June iPhone dump

A few moments from our very busy June that didn't make it on the blog yet!

I watched my friend's kids a few times this summer while she was working. They always think I do them a favor, when in reality they do me a favor by giving me extra kids, because that way my kids are entertained too and I can get some work done! 

As I was driving home after I took the picture, I hear from the backseat: “It’s like sunscreen, I rubbed it all over me”. And sure enough he did…arms, legs, face, he did a great job protecting himself from the sun.

This summed up my week with this little master of disaster as we like to call him. Someone send help please!

I had the boys every weekend since April, so this was a much needed and amazing night out with my friends! 

Our friend Trinidy is moving to North Carolina to be closer to family, and we are all sad having to say goodbye.

We were all drinking "Beckys" with our friend Becky (in the middle).

After dinner we went to a bar for a couple of hours, but us old ladies didn't even last to midnight...ha!

It was pouring rain when Tilly and I left, and we had to walk back to the hotel where we started out, but Arizonians love the rain, especially in the middle of summer.

Boating with friends

My sweet friend Tilly invited us to go boating with her, and while Fox and I were excited, Finn was adamant that he wasn't going on any boat...until he saw his bestie Charlie!

Fox had never been tubing (I think I only went once or twice before) and he was a HUGE fan, he couldn't get enough. 

The little boys had more fun swimming in the lake and playing on the boat, but took a couple of slow rides on the tube.

Fox kept asking me to go on the tube with them, and how can I say no? While I lost my only pair of sunglasses in the process, I had such a great time. Tilly even commented that it had been a very long time that she had seen me this happy. 

Finn even fell asleep while the boat was driving at full speed...look at that sweet face!

It was seriously one of the best days of the entire year and I'm so grateful for friends who always include us and make life so fun!

Roadtrip Part Two

Our original plan was to drive to Long Beach after we visited our half siblings in Utah. We love Grandma's beach house and had been waiting and talking about it since fall break last year. Unfortunately we received some very sad news only a week before our departure. Grandma had decided to sell her beach house, so we weren't able to come. I probably changed our plans on what to do five times, before ultimately settling on what made the most sense, logistically and financially. 

I decided to divide the trip home into several segments so the boys didn't have to be in the car for such a long time. Our first stop was Las Vegas where we stayed two nights, neither of the boys had ever been.

We didn't have any big plans, so we just walked the strip a little, played at an arcade and spent some time at the hotel pool.

Funny enough, when I ask both kids what their favorite part about our ENTIRE trip was, they will both say Las Vegas. Don't ask me why.

We continued on our way home and stopped for another three nights in Flagstaff, Arizona, to enjoy some cooler temperatures. We visited the new coaster park that also offered summer tubing. Finn was too little for the tubing, but Fox did it once.

The mountain coaster was a lot of fun, but it was one of those situations where I hated being a single mom, because I could only take one kid at a time on the coaster, and Fox was too small to ride it himself. I didn't want to disappoint Fox once again, so I decided to do something I had never done before. I left Finn with the workers while Fox and I rode the coaster and then we switched. It was only 10 minutes, but I was so nervous, because he doesn't do well without me and I also didn't want the workers to have the responsibility of a crying child there. In the end, it worked out fine and Finn just sat on the floor and watched a show on my phone while Fox and I were gone. 

I had rented a tiny house for us, and we all fell in love. 

The loft was so cute, this is where Fox slept.

I'd love to own one of these in Flagstaff!

We soaked in the cooler temperatures at night.

Sweet brothers!

I read a little bit through their guestbook and this entry made me laugh!

The next day, our friends Kristy and Jake joined us for a few nights and we all went to Bearizona.

The tiny house slept six, and even though we were two adults and three kids, it never felt crammed.

On our last day in Flagstaff, we took the big kids to my favorite place: the outdoor ropes course. They were only old enough to do the kids course, but they both had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to take Fox to the big course when he is 12!

The kids made some stone soup. Fox and Jake used to do this when they were two, and I would've bet everything I have that he is "too cool" for this activity, but they ended up doing this for a good hour. 

11 days, 2043 miles, and hundreds of amazing memories later. I was so nervous about taking the boys on this road trip by myself, but I’m so glad I did. My body sure was tired, but my heart was full!

Roadtrip!

The boys and I conquered our first big road trip this summer! The longest I ever drove with them was six hours, so when we decided to visit our half siblings in Salt Lake City, I was really nervous about going on this 9.5hr car ride with them by myself.

Bribery was the key...I bought lots and lots of snacks and candy!

All loaded up and ready to go! We were driving for about an hour, when Finn had already asked me seven times how much longer. He had read all of his new books I got him, ate snacks, and watched a show on his iPad. Oh boy!

We quickly made it to the border. I tried to snap a picture, but it was ridiculously bright and hot, so this is the best I got. I planned to stop for lunch to get out of the car for a bit, but neither of the boys wanted to stop, so besides a few bathroom breaks, we drove straight through and made it to Salt Lake City in about ten hours.

We were so excited to see our half siblings and their sweet Mama again after three years. Fox and Tucker immediately started to play video games together. 

Finn loved playing with all their toys and Fox loved the fact that they had a three story home, it's his ultimate dream to have a multi story house. 

My biggest worry about this trip was whether or not the kids would get along, and I couldn't have been happier to see them all play together.

They are wearing a Harry Potter time travel locket together. I think these two look the most alike out of all of the half siblings we know.

Tucker was not impressed by the scorpion lollipop we brought him from Arizona...haha.

Quinn was so sweet with Finn, they played all day long.

On our first day there, Candice took us to Bridal Vail falls, and it was by far my most favorite day of the entire trip.

In the beginning Finn was a little scared about climbing up the rocks to the waterfall, but in the end he absolutely loved it.

Fox is usually my brave kid, but he probably mentioned ten times how he was worried that we would die there. 

He was living his best life, and frankly, so did I.

That night, we walked to a nearby park where the kids had a lot of fun as well.

We have no idea where this random bunny came from or if it belonged to someone.

They played their hearts out until the sun went down and they were all drenched.

Fox loved teaching Tucker about Minecraft. I apologized to Candice in advance for introducing him to it.

The next day we went to a local water park.

The Salt flats was something I always wanted to see. It was a four hour round trip there, and Fox will tell you that it was so boring there, but I loved seeing it.

On our final day we went to an amusement park.

They were such good buddies the entire trip.

They also had a water park inside the amusement park, which Finn hated because it was so crowded and overstimulating. I took him back to the main park, while Candice was nice enough to watch all the big kids in the water park.

The boys and I took a little gondola ride over the park, while Candice and her kids went on a big rollercoaster.

This picture cracks me up. Fox and Quinn on the rollercoaster, they rode it a few times and couldn't get enough.

Fox really wanted to win a big stuffed animal, but he had to hang there for 2 minutes to get it. I think he made it 40 seconds and won a Gatorade instead.

I loved spending time with our half siblings, I loved seeing the kids play together and have so much fun, I loved spending time with Candice, and I loved the memories we made. Hopefully it won't be another three years until we meet again!