It ended up being such a laid-back, relaxing, chill, and much-needed vacay. Since we had spent so much time with Jayze's family (pretty much 100%) in February, we decided to focus on spending more time with my family this trip. All of my siblings were able to come down too, so it was like an unofficial mini-reunion.
After traveling to AZ in Feb. and then in September, I am now on board to travel on non-holidays. The roads were clear, the weather was awesome (probably because we live in Kansas now instead of Idaho), and we didn't have a million events and/or obligations to attend. As much as I love visiting family during the holidays, both times it was realllllly nice to just spend time together without all the stress and (hardly any) drama.
All that said, here are a few memories I want to remember and record from this past trip:
Day 1 - Traveled for 15 hours (GPS says it should take 13.5, traveling with two kids adds at least another 1.5):
Since we've done the driving-the-entire-day-with-two-kids a few times, I wasn't too stressed about it. Despite making more stops than we normally do, there were zero meltdowns from Aidan and only two from Kimball. I drove a lot, Jayze drove a lot, and we both talked a lot. The kids slept, ate snacks, watched movies, played games, and sang songs. Late that night, we finally pulled onto my parent's curb where my dad accidentally startled Jayze (which Aidan thought was hilarious). "Papa scared Daddy!"
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| He used my sunglasses because it was "too bright." |
Day 2 - Saturday:
We roasted marshmallows (A and K's first time!) and gobbled down s'mores that night in my parents' backyard.
Aidan and Kimball played with their cousins in the dirt outside all day long. Kimball took a huge liking to the apples that had fallen on the ground from my parents' tree, and we almost never saw him without one after that. I helped my dad make homemade bread before dinner, and all the cousins had bath time together (which K hated) before bedtime. I think the kids had a bath every single night the whole time we were there just because of how much play time they had outside. It was awesome (except for Kimball screaming the whole bath time, of course). I loved seeing the kids play so much.
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| Tried to imitate his cousin, Breck in so many things, including climbing the rails. |
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| All fascinated by a stink bug. |
Day 3 - Sunday:
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| Lots of early mornings with these two. The time difference is two hours (insert sleeping emoji here). |
Significant because 1. It's the Sabbath, so it's always significant. 2. My sister's son, Breck, escaped the pew and sat up on the stand with my dad when we weren't looking (haha, so cute!). 3. Kimball's first time falling asleep on my shoulders at church (he was zonked and I didn't mind the snuggles at all). 4. Homemade peach ice cream.
5. The best part - We visited Alma.
Day 4 - Monday:
Went to Freeman Park to try out their new-to-us zip line. Even the adults were able to get on it, which was awesome. I took Kimball, and he loved it. That morning we announced our baby's gender to both sides of the family, too (we took a video of Aidan saying he's going to have a little brother).
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| He got so tired on the walk that he just sat down in the middle of the path. |
In-Between:
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| Playing with Nana Dee (Jayze's mom). |
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| Peacocks at Jayze's Grandma's house. |
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| Played at another park (Pioneer). |
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| The kids loved activities even as simple as plastic fish in a bucket of water. |
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| Bubble machine! |
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| They loved the tricycles (and sidewalk chalk). |
Day 7 - Thursday:
We stayed inside for most of the day. After dinner, Jayze made two delicious apple pies.
The best part of the day: Jayze felt the baby move for the very first time!
Day 8 - Friday:
This was our big day. We went horseback riding and celebrated Aidan's birthday party. It was so windy that day, but not cold. It was also Kimball's first time on the trampoline (maybe Aidan's too?).
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| Totally in his element. |
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| Oh, my heart. |
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| Aidan's bday will be my next post! (most likely) :) |
Day 9 - Saturday:
Pumpkin Patch!
The only pumpkin patch in town had its opening day! If I had known how cheap their butternut squash was, I would have bought a gigantic one like my parents did. It was Kimball's very first time to any pumpkin patch. The game section was free that day, and all of the kids had so much fun running around from one game to another.
On the way home, I asked Aidan what his favorite part was, and he said, "The balls on the trampoline!"
That night we saw Pam (Jayze's mom) for her birthday. We gave her a homemade card, and I took the kids home right after we sang "Happy Birthday" because they were exhausted. Jayze stayed, and him and his siblings had fun talking.
Day 10 - Sunday:
All of my siblings left that morning, but Jayze and I stayed because his brother's missionary "farewell" was that day. It was the last day we were going to see him for two years! He looked like a missionary when he gave his talk. The luncheon afterwards was delicious, and it was fun to spend that time with Jayze's side of the family and visit with friends.
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| This is the only picture I got from that day, but it's a good one. Aidan wrote the letter D "all by myself." |
Day 11 - Travel back to KS day:
The trip back was a lot smoother than Day 1. We got up early and hit the road (after a quick trip to Walmart for a pack of diapers).
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| New Mexico's sky is amazing. |
We made a quick stop in Liberty, KS to stretch our legs and prep for the three more hours' drive. It was cold, but the kids were ecstatic to be out of the car. We were grateful when we finally pulled into our parking lot, unloaded the van, and tucked our kids in nice and tight.
I'm going to miss going to AZ for Christmas, but I'm excited to spend it here with just our family. We'll try to make it as magical as possible and come up with a couple of our own traditions to still make it just as special.
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