Spring Break Part 2

 On Monday, Jill had to teach a clinical all day, so we met up with John's other relatives at their RV park. We started off by playing some mini golf, which everyone really enjoyed. We also got to see some remote control race car races and play a little bocce ball. After all the games, we headed to Jeannine and Randy's place for some lunch. They fed us some BBQs, fruit salad, chips, and then some cookies at the end. It was good, and really nice of them to provide a meal for us. We also took a tour of the RV park, and Emma and Elliott even got some shuffleboard lessons while they were there. 

The weather was beautiful. It was a little breezy, but around 83 degrees, so we went swimming in the pool at the RV park. The kids had a really good time. After the swimming, we checked out one of the city parks that has a huge playground castle, and the kids had fun running around with some other kids playing "Among us". After all the activity, John and I needed a beer. So, we checked out the Prison Hill Brewing Company in downtown Yuma. We each had a well-deserved beer, the kids got some pops. and then we shared some warm breaded pretzels and cheese. It was all pretty amazing. 

We did some exploring downtown. We found some murals and took some pictures, and just enjoyed strolling around downtown. For supper, we cooked spaghetti at Jill's house, and enjoyed a home-cooked meal. We spent some time packing for our trip to San Diego in the morning, and then we just enjoyed a quiet evening on the patio. We played some Mexican Train and enjoyed each other's company. 

It was a really nice day spent exploring Yuma. My next post will cover San Diego, that was also a really fun adventure. I'll leave you with pictures from our adventures in Yuma. 

Watching the Race cars 

Mini golf babe 

Bocce ball 

Shuffleboard 

My beer was still green from St. Patrick's Day 

Spaghetti Crew 

Spring Break Part 1

 We decided to go for it this spring break, and we took the kids to Arizona. We had such a good trip and so much fun! The kids had never been on an airplane before, or been to another state (or country), so they were very excited. We had been counting down this trip for over two months. 

Friday, March 18th, was the last day of school for the kids before having an entire week off for spring break. We spent the evening getting packed, making sure we had everything, and trying to get two excited kids to get some rest. 

Saturday was a big day. Our flight didn't leave until noon from FSD, so we had the morning to eat a good breakfast, charge Ipads, clean/organize the house, and finish any last minute packing. Jim came and picked us up about 10:00 am and we headed to the airport. The kids were very talkative and excited during the drive, and Jim helped us get all out luggage out, snapped a picture of us all, and we were off. We got through security pretty quickly, and without any problems. The kids did a good job getting their bags on the belt and listening to what they were supposed to do. Then, we had a solid hour and a half to kill in the airport. 

I took the kids for some walks down the hallways, and we window shopped at some of the stores. Elliott played with his army men by the windows while Emma read a book. They did get to see some planes land and take off, which they thought was pretty cool. Then, it was time to board the plane. Emma sat by the window, and I sat next to her, and then Elliott sat by the window behind us and John sat next to him. The kids thought taking off and checking out the view from the airplane window were really cool. After we were above the clouds and couldn't see much, the kids settled in with their Ipads for the 2.5 hour flight. 

We landed in Mesa, AZ at around 1:00pm Arizona time. It was a beautiful, sunny 82 degrees when we walked off the plane right outside the airport. It was beautiful. We picked up our Minivan rental (which the kids ended up loving for the entire week) and we looked for a place to eat since everyone was starving. We ended up going to a Jack-in-the-Box. It was ok. It was a fast food place, and everyone enjoyed their food. 

Then we settled in for the 3 hour drive to Yuma. The drive was actually pretty enjoyable. The kids enjoyed looking at all the mountains, and cacti, and all the desert. Eventually, the Ipads came out again and just the adults were enjoying the scenery. 

We got to Jill's house around 4:30pm. Randy, Jeannine, Dick, and Dorrayne were surprisingly there when we got there. We got unpacked, settled in, and then we ate some supper that they had prepared for us at Jill's house. We had chicken and rice, and it was delicious as we were all tired and hungry. It was really nice to visit with everyone, especially Jill, who we hadn't seen since last summer. After the good food and visiting, the company left, and we all got settled into our bed. Emma and Elliott slept in the living room, and took turns sleeping on the air mattress bed or the couch. They did really well sleeping in the same room, and most nights they were so tired they had no trouble sleeping. We all went to bed a little early after our long day, and everyone slept well. 

On Sunday, we had made plans to go to Mexico with Dick and Dorrayne. We started with breakfast at Jill's house (we made a trip to Walmart so we could just eat a normal breakfast every morning and save ourselves some money) and then we left for Mexico around 9:00am. The day was a little breezy, and just a tiny bit chilly, but we were all wearing shorts and T-shirts and enjoying every minute of the sunshine. 

The kids were really impressed with Mexico, and it was where we got most of our souvenirs. The kids even got into negotiating prices with some of the Mexicans selling things. Emma ended up getting a ceramic cat, a magnet, and a t-shirt. Elliott got a ceramic dog, a keychain, and a ukulele, which he was very proud to play. Emma ended up getting a ukulele as well, but eventually Elliott sat on it and broke it. It was very tragic. 

John and I had fun shopping as well. We ended up getting some yard decor. We got a metal cactus, which we had them paint green, with red flowers on it. Then, we also got a metal buffalo. Luckily, Dick and Dorrayne are heading back to SD this week, and they offered to transport those for us. 

After shopping for a while, we ate some lunch. We went to one of the Mexican restaurants, and had some authentic Mexican food. John and I shared a platter which had a variety of foods on it, he got a beer and I got a Pina Colada. The kids shared some nachos. It was really good, the kids raved about the food for the rest of the day. 

We shopped for a while after eating, and then we decided to head back. We all made it back across the border without any problems, and then we decided to check out the Center of the Universe. It's basically a tourist trap that's located a couple miles outside Yuma. We did the tour, got the kids their certificates, and then we got out of there. 

We headed back to Jill's for a little breather and to unload all our goodies, and then we met up with all the relatives at a burger joint called Burgers and Beer. It was a typical burger place, but everyone had good food and enjoyed themselves. 

After supper, we went back to Jill's house. The kids played while John and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was fun to walk around and see palm trees, and interesting landscaping, and just enjoy the weather. We watched a little March Madness basketball with Jill when we got back, and then we sent everyone (including ourselves) to bed. 

More adventures to come in my next post, here are some pictures from our first two days in Arizona. 

Made it through security 

Army men at the airport 

First airplane ride for Emma 

Arizona cactus 

Jack in the box 

Jill's courtyard 

Ready to enter Mexico 

Shopping 

Found a turtle at lunch 

The lunch crew 

Enjoying a Mexican lunch 

Great date 

Emma having a great day, with new sunglasses even 

Arizona Mountains 

Center of the universe 

Jill's house 

Our ride for the week 

The view from Jill's driveway 

Jill's backyard 

Parent/Player Basketball Game

 March is really moving along. We just observed Daylight Savings Time, and it's 3 days until we leave for Arizona. Yay! Everyone is really excited here for the trip, but we have a lot of packing to do before our trip. 

Last Friday, was the annual Parent/Player basketball game. I played in it, but John had to miss it because it was the 9 Clouds Christmas Party celebration that evening. So, I helped the parent team, but we ended up losing to the kids (big surprise there). It was a really fun time though. Jim and Barb came to watch the game, and they really enjoyed it. 

Emma and Rachel did some cheerleading in-between quarters, and then at the end of the game, Emma just decided to pick up the microphone and sing the Star Spangled Banner. I was really proud of her. It's really hard to sing in a room full of people, and she did it without even questioning it. And it sounded pretty good. I enjoyed playing in the basketball game. I'm glad I've been running, because I felt like I was in pretty good shape out there. I also scored a few baskets, so that was fun. Emma scored 5 baskets for 10 points, so she was super pumped about that. 

After the game, the kids went home with Jim and Barb, and I met up with John for the rest of the Christmas Party. There was still some food left, so I got some supper, and then we went to Monk's for some drinks before heading back home. It was freezing cold out, about -15 windchill, so that was fun. 

On Saturday, John did some ice fishing while I stayed home and did some deep cleaning before our big trip. The kids got home in the afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day just being home and relaxing. 

This week, we are working on running errands, finalizing details, and starting the packing process. I have today off, which is great. I have already run some errands, and I am going to start throwing the kids' luggage together pretty soon. It's so exciting to have a trip to plan and pack for. The kids are going to have such a fun time. It's going to be 95 degrees a couple of the days were are out there, I'm not sure I'm ready for that hot of weather. 

Here's to a great trip to Arizona!!

Fun in the greenhouse 

Parent/player game 

Emma singing 

The crew