Grand Canyon Part 3

After we got back to the hotel, Joseph, Tyler and I headed into the Hot Tub while Paige napped in the car with her Daddy. I drilled the boys about their favorite desserts to get ideas since it was Josephs 15th birthday. After Paige woke up, I took the car out and picked up an apple pie, plates, forks and candles. We played in the hotel for a couple of more hours.
Here the boys put my shoes on Paige and walked her around. She loved it.

Daddy & Paige played some video games in the arcade.

Paige found a little girl to play with. We had brought a beach ball to blow up and the kicked it around the arcade.

After that, we all played another round of bowling before heading to dinner. Grandma took us out for a nice family dinner at a Texas style BBQ. Unfortunately Justin had gotten sick before we went, and while he was feeling much better , I was not. I had to have him take me back to the hotel and lie down for a little while. They enjoyed dinner. When everyone came back to the hotel, we lit the candles on the pie and sang happy birthday to Joseph. I then took the baby to bed and everyone else hung out for a little while.

Paige did not sleep so well the 2nd night and we had to get up at 5:30AM. We had everyone packed up and were on the road at 6AM. I was still feeling kind of sick. Tyler had gotten sick the night before, and Keith was not feeling well either. But we just drove. We made really good time, stopped only a couple of quick times. Paige did not sleep on any of the car ride back. We were able to drive through the strip so the boys could see Las Vegas before we returned out car and headed back through security at the Las Vegas Airport. It took us a long time again, but we made it there with plenty of time. We got lunch and got on the airplane. Unfortunately Paige had a very long day, and broke down on the plane. She fell asleep for about 45 minutes on the plane, but woke up and continued crying. We think her ears may have been bothering her.

Here is a picture from the car ride back, before she broke down. We are very glad we brought the portable DVD player for her. It helped. The boys helped a lot too.

Overall it was a short, quick, but fun trip. We did realize what a big number, 7, is. Especially with a baby, kid on crutches, and older woman who needed a wheel chair for long walks. But we made it. It was such an important trip. We look forward to more trips with the kids.

I was able to post some of the pictures here. If you want to see all of them, let me know and I will email a link to Shutterfly for you.

Grand Canyon Part 2

We woke up early on Wednesday (We were up at 6 since Paige was up, but we didn't wake up the boys until 7:20). We met up for breakfast just before 8 with the plans on heading into the canyon at 8:30. Because Dan & Michelle got in so late, they were running a little behind. We finally got on the road around 9 or so.

We stopped at the first lookout because it was such a beautiful view.
I was able to snap this picture of Justin's grandma with her great grandchildren. It was hard to take because Paige was ready to get down and climb all over everything. We moved onto the lookout point that Chrissy had recommended. It was crowded, but we had fun.

Justin found a rock to climb out on. The wind was strong, so of course I was worried. He was a little scared, but mostly just loved it. Paige definitely takes after him.

A quick family shot. Then we let Paige get down (with her Elmo Harness). I am really glad I bought the harness. I used to say I would never Leash my child, but in the right places, it is necessary. I think she would have run off a cliff if I could not have stopped her.

Since the lookout was so crowded, we got back into the cars and headed for a spot that was more secluded and less populated. We found a beautiful spot. We got out of the car and everyone was gathering together. I walked up and said to Justin, "Aren't you missing someone". He said, "Yeah, you". I was talking about Keith, who it turned out had climbed a tree to get a better view. He climbed down and joined the family. Justin opened in prayer and asked if anyone had something to say about his mom. A few people said some nice things. Dan & Justin set his Mom's ashes loose in the canyon. She is finally where she wanted to be, after 8 years of waiting. I think that this is going to bring some need closure to his family. It was just sad that his oldest brother Stan could not be there. But at least we were able to bring his kids.

Here is a picture of Stan's kids talking about their Grandma overlooking the spot where they spread her ashes. The boys then were enjoying the area and started to throw rocks. Keith climbed back into the tree. And Paige joined right in with them (Not Keith). When we were getting ready to head out and get some lunch, Paige was starting to get tired and had the below meltdown.

We had lunch at a cafeteria type place in Grand Canyon Village. It was nice to be together as a family. We then headed back to the hotel to relax. More to come in the next post..

Grand Canyon Part 1

Our trip to the Grand Canyon started off with a little bit of a surprise. Two days before we left, we received a call explaining that Justin's Grandma would need to come with us on our travels. Unfortunetely , there was a problem with the people who were watching her ranch and Chrissy would no longer be able to drive her there. We shuffled around our transportation to the airport and welcomed the change.

Justin picked up his 3 nephews (12, 15 & 19) and his grandma on Monday afternoon. They settled in for a nice dinner and then we hung out outside and played games, etc after Paige went to bed. I slept on one couch and the boys slept on the floor (We gave Grandma the bed- Yes my mother raised me right!).

On Monday morning I woke up at 5:15 AM, dropped Justin and Tyler off at the Bart at 5:30 AM. Keith and I stopped and picked up some coffee and headed home to get the rest of the family ready to go. My dad picked us up and dropped us off at SFO by 7:30 AM. We had a little trouble since Grandma realized she did not actually have her ID in the stuff she brought. Luckily, she had a credit card with her picture on it which they accepted with a little extra security. Our nephew Joseph was on crutches because of a skateboarding accident and also had to go through the whole screening (They even tested the poor kid for explosives). It took us a little longer to get throug security, but we made it.

Our flight was slightly delayed, but it was not a long on into Las Vegas. Paige did very well. Joseph and Tyler had never been on a plane. It was nice because Joseph and Grandma got to pre-board and get us seats. Justin, Paige & I were able to family board before there were too many people on the plane too. So we all sat in one row and had an uneventful flight. When we landed, we got a wheelchair to help Joseph and Grandma through the large airport. It was like having our own personal guide which was great.

We upgraded from a basic minivan to a Toyota Sienna which was great. It actually had 8 seats so Paige, Joseph & me (We both get car sick sometimes) were able to sit in the middle. Grandma sat up front. Justin & I switched off driving on the way there, but he did drive most of the way. We got lunch and some drinks. Then we headed towards the Grand Canyon. About 30 minutes into our trip we made a pitstop at the Hoover Dam. It was HOT. Some pics are below.

Justin, his Grandma, me and Paige.

3 generations in one pic.

From left to right: Keith, Justin, Grandma, Tyler, Joseph. Paige is in front.

After our short trip, we continued on. We stopped a couple of times. We got into our hotel at about 6:15 PM. It took us about 5 1/2 hours to drive there, but we weren't in a rush. We got settled in. Our rooms were HUGE and the beds were so comfy for a Best Western. We went to the hotel restaurant for their buffet, which was in my opinion a waste of money. It was $18/person, for a total of $140! And it was not that Good. We should have gotten Pizza, but it was dark, we were tired and didn't feel like exploring the area.

The hotel had a bowling alley and game room. We put Paige to bed, turned on the moniter and hung out next door in the boys room. The boys and Grandma went and bowled. I turned in around 10:30 PM. Justin & Keith stayed up until 2AM when his brother Dan & Dan's wife Michelle arrived. It was along day. Stay tuned for my blog on the next days events.

Ohio Bound

I went to Ohio the first weekend of May to watch my 1/2 sister Danielle get married. It was a beautiful wedding. A little awkard for me since I don't really know very many people there. Danielle is usually my tie to the family and always makes me feel better since she gives me a heads up on who people are and re-introduces them to me. But overall it was a great time. It was weird to be away from Justin & Paige for 4 days. But I read 2 1/2 books on my trip, watched 2 movies on the planes and had some relaxation. Now we are gearing up for a quick trip to the Grand Canyon in a little over a week. We are going to spread Justin's moms ashes, so I can't say the trip will be a lot of fun, but we are going to make the best of it. I will post more on that adventure when it comes. For now, I will leave you and avoid the fact that it will be mothers day tomorrow and my 30th birthday in a couple of days.

Danielle & Jeff during their first dance.
My nephew brady and Danielles new neice and nephew dancing.

Me & the Bride.

The Ceremony

The Ceremony.