Sedona

 Dave and I haven't flown anywhere (just the two of us) since our honeymoon 16 years ago, so once we were able to get vaccinated and felt safe traveling again, we booked a trip to Sedona, AZ over my spring break.  Our parents were gracious and helped us out with the girls, since they were in school.  We flew in to Phoenix on Easter Sunday night, and couldn't believe how hot it was even though the sun was down.  We took a shuttle to our hotel by the airport.  The next morning, we shuttled back to the airport to pick up our rental car (a white jeep!) and drove to Sedona.  We had lunch, explored some shops, and got groceries before our check in time at our rental casita.  It was such a cute place, and perfect for the two of us.

That evening, we did a hike that was accessible from our casita.  

The next morning, we got up early to hike to Devil's Bridge.  Because we had a jeep, we were able to drive right up to the trailhead...it was a very rocky/bumpy ride, but Dave enjoyed driving the jeep.  The hiking trail took us up to Devil's Bridge, where there was a line of people waiting to have their pictures taken out on the bridge.  I wasn't brave enough to go out there myself, but took pictures for other people and got Dave's picture.

After hiking and taking the jeep back out, we drove across town to Chapel of the Holy Cross.  This was a very cool chapel built into the side of the rocks.

We took an afternoon break at the casita, then did another hike just a short drive away in the evening.

The next morning, we got up early again and made the long drive to the Grand Canyon.  It was very surreal being there.  We walked along the ridge trail and had a picnic lunch before heading down the Bright Angel Trail.  You can take this down several miles into the canyon, but we only went to the first rest stop a mile and a half down.  The way down was easy, but the way back up was pretty tough.

The next morning, we hiked to the Birthing Cave.

We drove over to Bell Canyon, and spent some time hiking and checking out the views from there.

We did some shopping that afternoon, then went on one last Sedona hike that evening to Soldier Pass Trail.  We saw the Devil's Kitchen Sinkhole and the Severn Sacred Pools.  We also found the hidden cave and ended up having to walk back to the car in the dark.

The next morning, we had to check out of our casita, but we made one last stop in Sedona at Oak Creek Canyon.  We had views of Cathedral Rock from there, and took a nice hike by the creek.

We drove back down to Phoenix, and stopped by Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area so that we could see the tall cacti.  It was definitely HOT and a very isolated place, but the cacti were neat to see.

We checked in to our hotel, showered, and then found an In 'n Out Burger for supper.  The next morning, we visited Papago Park to the he Hole in the Rock.  This was a neat park, right next to the Phoenix Zoo.

We drove to another park, had lunch, and then it was time to return the rental car and wait for our flight home.  We had a great getaway, and hopefully it won't be another 16 years before we can do it again!

13!

 I can't believe that we have a teenager in the house...Abby turned 13 on April 2nd.  Last year, it was such a bummer because everything was shut down and we had to cancel her birthday celebrations.  This year, she was able to have two different sleepovers with two of her good friends (I took pictures when Olivia slept over, but not Kira for some reason).

On her actual birthday, we had dentist appointments, but we also stopped for lunch at Raising Cane's.  We didn't know that the location would be closed to indoor dining, so we had a car picnic.

We also celebrated Abby's birthday with my parents when they came up for Easter to watch the girls.  My mom made Abby a cookie cake, just like the one she made me for my 13th birthday.

At Abby's 13-year checkup, she weighed 75 pounds (4th percentile) and was 61 inches tall (36th percentile).  She continues to be easygoing, a rule-follower, likes to read, play Barbies/dolls, would prefer to spend time playing with neighbors/friends than being alone, and does well in school.  We are crossing our fingers that we will survive the teenage years just fine!

Abby's 13-year interview

Favorite color:  blue

Least favorite color:  hot pink

Favorite book:  Out of my Mind

Favorite fruit:  watermelon

Favorite vegetable:  peas

Favorite tv show:  The Office

Favorite movie:  To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Favorite animal:  dog

Favorite food:  pasta

Favorite school lunch:  Italian dunkers

Favorite thing to wear:  comfy clothes

Favorite snack:  Goldfish

Favorite zoo animal:  giraffe

Best friend:  Kira, Gabby, and Sarah

Favorite cereal:  Frosted Flakes

Favorite drink:  Snapple

Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  play tennis

Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  football

Favorite thing to do with Norah:  play

Favorite thing to do with Sadie:  snuggle

Favorite store:  Vera Bradley or Target

Favorite toy:  Legos

Favorite game:  Rat a Tat Cat

Favorite song:  "Deja Vu" and "Driver's License" by Olivia Rodrigo

Favorite thing to do outside:  play sports

Favorite holiday:  Christmas

What I want to be when I grow up:  optometrist or marine biologist

What makes me happy:  hanging out with friends

What makes me sad:  when I hurt myself

What I like about Daddy:  he's funny

What I like about Mommy:  she's nice

What I like about Norah:  she's fun to play with

What I like about Sadie:  she's fun to play with (sometimes)

Now that I'm 13:  I can stay up as late as I want (so she thinks...and she's tired by 7 p.m. most nights...)

Rescue dogs

This spring, we discovered that there is a rescue dog shelter just down the road from us.  We volunteered walking dogs a couple of times, and had the most fun giving puppies baths and socializing them.  They were so cute!

9!

 Norah turned 9 on March 3!  It was a school day, but we were able to celebrate with cupcakes that evening, and spread out the celebrations.  

Dave's parents stopped by with a DQ cake the next night, and my parents surprised Norah (and Abby) that Saturday by bringing up the new bikes we had ordered for their birthday presents. 

That night, Norah had three good friends from her class (Emma, Breia, and Ava) over for a Harry Potter-themed birthday party/sleepover.  She made cupcakes with different colors inside, so the girls could see which house they were in.  Abby had made a scavenger hunt for them to do, they painted, played, opened presents, ate pizza, and watched a movie.  Lots of 9-year-old girl energy!  I don't know how their teacher did it this year...  😆

At Norah's doctor visit, she was 49 inches tall (8th percentile) and weighed 50 pounds (7th percentile).  At 9 years old, Norah LOVES to read and finishes books so quickly.  She is creative and loves to make things with anything she can find.  She has learned to play the ukulele this year, and is doing really well!  She is a homebody who loves spending time alone or with family, and is a sensitive soul who has lots of empathy.  Last year of single digits, here we go!

Norah's 9-year interview

Favorite color:  blue

Least favorite color:  white

Favorite book:  A-Z Mysteries

Favorite fruit:  apple

Favorite vegetable:  salad

Favorite tv show:  Dog with a Blog

Favorite movie:  Yes Day
Favorite animal:  dog

Favorite food:  ice cream

Favorite school lunch:  pancakes

Favorite thing to wear:  jammies

Favorite snack:  Goldfish

Favorite zoo animal:  zebra

Best friends:  Ava, Breia, and Emma

Favorite cereal:  Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Favorite drink:  Sparkling Ice 

Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  read Harry Potter

Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  cuddle

Favorite thing to do with Abby:  play

Favorite thing to do with Sadie:  play tug of war

Favorite store:  Target

Favorite toy:  Barbies

Favorite game:  Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

Favorite song:  "Savage Love"

Favorite thing to do outside:  jump rope

Favorite holiday:  Christmas

What I want to be when I grow up:  doggie daycare owner

What makes me happy:  family

What makes me sad:  when Mommy and Daddy leave for a long time

What I like about Daddy:  he's kind

What I like about Mommy:  she's smart

What I like about Abby:  she plays with me

What I like about Sadie:  she's friendly

Now that I'm 9:  I can have a later bedtime (or so she thinks!)

Distance Learning 2.0

After a hybrid start to the school year, our schools switched to distance learning in mid-November.  This time around, it was more of a regular school-day schedule, with many more Google Meets.  Abby still had her hybrid schedule, with live meetings only 2-3 days per week.  Norah and I were busy all day long each day, and luckily, she and I had the same lunch break most days (the girls had an early release once a week, with a different schedule those days).  It was definitely nice to not have to commute through most of winter, but it definitely wasn't easy keeping 26 3rd graders engaged every moment of the day from a computer.  It was definitely a learning experience!