A 60th Surprise!

Happy 60th Birthday, Nana!

The kids and I headed down to Arizona last week to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday. My dad, brother and aunt were all in on the plan and we totally pulled it off...my mom had no idea that we were coming and her reaction was priceless when she saw the kids sitting in the hallway, shouting "surprise Nana!". I'm not one for surprises myself, but I thought this was a time where it would be fun. We arranged a day off with my mom's boss and had several fun days together. To cap off our trip we had a big family party on Sunday evening. Not only was it great to be there to help my mom celebrate this special birthday, but it was fabulous to escape the rain, wind and cold and spend 6 days playing outside and enjoying the sunshine. I think we sufficiently refueled our tanks and should hopefully be able to make it through the winter.

We arrived to sunshine and 90 degrees, so we headed out to the pool. Kennedy is FEARLESS and would have been under water in seconds had we let her. The kids stripped down and played in the shallow end, but the water was definitely too cold to swim in.

I don't think we'll need to worry about Kennedy being scared of the water. She so badly wanted to dive right in!

Wednesday was Veteran's Day, so my mom had the day off. We took the kids to Fiddlesticks and played some golf and went on some little rides.

Who would think that a mini golf course would be hazardous for children, but with the brick border and a wobbly toddler, we saw a few falls and bumps.

Carter loved it and raced ahead. He totally cheats, though, which made me laugh as I do the exact same thing when golfing. Positioning the ball inches from the cup, dragging the club to "push" the ball in. According to him, he won!

Wednesday evening, my good friend Matt, from Linfield, came over for dinner. He lives in North Carolina now, and we hadn't seen one another for 2+ years. He happens to be working in Tempe through the end of the year, so it worked out to get together. We had such a wonderful visit, and I'm so sad I didn't get a picture with him and the kids. He and Carter really hit it off and we all enjoyed his visit.

I was on my own with the kids on Thursday and we headed to one of our favorite parks. It was just so wonderful to let the kids play outside. Again, Kennedy was a daredevil and was going head first down the slides, climbing on everything and enjoying herself to the fullest.

I can't get enough of her smiles!

Carter was much more adventurous this visit, as well. I think he managed to play on every single piece of playground equipment.

Friday the 13th was Nana's actual birthday. We celebrated with a wonderful lunch made by Aunt Sandy. The kids donned party hats and noise makers and helped make the day a special one.

Birthday party pirate!

Our trip to Desert Breeze Park and our usual train ride. Another sunny day in November.

A ride around on the carousel

I didn't get any good pictures of the big birthday bash on Sunday, so I'll have to post them once my family sends them my way (hint, hint)