traveling to arizona

The girls and I left for Arizona Tuesday Aug 28th. Our flight wasn't until 5pm, so we left our house around 1pm, giving ourselves time to stop for lunch. Joey surprised me and took us to Qdoba (it's our Wednesday ritual, double punch day) and then we headed off to Denver. For the first time ever, we got there the recommended 2 hours prior to departure. I think from the time we checked our bags at the curb, went through security (of which I didn't have to wait even a second) and rode the train all the way to Terminal C, it was only about 25 minutes. Way to be on time. I then had to kill about 1+ hour with the girls. They were good. They played around the gate and ate snacks, before we went and bought an overpriced bottle of water and found two Angelina Ballerina books for Marryn and a Dr. Suess board book for Reganne. The plane came, we loaded (it was pretty empty) and took off. The girls were great! Reganne got a little antsy towards the end, but not bad. We arrived in Las Vegas to meet my parents, of which almost didn't find us. That morning I went to my favorite salon (an Aveda one in Old Town) and got my hair cut and straightened. My mom said they saw me before they saw me! Now, for all of you giving me the look of death when I said I was going to fly alone with the girls, in your face, it was cake! Of course walking out of the airport was like running into a brick wall. HOT! I then had to install Reganne's carseat and reinstall the one Marryn was going to use. My parents were so worried about putting indents in their leather seats that the seat was not in very snug at all. And it was sitting on beach towels. Good thing though, I needed them to wipe the sweat dripping down my face!

They have on matching shirts that say, "I get cuter everytime U see me"

We then stopped for dinner at a fancy seafood place and I tried sushi for the first time. Ok, it was just a California Roll, but sushi still the same! (It was delicious!) After stopping at Albertson's for a few things, we headed to the Ranch. It's about 1 1/2-2 hours from Vegas, over Hoover Dam. (I grew up in Northern Arizona, so I've traveled this road a many a times...) The girls of course fell asleep on the way and woke up, really woke up, when we finally got to the Ranch. Garrett {my 17 year old brother} was sleeping on the couch waiting for us. He had gone into town and brought Dehcaley {my 16 month old niece} back with him. He was a bit nervous taking care of her by himself, but all apparently went well. She was asleep too! Well, after some more hellos and then goodnights, I attempted to get the girls in bed too. Not happening. Reganne kept standing up in the pack-n-play and Marryn just wanted to go play. She asked for a tissue and so I sent her off to find one (in the dark). She wandered around for a bit before she came back, without one. (The next morning my mom cracked up because the first thing Marryn said to her was "I just couldn't find a tissue last night for my nose.") Now let me explain the house my parents live in. It's old. It's an old ranch house that my dad gutted and redid. But it's still old. It doesn't have central air, in fact the whole house runs off a tiny solar panel and generator. Not a whole lot of power. And the room I sleep in is off to the side without any windows, just a door (with a window). Luckily for me, they put a screen on it. I could open it and let the breeze come in. Times before we couldn't open the door without the screen in fear of rattlesnakes. (This is not the house I grew up in, my parents purchased the ranch only about 4 years ago.) Despite the small breeze, it was sweltering in there! That one door faces south and it really heats up in the afternoon. I don't know how, but we all managed to finally go to sleep. Although just off and on for me. Marryn rolled off the bed (the double size bed we were on is sitting in a double/queen bed frame. The mattress doesn't fit flush against the frame therefore, leaving a nice gap between the bed and the wall. This isn't her first time rolling off either...), so I got up to pull her back on. Reganne, my excellent sleeper, kept fussing, so I got up with her as well. Then the rooster started crowing... Way before the sun seemed to be up too. I don't know how I managed through the next day, but I did!