Sunday, July 27, 2014

Saying Goodbye to AZ...

June came, and so did the reality that we were really moving.  With our new house in Nevada in escrow, our family started to prepare for the inevitable.  We made sure to fill our days spending time with friends and going to all of our favorite places.

Many warm afternoons were spent with the Ketcham's; they sure are a lot of fun!'

 


One night we even had a camp out in their living room!





Macie was a champ; she was the only one that fell asleep and stayed in the tent the whole night (I couldn't fall asleep because the ground was too uncomfortable so I found a bed).


It was a fun night for all of us, regardless of where and how we slept!

With Presley walking (running) all over the place now, we made sure to go to open gym a few days each week.  Mom enjoyed being able to let her run free.



That was until she discovered the trampolines.  After that we couldn't keep her off them- which would have been fine if she didn't insist upon going on them while other children were jumping.


Macie and I were fortunate to be able to attend some of our friends birthdays before we left.  At my friend Ruby's birthday Elsa and Ana from Frozen showed up?!?!





Macie went to a princess party with her friends where they dressed up, made hair bows, and got fancy!


Despite having fun dressing up, her favorite part was the cupcake!


At church we attended VBS with our friends and had a blast at the workshop of wonders.  Mom turned our shirts into dresses again this year, and they were a big hit!




At the end of the week we put on a performance and showed our family and friends all that we had learned.



By mid June Mom was busy cleaning, consolidating, packing, and doing all sorts of boring stuff around the house.  While she was "working" Macie and I would find ways to entertain ourselves.  We loved playing dress-up...


 

Mom was impressed by our interesting choice in outfits.

Another fun way to pass the time was face painting!  Check out our masterpieces...









From time to time Uncle Will would take us somewhere so that Mom could get things done.  We love the going to the library and getting books to read!



Presley enjoys being read to, but then again, she pretty much enjoys everything!

 

Bathing,


eating,



grocery shopping,


playing,


and just simply breathing!  She fills the world around her with joy!


Dad comes home whenever he possibly can, unfortunately it hasn't been often.  Every few weeks he is able to come home for a weekend and when he does we don't leave him alone.



 
 One of the big things we wanted to do before leaving Arizona was have a sleepover with Aunt Hayley!  Mom couldn't believe we were such grown up girls!  We arranged to stay at her house on an evening that Dad had to head back to Nevada; Mom figured it would make that fact that Dad was leaving easier to handle (there are usually lots of tears).


Here we are in the car!


We had a blast at Hayley's.  We saw How to Train your Dragon at the Movie Theatre, and then stuffed our faces for dinner at BJ's.  Before bed we got to watch My Little Ponies, and then we got to watch it again the next morning as we ate junky cereal in front of the tv- it doesn't get much better than that!
 
When Mom picked us up the next day we were both exhausted.  Macie passed out on the way home from all the excitement.


 Later that week, the family drove out to California for Hayley's bridal shower.  Mom turned Presley's car seat forward-facing, and boy did it make the car ride more enjoyable for her!!!


Our first day there we spent hours at the beach.  Presley was fascinated by the sand, but walked like a drunk until she got the hang of it.


Before long, she couldn't get enough of the sand; playing with it, wearing it, even eating it.




It didn't take me long before I zipped up my suit and went out to catch some waves.





 I'd never had more fun in the water before!



Even Macie rode a few waves with Grandma's help:




Our first day at the beach was a blast!!!
 The following day we met Pa and Great Grandma Jean at the Del Mar Fair.  Macie and I were both excited for all the fun rides and yummy food!


There were all sorts of cool things everywhere we looked.  I am taking after Mom, as I liked all the creepy, scary, and gory stuff.




Macie and I rode all sorts of rides, but LOVED the big slide:




Back at the beach the next day we enjoyed walks in the sunshine and playing around at Grandma Judy's house.








 Macie kept Presley occupied by playing a game called "bear" where she would scream at Presley...



At the beach the next day Paul's grand kids met us for a fun filled day in the sun.


While everyone ran and played, Presley camped out in the sand and played with her toys.


At the house we cleaned up, had dinner, and ran around together; they sure are lots of fun!!








After everyone left, Presley helped herself to an apple from Grandma's tree.  We all laughed as she walked around eating.



 That night while we were in bed, Dad flew in from Las Vegas to surprise us for the weekend!!!

We spent Dad's first day in San Diego playing at the beach.







Dad loved watching Presley play in the water with Grandma!



On July 3rd we spent the afternoon celebrating Pa's birthday with the family.




We helped Pa build a bonfire and he even let us chop some wood!




 


 

After everyone had dinner, we all gathered around the pinata for some birthday fun!

 


We didn't have a blindfold, so Mom had to tie a sweatshirt around our heads...





After we massacred the pinata, everyone took turns wearing its parts and being silly...



Inside the pinata there were all sorts of treats and toys.  Macie found some cool candy tongue tattoos...


We had a great time with Pa's family, and ended the day watching the sunset with him.


The following morning our family took a walk down the boardwalk to get some donuts for breakfast and watch Grandma Judy surf.



Later that day we lounged at the beach and enjoyed the California sunshine.








Dad flew back to Las Vegas later that day, and Mom, Macie, Presley, and I enjoyed on more night with Grandma.   In the morning we ate breakfast and shared some laughs with Grandma before cleaning up and driving back home.



 The following morning the movers showed up at 7am, ready to help us pack up our Arizona home.  We have one more week here with our friends until our family joins Dad in Las Vegas. Check back soon to find out how our big move went.