We stayed in Williams that night and the kids got to enjoy some time in the pool (believe it or not - their only time swimming all week!).
Wednesday morning we went to Bearizona Wildlife Park before heading back to Phoenix. It is a drive-through park with wolves, bison, bears, mountain goats, sheep, elk, mule deer, and burros. The bears were the obvious highlight, but we enjoyed seeing all of the animals up close.
That night we took mom to Oregano's for her birthday. It was a long wait (nearly 1.5 hours) on a Wednesday, but it was worth it and the kids got to play bags outside while we waited so the time went pretty fast.
After a morning hike up the Shaw Butte trail on North Mountain, I met up with some of my co-workers from Snell & Wilmer on Thursday. It really hasn't changed that much and it was so fun seeing the attorneys from my group and friends that are still there. I miss all of them, but I don't miss billing my time! Andy and I went out for a date on Thursday to Scottsdale while the kids had a "bonfire" at Grandma and Grandpa's house in the fire pit.
Mom and I hiked Pinnacle Peak on Friday morning. I used to hike that mountain all the time when I lived in Phoenix so it was fun to go back. It was a good workout. I forgot how many steps that one has! That afternoon we took the kids to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. Drew remembers it from when we lived there (although I wonder if pictures help that memory) so it was fun to go back. We rode the train a couple of times, the Merry-Go-Round a couple of times, played on the playground for a long time and ended the day at the Western Town. Drew spent HOURS at the Western Town when we lived in Phoenix so it was fun to see the kids play there.
We flew home early Saturday morning. It was a great trip and we were definitely more than a little sad to come home. Kayley and I had the roughest time - she was missing Grandma and I was missing the weather! I will live in warm weather again! It took us a couple of days, but we are fully back into our routine now. We are looking forward to our next trip though!
Loved all your pics! It was such a great time.
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