BIRTHDAY #8

We hosted Ava and Adisyn's 8th B-DAY at USA gymnastics.  They had the best time and I must say it was the least stressful party we've hosted.  We really didn't have to worry about anything other than providing some food and drinks.  Money well spent!

All the kids had a great time.  They started off with some stretching and warm up game after that is was a free for all.  They had a toddler/preschool section in true Reece fashion she wanted to be with the big kids and spent the entire time running around and even getting into the foam pit a few times. I take her to a tumbling class there every week so its not an unfamiliar place for her and she made herself right at home.

The girls had a great turn out.  They had six friends and all their cousins.  It was a full house.
They played and swung around for about an hour and then it was food, cake, and presents time.

Group pic (this was the best we could get, LOL).

Reece enjoyed going back and fourth between her pizza and slice of cake.  It was hilarious.  She sat there the entire time her sisters were opening gifts.

HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS, MY SWEET GIRLS.

SEDONA CAMPING + BIRTHDAY #34

The weather had finally become tolerable for us AZ natives.  And it happened to be my birthday, so a camping trip was definitely in order.  We had been debating for a while where we wanted to go.  I came up with the not so great idea to head to Sedona.  While I love hiking in there, camping ummm not so much.  It was pretty, but I think we're so used to sleeping in the pines it felt strange.  Shawn's parents' bought an RV shortly before our trip so we invited them to come along.  We were lucky enough they got there before us and scoped out a spot.  Below was the view.



Once we were settled slept good, woke up, and had breakfast it was decided to go hike Devils Bridge.  After the research I did on the forest service website the hike seemed doable with three kids and three dogs. It was described to be a "moderate hike" (maybe for in shape people).  Towards the end it was SO steep there was no way the dogs could go and Reece in a carrier, not smart.  So the only ones that actually made it to the bridge was Shawn, Ava, and myself.

I couldn't keep the girls out of the dirt I just kept thinking we really don't have a shower when we leave here. Yikes.  They're kids and lived through it.  Anyway they couldn't get over how soft and silky the dirt was.  

Leaving most of the crew behind we made it to the top.  We handed my phone to a kind stranger to take our photo and were headed out on the bridge.  Which is not nearly as wide as I would have liked.  It was kind of creepy.  Ava was between Shawn and I.  I gripped her hand as tight as I could and we made our way to the middle hoping we weren't going to trip over a rock.  We got a few snap shots and it was time to get the hell out of there. I'm glad we did it!

Afterwards we had a much deserved lunch.  Pizza and beer!

And more beer... it was my birthday. :)

 We went on small walks, dreamed about our future, talks with our oldest daughters around the fire, s'mores, and simple quality time.

When mac n' cheese just isn't enough she resorts to her toe.

The last night we were there we headed to town for dinner and check our some of the shops.  We had the most amazing Mexican food and since have contemplated going back to Sedona just for their nachos.  Ugh!  So good!

We bought Ava and Adisyn their first dream catcher.  They are so in love with them!

We had such a great time.  We planned to stay until Friday and ended up leaving Wednesday.  The weather was taking a turn for the worse and so was our health.  I honestly tried to make the best of the trip and did a good job at it.  I was fairly miserable especially towards the end.  Reece ended up in the ER shortly after we got back.

I'll stick to the pines and leave Sedona and naked hippie campers (true story) to day hikes and showers afterwards in a hotel room.

BUTCHER JONES CLEANUP

This past weekend we as a family volunteered to a clean up hosted by Natural Restorations.  They're a non profit organization based out of Gilbert that hosts these clean ups all over Arizona throughout the year.  There was a total of 160 volunteers, 28 of which were minors, and endless bags of trash. I have been wanting to volunteer for so long so I'm glad we finally did it!  Plus I think its super important to teach our kids to give whether its time and/or donations.

We woke up early Saturday and had to wake all three girls.  We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for some breakfast and much needed coffee and then we were on our way.  We watched the sun rise behind the Superstition Mountains on the beautiful drive there.  This is the first of any event we've done so we weren't sure what to expect.  Everyone was so nice and there was plethora of donated water and food to fill our fruit snack hearts.

We surprisingly had such a good time.  Weird, I know.  How can you possibly have fun climbing through muck and down water banks to pick up nasty trash?  Welp, we did.  It was such a fulfilling event to see so many people come together for such a great cause.

We found the typical beer bottles and cans, water bottles, hundreds of straws, styrofoam cups, shoes, fishing string, cigarette butts (gross), the most surprising find though was huge roll of carpet.  How does that even happen?  It's extremely disturbing that so many people don't care.

When we first got there and before the sun had peeked over the mountain we were freezing.  Once we had a quick safety meeting and a group photo we were on our way and warmed up fast.  The scenery was so beautiful! We took a few breaks along the way as we were either carrying Reece or a large bag of trash.  Plus we couldn't take advantage of our surroundings.  The beautiful mountains, the still water, the wild flowers blooming.  Shawn had never been before so he was just amazed this place even existed.

We loved this experience and it felt so great to spend our morning doing something productive and selfless for "our world" as the girls would say.  We also decided that we need kayaks in our life and will definitely be going back!

We were proud to make a change and do our part, but truth be told it changed us more than anything.  I can not wait to volunteer again!

COON BLUFF

Shawn and I have wanted to make hiking more of a priority in our life.  Not just hiking but exploring this beautiful state to discover gems that we didn't know existed.  It's easy with children to come up with reasons why we shouldn't or why it would be difficult.  Every time we push those feelings aside we never regret it.  Reece at this point has been our biggest obstacle aside from the constant complaining we get from our twins.  This time I got smart and bought a candy bar for a treat if they didn't complain.  Bribery, although sometimes frowned upon, can be highly effective.  We also bought this back pack carrier.  Once properly adjusted its a great backpack and was effortless carrying her.  This was an easy hike, very kid friendly and perfect for our first family of five hike.

This picture Reece finally spotted the horses.

I have a new love for cacti.  Most of my life I never appreciated their beauty.

We enjoyed spending quality time together, admiring the majestic wild horses, starring into the horizon and the beauty that surrounded us.  The girls loved collecting shells, playing in the mud, and snacking on candy bars and bacon bits (what Ava referred beef jerky to, haha) during our picnic.  We still can't believe we've never been there at least in our adult lives and its only a 30 minute drive.  Well worth the trip and we can't wait to go back someday.  In the meantime we have other destinations to explore and mountains to climb.