Captain Cooper & Chief Charlie

A big thanks to our (old) neighbor and all the other Mesa Firemen! Charlie and Cooper were able to go to the fire station and get their own tour. Of course they asked all the important questions "is this the bed you sleep on? who sleeps next to you? is this the bathroom you use? is this your locker where you put your clothes?" They got to meet everyone and go for a ride on the engine, complete with lights and sirens! They even witnessed the firemen going out on a call while they were there. What a cool experience for them.

The Phoenician

Oooh, I love The Phoenician. We had such good time there with the kids. We swam all day, ate good food, and laughed as daddy got totally sunburned! The kids for some reason do really well when they stay at hotels, so there were fortunately no major melt-downs. It's so beautiful there.

Breakfast on the patio

Obviously my camera doesn't like me too much in the evenings....

Side note:For all of you current event people and "news" watchers-remember when the Obamas went on vacation this summer?? Remember the whole grand canyon-shorts wearing- to do? Well, THIS was the hotel the Obamas stayed at for two nights while in Arizona. This happened a week after we stayed there. The boys knew and thought it was pretty exciting. They wanted to be able to go back there and play with "the girls". Charlie even asked if they were staying in the same room as we did. I wish kiddo, I wish!

Bentley Happy Hour

While Andy was in Phoenix (for a few days) we decided to throw together a Happy Hour to see all of our friends at one time. OMG! It turned into one of the most fun Happy Hours in history! Our friends (and brothers!) are all super great and made the night so enjoyable. We can't wait til the next one in October...

This picture pretty much sums up my whole vacation-happy and smiling!

Cheers to a great night with awesome friends and family

Support the cause!

Like our boat?!
Yes, Andy makes us even use Valvoline products for our toys now! Actually this thing made the trip from MN to AZ and it turned out to be kinda cool and a lotta fun.

The Groovy Smoothie

It's not really called The Groovy Smoothie, but thanks to iCarly that's all my kids refer to any smoothie place as. The boys had their first experience with Jamba Juice. It went over SOOOOOOO well! We ended up going several times while we were in Phoenix. Now that they're hooked they were pretty upset to learn there isn't one close to "home"....Thanks again Aunt Joan :)

Let the games begin

Our first few moments in Phoenix...

When the boys got to my parents house they were told to go on a treasure hunt! There were clues and treasures "buried" all over the house for them. They were so excited!
Time with Nana is not complete unless there is some kind of baking involved...

And time with Mama in Scottsdale is not complete without a trip to Sprinkles for delicious cupcakes!

We've Landed

The boys and I made it back to Minnesota in one piece. Our three week vacation was beyond amazing. We had the best time ever. At times I thought I was making an epic mistake by being there so long (the boys really missed their dad and got slightly confused) but I have realized it was one of the best decisions I have made. We all came back with renewed spirits. Expect many, many blogs and pictures to chronicle the summer. Thanks again to ALL of our friends and family who made this trip possible and oodles of fun! We heart u!

We're baaaaaaack!

The boys and I arrived safely in Phoenix yesterday. Flight went great, my first In n out burger in months was great, the pool is great, and seeing my family has been beyond great. Hardest part has been getting the kids switched to Arizona time! (I'm exhausted!) It feels oh so good to be home...