But It's Dry Heat: Our Trip to Phoenix

 I figured, since it has been about a month since we were out in Arizona, it'd probably be a good idea to actually get a post done about our trip!  Most of my pictures were on my phone, so I made a collage for each day that we were there - and then threw in a few from my camera as well :)  So once again, beware - picture overload!

DAY ONE

We headed to the airport and met my dad! I'm so glad I had an extra set of hands helping me - especially on the plane with Jack!  Four hours is a long time for a little guy to sit still!  They did great though - Katie watched movies and colored and Jack napped and ate lots of snacks :)

After we ate dinner, we went swimming!  There is a two hour time difference, so I was hoping that keeping the kids up late and keeping them active would help them sleep in on our first full day there.  And yes, it was hot there!  The first few days were like 109 or 110, and then they had a "cool spell" where it was only like 102 or 103! :)

Day Two

Well, that plan didn't exactly work.  Katie was up at about 5:30 in the morning and that woke Jack up.  So we had an early start to the day!  We went to an aquarium and then came home for lunch - the kids were worn out!  Katie actually napped for about two hours - that hasn't happened in forever!  While the kids napped, I lounged by the pool - it was heavenly! After they woke up, Nanny painted Katie's nails and then we all went to dinner - it was delicious!

Here's Jack exploring at the aquarium - he loved that he could get into that little area and get a better look at all the fish swimming around!

 And Katie got to ride a little train - she loved it!  It was slightly lame to me - it just went in a little circle!  But seeing her smile on there was worth the $4 train ride!

 And here we are before heading into the restaurant.  That place is so good - I love eating there when we are out there visiting!

Day Three

Once we got up and moving, we headed out to a shopping area to go to a store that I wanted to make sure to go to - but not before eating lunch at Chick Fil A :) I had a successful shopping adventure and Katie got to play out in the play area!  Jack was worn out and we had to act wild and silly to keep him awake in the car!  We met Sarah and her boys for dinner - whew!  Five kids is a lot!

Here we are before heading out to have lunch and shop!

 Katie and Sam at dinner!  Instead of crayons and papers, the restaurant had Wiki Stix - the kids loved making glasses!

 And one of me and Sarah :)

Day Four

The Thursday we were out there, we had an easy morning and just swam and hung out.  I stayed by the pool while the kids napped and then we met Sarah and the boys at an indoor play place...it was amazing!  And there were maybe 7 other people there, so we essentially had the place to ourselves! 

 Day Five

On Friday, we got up and out the door earlier than we had been so we could go out and see Brenda and her kids and their house!  Katie loved trying the piano and Jack loved playing with their golden retriever puppy!  Then we went to lunch with them and all headed to Sarah's to swim.  So that means there were 4 adults and 11 kids at the pool.  Yikes!  It was so much fun though!  And when we got back to the house, I headed to the airport to pick Brad up!

 Day Six

Daddy had arrived!  Katie was so excited to see Brad when she woke up...and so was Jack :)  Robbin and I headed out to shop and eat lunch with Sarah - so fun! We went to Nordstrom Rack before we ate and then headed to an outlet mall afterwards...and we only made it to the Gap and Old Navy outlets!  We went to dinner with Robbin's mom that evening - she is so sweet!  

 Day Seven

Our last full day out there...and we spent it being lazy!  We went swimming and just hung out, which was nice.  Sarah and her boys came over for dinner and then we took a walk and let the kids play at the park.  Jack was enthralled with the airplanes in the sky!  

 Day Eight

Homeward bound!  And we had an early flight!  I think my alarm was set for like 4:40 or something like that.  Yuck!  But we made it to the airport in plenty of time and actually didn't have to wait to check our bags OR at the security line!  We let the kids walk around the terminal since they would have to sit still on the flight!  And they did great on the flights again - Katie watched movies and Jack napped/snacked/played with toys!  They were so worn out though...they both fell asleep on the way home from the airport!

It had been a long time since we had been out there (over 2 years!) - I'm so glad we were able to make a trip out there this summer!!