Presley COULD NOT WAIT to meet her new baby cousin. We wish she showed the same excitement over her own baby brother.
We left in the late afternoon when the little ones woke up from their naps and Mom quickly learned that Nixon NO longer sits quietly in the car. Thank goodness for movies and food.
When we arrived in Arizona Mom hurried to set up our bedrooms while Nixon played happily on the floor. He was THRILLED to be out of the car.
In the morning Uncle Will took Macie and I to the Arizona Science Center (of our of favorite places) while Presley, Nixon, and Mom stayed home and lounged by the pool.
Nixon didn't enjoy being in the pool, but did enjoy playing around outdoors while Presley swam around with a huge smile on her face.
To keep the little ones cool Mom fed them popsicles without regard. Notice how Nixon has one in each hand...
Presely, on the other hand, was a tad more lady like.
They spent their whole day lounging in the HOT (109) Arizona sun.
The rest of us were smart and enjoyed the cool air inside the Science Center. We visited our favorite exhibits (the storm room) as well as some new ones. The exhibit about bugs was fascinating!
We rode the carousel while waiting for the next train ride to begin.
While we were on the carousel with Uncle Will Mom disappeared and came back with ice cream for everyone! Ice cream before 10am???? We never knew Mom could so fun!
After our second train ride we were hot and ready for a break.
The model train room was the perfect place to keep us all occupied and comfortable.
Nixon couldn't get enough of the 1000's of trains and fascinating models.
After another hour the little ones were exhausted and we drove back to the house for nap time. Some of us didn't make it far before passing out in the car...
That afternoon Aunt Hayley drove up with the baby and all of us were SOOOO excited to meet out new cousin.
Jensen Arthur Graham
We all stared in awe of the little life in front of us.
We just couldn't get enough of him!
In the late afternoon the Ketcham family came over to join us for some fun!
It was really nice to see our buddies again.
The next morning was our first day of VBS at Mt.View! Before going to class we modeled Mom's 2016 camp creations.
Presley was thrilled to go to her first year of VBS. Mom, on the other hand, was a little nervous about her antics in the classroom. She didn't want to be the parent of the "bad kid" at church camp. Don't let her sweet smile fool you;she is quite deceptive.
While we were at camp that morning Mom took Nixon back to the train park. He couldn't wait for the fun to begin...
When the heat became unbearable they went to McDonalds to play at the play place and enjoy the cool indoor air (they may have had a few snacks too, but Mom refused to spill her secrets).
That afternoon we spent the afternoon at the Ketcham's swimming, laughing, and playing. Being back with our friends made us miss them even more. There are few families that you can just be "you" with.
It doesn't hurt that Miss Andrea is super fun. There aren't many moms that like to join in and have fun with all of us...
The next morning at VBS Mom was more relaxed. Presley received raving reviews from her teacher and Mom loved that she was so excited to learn and play and sing with her church friends.
That night we went back to the Ketchams for dinner. The boys introduced Macie to American Ninja Warrior and she has declared her love for the sport.
Nixon spent his time enjoying all the "boy" toys he found at the house. He was quite honestly in Heaven!
Day 3 of VBS was lots of fun.
In class we used the big parachute, and Presley had a smile that stretched from ear to ear!
Macie and I went with Dean and Graham's Grandparents (who are AMAZING) for a fun afternoon filled with food and mini golf!
Mom, Presley, and Nixon "swam" in the backyard after nap time. I say "swam" because judging by the number of popsicle sticks in the trash can I have determined that they sat outside and ate all afternoon...
By day 4 of VBS we had made some great new friends and Presley couldn't wait to get to choir to sing! According to the choir teacher Presley had the biggest voice of the group and her energetic personality was a pleasure to have in class!!!
Aunt Hayley and Cousin Jensen came over to the house after nap time to hang out with us before we had to leave town. We just couldn't get enough of our new baby cousin. Nixon kept walking through the house yelling "baby"- it was pretty cute.
When they left that night Presley kept laying on Mom's lap pretending to be the baby.
The final day of VBS came way too fast. Our week was so full that it was Friday before we knew it.
On our final camp day we sang to our families and told them all about the wonderful things we learned during the week.
We had another great year at Mt.View and can't wait to go back again next summer.
Everywhere we turned there was fun to be had...
From the noodle forest to the race cars it was non stop fun!
Painting rocket ships,
riding through the car wash,
and driving all sorts of vehicles kept us occupied for hours!
On the way out we stopped in the gift shop and enjoyed browsing all the interesting new toys.
That night we had a sleepover at Dean and Graham's house! Mom was incredibly grateful to the Ketcham's because she was able to start doing laundry and cleaning to prepare for our departure the following morning.
Our sleepover was a big success and the next morning Macie and I joined the Ketcham's at church while Mom cleaned the house. Thanks to Uncle Will Presley and Nixon got to take a trip to the train park on last time.
Around noon the house was cleaned and the car was packed so everyone joined us at the Ketcham's for one last swim before hitting the road.
When it came to saying goodbye our smiles faded. We did love living in Arizona, and although we LOVE our new home and community in Las Vegas, we miss the special relationships we made with some fantastic families.
Our drive back home was EXHAUSTING; there was a fatality crash on the two lane highway back to Vegas and the roads were shut down for hours. We had to sit parked in the car, in the middle of the hot desert (110 degrees) for almost 3 hours. As we were all lamenting over our wait it dawned on us that the highway was shut down because 3 people lost their lives. At that moment it was hard to be anything but grateful that we were alive and well sitting in our air conditioned car with snacks, music, and movies. After a while all 4 of us were sleeping soundly while Mom and Will waited as patiently as they could for the traffic to begin moving again.
Despite the fact that our 5 hour drive turned into 8 1/2 hours, we arrived home to Dad who was beyond ecstatic that our family was home safe and sound. Our trip was busy, but meeting our new cousin and seeing good friends was more than worth it.
Mom is glad that we have a little downtime before we take off for a week at the beach. I am loving summer so far and can't wait to experience the fun that is sure to come.
