spring break part 2

We were in a winter weather advisory in Flagstaff and worse weather was in the forecast, so we got an early start and hoped for the best as we drove further north (and lower elevation) to the Grand Canyon.  Thanks to Lydia's Every Kid in a Park pass, we entered the park for free.

We arrived just as the visitor center was opening. The park was really easy to navigate between walking the trails and using the free shuttle system.  Throughout the day, our views of the canyon varied, as did the weather, from clear skies to rain and snow, and finally, more snow.  We didn't make it all the way to Hermit's Rest before we turned back, collected our junior ranger badges, and called it a day.

And just in time.  That night, we ended up getting 3-5 inches of very wet snow, and we were very happy to stay at a hotel with a nice INDOOR pool (and outdoor pool - the kids wanted to go in it, and they would not have been alone, but Mom and Dad were not interested in supervising outside!)

Per our itinerary, the next morning we drove back into the park with the intention of driving east of the south rim visitor center to the Desert View Watchtower, but unfortunately the road was closed due to the weather.  Funny, the roads were just another day in our world!


Having done and seen what we wanted to around the visitor center the day before, we decided to get an early start toward our next destination: Sonoma.  My mom had recommended checking out Sonoma and Montezuma Castle, which had not been on our original hit list, and I'm glad she did.  The best part of this little detour on our way back to Phoenix was definitely the drive itself.  AMAZING!  And I realize now, I have no pictures of it, so you will just have to take my word for it.  In Sonoma, we walked too far from the public parking for overpriced, undercooked pizza.  But the sun was shining and the views were stunning.

Montezuma Castle was a fun 60-minutes-or-less stop for stretching our legs, getting some fresh air, and seeing something cool.  It was free, thanks to Lydia's Every Kid in a Park pass, and the kids got another stamp in their National Parks Passports.  We decided not to do the junior ranger program.

We were back in Phoenix around check-in time and the kids had fun eating lobby popcorn and playing this game for a long time!  Finally Grandma and Grandpa made it through rush hour traffic to join us for dinner.  The boys experienced Fudrucker's for the first time, and I'm pretty sure it was the highlight of their trip.

(Sidenote: I'm also pretty sure it was the milkshake that was responsible for tipping the scale -literally - for Reggie, causing him to compete in the 90 lb weight bracket rather than 85 lb at the district, regional, and state competitions this year.  He is consistently back to 84 lbs now! 😊)

spring break part 1

We had three reasons why we chose Arizona for a destination for spring break.  Baseball's spring training, the Grand Canyon, and my parents stay there during the winter months.  And we were hoping to take a break from the drudgery of winter.  Instead of just telling the kids what we were doing, we came up with a half-dozen clues and they picked a clue each day.  It turns out they are horrible guessers and needed some extra prompting, but they finally got it!

This was our second time flying with the kids (the other time was three years ago when we went to California).   Bryan has to travel enough for work to build up enough rewards to mostly cover the cost of flights - and hotels.  So in order to make the most of his miles, he took one airline with Brett and Lydia, and I took an unnamed discount airline with Reggie.  We should have arrived in Phoenix within about a half hour of each other, but my flight was delayed 3 hours.  The plan was to reunite and take the shuttle to our hotel, but because we were going to be so late, Bryan went on ahead and checked in.  The shuttle doesn't run after midnight, so Reggie and I took a taxi and got to the hotel around 2am. 

The next morning, since the temperature was only in the 50's, we opted out of swimming, but did enjoy the sunshine by playing some catch on a grassy patch outside our hotel.

Next, we went to check out the Brewer's spring training camp.  We arrived early enough to check out the facilities and get some autographs before the game.  We sat in the grass in the outfield, and it was nice until about half-way through the game when it started to drizzle.  Regardless, each kid ended up acquiring a ball that had been in play, getting more autographs, and meeting the famous sausages.

After the game, we drove to up to Flagstaff, where we stayed for the night.

frozen february

The last six weeks or so have been pretty brutal around here.  Currently we officially have 21 inches of snow in the metro - with more expected this weekend.  The temps have been averaging 20 below normal - which means hovering around 0. Still, despite some cancellations (5 days of school so far), our calendar has remained full, and for that I am thankful. Lydia and I went to see a play - Mr. Popper's Penguins - after reading the book and watching the movie.  Of the three, I liked the book the best.   Lydia had a Valentine's party with some of her girlfriends - and Brett.  Milo got a pet fish - Odell.  The kids had their school carnival and won lots of sugar.  The neighborhood turkey couple got displaced from their normal path.  We went to five films at the omni-theatre at the science museum. There's been plenty of sledding and playing in the snow, and, obviously, wrestling!

Next week is "spring" break.  We're hopefully taking a break from winter and enjoying some "spring" elsewhere!

she did

Who just completed the American Red Cross Learn to Swim Program?

She did.

In order to pass, she was required to:

• swim 500 yards continuously using 3 different strokes, swimming at least 50 yards of each stroke
• jump into deep water, perform a survival float for 5 minutes, roll onto back and perform a back float for 5 minutes
• retrieve an object from the bottom of the pool at a depth of 7-10 feet, and return to the starting point with the object

She knows how to swim 6 different strokes, survival float for 10 minutes, and do different turns while swimming.  And on the first day of her level 6 class, who was the first to confidently stroll down the diving board and dive off?  She was.

And, standing just a smidge over 4 feet tall, who spiked the ball over the net with authority?

She did.