Monday, June 28, 2010

Phoenix

We left at 4:30 am because for some reason, the trip seems to go faster when you leave early.  We got there before 3:00 pm and the kids were great in the car.   We stayed at a beautiful Marriott resort with a lot of swimming pools and activities.  We had 7 condos that were all in the same building which provided plenty of private space but proximity for the kids to go back and forth.
Carissa at one of the pools

Kids heading out to swim which we did twice a day.

Jessica and Sophie at the Lazy River we went to everyday.
Laura kept everyone entertained all week as usual.
 Even my parents, aunt, uncle and sisters got in to float down the river. 
Ethan and Cathy

Nickelodeon did a poolside show almost everyday and our kids were picked numerous times for the races.  Rachel actually got picked twice as team captain and was slimed both days.


My brother Mike got a pie to the face which the kids loved.
Taylor also got slimed at the Nick show.
Aerin, Gabe and Carissa winning.
The cousins had hours of fun crafting, video gaming with the Nintendo 64, and Disney channel.



We had tons of delicious food and a nice vacation where nothing was really planned but relaxation, swimming, reading, and hanging out as a family and extended family.  We offered the kids to go see some different things around Phoenix but they would rather swim so we stayed at the resort almost the entire time.  We went to Toy Story 3 as a group and took up more than 30 seats together. 
We loved swimming at night too with the full moon.
Taylor wanted to go to a Major League Baseball game while there.  Carissa, my dad, and Bill were the only ones interested in going.  The Diamondbacks game was air conditioned but meanwhile at the condo, we had a 4 hour power outage.
 Only an hour after leaving Phoenix, Gabe absolutely had to go with no rest area in sight.
Then after passing a plethora of Indian pottery and jewelry stands, Taylor just had to give into his fascination and pull over.  I really thought he was kidding.  Ethan was upset we wouldn't buy him the necklace with the silver wolf head for only $50...I'm sure he would have worn it too.
We stopped at the Dam near Page, Arizona for some pictures.  Instead of driving the extra amount to the Grand Canyon, I think this counts:)


We managed to leave Phoenix without even one sunburn and had a great time!!