Happy Halloween

Another night of sending out kids in costumes to beg for food. We had a Pirate and mask less Power Ranger (the mask continually slipped down). I had a terrible cold but being the good sport of a mom that I am, we hit the entire neighborhood plus part of another one. The highlight of the night was the family who was walking a pug. Annika was racing from house to house to catch up so she could pet him. Everyone had a good haul and ate a few candies before watching some very kid friendly Halloween shows and going to bed.

Our Girl Turns 7!

Has it been this long? She was just a little bitty the other day. Where does the time go. She was just so tiny. Now she is the friend of animals, drawer of pictures, reader of books, protector of little brothers, player of soccer, rider of bikes, teller of silly jokes, lover of life. She finds joy every day even when sadness should prevail. She makes you know how wonderful life is and how much better it is with her in it. My girl is 7 and they have been a fantastic 7 years for all who she has touched.

Sedona

What is there to say. Sedona is beautiful. We started on the last leg of the trip with questions of whether we were going home or not. We stopped to look over the canyon for a bit and then headed down the mountain. Spent a few hours at some state park so the kids could run around and unwind. They had a so much fun and spent some time looking for turtles. All they found was some weird bug. They had no problem getting back into the car since it meant heading home.

More Photos: Sedona Photos

Vacation Right of Passage

Every child must suffer the "Never Ending Road Trip". Annika and Trevor finally got their first one. On a whim, we decided to go to Monument Valley. This was for me and my dad, so the kids had to suffer the long ride. Beautiful - Yes. Middle of Nowhere - yes. Longest drive the kids have ever done? - Definitely. We drove from the Grand Canyon to the town of Kayenta, well inside the Navajo Nation. 3 hours. From there it was another 30 minutes. We hit Utah and finally it was time to get out of the car. Monument Valley is exquisite. I recommend everyone going there. Make sure to do it without a 3 year old and to do it as part of a trip going some where afterwards. There is nothing else there but that. NOTHING.

Getting back to Trevor and Annika. By the time we got there, they were unimpressed. It was way to long of drive to look at rocks. Every time I pointed something out, Annika did not care unless it meant we didn't have to be in a car. We drove closer to the peaks on a dirt road. They didn't have to wear seat belts (insert "Bad Mommy" here) which became the highlight of going there. That and buying cowboy hats. When I told them were were headed back to Flagstaff after an hour and a half, the whining began. It didn't stop until we were in Flagstaff. Patience prevailed. They did manage to keep busy. Trevor needed a bathroom when were on a desolate highway and it took some convincing that he could pee outside. He had no problem the second time we had to stop in a different but similar looking place. So after 6 hours in the car, their horribly long road trip was over.

More pics here: Monument Valley

Grand Canyon

After 4 hours of driving, stopping for the occasional pee break, we arrive at the Grand Canyon. It was so nice and cool - only 65 and breezy. By breezy, I mean windy. Really windy. It was definitely a nice change from the 95 degree weather in Phoenix. The kids had a great time. Grandpa probably almost had about 20 heart attacks making sure Trevor didn't go over the edge. He wanted to just look or climb down. It wasn't until there was a guard rail did he have hesitations about getting to close. Annika of course - totally well behaved, except for me having to tell her about 50 times to not climb on the rocks.

Sad news that a little girl Trevor's age fell at the canyon a day or two after we were there. I gave Trevor a great big hug and thanked him for not getting to close.

More pics here: Grand Canyon Photo Album

Biking...As Promised

Like they say, once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. Annika is still riding, but is having troubles getting started. She was assisted by Grandpa who got her started and gave her assorted Grandpa type advice (not sure what it is, I was busy taking pics) But she did much better after their chat.

Annika and Grandpa

Going...

Going....

Oops...
(She's fine)

Trevor had to get in on the biking action. He never misses an opportunity to ride his bike.

NEWS FLASH

Annika rode her bike - no training wheels!!! We went to the park and they have a huge grassy field. It only took a few tries and she was riding all over. She still needs help getting started, but I think her tires need more air so she moves a bit faster from the get go. I promise to add pictures soon. I didn't take any because I was running after her for a while and also because I forgot my camera (bad Mommy).