Spring Break--Part Two

The third leg of our trip:
Gilbert, Arizona.

When we got to Gilbert, the kids were SOOOO excited to see more cousins! We stayed with Debbie and Chris and their six kids. Debbie is Don's twin sister! And she has six kids!

Two days of swimming, walks, parks, lunches out, and just plain relaxin were on the agenda.

These two cuties could not get enough of each other.

Reese and sweet little Cambria were best buddies from the start!

It was 87 degrees when we got there. We HAD to hit the pool. Immediately.

So here are some sunny pool photos...I miss it already.

He's asking the question I hear over and over:
"Did you bring any snacks? What's in your bag?"

(at least he's looking at the camera!)

Bathing beauties! Reese with Cambria...

The view from my chair...so tropical! Loved the pool, loved my sunburn.

This picture makes me laugh. Isaac and Brayden are a lot alike in many ways. Here they are scheming with their buckets full of water, this can't be good.
( Brayden's face looks disfigured from his goggles!)

I made some delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner and then Debbie and Chris treated us to ice cream cones in pj's for dessert! The people at the drive through window thought we were crazy: "Can we please have twelve ice cream cones?"

A total of ten kids in that house, and they all got a long so great...

Ok, Owen. It's really getting old.

The next morning we said goodbye and started our long journey back home.
I decided the best way would be to break it up into increments again.
Our first goal: Kingman, AZ for lunch at McDonalds--The nuggets were a success.

The next goal: Hoover Dam. This time we would view it from the new bypass bridge that was completed last fall. I did not take this photo--but here is an aerial shot of its amazingness:

There's a parking lot off the main highway and you hike up a series of switch backs that take you right to the bridge. I can't properly explain how grand in scale this thing was. The bridge combined with it's height, combined with the enormous Hoover Dam made for a beautiful sight. It truly was AMAZING.

Here are the kids as we stepped onto the bridge. Notice Owen.

Ally looking out over...I got some serious vertigo and learned that I am deathly afraid of heights.
Just having her lean over the side like this was enough to send me into palpitations. I was terrified of one of the kids, or ME, tumbling over the side even though it was perfectly safe.

See what I mean?
Those cars and the gigantic Hoover Dam look so insignificant from up there.
Ok, not really the Dam, but you get my point.

Side note, look how low the water line is!


I learned something about Reese that day too--She is a daredevil and a rebel.
She LOVED leaning over the side and SPITTING over the rail! Sick!
Since when did my princess turn into a tomboy?
Get down and stand back from there you two!!

Phew, that was a close one.

Hey Owen! Look at mom! No camera this time! (He didn't buy it)
Ok, please stand back then, you're about to fall over the side.

We made it safely to St. George for one more night at Kim's house, then drove the very last three.hour.leg.of.our.long.drive.home.

That leg was felt the looooongest.

We had so much fun on our impromptu adventure, and our hosts were so amazing and so accomodating to us weary travelors. I may have found my perfect spring break vacation spot: Sunny Arizona. Loved it!

Until next year....