Arizona

Back in June we took a road trip to visit Grandpa in Arizona. First and foremost, we were missing Steve's dad and always love to see him. Secondly, we were seeking sunshine. For those of you who don't live in Utah, or those who may have blocked it out, Spring here in Utah was wet, cold, and wet. After weeks of trying to stay warm and dry, I turned to Steve and said something very similar to, "If the sun doesn't come out soon, I'm going to have to go looking for some!" Within days we had planned a quick trip to Arizona about 3 weeks later. Wahoo!

Grandpa introduced us to his favorite Chinese Buffet. YUM! It was so good! We all left with our bellies bulging and a bit more pressure on our snaps and buttons than when we started.

Notice that there are no pictures of us actually eating. Too busy stuffing our faces to stop and snap any photos. Now, I have come a looong way when it comes to buffet eating. Before I became a Foster, I did not really enjoy buffets. I didn't hate them, I just didn't really like them. I mean, people put things on the same plate that shouldn't even be in the same meal - like mashed potatoes and lasagna. Eeew. I was the kind of kid who couldn't let my food touch on my plate, so you can understand my distaste of the buffet-style cram-it-all-on-your-plate thing. Well, Steve's family are the ultimate buffet fans. They're the type of folks who go at the end of lunch so they pay lunch prices, then stay and eat dinner. They plan vacations around buffets. Seriously. I am happy to report that although I am not a gal who goes at the tail end of breakfast (at breakfast prices) then eats leisurely while they change to lunch fare so I can grub on scrambled eggs and fried chicken in the same sitting, I have definitely come to appreciate and enjoy the buffet. I mean, if I can find something that makes my whole family happy, then it's certainly a good thing!

During our trip, we visited a giant electronics superstore. Matt was in heaven! I normally don't take pictures of every shopping trip, but the girls found this giant "Angry Bird" and wanted a picture.

The last time we went to Arizona, we went to this really fun park with fountains and a sort of splash pad. The kids really wanted to go back. Last time Bailey didn't want anything to do with the water, but this year she was the first one in the water and the last one out.

Another thing the kids were really looking forward to was lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It was inside this big ol' outlet mall, so we did a little back to school shopping as well as a really cool lunch.

Bailey wasn't too keen on getting anywhere near this elephant. It took a minute to assure her it wasn't real so she'd get in the picture.

So my camera was experiencing some technical difficulties during our trip and the flash was being very temperamental. (Probably 'cause it's getting old and is nowhere near top of the line...) I didn't get very good pictures while actually inside the restaurant. It was super fun, though. We sat right underneath this giant parrot and the kids just kept laughing about being afraid it was going to drop it's stuff in our food while we ate. :) Matt was trying to tease Rachel and told her to be really careful with the banana that came with her lunch because he thought he saw some gorillas eyeing her. It totally back-fired and instead of upsetting her, she thought it was hysterical and choreographed quite a few "be jealous of my banana" dances. Kooky kids.

We made our traditional trip to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

The retail store is always fun to browse through. The girls found some sweet froofy stuff to try out.

...Complete with yippy dog.

That afternoon we went to the cemetary to visit the graves. Steve's grandparents on both sides are buried right by each other.

Rachel was only a year old when her great uncle Donnie passed away, but she knows all about him and how much he adored all the kids.

Bailey -- just chillin'. :)

We were able to get tickets to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play. Chase field is amazing! There was even a playground for kids, complete with huge TV screens above the play structure so you don't even have to look away from your kids playing to watch the game. It was sweet!

Grandpa and Matt eating ball park hotdogs and talking baseball: priceless.

We topped off a very full and fun day with a trip to Mary Coyle's ice cream parlor. Steve's family has been going there for at least four generations. It almost closed down this last year and was saved at the very last minute. They make one mean caramel cashew sundae!

During our visit, we also headed to the Mesa area and visited Steve's great aunt. It was cool for the kids to meet their great, great aunt. She was a total kick in the pants and we had a wonderful lunch with her. She bought the kids a fried ice cream after they ate lunch and told them that next time we visit, she'd buy them ice cream to start off lunch. :)

We then spent the afternoon in Scottsdale where Steve's dad grew up. Old town Scottsdale was a blast. A whole store full of westernwear, boots, and hats. Sweet! I'm not sure what Rachel was doing here, but being cheesey! (Do ya love the giant stain on her shirt? She got to pick peaches at Great Aunt's house. She came inside so proud of herself and clutching those sticky, juicey peaches to her little chest...)

Old Town Scottsdale was really cute - a little tourist-y, but cute.

Remember that sun we went looking for? Found it! :)

Grandpa remembers going to this ice cream parlor as a kid, so we decided to visit. It's called the Sugar Bowl and was apparently just as he remembered it. A little bit of trivia: Bill Keane who created the comic strip Family Circus, was from that area. In his comics he shows the family visiting an ice cream parlor called the Sugar Bowl. Yep, that's this very Sugar Bowl. Pretty cool. :)

It was a super fun trip, but just went by far too fast! We loved being with Grandpa and appreciate his hospitality! We loved the sunshine and loved, loved the company! We certainly are looking forward to next time.

On the way home we stayed in Las Vegas to break up the drive. Steve found a raging deal on a hotel. (Another obsession - next to buffets...) And yes, we sure did eat at the buffet.

When we got home we were tired and happy! Thanks, Arizona for the heat and sunshine! Thanks, Grandpa for a wonderful time!