United We Fall

You know how I mentioned before about us leaving for vacation this Friday? Yeah, that's not happening... Obviously, because I'm sitting here at the exact time our flight should have been leaving.

Apparently, when we called to extend the trip, the United Airlines employee we talked to screwed up and CANCELLED our flight to Detroit and made it a one-way flight back from our vacation! I mean really... how the HECK do they expect us to get there in the first place?!

So now, because he couldn't do his job correctly, Gabe spent a total of FOUR hours on the phone today (half of which he was put on hold for no reason. Once for 50 minutes until they hung up on him!) They kept giving him the run around and trying to put the blame on Priceline, who we booked through, even though we got a confirmation e-mail saying we were leaving tonight!

Watch out for these sneaky b*stards!

After talking to them the first time today, the lady Gabe talked to told him she got a flight for our original time and with an extra layover, we would still only arrive a few hours after our original tickets. OK, that's not so bad we thought... Well, lo and behold, they couldn't even get that right!!! Instead of booking us for tonight, she went and booked us for tomorrow, Saturday night! So back on the phone we go...

After more of playing the blame game, not taking responsibility, giving us no compensation, trying to charge us extra money, AND refusing to change the ticket, we're stuck leaving a day later. Not only did that take a day away from our vacation, it created a domino effect on the rest of our trip reservations. We now had to call the pet boarders and tell them we're not bringing the pets until tomorrow, notify the family who will be house sitting, notify family who are expecting us, and call to change our car rental.

On top of the flight fiasco, the car rental agency tried charging us bukoo amounts more because apparently AFTER our reservation was made, they changed policies and raised their prices. And because we were changing the reservation, we would have to pay under the new policy. REALLY?! As if we didn't have enough stuff go wrong today... Gabe argued with them for a while but ended up winning the argument. The catch? We still have to pay for the car tomorrow even though we're not driving it. UGGGHHH!

Such a hassle! All because one person did not do their job correctly! I give props to Gabe because he discovered the problem when he tried to do the online check-in and couldn't find our flight. And then spent all that time on the phone, never losing his cool, and making sure we weren't paying any extra money for a mistake that we did not make.


Rant over.

Let Me Take You on a Ride

I was standing here today at the kitchen sink and felt some cramps in my stomach. Of course, the first thing that pops in my head was "Maybe I'm pregnant!".

These kinds of thoughts cross my mind constantly. It's a giant roller coaster of emotions that never ends and I'd like to take you on the ride. Here are plenty of examples so that maybe you can understand a little better.

"Do my boobs look bigger? I don't know. I know they grow when I'm pregnant. Oh maybe this is a sign!"

"Man, my stomach is pouching out a lot more. Maybe it was something I ate. No, I didn't just eat. Gas? No. Getting fatter? Maybe. Oh my gosh! I hope this means I'm preggo!"

"I'm so hormonal today. Am I weepy? Pregnant women usually get weepy. Dang it! I'm not weepy. It's probably just my period coming. I'm always hormonal then. Damn, that sucks."

"I'm craving anything and everything. Just give me food. Pregnant? I hope so!"

"My stomach feels funny. I don't feel so good. Is this morning sickness?! Oh, I hope it is! I mean, I hate morning sickness but if this means I'm pregnant, I could care less."

Pretty bad, huh? There isn't really a feeling or pain in my body that I don't question pregnancy first. And probably the worst of them all...

"Do I feel flutters? Could that be the baby moving? Get a hold of yourself. There is no way you are pregnant much less feeling a baby move!"


Ugh, if only I could just stop thinking like this! But I can't. This whole trying to conceive a baby while dealing with infertility is consuming my whole life. I don't like it. I want it to end and I want it to end now. Even if I get pregnant, I know I'm going to be thinking about if we're going to have to go through this again to get pregnant with the next one. I hate this. Haaaaaaate it. I'm surrounded by pregnant women or women having babies. It's to the point where I just have to look away, pretend I didn't see anything, and try blocking it out of my mind. (Out of sight out of mind, right?) Yeah, I wish.

This and That

These are all the things on my mind right now...

• I had a friend who had a baby on Friday and another friend having one today. Another friend just announced her pregnancy. Discouraged and sad is how I'm feeling right now.
• My neck is really sore right now making it difficult to do anything.
• Gabe left for a trip this morning so I'm bored and lonely.
• I love that monsoon season is upon us but don't love the humidity.
• I've decided not to go to Tucson this week for a pregnancy test because I don't think it's worth the 1 1/2 drive and $59 lab fee only to have them tell me it's negative.
• I am both dreading (for reasons I shouldn't say) and excited to be traveling home this week.
• I will probably not be blogging much (if at all) while on vacation.
• After attempting hair bows, I looked up directions and found another couple of cute bows to make that were super easy.
• When we get back from vacation, I need to seriously start thinking about going to school. Just not sure how it would work since Gabe is also going. (We don't need two stressed out adults in this house.)
• Someone on a neighboring street just found a large Bullhead snake in her yard and it now has me freaked out.
•  I'm really craving Panda Express right now.
• We really need to stick to our budget more.
• I wish it was in our budget to allow me to do a little more with decorating the house.
• Maybe I should start playing the lottery.
• As I was writing this post, I heard the ice cream truck go by and FINALLY caught him. I booked it out the door faster than the kids!
• I've been trying to catch that truck for over a month. Success at last!
• I should write posts like this more often. It's a good way to unload my mind. And as you can see, I have a lot of stuff in my head.

Hair Bows - Not as Easy as it Looks

Last night I took Alena to Walmart and we picked out supplies to make a bow holder for her hair bows and also a few things to attempt to make a bow myself.

I had the idea of getting a wooden letter A and hot gluing two strands of ribbon on the bottom of it. Go figure, they were out of that letter so Alena picked out a wooden butterfly instead. I didn't want to mess with paint, glitter, and all that so I took her to the fabric section where she picked out some fabric to cover the butterfly. Out of all the pretty pink fabric with fairies, princesses, and all things girly, she picked none. And instead, went with a fabric with duckies on it. Oh well... I wanted this to be all her decisions so duckies it is! I also let her pick out some buttons that we would glue on. This time, she picked pink. :)

I've been wanting to try making hair bows for a while now, so we picked out some red and blue ribbon for Fourth of July. We didn't like the choices in white ribbon, so we opted for some little white flowers instead.

This morning, Alena and I sat down at the table and started working on the bow holder. I traced the butterfly pattern on the fabric and cut it out. Then Alena helped me hot glue it on. She added the buttons and I glued some ribbon the bottom. Ta-da! Done. Easy peasy.

Proud of her work.

While Alena was hanging all her bows on it, I started working on making a bow for her. I thought I would just be shaping it into a bow, gluing it on, and it would look fantastic. HAH! Boy, was I wrong! I had the hardest time trying to shape it and have it keep its shape while trying to glue it on a clip. I ended up gluing it wrong and had to pull it off and start over.

This is tedious stuff and my hand even started to cramp up! Pathetic, I know. But I was determined. I started out by gluing a small strip of ribbon to the clip.

Then making a large bow with some 7/8" wide red ribbon. I had to use some thread and wrap it around the center of the bow in order for it to maintain its shape. I did the same with some 5/8" wide blue ribbon and glued them both to the clip with the blue on top. I then took the small sparkly ribbon and wrapped it around the center of both to hide the thread and to give it a better overall look.

Last, I glued the flower in the center.

I spent another 30 minutes trying to make a bigger and better one. That one turned out OK. I suppose these aren't bad for a first try, right?

I don't know. What do you think? I'd love to get better at it because even though it was hard, I still like that it was something made from my own two hands. If any of you has some helpful tips, I would love to hear them!

Father's Day Weekend

We had a pretty relaxed Father's Day weekend. Our church is currently getting ready to move to a different location, but first they have to fix up the "new to us" building. Gabe and I both wanted to help so we decided to do it in shifts on Saturday.

Gabe and the kids dropped me off Saturday morning and then Gabe took the kids to their gymnastics class. I spent the next four hours doing nothing but painting. I helped paint a classroom, the nursery, and almost the entire outside wall of the church. Whew! I was feeling it the next day. Ouch! After lunch, Gabe came and I went home to let the kids have their naps. While we were home, the skies darkened and it actually rained!!! This is great news for us here in the water starved state of Arizona. We're entering monsoon season where it rains almost every day, but they usually don't start this early in the month of June. So everyone was pleasantly surprised! It also left a beautiful rainbow.

Sunday started out with the kids and I letting Gabe sleep in, and then waking him up with breakfast in bed. We went to church, then came home and started planting grass in the front yard. (Ugh, grass does not just grow here like it does elsewhere. We have to work for it.)

The kids had gotten some free meal gift certificates for Texas Road House from their swim instructor, so we went there for dinner. I stuffed myself so much my stomach hurt. I love their rolls! So good! And we topped off the evening with going to bed at 9pm. Hah! We are such party animals, let me tell you...

10 Things I Miss About Having a Baby

I think about this a lot (why do I torture myself!?) and now that we are completely out of the baby stages, I'll tell you what I miss about having a baby in the house. Here are my top 10 reasons. I'm sure if I wanted, I could come up with more, but for the sake of keeping this short, I'll spare you. :)

Christian at 7 months

10. Always having a cuddle buddy to sleep with. (We co-sleep so I always get plenty of cuddles!)

9. Seeing all their "firsts".  First smiles, laugh, rolling over, etc...

8. Little hands and little feet.

7. That baby smell that every baby seems to have.

6. Those tiny, adorable outfits.

5. Being pregnant and knowing you are creating another human being. (This totally counts because there is a baby in there.)

4. Baby smiles. (They're the best, aren't they?!)

3. How peaceful they look when they sleep.

2. Breastfeeding. This was a close second. I personally loved breastfeeding. There's a certain bond that forms between mother and baby that there really aren't words for. I loved the fact that our baby was totally dependent on me for food. And those milky smiles are to die for! (I'll stop now and leave the rest of why I love it for another post.)

And the #1 thing I miss about having a baby is.... the impact that such a small little being has on people. It has brought Gabe and I closer together with each child. And there's just something about a baby that makes people smile, coo, and fall in love with them. It's hard to resist stopping to admire a baby!

Bourbon Chicken - AMAZING!

Let me introduce you to my favorite chicken recipe! Chicken is my favorite meat so I like to cook with it often. This is probably one of the only recipes I have found that taste delicious fresh and still tastes as good the next day!

 You're going to need...

• About two pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into small pieces
• 1 garlic clove, minced (I used pre minced garlic from a jar (see pic below) and just threw in a bunch.)
• 1-2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (again, I just threw in the amount I wanted)
• 1/4 cup apple juice (you could substitute with white grape juice if you don't have apple)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (use if you want thicker sauce)

As you can tell, I don't do a lot of measuring when it comes to seasonings. Liquids I do, but I like to add the amount I think would be good. Doing that, will give you a different flavor every time you make it. :)

• First, you cube the chicken into small chunks. 
• Heat oil in pan and cook chicken until lightly browned.
• Take out the chicken and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until dissolved.

mmm, such a good sauce!

• Next, add the chicken to the sauce and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. (I discovered that simmering it for an hour increases the flavor and intensity. Also, it made it slightly spicier. Much better simmering for longer!)
• Serve with white rice.

 OMGosh ya'll, this stuff is AMAZING! If it were up to me, I would make this at least once a week. It has the perfect amount of sweet and spicy.

I'd love to hear if any of you make it, and what you thought.

In Good Company

The kids have been taking swim lessons for three weeks now and I was happy to discover that I had a friend who's son was in the class following ours so we had a few minutes to talk before our class ended and theirs started.

Why am I so excited about that? Well, she is also going to the same fertility specialist as I am. It was a fantastic outlet for me to speak with someone going through the same thing at the same time. I know Gabe gets fed up when I talk too much about our whole situation because I'll admit, I talk a lot about it.

This past swim session has been even better because not only is my friend there for the same class time, but there's another woman also seeing the same fertility specialist! It's so nice to be able to talk to others who understand what it's like. All three of us have completely different fertility problems, yet we all want the same thing. A baby.

I've been learning a lot from our discussions and they have helped ease my mind (a little) about the laparoscopy surgery. By the way, I have a date for the surgery! July 27th. I would have liked it sooner to get it over with, but our schedules won't allow it. We're leaving for vacation at the end of this month for two weeks, and Gabe has a business trip the following week. Ugh!

I am both excited and freaking out  nervous about the surgery. I am excited because we can finally have some answers as to what is going on. I'm actually hoping they find something and can fix it then and there. I'm nervous because this is surgery. I don't like the idea of being cut open, even if the incisions are small.

This is the final week for swim class and I'll be sad not sitting there every day discussing everything fertility related. It almost makes me want to sign the kids up again just to be able to be in their company again. But we just have too much going on right now. I guess that means I'll just have to invite them both over so the kids can play (we all have 5 year olds!).

Monthly Food Budget - very detailed

Warning - This post may be long because I'm detailing everything.

Most of you know that I use coupons and save 50% or more on our grocery bill. I love doing it and it gives me great satisfaction knowing that I am saving our family hundreds of dollars a month. I'm a SAHM so any savings is a big help to us.

I wanted to write a post about our monthly food budget not only for you guys, but for myself too. It'll be a chance for people to see how much I spend and save each month on groceries, pet supplies, and household goods. And this will (hopefully) make me stay on top of it this month as far as documenting everything.

First off, I set a budget of $300 a month, or $75 a week, for our family of four, along with three dogs, one cat, and a chinchilla. (I know, it's a zoo in this house.) If I buy toilet paper, it comes out of this budget. Shampoo, laundry detergent, and pet food comes from here too. So you see, the $300 is not just on food.

It can be hard to stick to the budget, but I love that I know how much I have to spend and really helps you to stick to your grocery list. I think another thing that has helped me is planning out meals for the week. With the help of Pinterest, it's not boring anymore and actually fun to find new recipes to try.

As of today, June 6th, I have spent $50.54 and saved $48.94! Still within the budget and actually under it for the week!

My first trip to the store was just for milk on the 4th. I spent $3.19 on two gallons of milk ($1.57 each) and saved $2.04. I know, not impressive enough. But wait, there's more.

The second trip was to Fry's last night where I spent $44.00 and saved a total of $44.62. (I consider it a WIN if I save more than I spent!)

I also went to Safeway and spent $3.35, saving $2.28.

Here's the breakdown of my Fry's trip -

General Mills cereal was on sale 3/$5, or $1.66 each. I had two coupons valued $1/3 making each box $1.33. I got 6 cereals. (Normally, I don't consider $1.33 a stock-up price but we were running low and they had kinds my kids like. < $1 is a great price.)

Kellogg's Gluten Free Rice Krispies on closeout for $3.14. I had a $.50 coupon that doubled to $1 making the box $2.14. (Again, not a stock-up price, but good for gluten free)

2 Minute Maid Lemonades on sale for $1 each.

Kellogg's Pop Tarts on sale 3/$5. I had two $1/3 coupons so I got six for $1.33 each. (I have never bought pop tarts for my kids so this will something different to have once in a while.)

Heinz 40 oz Ketchup was on sale for $1.99 and I had three $.50 coupons that doubled to $1, making each bottle just $.99.

Two gallons of milk on sale for $1.57 each.

All Laundry Detergent on sale for $2.77. I had a $1 off coupon, making it just $1.77.

Snuggle Fabric Softener also on sale at $2.77 with a $1 coupon, making it $1.77.

Kroger Cottage Cheese on sale 4/$5. I got two at $1.25 each.

Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Butter Oil, not on sale, for $4.39. (EEK! I hate paying full price and this one killed me. Gabe better love me because I got it for him.)

Kroger White Popcorn Kernels on "sale" for $1.79. (Apparently the normal price is $1.99 so woo! for $.20 savings.)

I had a raincheck for Angel Soft Toilet paper 12 double rolls for $4.99. Then with a $.25 coupon upped to $1, it ended up being $3.99.

The breakdown of my Safeway trip - 

There were only a few things I needed to get  here and of course, they were out of one. (Oh well, I guess that's what I get for waiting until the last day of the sale to go shopping.)

I got three ears of yellow sweet corn 2/$1. (Not a great price but we've been dying for some corn.)

And then one Motts for Tots Applejuice at $1.79. (Not a great price but it's something I don't get the kids too often, so I went for it.)

A glimpse into my stockpile. This is my laundry/household cleaner shelf.

So there it is. I did not get to make a menu for the week yet, so this was not my typical grocery trip. I did get my laundry stockpile filled up now with 7 detergents and 5 fabric softeners in my stockpile. I should be good for the next six months. :) And that ketchup should last us a couple of months until the next sale comes around. With the milk, I now have four gallons in the freezer to last us until the next milk sale (Usually every 2-3weeks.)

Hooked on Gardening

The longer that we have this garden, the more I'm loving it! In the beginning it can be a pain because nothing is happening and you don't see the "fruits" of your effort yet. Now that we have started actually being able to pick and see the vegetables start producing, things have started to get exciting! (I'm sounding like a total nerd right now, aren't I?) *shrug* Oh well.

I've realized lately that I need to be taking in more fruits and vegetables. The kids are constantly eating them but I just can't seem to eat them on a regular basis. I made the suggestion to Gabe about getting a juicer or blender so we can make our own juice or smoothies and he jumped on board right away. This way, we can get all the fruits and veggies that we need and it will be a great way to use any extra produce from the garden. (Also, it justifies Gabe's wish for a bigger garden next year.)

Now, for my favorite part. :)

Our blackberry bushes haven't been doing much. Finally got a flower on it!

Love the large green grape leaves!

Our Lantana bushes have finally taken off too.

Beautiful flower on the zucchini plant.

I see only two zucchinis in this pic, but there are really four growing on the plant.

The zucchini and lettuce. We've already made salads with the lettuce and it looks like we need to have more!

The Yellow Squash plant. You see the big one growing?

The snap peas have really taken off!

My "pride and joy". The corn. I can't wait for fresh picked sweet corn!

The watermelon plant that finally started to grow and the beans in the background.

We have Cilantro!

Tomato plant and carrots. The carrots are alllmost ready to pick. (Please ignore the weeds)

Honey Dew Melon, broccoli, and cucumbers.

Plums! There was one ready to pick the other day. Today, I found it on the ground pecked by a bird. ugh!

This grape vine is growing like CRAZY!

Peppers called Sweet Hots.

Infertility Can Kiss My...

insert explicit word here.

That's where I am right now. You remember me mentioning that we were getting tested on Wednesday to see if we we're pregnant? Well, I'm not.

The first few days after seeing I had five follicles ready to ovulate, I was feeling very hopeful and upbeat about our chances this time. But then it wore off and I started doubting everything. And then the last week I just knew... It was going to be negative.

All my doubts and thoughts were confirmed on Wednesday morning. I started out the morning in an awful mood that just did not get any better. Then, on the car ride up to Tucson, I started to feel cramping in my tummy and pain in my back (the first tell-tale sign that my period has started). Sure enough, I checked in at the dr's and immediately went to the bathroom to discover that I was right. :(

Heartbroken might be a good enough word to describe how I felt. Another month gone, another negative, and another time my body failed me. We went into the exam room and started asking the dr some questions that we've been avoiding. To keep it short, we concluded that a laparoscopy was needed in order to answer for sure if Endometriosis was the problem. Basically, they'll make a small incision in my belly button (of all places), go in and check for Endometriosis, and fix it if needed. I've never had surgery done so I'm a ton bit freaked out.

Meanwhile, the dr told me to take advantage of this month and take Chlomid while we wait for the laparoscopy to be set up.

While we were checking out and setting up the next appt at the front counter, I just couldn't hold back the tears. They started flowing and I couldn't stop them. I had been keeping everything bottled up inside for so long that it just started spilling over uncontrollably. I was looking quite the mess, but I figured if everyone else in the room was there for the same thing, they wouldn't care and probably understood.

I'm OK with the results. Probably because I had a gut feeling that it was negative and therefore already mentally prepared for it.

This Sunday, at church, the Pastor asked if he could pray for Gabe and I. We agreed and even before he called us up to the front of the church, tears were coming. I tried to hold them in (I do not like to cry in front of people) but I just couldn't. So when we were called up, I was sobbing and buried my face in Gabe's chest so I couldn't see anyone else and they couldn't see me. After the service, there were some members of the church (all who we have never spoken to before) came up to us offering words of support and kindness. So sweet! I spent the rest of the day in and out of my crying bouts. I just felt so defeated and worn out. (Holding back tears and then crying them out is tiring!)

What exactly I'm feeling at this moment is hard to describe. There are so many emotions that I go through in a month or even a day. I know most of you don't know how it feels or understand, and that's OK. I'm not expecting everyone to. And I certainly don't expect anyone to pity us, have to say something consoling, or to even care. I just ask for your prayers and your compassion. This is a very touchy subject for me right now. I never thought this would be happening to us and it's so hard to accept. I spent the eight months after Gabe came home in denial. I thought I would be pregnant right away and when that didn't happen, I was surprised. We've been wanting this child for almost three years now. I've had to watch dozens of other women go through pregnancy, childbirth, and taking care of a newborn. Each time, trying to be happy for them and wondering, "When is it my turn?!". I'll be brutally honest, I'm really not happy for them. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone. There are a few people here and there that I am genuinely happy for. Again, it's hard to put into words without sounding so rude and inconsiderate. I don't want people to have to try and hide, keep secret, or shelter me from their pregnancy just because of my infertility. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle others' good news while dealing with my continually bad news. It's a struggle and challenge that I really am trying to solve. Just know that I am trying.

There have been some people who have tried to make me feel better by saying something that they think is helpful, but in reality, that's not the case at all. Don't worry, I'm guilty of the same thing many times. Like telling me "Just be happy that you have two beautiful and healthy children already.". You don't think I'm happy with them?! Of course I'm happy with them! I love them with all my heart but in my heart, I also know that more children are wanted. If you had a car with only two wheels and someone said to you, "Just be happy with the two you have.", would you be satisfied with the two or angry at the person who said that? We are happy with and enjoy our two wonderful kids, but we are not satisfied. We long for more kids. It's just that plain and simple. WE. WANT. ANOTHER. Or two, or three. There are some other things that others have said, but I'm afraid if I go into that, this post will be entirely too long (probably already is).

So there you have it. I just poured out my heart and soul and had a good cry while doing it. For those of you that stuck around until the end, thank you.

Visit From Grandma and Grandpa

Has it really been a week since I've been on here?! Whew! What a week it has been!

First off, my parents flew in on Saturday afternoon and we picked them up in the RV. Then we took off for the Grand Canyon. We left our house at approximately 115-130 and didn't arrive at the GC until after midnight. The word tired would not even describe what we were. Not to mention, it was frigid cold at just 38 degrees!

Early the next morning (too early), we woke up, made and ate breakfast, then got ready for our day at the Canyon. I think we finally left the campground and got on the shuttle around 11.

The Canyon was beautiful, majestic, amazing, huge, colorful, etc etc. There's so many words you can use to describe its beauty. We ended hopping on another shuttle that took us to the Train Depot and El Tovar Hotel. We saw more amazing views and even got to watch the train depart from the station!

After being at the Canyon for five hours, we were wiped out. The kids were quite the troopers. They walked all day, had no naps, and never complained! We took the shuttle back to the RV park and made dinner. Right after dinner, we ended up seeing two elk running around the campground! They were on the other side of a fence, so the kids and I crept up to within 50 yards of them and I was able to get some great shots of the two.

Monday morning, we were off to my mom's aunt's house just north of Phoenix where we stayed for the night. We ended up finding a hole-in-the-wall Flinstones camp and restaurant that we of course, had to check out. They had a whole Flinstones Bedrock village in the back! We had a blast and the funniest part was the kids finding an old golf cart that was made to look like a Flinstones era car. Gabe touched the gas pedal to see if it would work, and it did! There were no workers around so Gabe and the kids took it for a spin. I just about died laughing at them. The kids loved it!

The next morning, we headed home right after breakfast because the kids had swim class at 330 and then Gabe, Alena, and I had piano lessons at 630. AHH! Tired would be an understatement of how we were all feeling.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were fairly relaxed. I took my parents to the Copper Queen Mine and took the tour there. Of course, I forgot my camera and didn't get a single shot of it! oooh, I could just kick myself for that! The mine was a freezing 47 degrees and our tour guide had actually worked in the mine until it was closed down.

Well, that's our week. I tried to keep it short for you guys. The kids were sad to see Grandma and Grandpa go. Christian was hugging them and saying "Don't go! Don't go!".  :*( 

Grandpa's got the chicken nuggets!

Alena and Grandma on the Ipad.

Add caption

On the road again...

Beautiful

The picture doesn't do it justice.

Here we all are!

Stunning

The Colorado River at the base of the Canyon.

Doorknob of the Train Depot.

The coolest bike EVER!

aww, they're kissing!

Metal slide on a 95 degree day = not a good idea!

A walk-thru snake.

The cart Gabe and the kids took for a spin.

My Great Aunt's restaurant.