On Monday we went to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It was so beautiful with such different landscapes and textures than we are used to.
We saw a funny looking, gnarled tree that Grace said looked like the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter. Just after she said that a nearby tour guide told his group that the tree was the same kind as the Whomping Willow in Harry Potter. We were all pretty impressed with Grace!
I had to take this picture of Isaac explaining the map to two older ladies. He was showing where they were and where they needed to go. What a gentleman!
He heard a beautiful bird song and searched for the source. We found this bright red cardinal. So cool!
It was a beautiful day in the desert.
Grace found the souvenir that she wanted at the arboretum. A cute little cactus.
We finished our adventure with a picnic lunch. We planned to get dessert at a bakery that Kristin loves, but it was closed on Mondays. We hit Bosa Donuts instead, it was a worthy alternative! That night Emma gave us a FHE lesson and then we started to watch Ghostbusters. It wasn’t so great, so we turned it off.
On Tuesday we hiked the Hieroglyphic Trail.
More amazing desert views!
Such a pretty trail! Grace picked wildflowers for me along the way.
At that top there were rocks covered in hieroglyphics. So cool!
Grace twisted her ankle a little on the way down so she and I were slower hiking buddies. She was a good buddy to have.
After our hike Emma, Kaitlin and Tenley went prom dress shopping. They also had dinner at Cafe Rio and watched Beauty and the Beast since Emma hadn’t seen it yet. That wasn’t a bad night for them! They came home with the most beautiful dress. Mom, Kristin and I went to Relief Society. While were there Darcy took the kids to a fun park and scorpion hunting. That must have worn them out because they only lasted a few minutes when it was time to go to bed!
Isaac and Grace spent a lot of time every day on the hover boards, they got much better at maneuvering them as the week went on. Isaac could even have a Nerf war on it.
On Wednesday morning we went to breakfast at Henhouse Cafe. We shared the hugest pancakes ever!!
So delicious!
Then we ventured into Mesa. We found the house that my Grandma Melba lived in as a child. My mom had visited with Aunt Priscilla the day before and heard some fun stories about that house that she was able to tell us.
We had planned to go to the Mesa Historical Museum. The museum usually has displays that include our family, but the regular exhibits are closed and in storage. Bummer! Instead we found these super cool spin chairs. We could have lounged and played in them forever!
We stopped by the Mesa Temple and spent some time in the Visitors Center.
The grounds of that temple are so beautiful!
On the way home we stopped by Fluff-it, a gourmet marshmallow bar. So yummy!
That afternoon we got to visit with Bob Hansen and Reed Myers. Brought back memories of growing up! Isaac was planning to go to Cub Scouts with Ryder, but Ryder fell asleep right before it was time to go so Isaac went by himself. Brave boy! He had fun. We had tacos for dinner that night, watched Sing, Isaac and Ryder helped Darcy put together their new trampoline, and the night ended with a karaoke session inspired by Sing.
On Thursday morning we went prom dress shopping some more. The one Emma bought was so pretty, but a little on the spendy side. We thought we would try some other places. We didn’t have any luck though and decided to keep the one she got. We stopped by the Gilbert Temple on the way home.
This temple is one of my favorites. Just gorgeous.
That afternoon we went swimming. The high school pools are so much more fun and way less expensive than the pools in Oregon! Unfortunately the day we went swimming was a little windy and cooler than the other days. The kids still managed to have a lot of fun.
Even Tenley and Emma!
That night Emma and Kristin made cookies and the kids watched a movie.
While we were having fun in Arizona, Lee had returned home from Spokane and happened to land some awesome Blazer tickets from a friend. Lynn was his date.
On Friday night we went to an owl preserve. Those owls were pretty reserved and we didn’t see a single one.
Grace was pretty determined to draw what she saw!
Kristin’s family introduced us to Exploding Kittens.
Mom, Kristin and I went to lunch with Meredith and Molly at Local Eats. It was nice to catch up with them. Then we shopped for the drive home. Later that night we picked up some pizzas to eat while we watched Kristin and Darcy’s soccer game. They convinced Tenley to fill in for a teammate that wasn’t there. It was fun to watch all three of them play!
The kids played their own soccer game on the sidelines.
After the game we went to Swirl-It for frozen yogurt.
Then back to Kristin’s house for our last hurrahs.
It was sad to leave the Myers on Saturday morning, but we drowned our sorrows at Kneaders for breakfast. Oh man, that french toast is the best!
We drove that day to Layton, UT.
Listening to General Conference along the way. And making fun of Emma learning how to wash car windows.
We made a stop in Provo to see the Provo City Center Temple. It is so beautiful and unique!
I love Provo.
We barely survived our stay in Layton. We had to ask for new rooms at the hotel because they reeked of smoke. Then we had to endure the wrath of the hotel worker. The hotel wasn’t all that great, so we were glad to leave on Sunday morning. We finished our trip and made it home. Grace drew some pretty drawings while we listened to General Conference.
Isaac started and finished reading The Hobbit between conference sessions. It was the copy that Kristin stole out of the DI truck for Parker, then we stole it from her. We are a family of kleptos I guess!
We were so happy to see Lee when we got home. We missed him! But what a great Spring Break we had. Thank you Myers family!
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