Spring break for this year involved plenty of time in the mini van, but we all managed to stay sane and enjoy our vacation. Our first stop was the Grand Canyon. On the way there it was late at night when we got into the park and there were some of the biggest elk we had ever seen making themselves at home in the middle of the road- many groups of them. We went plenty slow after our first animal encounter. 
The first day was spent braving the freezing cold winds. Don't let the warm sunny look of this picture fool you. The Grand Canyon definitely lives up to it's name though. It was awe inspiring and so beautiful. It seems like one of those places that everyone should see once in their lives.
The second morning we went on a hike into the canyon a little ways. Our destination was the Ooh Aah point. That really is the name. It was a perfect hike for us. The older kids wanted to keep going but Kenzie was having a problem remembering how to walk and so Paul and I got a double workout lugging her extra weight. (Notice how someone is holding her in all these pictures.) Actually, the funniest part of the whole trip was Kenzie's big fit- screaming that she can't walk and the older kids laughing at her because she was being so ridiculous, and Paul and I trying to ignore her and refusing to pick her up
because she was throwing such an obnoxious fit. The joys of parenting! We got some supportive looks from other parents-"stick to your guns!" and some nasty looks from others who were wondering what kind of torture we were inflicting on our poor, obviously crippled child! Anyway, the hike was great the view was spectacular and we made it back up. So then it was load up the car and drive on to Tucson.
We had a fun and relaxing visit in the desert with Paul's sister Shelly, Tyler and their 3 kids. We loved seeing the saguaro cactus and swimming in their pool. The kids had so much fun playing with the cousins. Their 1 year old Tavin was great for entertaining us. We visited the zoo and a had a nice picnic in the canyon. We had never been to Tucson and it is definitely different from what we are used to. It was a nice time to be there with the cactus' blooming and not too much heat yet.
After a few days in Tucson we were on to the next state of Nevada. We stopped in Vegas to see some friends of ours there, the Gneitings. They were sweet to let us stay a night with them and the next morning we couldn't leave Vegas without hitting at least one casino- JK. We did go to the Mandalay Bay, but I think we visited one of the few attractions there were you don't have to walk a mile thru the casino to get to something good. The Shark Reef there is a great aquarium done in true Vegas style. You get to walk thru a tropical forest complete with mister for added humidity and then the shark tank is done like a sunken ship with creaking noises and the full effect. Fun times! So we just had to make one more stop to complete the tour of the western states and that was in St. George to have dinner with our friends the Earls. It was good to be home after all that but we definitely felt like we had done something for Spring Break. Oh- and Kenzie remembered how to use her legs again- we were so relieved!
The first day was spent braving the freezing cold winds. Don't let the warm sunny look of this picture fool you. The Grand Canyon definitely lives up to it's name though. It was awe inspiring and so beautiful. It seems like one of those places that everyone should see once in their lives.
The second morning we went on a hike into the canyon a little ways. Our destination was the Ooh Aah point. That really is the name. It was a perfect hike for us. The older kids wanted to keep going but Kenzie was having a problem remembering how to walk and so Paul and I got a double workout lugging her extra weight. (Notice how someone is holding her in all these pictures.) Actually, the funniest part of the whole trip was Kenzie's big fit- screaming that she can't walk and the older kids laughing at her because she was being so ridiculous, and Paul and I trying to ignore her and refusing to pick her up because she was throwing such an obnoxious fit. The joys of parenting! We got some supportive looks from other parents-"stick to your guns!" and some nasty looks from others who were wondering what kind of torture we were inflicting on our poor, obviously crippled child! Anyway, the hike was great the view was spectacular and we made it back up. So then it was load up the car and drive on to Tucson.
We had a fun and relaxing visit in the desert with Paul's sister Shelly, Tyler and their 3 kids. We loved seeing the saguaro cactus and swimming in their pool. The kids had so much fun playing with the cousins. Their 1 year old Tavin was great for entertaining us. We visited the zoo and a had a nice picnic in the canyon. We had never been to Tucson and it is definitely different from what we are used to. It was a nice time to be there with the cactus' blooming and not too much heat yet.
After a few days in Tucson we were on to the next state of Nevada. We stopped in Vegas to see some friends of ours there, the Gneitings. They were sweet to let us stay a night with them and the next morning we couldn't leave Vegas without hitting at least one casino- JK. We did go to the Mandalay Bay, but I think we visited one of the few attractions there were you don't have to walk a mile thru the casino to get to something good. The Shark Reef there is a great aquarium done in true Vegas style. You get to walk thru a tropical forest complete with mister for added humidity and then the shark tank is done like a sunken ship with creaking noises and the full effect. Fun times! So we just had to make one more stop to complete the tour of the western states and that was in St. George to have dinner with our friends the Earls. It was good to be home after all that but we definitely felt like we had done something for Spring Break. Oh- and Kenzie remembered how to use her legs again- we were so relieved!
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