Arriving: ARIZONA!

 Finally!! After all this time, the kids and I made it out to see the Hansfords in Arizona ( Mike had initially wanted to go but decided to pick up some shifts on the ambulance, instead. He did have a few days of  a quiet house to enjoy before he picked up the hours, which was well deserved and appreciated!) . We rode 13 hours with my mom, Brooklyn and Kaleb in the middle of the night to make it in time for breakfast!  In no particular order , here are the pictures from our trip!

Peas in a pod- They both love bugs, learning about science and trying to catch
creepy crawly things.

Grams and Brooklyn swinging their cares away

Taylor loves cars, even cleaning them. So once
we got there and got unloaded, she and Brooklyn cleaned the inside
and everyone cleaned the outside.

Poor Nikki, never hears the end of the short jokes.

We visited a park that had a pond FULL of tiny minnows.
The kids made it their goal to catch one. Despite all their
plotting and planning, this goal went unmet.

Can you believe that Taylor found this guy under her bed?!
What else is under there, Tay?

Nikki and mom took Mason with them on an errand so he could
zonk out in the car. Three minutes after they left, I got a picture of him snoozing away
in his car seat. So the kids and I staged this photo in retaliation.

Mack really loved seeing all the different plants , especially
cactus and palm trees. See her shirt-full of seed pods and flowers?

Snoozing in Coley's bed.

Taylor and Brooklyn were playing dress up and corned Mason for some
lipstick kisses.

Snuggling up with Grams

A Saguaro Cactus that was probably 15 feet tall.

I miss my sister and cherish the time we get together!

I love them!

Look at this beautiful girl! How did she grow up so quickly?

The ride home was nearly silent. All the kids slept
the entire way.

Poor Mason was ready to be home.

The kids all checking out the duck pond

Mackenzie was so worn out that she feel asleep in the middle of the floor
in the middle of the afternoon. That never happens!

Best buds

My girls

Mason never wanted for attention

I snapped a few family pictures just before we left. Those
Hansfords look like a magazine cover!

Six little monkeys swinging in a tree....

Taylor added that little heart with no prompting.
They are a photographers dream.

Brooklyn and me

Mack loved that rock in Nikki's driveway. She scoped out lots of
neat things there.

One of my beautiful sisters

Who leads this pack?

One last picture before we go. There were lots of tears ready to flow.
Sweet Kaleb would be the first to cry.

Wheee!!!!!