Arizona Spring Break

Vacation is over and it was just long enough for us. Addisyn did amazing during the drives and so did Danny for that matter. He's usually not a fan of sitting in the car for too long but he did great. Addie didn't seem to mind at all so hopefully she turns into a vacation lover like me. I meant to blog about our trip last night but I was too exhausted by the time we got back. We thought we would be back Wednesday night but we decided to extend our trip by one day. 

We've been asked why we chose Arizona for our vacation. Danny's best friend Dallen and his wife live there so we wanted to pay them a visit (it was a surprise to Dallen). Danny also wanted to go somewhere warm. It also helps that Danny's grandparents have an empty condo in Mesa Arizona which is close to Phoenix where Dallen lives. Plus it was about time our little family  had a little getaway. 

The following are my journal entries from each night. 

SATURDAY- We drove 11 hours and Addie only whined when the GPS said there was 59 minutes left in the drive. Danny and I were beyond surprised with how well she did. She only whined because the sun was in her eyes. We stopped twice, once for lunch and the second time to switch drivers. I had so much fun on our drive. I felt like we were in the early stages of dating as we talked and talked about whatever came into our minds. It reminded me of the first road trip we ever took where someone told us to be prepared because road trips either make or break a relationship. This was near the beginning of our relationship and now three years later we're married with a kid. 

Enjoying one of our stops.

Chelsea did a great job keeping our secret a surprise for Dallen. We met them in a Mexican restaurant and it was cool to see how shocked he was when we sat down in front of them. He had no idea we were coming. We were able to visit a little bit through dinner but then ended the night because both Addie and Emerson were ready for bed. Our condo was still another 40 minutes away and now that we're here I'm ready for Danny and I to go to bed ourselves. 

SUNDAY - Today was a relaxing day full of snuggles from Addisyn. 

We were also able to enjoy swimming with Dallen and his family. Their boy Emerson is one fearless little guy, especially around water. Addie on the other hand is the complete opposite. For the most part she's a cautious little girl. After watching Emerson jumping in the water and splashing around she finally started to loosen up and enjoy herself. She even started jumping into my arms from the ledge which is something she would never dare to attempt before. 

We got the 'okay' from her pediatrician to turn the carseat around.

Tonight while we were back at the condo we decided to go for a late night walk around the condominium. We checked out the pool they have here and it was beautifully lit. It's a heated pool so I can't wait to take Addie there in the morning. 

Also, Danny and I did something I don't want to forget. We acted like we were on a first date and I loved it. We pretended to be on bad first dates where we shared all of our crazy facts to each other. The truth is though our crazy facts only made me love him more. I'm blessed to be his wife. I'm not sure what it is about this vacation but I LOVE all this time we're spending together. I think I'll be just as sad as Addie will be when he goes back to school and work. 

One last memory before I go to bed. The funniest thing about this trip is that Addie now says Danny instead of Daddy. We try correcting her, but hey she's not in the wrong haha since that is his name. I might feel differently the day she figures out my real name is not mommy. 

MONDAY- It's crazy that today is only Monday. It's felt like a Saturday all day long. Dallen woke up sick today so our plans for the day had to change a little bit but we still had fun. We spent our morning at the pool here, which was nice. The pool was heated so the water was nice and warm. 

We shopped around for a little while before eating at Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles for dinner. I had heard of this combination before but never thought they would go well together. This place even had kool-aid served in mason jars which was Danny's favorite part. We enjoyed our dinner outside. 

I wish Utah had more restaurants with outdoor seating options, but I understand how that could be hard with Utah's unpredictable weather. Apparently it rained today there with expected snow later this week. It makes me enjoy this Arizona weather that much more. It's been in the high 70s here with it getting closer to 90 the rest of our trip. I'm looking forward to the summer we have coming up. 

Anyway we decided to see the Gilbert Arizona temple after our dinner tonight. Addie loved walking around and struggled a lot when it was time to get back in the car, by "struggle" I mean she screamed a lot. We couldn't believe the tantrum she threw when we got her back in the car. We felt pretty bad about how frustrated she was feeling. We plan on doing activities that we know she'll especially enjoy tomorrow. 

TUESDAY- We started off our morning at the swimming pool but only lasted a little over a half hour before we were kicked out for not having a guest pass. We felt bad for Addie because she was really enjoying herself in the water. 

Today we decided to find things to do that Addie would enjoy. After all of us got a nap in we headed to a nearby park. Addie loved playing in the dirt which is something I didn't particularly love. I'm learning that I just need to let her get dirty sometimes, even if that means her white shoes will be ruined. Eventually she stopped with the dirt and focused her attention on running after birds. That was pretty fun watching her. 

We ended tonight having dinner at Dallen and Chelsea's house and then having a game night. Addie and her future boyfriend Emerson got along really well and played with each other while we played games. They also snuck a couple kisses in before we told them to stop. 

WEDNESDAY- It was a little bittersweet leaving the condo this morning, but we're ready to return back to our normalcy. I'm especially hoping Addie returns to her usual sleeping schedule. She's been going to bed around 9pm on average every night and is waking up before 7am. I'm definitely not used to this new schedule. I miss her over 12 hour sleep schedule. 

Watching Curious George while we pack up.

The condo

We visited the Mesa Arizona temple this morning and it was beautiful! It was surprisingly very small but Danny and I loved the landscape and the cacti everywhere. Addie also loved it. She kept running around the lawn just giggling to herself. She was in heaven. She saw the little pool of water in front of the temple and wanted to go for a swim. We tried to explain that she couldn't jump in the water and that's when she showed us what a real temper tantrum is. She absolutely lost it. We decided to leave and she was so mad at us. This little girl of ours made sure that we knew how she was feeling. We thought her other tantrum was bad but this one had that one beat. The only way we finally got her to calm down was by singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  It's a little funny that her two worst tantrums ever have both been on this trip and both times were because we left the temple grounds. I guess her love for the temples is starting early so we must be doing something right. 

We met Dallen and Chelsea one last time for lunch. Addie and Emerson are really cute together. I hope one day we can all live closer to one another. 

We finally got on the road to head home. Once again Addie did amazing for the car ride. She slept for a couple hours of it and did very well when she was awake. 

Happy trooper

We weren't originally planning on seeing the Grand Canyon during this trip but we decided to go for it and we don't regret it one bit. Danny was in awe with it and that made it more than worth it for me. I've been there before but this was a first for Danny and Addie. 

Since we decided on the Grand Canyon we are cutting our drive home into two days. We thought it was a good plan until we stopped for the night in Page, Arizona. Lake Powell is here. This place is a popular spring break destination so the first five hotels we attempted were full with no vacancy. We were worried we wouldn't find a place to stay and we were exhausted. We finally found a hotel for the night and will be back on the road in the morning. Here's to hoping for a good nights rest. 

THURSDAY- And we're back! Addie and I slept okay last night but Danny had the worst night yet. He was up most the night feeling sick. After some medicine he felt better and we got on the road. We drove for maybe five minutes before we decided to make a stop and explore Lake Powell since we were already there and neither one of us had been there before. We hiked along this cool rock trail and then put Addie down so she could explore. She was in heaven! She turned out to be quite the little rock climber and didn't seem to have any fear where we were. We weren't planning on stopping for this hike but we're all glad we did. I thought Addie was going to throw another fit like she did leaving the temples but she didn't fight the car seat at all. She didn't whine the whole way it took for us to drive home. We've been so impressed with how great she's been on our spring break road trip. I was definitely expecting the worst. It's so good to be back home now. Addie is in bed, everything is unpacked, and now it's time for us to end our day as well.

She was determined to climb up everything she could see.

TODAY - We all slept in til 10am today which felt amazing. Addie is already back to her old sleeping schedule which makes me happy. It's good to be home. Danny and I have both agreed that if we do another Arizona trip we plan on spending more time at the Grand Canyon National Park and to also stop at the Out Of Africa Wildlife Park they have in Arizona. All in all it was a very much needed and great way to spend Danny's spring break.