First thing the following morning the moving truck arrived with all of our belongings. It took a couple days for Mom to get everything unpacked and placed, so Macie and I made the most of our time and played in the boxes. Mom pulled out a couple of the princess dresses to keep us occupied, and Macie was thrilled that she was finally big enough to fit one.
Though playing in the boxes was fun, we rather enjoyed picking on the dog (he would get really frustrated when we stuck packing tape on him and he couldn't get it off).
Our second day in the new house was very eventful. Mom got most of our belongings unpacked, and I was super excited that my new princess room (it has pink and white walls) was coming together. We got our first taste of bizarre Arizona weather and it was nothing like we had imagined. The weather went from 95 degrees and too sunny one day, to hail and rain storms the next.
Some of the hail stones were bigger than Mom's big toe and we had to take pictures of it to prove my statements authenticity...
By the end of the week we were all settled into our home thanks to Mom's relentless work.
We are loving our new house, and have all the space that Macie and I could ever want!!! Macie started wearing her new Wee Squeaks this week and our new favorite game is to sit and stomp. Mom is excited because it keeps us occupied for hours...
Macie has become so obsessed with them that she asks for her "shoooes" first thing when she wakes from sleep (both nap time and over night).
Grandma Judy surprised us by coming to visit us for the weekend. I guess it is a quick drive (5 hours) from San Deigo, so Grandma assures me that she will be here often.
With Grandma here I decided it was time to try out my new pool- I got my kick board ready and tested the water.
It was a little chillier than I am comfortable with, but the family was so excited to finally have a pool in the backyard that I put on my game face and sucked it up for the crowd.
Macie enjoyed sitting on the edge and splashing her feet around in the water.
When I finally worked up enough courage, Grandma Judy and I tested out my new water slide.
I was shocked when we hit the water,
and a little nervous holding my breath in the deep end, but popped up out of the water and starting laughing out loud.
I was so proud of myself for being such a brave girl.
The weather outside was so nice that we didn't have to wrap up in a towel to dry, instead we played around the pool area with some of my new toys. I love playing with my Grandma Judy because she likes to have fun just like a kid!!!
Dad had to leave town for business at the beginning of the week, so Grandma Judy decided to stay a while longer and help us around the house.
In the mornings Macie and I wake up and insist upon putting on specific article of clothing (I want princess dresses and Macie always wants squeak shoes.) To keep us both happy, she lets us dress up in whatever we want for breakfast as long as we agree to let her dress us when we need to leave the house. My favorite thing (this week) to do is wear matching snow white dresses.
While we watch an episode of Little Einsteins while Mom cooks breakfast and Macie loves to pat and sing along with me.
Macie tends to lose focus after the introduction, but my attention never leaves the screen.
One morning Mom was so focused on making breakfast that she wasn't watching Macie walk around with a chocolate milk. Grandma found her covered from head to toe in milk... apparently she had spilled it all over herself and couldn't stand or get up. Good thing Grandma was here to help...
By the end of the week Grandma had gone back to San Diego and Mom decided it was time to get settled in our new life. We went around town checking out Gymnastic studious until we found the perfect one. Right when we went in the door I knew that I had found my new home! I was signed up the following day for my first class.
On Saturday I took a ballet class, and was super pumped to put on my dance gear.
Of course I couldn't turn down the opportunity to pose for the camera!
We had a very successful day at dance, and that night were rewarded with a princess bubble bath. Macie has started to really enjoy bath time and it appears that she has lost her fear of water because she laugh and plays with all our bath toys the whole time.
Her favorite toy is the pig, and she picks him up and yells "pig-e"
With Dad being gone, Mom, Macie, and I grew bored and decided to take a trip to the Phoenix Zoo.
The Zoo was pretty neat; they had lots of African outdoor animals, which are among my favorite (I keep telling Mom and Dad that I want to go to Africa).
Macie enjoyed seeing all the new animals, although she didn't like being out in the hot sun much (Mom doesn't know what we are going to do with Macie in the summer since she melts in the sun.)
There was a really neat play place at the Zoo and Macie and I loved to be able to run around in the shade.
We even got to ride a tractor,
and practice milking a cow...
Like the Zoo in Ohio they had a petting Zoo and Ashlyn (my doll) and I were kind and gentle while brushing the goats.
Macie wasn't too gentle, but her hugs were definitely filled with kindness and love...
Back home we played in the yard and were thrilled when the sprinklers turned on! Though Mom wasn't to excited about us playing in the water and getting dirty, she was glad it kept us occupied while she finished up some indoor chores.
I don't know why, but there is something really cool about playing around in the mud...
Later on that week we packed the car up and drove to San Diego to see Mom's family. It was a pleasant drive (considering I slept the whole 5 hours), but poor Mom was exhausted. The following day we slothed around her house, took a stroll on the beach, and helped carve pumpkins.
Macie wasn't too interested in carving, but she was fascinated by all the pumpkin guts inside (so was Jax considering the pirate ate most of them).
After carving pumpkins Grandma made some pumpkin cookies and I shared one with my good buddy Danny.
Once Macie was finished with her cookie she played with Grandma's giraffe and mom couldn't help but recall the days when that was my favorite thing to do at Pa's house.
After a long nap we visited with Pa, Aunt Connie, Grandma Jean, and Uncle Brandon. They were all very impressed by all the growth, both mentally and physically, that Macie and I have experienced in the last 3 months.
The following day we were rested and rejuvenated so we went to Sea World to see some animals!
Macie LOVED seeing the BIG polar bear,
but she really enjoyed helping Mom push around the stroller (again, more flash backs of when I was little.)
When we needed a break from all the excitement we had a picnic in the garden.
A full tummy made Macie sleepy, so she dosed off in the stroller while I made some new friends.
I had a fun day of animals, rides, attractions, and fun, and was wiped out when we drove back to Arizona that night. Mom was on a mission to get the house cleaned up and ready for Dad (whom we got to pick up from the airport the following day) and wanted to finish preparing our Halloween costumes, which I promise are going to be a hit. Check back real soon to see...
