The Trip: Arizona

Mike's parents and siblings hold a reunion every other year. The siblings take turns planning, and this year it was Tyler and Tiffany's turn. They chose to go camping near a beach in Santa Cruz. Hallelujah! Cool ocean breezes, gorgeous views, and, hey! Camping! I love camping! 

The only downside was that we were, well, camping. Camping with 3 kids requires more gear than just "minimal," and we were flying across the country, so we really didn't want to have to fly all of that gear out. We talked about driving out, and maybe someday we'll do that, but it'd be better if the kids were older. So, we flew into Phoenix and Mike's parents offered us use of their SUV (they took their smaller car), a tent, blankets, a cooler, a pack-n-play--all the things that make camping with the kids a delight instead of a nightmare. We were only in Mesa for a couple of nights, but while we were there we had fun spending time with Nana and Papa. They were the ONLY grandchildren in town while we were there. That never happens! And although we were all anxious to see the rest of the family, we did enjoy some five-on-two time. 

Finn watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the plane.

Baby did a great job. This is from the first leg of the trip, Portland to Baltimore. 

We took the kids to see the new Gilbert LDS Temple. Finn loved the fountains.

And Mike and I got to actually attend the temple. It's hard here in Maine because Boston's temple is 5 hours away, so even if we only do one thing, it's an all-day event for whoever babysits. We'll get there though, don't worry. It just won't be at the same time for a while.

Nana and Papa have a "cold tank" (hot tub filled with unheated water--although it did reach like, 89 degrees or something, sitting in the sun). That was a really big hit--I mean really big. Madie kept asking about "the tank" when we got there. It was her own name for it, and at the time we didn't know what she was talking about until she finally said, "You know! The tank with the water! The cold water!"