Alex and Rory: Spring Break and a New House!

Spring Break is one of my very favorite times of the year, and this year was extra special because not only did we get to spend time with family we also got to visit with many of our wonderful AZ friends. Alex, Rory and I arrived in AZ a few days early so we could spend a couple days catching up with friends before our family vacation started. A very special highlight was the girls being invited to stay the day at their old preschool and even participate in the school field trip. The classes took a ride on a city bus and learn all about the bus. It was such a fun day and the girls and I loved seeing our old Desert Sun Friends. After school we met with Alex and Rory's very best Desert Sun friends for lunch and play at the park. Following all of that fun we spent the night at our friends and old neighbors house and the girls had a great time with their very first sleepover, and then the next morning Alex was invited to join her friend Ian at his school. Yep, Alex spent two days at school while on vacation. :)

Gamga and Peppa and Aunt Carol arrived and we all prepared to head up to Scottsdale for the start of the family part of the vacation. We all loaded up all of our luggage, the kids, the dog, the cat and 5 adults and made our way to Scottsdale. Once we arrived, unpacked the car, kids, dog, and cat, we were all ready to relax a little. We spent the next 8 days relaxing by the pool, sprinkled in with some golf for the boys and spa day for the girls. Actually we did manage to fit a few more activities in to our agenda.
Alex, Peppa and I visited the Botanical Gardens and had a great time. Alex loved having the special time to explore the gardens and sit with the butterflies as long as she wanted.
We went for an awesome hike up Squaw Peak with most of our group. It was a beautiful day and we were able to see much of the valley from the top. The girls did a great job on the hike, Alex lead most of the way, and Rory enjoyed a ride on the back of various adults to the top.
We enjoyed cocktails, watching the sunset and listening to Jane sing. We enjoyed our quality family time together, with time to talk and relax and just enjoy being together.

Following our family vacation we returned to Chandler with Catherine and Kyle and spent a few more days enjoying the AZ weather and sunshine. We tried to fit in as many visits with as many of our friends as we could, and boy oh boy where we busy! We had so much fun in these few days and we all felt so special to have so many of our great friends make the time to see us while we were in town.

On the way home the girls were so tired they both slept on the plane. I think it might have been the first time ever both girls slept on the plane! We had a very special treat that when we returned to TX we moved directly into our new house. It has been a busy couple weeks of unpacking, organizing, and shopping, but we are having a great time. We are in a great neighborhood with tons of kids and people out playing all the time. Already in our short time in the neighborhood I have met 4 other kids that will be starting Kindergarten at the same time as Alex. The neighbors on either side of us and across the street are all very nice and helpful and we see great friendships on the horizon.