Catching up the rest of the Family trip to Arizona

Okay, I am going to knock this out in one post because I realized that with all I have going on in life (a strong-willed 2 1/2 year old son, a 1 year old daughter, and a 16 year old daughter going to South Africa for a mission trip this summer...it would be a miracle if I finished blogging this trip by the end of the year. So, now that I have a few minutes, I am going to tell the rest of the trip right now.

Sunday, April 4th was Easter, so we took Sal, Jo and the boys to church with us and then we went to the Arizona Grand Resort.
We had plans to stay there overnight and boy, was I in for a surprise. I really should have known that it was probably not the best idea considering the ages of my kids. Trying to wrestle with their schedules and demands while trying to relax and enjoy myself and relax was really just a contradiction! Crazy times...once we got settled in the room for the night, we got everybody ready for bed. There were two queen beds and a pull out couch, where Hailey and her friend Taylor slept. Luca must have been teething because he woke up about every hour screaming and consequently, Nora woke as well. The original plan was to wake up and go to breakfast with the family, hang out by the pool and then take the kids home for their naps while everybody else went to hike Camelback. Needless to say, all I could think about was getting home, so when I woke up at 6:30 or so, I frantically began to pack bags and get everybody loaded up in the car because all I could think about was getting home and that is exactly what I did. The resort was amazing as long as you weren't there with 2 babies and no hired help! So, everybody else hiked the mountain and had a great time. When they got back, we all showered and got ready for our adult night out. Hailey babysat the kids and we were able to go out for dinner, and let me tell you, did I ever need the kid break! I love my babies, but I needed a few hours to rejuvenate. Culinary Dropout was our choice for dinner and it was delicious.

The next morning, Tuesday, we got up and made our way out to the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium and picked up Lebanese food for dinner from 16th Street Bakery. Sal originally suggested that I make Lebanese food for dinner and all I could do was laugh! I said that I would buy dinner, but if they wanted me sane, making it was out of the question! The food was delicious, but I am not sure the boys were very excited about the cuisine. They were pretty good sports about it though. Mellow night at home...very nice.

Wednesday was the day of departure, so we drove out to Kierland, shopped around a little, ate lunch, and drove around Arcadia. Good byes are always sad to me. Sal, Jo and the boys had to go home and we were really going to miss having all of that action in the house. I do love a full house!