Phoenix

We love to travel to Phoenix to see my brother. It is so convenient and relatively cheap to fly down there for a quick weekend trip. I know that I have a lot of posts on here about Phoenix, but we do so many fun things each time and I don't want to forget about them. So here's another post about a trip we took to Phoenix.

First things first - I REMEMBERED MY WALLET THIS TIME!! Guys - I learned my lesson MAJORLY last time, and so I checked for my wallet about 100 times before we left. I am kind of paranoid about it now. (To read about THAT crazy adventure, click here). Anyway, we made it down there safe and sound, Lydia was awesome on the flight, and we had no problems with our luggage or anything. Score!!

We got in kind of late that night, so we didn't do much except eat dinner, put the kids to bed, and chat for while to get caught up on everything. 

The next morning Autumn had an event at her school called the Boosterthon. All the kids at her elementary school were supposed to go ask their families to sponsor them running laps. They were encouraged to run 30 laps and to get at least one sponsor for each lap. The kids were so excited about it. It actually really made me miss teaching. It was fun to see all of the cute little kids be so happy. We went to cheer her on and watch her run her 30 laps.

The kids LOVED entering the field through the inflatable tunnel. They thought it was the best thing ever.

I love this picture of her. She has the cutest little smile. She's the sweetest little girl ever.

Baby cheerleaders! And best cousin friends. Note the matching outfits. :) Thanks  Grandma!

Dylan LOVED cheering ESPECIALLY when we got the inflatable sticks to pound together. He kept yelling, "GO THISTHER! GO THISTHER!" It was adorable.

Autumn and her cute little friend loved to run their laps holding hands. See? I told you. She's the cutest little girl.

The kids thought it was so cool when they could run by and give the adults a high five. I think they felt like celebrities. Also Amy and I have on the same shoes. We're that cool. :)

The cheerleaders got a little tired by the time the Boosterthon was over.

Autumn was so excited we were there and it was so fun to watch her. The babies had fun wandering around together and Dylan loved that he could scream as loud as he could and not get in trouble for it. So a good activity for the kids all around. :)

We went back home for a bit, Dylan and I did some puzzles together and the babies read some books together.  

Then we went back to Autumn's school to have lunch with her. We picked up subway and brought it to her. She was surprised and excited we were there. 

This is one of my new favorite pictures of Lydia. She was having the BEST TIME EVER running around Autumn's school while we ate lunch. 

Dave and I got to watch all 4 kiddos that night while Preston and Amy went to a work dinner party. We made a yummy dinner, got the babies bathed and in bed, and then we watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman and had root beer floats. Dylan just wanted the ice cream though because the root beer was "spicy". He cracks me up. 

The next morning we went to see Autumn and Dylan play in their soccer games. I honestly can't remember if their teams won or not, but it was sure fun to watch little people play soccer. Autumn's team would just all huddle around the ball all the time, and Dylan's team would get sidetracked by ANYTHING and EVERYTHING and not even care which way the ball was supposed to go. They were so cute in their little uniforms and the babies had fun cheering and running around.

She's soaking in some AZ sunshine!

I think Lydia thought she was part of the team. She kept trying to run on the field to get the ball. Hahaha.

That evening, we had an AWESOME adventure. My brother Preston is way into planning parties and stuff, and so he put together this HUGE amazing race group date. Everyone was paired into teams of 2 couples each, and we had to race around town completing tasks and getting clues just like in the real TV show. He even had prizes at the end! And a Travelocity roaming gnome. He put so much work into planning it and it sure paid off. It was seriously awesome. I won't tell too many things that we did during the race because Dave and I are thinking about putting together an amazing race of our own up here sometime and we might use some of the same ideas! But it was the highlight of our trip for sure, and I'm pretty sure I can safely say that it was the most legitimate, as close to the show as you'll ever get, amazing race re-creation. I really felt like I was on the show. And....we got 2nd place!! Not bad for not being from Arizona and racing with strangers, huh!?

We LOVED our teammates. They were from Preston and Amy's ward, and they were so much fun. Competitive, but not crazy. Kind of like me and Dave. We are proudly telling the world here that we were team number 2!

We were all exhausted that night after everyone left, but especially Preston. After everyone went home, we tried to watch a show, but was out within 15 minutes. Poor guy. 

The next day we slept in, lounged at home for awhile, and then went to church with Pres and Amy, and then just hung out at home and relaxed. They were both so relieved that the race was finished that I think it was their favorite day of the year so far. We played super nintendo, played games with the kids, ate a DELICIOUS dinner, and then stayed up playing board games. It was a fun, relaxing, chill day.

The babies LOVED these two chairs. They would just take turns sitting in them. When one baby would stand up, the other would race over to the chair they were sitting in. It was so cute. They are going to be best friends, I just know it.

We had to leave the next day, and were super bummed - as always. We spent the morning packing and playing at the park. 

We ended our trip with a brunch at Mimi's Cafe with everyone except Autumn (who was at school). I had never been to Mimi's before and it was really tasty. They have cinnamon roll french toast which is as delicious as it sounds. Well worth a visit if you haven't tried it yet!

Okay, I can't figure out why this video is sideways. It is really cute though, so just turn your head to watch it. And if you know how to fix it, let me know! 

We were sad to say good-bye because we always have so much fun together, but especially this time! We are just happy that Phoenix is close and that weekend trips are so easy to make down there. So thanks again for the amazing weekend, Pres and Amy! We already can't wait to come back! And we will for SURE be there for the next amazing race group date! Count us in!! We are hoping for a 1st place finish next time!