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Summer Vacation

We recently returned from a 2 1/2 week long trip to Arizona, Washington, and Las Vegas.  We were able to visit a lot of friends and family and do a lot of fun things together.

The trip began with a 2 1/2 hour flight delay.  Yippee!!  We did all we could to keep the kids entertained while we waited for our plane.
 Our first stop was Phoenix/Mesa.  In my opinion, the scenery is not much to look at.
 The forecast high for the day we arrived was 115 degrees.  The only way to survive heat like that is to be in air-conditioned buildings or by the water.

We had a great day boating at the lake.  Sean loved this little red chair.  He spent the majority of our time at the lake, hanging out in the chair, drinking Gatorade.

 Grandpa was good company, but even he got too hot and eventually went swimming in the lake.
My mom, who rarely swims anymore, took the opportunity to cool off in the lake.  Believe it or not, balancing on those tubes is more difficult than it seems!

 I enjoyed seeing my brother and sister.
Sean was a little nervous around all the new people at first, but he eventually decided some of the people were OK.  He actually sat by my Aunt Judy for a picture.
 When we weren't at the lake, we spent time swimming at the pool.  Do you like Rick's sunburn lines from the life jackets?  Poor guy.
 Family pic . . .
 We went for a quick drive over to the Mesa Temple and spent a little time at the visitor's center.  My Great Grandpa was the head architect on this temple, so it has significance for our family.

 After 4 hot days in Arizona, we left on a 117-degree day and arrived in 65-degree Washington.  Ahhhh!

The contrast between the two states was hard to miss.  We enjoyed visiting with family, taking walks to the beach and in the park.  What a beautiful place!









Rick and I took a short trip to Leavenworth, Washington while Rick's parents were kind enough to watch the kids.  It was so nice to get away for a few days.  The drive there was beautiful.  Somehow, I forgot to upload the rest of the pictures from that portion of our trip, so maybe I'll include them in another post.
 Here's a random beach picture . . . Some kids built this on the beach and we thought it was really cool!
 Aunt Anjee gave the girls makeovers.  They felt so special and beautiful after she worked her magic.




 On our last day in Washington, we went to visit our old friends, The Davis Family.  Boy, do we love and miss them!!  The kids played together just like old times!  They are a great family!
 Even Sean had a buddy!

 Andrew was only a toddler when we moved away, but he and Greg found they had a lot in common and enjoyed playing with each other.



On our way home, we spent one day in Las Vegas.  All we really did was swim at the pool with cousins, but it was a nice way to end the trip.
 By the last few days, we were all ready to be heading home again.  The only complaint I have about Iowa is that it is so far away from our dear family and friends----oh, and sometimes it can get too cold in the winter.

Comments

Chelsey said…
It looks like you had so much fun and everyone looks great! It must have been fun to see both sides of the family. We miss you so much!
July 18, 2011 at 8:37 AM
Chelsey said…
I did get your comment today. One of my other friends told me they were having trouble commenting too. I wish I knew what to do about it! Those pictures of Makayla remind me of pictures of me about that age and the pictures of Emily remind me of Missy. Those girls must have some Mergenthaler in them:)
July 19, 2011 at 4:03 PM
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