Everything we own was loaded onto a truck last week and we've been living in a hotel. It's much more difficult to live in a hotel than in the RV. Unfortunately, we don't have our camper anymore because of a manufacturing defect in the frame. So we're all staying in a hotel for the next few weeks. We leave on Saturday to head east and spend the holidays with family for the first time in years. Needless to say, life is crazy. Typical for us.
On our most recent trip we decided to visit some of the National Parks in our area before we move away from the southwest. We had previously visited the Grand Canyon in 2009 when all six of the big kids were six and under. (Link here. Funny to read how I thought Sarah was weaned then. Those girls had me convinced several times but they didn't wean until they were four.)
We returned to the Grand Canyon and found that it was even scarier visiting with older kids than with a herd of little ones. Nathan has no fear and isn't as easily contained as he was a few years ago. I had a few minor heart attacks while we walked the rim.
Matthew wanted to take photos of his own. More heart attacks for me.
At least Seven was safe in the carrier.
We saw snow on our trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. This called for an immediate stop so the kids could get out and play in it. Six pairs of muddy shoes later, everyone was happy.
So far, Big Blue has been to 15 states. We got her at the end of May. That's a lot of miles! We stopped at some Arizona favorites (Flagstaff, Winslow, Show Low, Phoenix) and the St. George area. We even hit Las Vegas. Such a fun trip!
One of our favorite parts of the trip was our hike into the bottom of Bryce Canyon. It was steep, a bit scary, and most people probably thought we were crazy for hiking down there (and back up) with seven kids.
Of course the kiddos thought it was the "coolest hike ever." Fair enough.
The view from the top was pretty amazing though. And there was more snow!
I think we are leaving Arizona on a high note. We've seen a lot, done a lot, learned a lot, and changed a lot in our time here. Our family grew too. I think we'll all have fond memories of desert life... mostly.
