Oh man, I don't even know where to begin with this post! My mom has a brother that lives a bit South of Phoenix, AZ so the ENTIRE family (except one cousin :( ) made the drive down there for Thanksgiving. it was so much fun! There were 20 adults and 11 kids all in the same house for 4 days!!! I can't even begin to tell you how full our hearts were when we came home!! We are truely blessed to be in such a loving family!!
Weeks before we left I had told Blake that we were going on a trip. So we started singing the theme song to Little Einstein's (a kids show on the Disney Channel). "We going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship, shooting to the sky, Little Einsteins!" So Then Blake got it in his head that our Trailblazer was a rocketship. It was funny because rockets just showed up randomly along the whole trip.
I found rocket themed Goldfish crackers at the grocery store for car snacks.
So we left our house on Monday evening before Thanksgiving and drove all the way to Flagstaff, AZ. I love road trips with my Love. I love the time that we have together and have no choice but to talk to eachother!! We get so caught up in everyday life sometimes and I love being stuck next to him in the car!! Not to mention, I think it is great for our kids to learn that not everything is instant. Driving a long time in the car waiting patiently for something really fun and grand is important for them to learn I think.
Snuggling in the hotel bed in Flagstaff.
Blake and I snuck down to have some cereal for breakfast while John and Trever slept in. Blake was watching the news like he knew what was going on. Too cute!
We got back on the road and headed to Phoenix. Our first stop was at Cabela's. John had never been to one. He now knows that it is kids are NO FUN to shop with and that is why I always want him to watch them while I go shopping! But for the most part our Cabela's experience was fun!!
John's first time seeing saguaro cactus.
The drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix was pretty and the scenery changes so much down that highway!
John and Blake had fun "shoothing" things at Cabela's.
I love all the animals there. It was the only thing that kept Blake happy!
(not that you can tell in this picture!)
Trever was just happy to be out of this carseat!
Our next stop was the Phoenix Children's Museum. Blake hadn't napped so we were pushing it but wanted to so something fun for Blake on our vacation. It turned out to be great fun!! I wish I lived in the city! We would be taking regular trips, ecspecially during these long Colorado winters!!
This was a three story climbing thing. Kinda like the one's at McDonald's only ten times better and not a creepy! John and Blake climbed all over that thing for a LONG time!! I think I am going to build one in our back yard this summer. ;)
Another ROCKET!! They had an art studio with this huge rocket that the kids could paint all over! I thought that was a really fun idea!! They also had a craft area and had the kids making some sort of turkey leg handband (was really a fun idea) but when we got to that station there was a family that had a OUT OF CONTROL child and Blake tends to pick up on other kids bad habits in a hurry so we scidadled out of there!
Riding a "car" through a carwash!! I think I will also build one of these!!!
Starting em out young! His Daddy won't grocery shop for me so maybe I can get Blake trained to do it!!!
This dragon was out front. I think that it used to be in the art studio for the kids to paint also.
My sister and her family were in town also doing their own little family adventure so we met up with them for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. On our way there of course Blake fell asleep. So John carried him in and we were seated at the very back with the elephants that look real and make LOTS of noise. Blake woke up in the middle of dinner scared to death!! It would be a bit scary to have monkeys hanging from trees and elephants flinging their trunks around right infront of your face!!
This was Blake as he was crawling up on my lap scared to death!!
After dinner we headed to my Uncle Mikes house!!! We got a much needed good nights sleep. There is nothing like sleeping in on vacation!!
John and Trever sleeping in. How come Daddy gets all the morning snuggles?
On Wednesday we spent the whole day just hanging out and relaxing as more family arrived. There weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
Weston and Blake running shirtless!
Wowzers that sunshine was BRIGHT!! or maybe it was just the love bouncing off this man :)
He is my world!
Grandma Sue and Glenpa watching all the kiddos going nutso!
My lovely sister!
AMON!!! Oh how I love this baby!!
Might just be the best Mama Bobbie in the world!
Glenpa had to get in on the yard action!
Taking a nap in the sun with Aunt Sandra
My miniature man!
Thanksgiving morning a group of the gang got up at the crack of dawn and ran the Mesa Turkey Trot!! What a great way to start a day! Family and exercise!!!
LOTS of people!!!
So excited to race!!
Chillin with the babe :)
from left to right.....Oliver, Chet, Lvonne, Terry, Daddio, Mommy holding Amon, Me holding Trever man, Mike and DeEtte!!!!
Grandma Sue and Glenpa snuck out of this picture somehow?!?!
Glenpa, Gma Sue, Terry, Lvonne, Chet hiding back there, ME, Oliver, Mom is watching her mind float to the heavens (we are still trying to help her find it!) Mike, and DeEtte holding Hadley
Blake, Weston and Hadley getting ready to cheer us on!
What a fun race that was!! There was a 2 mile walk/run, and a 10k run. Everyone but Mom, Grandma Sue and Glenpa ran the 10k. I ROCKED that race! I can't remember now what my time was but I showed that road who was boss ;) No really, I did! And I haven't hardly fit in any runs since then :( BOO HOO!!!
They chaos back at the house was insane! Everyone was trying to sneak into the shower while the kitchen was boiling over with all the women of the family trying to prep and cook dinner! It was so fun!!
The rest of the day was full of laughing and talking!!! A LOT OF LAUGHING AND TALKING!!! The noise was absolutely beautiful!! There is nothing life family!
Something about this picture of the living room full of family sharing a great day together makes my heart smile!! Definately something to be thankful for and I don't take it for granted one bit!!
This is my beautiful cousin Brianne holding her baby girl Millie and my cousin Amy's little man Cru. The babies are only maybe a few weeks apart. My Grandma Sue was blessed with 4 great grandkids in 2011!!
Trever and Millie are 6 months apart! She is so stinking tiny!
Hadley and Chloe being girls!
So these next few pictures are not going to make much sense to most people but for my sister, Teal and Brianne they will. I also feel like the laughter going on in them represents our whole week together as a family! LOVE IT!!
Basically, we were talking about how ticklish Teal is and so DeEtte was trying everything possible to tickle her. She didn't even have to lay a hand on her and Teal was in tears because it tickled so bad!!
This was the WHOLE family (except my cousin Shea who we missed a ton)!!!
These are all of my Grandma Sue's great grandkids! She is so blessed!!
On Friday we did some Black Friday Driving, I mean Shopping!! Golly, every time I go to the city I remember why we don't live in the city!! Besides the fact that my husband is a farmer and you can't farm in the city, THE DRIVING ANYWHERE TAKES FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!
Trever, Millie and Amon had a little pow wow about who was gonna puke, poop, sleep and cry at what time and in what department of the stores so that we would have to tend to the babies and not buy anything!
Cousin Millie is large (or tiny) and in charge!! Off to lunch we go!!!!
Last night of vacation!! Man, I have some REALLY REALLY handsome men in my life
