We decided to head to Phoenix for Easter break this year. We did Florida last year, and well, we had bad weather and Saylor was just a wee bit young for everything. So, we decided to go with more dependable temps, a direct flight, a resort atmosphere, and a Saylor who is one whole year older, and hope for the best!
Day One:
We headed to our direct flight and it was smooth sailing on the plane (that's because I sat by myself in the exit aisle and Joe had all 3 kids in his row! First bullet dodged!)
We started our trip out with Mexican food by the resort. Then, were greeted with sunny skies, 80 degree temps, and poolside drinks. The kids were a little tired from the traveling and a little overwhelmed, I think.
That night, we went to a Western restaurant that was low on food quality, but high on kids entertainment. There was a slide inside the restaurant, a bull outside the restaurant and a magician that went table to table. The kids loved that!
Day Two: We learned that the key to getting good chairs at the resort was to get in line one hour early. So, the resort pools "opened" at 10, and I got in line at 9. Then, we spent our day in the lazy river, the wave pool, or going down the slides. Both boys went down the slides and liked them but didn't love them. Joe went down the slide and we all paid the price of his aches and pains for the three days following!
On the night of day two, we headed to Top Golf which came highly recommended by several people. We heard it could be a two hour wait so I was anxious about that. But, we got there and it was an hour and a half wait and we ended up getting in after 45 minutes. While you waited, they had video games, shuffle board and pool to keep you entertained so it was the easiest wait I've ever had with 3 kids!
Day Three was more of the same as far as the day goes! We mostly swam, ate and drank. But, Saylor did nap for the first time too! Again- the temperature was so dependable- I loved that. The sun was beating on my by 9:30 a.m. every day!
On this night, we decided to head to the Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game. It was a fun game because there were a couple of Iowa boys who played for both teams so it was fun showing the boys what a small town Iowa kid can do. The field was so awesome, our seats were great, and our tickets were very reasonable. It was really a fun experience!
Day Four- Joe took the kids to go see an Iowa kid play a spring training game for the Angels (Jake Yacinich). While he did that, I got in line for us again! After they came back, we did the pool thing again. On Saturday night, we were invited to my friend's house for Easter dinner! It was nice to have a dinner at "home" and not be in a restaurant again!
Our very last day on the resort was actually Easter. Truth be told, I kind of missed our Easter traditions at home and missed being with family. But, after I thought about that a little bit, I decided to forget it and enjoy our last day there. Saylor was SO happy to see the Easter bunny- she kind of stalked him a little bit actually (this was quite the contrast from her reaction to Santa Claus just four months ago!)
On the evening of our last day, we decided to go to a little mock western town called "Rawhide." We got there an hour before it closed, so we really didn't take advantage of all it had to offer. However, the boys did get to ride the mechanical bull, which is apparently something they always wanted to do. It was a fun escape and something to do but I probably wouldn't recommend it to others!
This Sunday of Easter was also Joe and I's 12 year anniversary. So, we celebrated by going to California Pizza Kitchen (one of my favorites) and then headed home to go to bed early before our flight out the next day!
Final thoughts:
* We loved Arizona and we loved the baseball games, Top Golf, and things to do. When Saylor is a bit older, we can do horseback riding and hiking, which I think we would all like. As much as I'd like to pretend that my family likes to be lazy and sit by the beach...we just don't. We do much better to do the pool by day and have some kind of activity in the afternoon/evening. Maybe we'll grow out of that a little as the kids grow older
* We loved the dependable temps. We didn't have a bad day there!
* We did kind of miss the ocean....but we missed the sounds and the smells of it- we really didn't miss being it. The kids are too young to really enjoy swimming in the ocean. But, we did miss being around the ocean.
* The lazy river was key to our happiness. It was really fun to do as a family- we floated around and talked to each other and had funny conversations. I learned about some of the boys and the girls in Joey's class...it was like I had his full attention all the way around and could ask questions. And, since he had nothing better to do, he told me stuff.
* Maddox got the nickname "Boom Boy" because Joey and I both thought he was going to go get this kid who gently nudged Maddox's tube. I still laugh thinking about Maddox's reaction to that. And, Maddox laughed at himself....but that was the inside joke of the trip.
* Saylor was GREAT. She gets an A- for the entire weekend. She was fun and happy and easy to please. I really can't complain. She was great at Golf and at the Cubs game so that was a relief.
* We had a suite which was absolutely necessary but I tell ya, with 5 in one family, it's just impossible to have a perfect setup (at a reasonable price). Every night we had a fight over who was sleeping with who. Bottom line: Maddox is like me. No one wants to sleep with him because he's restless. But, also like me, he doesn't think he is the problem. He's confident he sleeps straight as an arrow.
* Joey and Maddox were able to have a degree of separation from us and could be on their "own" for increments of time. So, that freed Joe and I up a little....although we still had Saylor. It was fun seeing Joey and Maddox be best friends and hang out with each other and laugh at each other and play with each other. It was good bonding time.
* Speaking of bonding time, Joe and I had none of that. Our time was really focused on the kids. We really got very little time to even have conversations. But, the kids walked away with a lot of undivided attention on this trip....and that was nice, and they needed that more than I knew. They talked and talked and talked and talked....
Overall, we'd recommend Phoenix and the resort. I think we'll be back sometime!! Saylor asks every other day when she can go back to Arizona, so I definitely know she will be back!
Here comes Maddox Cottontail...hoppin' down the bunny trail...