We decided to opt out of the Disneyland this year where some of our family went. (SHHHH, don't tell Liberty!) We figured Liberty would enjoy and appreciate it more when she gets a little older. Plus, we knew it would be quite stressful taking Liberty and Hadley. There's always next year! So, we decided to take a little road trip ourselves. We are always talking about how there is so much to see and do in Arizona, and being here our whole lives, we still haven't experienced it all! So, we decided to take a trip to Tucson. We left Sunday afternoon, and got a hotel that night. On Monday we drove up to Mt. Lemmon. It was about an hour's drive to the top, consisting of lots of twists and turns. Unfortunately, Liberty got carsick about halfway up, and threw up, but luckily it didn't make a huge mess, and we were able to clean it up quickly on the side of the road. (Most of it ended up in mine and Liberty's hands. My "Mom skills" kicked in and I was surprisingly able to handle it without getting too sick myself.) The drive itself was beautiful! It was amazing how we started out in desert landscape, then passed through the high dessert terrain, and ended up in the mountain and pine scenery. There was even quite a bit of snow on the ground! When we made it to the top, there was a little ski town that we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and surroundings. We even bought some tasty fudge, which Liberty particularly enjoyed. After we soaked it all up, we made it back down the mountain. Next, we headed to a Spring Training baseball game with the Diamondbacks and Rockies. Despite the lack of shade, it was a fun experience! We got lawn seats and enjoyed kicking back while Liberty danced and played, with an occasional, "Go, D-backs!" We love exposing Liberty to new things like a good ol' baseball game. After the game we finished off our trip with dinner at Outback. Liberty's favorite part was her bowl of sliced cucumbers... dipped in butter. The trip was nearly perfect! We were stress-free, got to see part of Arizona we hadn't seen before, and enjoyed time with our little family! And to top it off, the girls slept the whole way home!
We also joined the Bair’s in celebrating Ashlyn’s 8th birthday on Tuesday. Liberty of course had a blast hanging out with her cousins. I was taking a picture of Liberty and Hadley in their green, and some of the girls wanted to join in. There was no shortage of cute little girls that night!
For Lily’s birthday on Thursday, Liberty, Hadley, and I joined the Lines Family, Heather and Adam, Kasen, and Becky for a fun-filled day. First, we rode the light rail to Phoenix, and went to the Phoenix Children’s Museum. The kids had so much fun there! Liberty could have played there for a week straight! My favorite part (and probably Liberty’s too) was the play market. There were shelves with real (empty) food boxes and cans, a realistic produce section, grocery carts to load up, two checkout lanes complete with cash registers and a place to scan your purchases, and even an area to load and unload the delivery truck. The thing I loved most about it was how serious all the kids were as they shopped and “worked” at the grocery store. You could definitely tell they had all been grocery shopping with their mom’s! They were all so systematic about it. Liberty enjoyed loading her cart up, taking it to the checkout, unloading all her food, and then going back for more several times. I wasn’t surprised when she was really upset when we had to leave.
After the museum we headed back on the light rail. Unfortunately, it was pretty crowded, and we had to stand up the whole time. And, Liberty was worn out, and wanted me to hold her while she slept. So, I held onto the double stroller with Hadley in it, held Liberty while she slept, all while trying to balance myself and not fall every time the train stopped and started. But, we made it!
Once we made it back to town, went to Costa Vida for dinner/lunch, and then enjoyed some frozen yogurt.
