okay...remember how I said that we got a flat tire?
Well thanks to Google Maps, and the kind folks at Discount Tire, this little hiccup was really not a big problem. Just a little snag. About an hour detour is all. No biggie. :)
To pass the time, we decided to take the kids on a scooter ride around the campus of Northern Arizona University, which was just around the corner! Fun RIGHT??!
We are nice like that.
Here are some of the interesting things we found.
Trev and I debated on whether this is supposed to be "artsy" or funny...What THE??
After this little tour we were back to our car, and off to the Grand Canyon. :)
(All about that in the previous post.)
Fast forward to the next morning, we continued our journey south. Through Sedona. Boy, oh boy, were we in for a treat!
First off, the views on the drive were just gorgeous.
We stopped at a place called Rock-Slide Park. It was this cute little area alongside the river where there are natural water-slides and the kids can wade in the water. We didn't get the swimsuits out, and never got to the water-slides, but if we go back we will definitely do that! We did however, wade in the water and it was F-I-N-E...ahhhh.
This is leading up to the river. An orchard, old house, water fountains, and lots of stickers...Claire was not pleased with those little "pokies."
But the water...OH she was great with that. We all were. Can you tell? :)
Abby and Morgan both fell in. :)
On our way out, we stumbled upon this little guy and about 50 of his closest friends and family...
He didn't like us near as much as we liked him. :)
Oh Sedona...I wish you were closer. I hope to make it back there someday.
After this fun stop in stunning Sedona, we were in hot pursuit of the heat that only Phoenix can give. We arrived in the evening. It was sunny and I could almost taste the fresh lemons as we drove into Megan and Ernesto's neighborhood.
Not too long after arriving, the boys headed off to Buffalo Wild Wings to stuff their cheeks and watch the Cougars play in March Madness.
Us girls went walking and scouring for lemons!
Told you these were important to me. :)
We came home and made these. Mmmmmm....
After everyone was back, fed, and pj'd, we rounded out the first night like this.
Oh lady Lu...so sweet!
More fun in the sun to come...stay tuned.
After a long car ride, complete with a few detours due to short cuts and road closures we finally made it to Flagstaff where we would stay for the next two nights. The hotel was nothing fancy, but the kids LOVED it! Except, the pool seemed to be closed every time we down to swim. :( No worries, we just went to the sister-hotel up the street. :) They were nice to let us, and the other hotel had a hot tub. Well worth the inconvenience!
The main reason for our stop in Flagstaff, was to check off a bucket-list item to see the Grand Canyon. Everyone really needs to do this, even though it is kind of out of the way. Just indescribable. So vast.
Here we are at the visitor's center trying to find where to go to see the big hole, and getting a little knowledge about the animal life there in the meantime.
Well, here she is folks...THE Grand Canyon!
Ta-daaaa!!!
Bucket list....CHECK! Let's have a closer look at this.
This pretty much represents what I was certain would happen the ENTIRE time we were there.
I also came to realize something. I obviously have young kids, and sometimes...a lot actually...I dream up in my mind that once my kids are older, these types of trips will mean more to them. I imagine us going somewhere and gratitude for taking them will abound and they will lovingly shower me with thanks for showing them such amazing things. We will have deep conversations about how cool these things are, how they were made, etc. They will ask thought-provoking questions instead of constantly asking, "when can we go back to the hotel and swim?"
Now don't get me wrong, my kids actually really like these things. But they are still kids. After all, I can't even fathom the magnitude of things like the Grand Canyon, how can I expect them to fully appreciate it's majesty?
For some reason I think they will as teenagers. Well, I realized after eavesdropping on a conversation between a father and mother of teens standing next to us that they are STILL trying to get their kids to comprehend it! The only difference is the teenagers roll their eyes instead of yank on your shirt to go. ;)
A good lesson in being grateful for the stage of life your in. :)
Well, once we saw this great big hole, we decided to head back to the visitors center to try and find a kid-friendly hike for our family. We had no such luck and decided to head back. Here I am showing some of my heritage. My maternal grandfather's side of the family is Native American Apache!
Once we got back it was time to hit the pool and get frozen custard for dessert...which along with the kids wound up being my favorite part of our time in Flag. Just a fun family night of memories.
Wheww....that is enough blogging for tonight. :)
Oh...I just remembered...we had a little adventure in Flagstaff on the Northern Arizona University campus while the kind men at Discount Tire fixed the flat tire we woke up to the first morning...THAT excursion and Sedona will have to wait. Next post... :)
