It took us about 6 hrs to drive from Chinle to Phoenix because we stopped to eat lunch, then took the kids to see the Meteor Crater. This is a HUGE hole in the ground ( 2 miles in diameter and 600 ft. deep) caused by a 150 foot meteor that hit the Earth about 50,000 years ago. We left the camera in the car and didn't get any pictures :(
After arriving at my sister Missy's house, we ate dinner and went on a walk. The subdivision she lives in is very family-friendly with many parks and water pads. We went to a fun park a few blocks away and let the kids stretch their legs after a day in the van. The next morning we got up early and went to the Phoenix Zoo. It was perfect weather - in the 80's, cool for Phoenix at the end of May. The following pictures were taken at the zoo:
Jeff and Carter having a close encounter with a squirrel
Playing in "Frog Glen"
The "big" boys
We had a good time, but Mathison was definitely ready to leave at the end of our 3 hour visit!
After the zoo, we drove to the Desert Ridge Shopping Mall for some lunch. This is an outdoor complex that has some really fun activities to try besides shopping. We ate lunch, then everyone headed over to the arcade. Well, everyone but Krissia - she wanted to shop :) After some friendly competition we collected our cheap prizes and drove back to the Colton's house. Prior to coming to Phoenix, one of Del's former Acclamation students, Sally (Cooper) Wright contacted us. She lives in Anthem (a short drive from No. Phoenix)and wanted to get together with us if we were ever in the area. We made plans to meet that evening with Sally and her family at one of Anthem's neighborhood parks for a picnic dinner.
It was so fun catching up with her and seeing her cute family! The younger kids also really enjoyed themselves at the Anthem Park. Mathison discovered that he LOVES sand:
...touching it
...lying in it
...and even EATING it!!
Jefferson, Carter, and Ethan had fun splashing around in a water pad and climbing on the rocks:
We ended the night by hanging out at Sally's house, where she treated everyone to ice cream as we reminisced about the good ol' "Accla" days.
The next day found us at a water park. Our camera had temporarily gone missing, so I didn't get any pictures :( It reminded me of 7 Peaks in Provo, with various slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and child section. Again, everyone enjoyed themselves - especially Jefferson, who had a little "romantic" encounter :) After coming home and cleaning ourselves up, the adults decided to have a night out. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (girls' choice) then followed up with a movie. We ended up seeing the new Indiana Jones movie. The general consensus was that it was good, but not "WOW". There's just something about seeing a geriatric Indiana Jones that makes some of the adventure scenes seem a little unbelievable :) When we got home, we put the younger kids in bed and spent some time playing games (we won't mention who won, since it wasn't me). We got up early the next morning, knowing we had an all-day ride ahead of us.
We had a wonderful time in Phoenix; even the weather was great. Thanks so much Missy and McKay for letting us stay with your family!!
4 comments:
So, are you going to leave us in suspense about Jefferson's romantic encounter? Sounds like you had a great time.
What an awesome vacation. I bet it was so nice to see your parents.
We had so much fum with you guys here. I'm so glad you made the trip I know it was a long drive. I like how you included the pictures with the boys and the squirrels. Who needs exotic animals when there are squirrels around.
I love the new layout! It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun in Phoenix. I really love the pics of Matheson rolling around in the sand! I haven't seen Sally Cooper forever! I always thought she was so nice!
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