AZ/CA trip

My little China girl
Charm bracelets for the girls (Christian got a sword)

Buddha, Buddha

Yummy Chinese noodles

My kids eating them up

With our tax return this year we paid off our credit cards (again) and still had enough left over to take a trip. We decided to go to Arizona and visit friends and then head over to California to go to Universal Studios and Six Flags. We wanted to leave early Friday, but Alyssa was at ballroom nationals at BYU that day so we waited until the evening. She was 3 hours late getting out, so we didn't get on the road until 9 pm. It was worth it, though. She got 4th place in one of her dances and their team won second place in the formation competition. Good job!

Anyway, we stayed the night at Uncle Kelly's, got up early and got on the road again. The kids were so good! I don't know if it's because they're older or we just hadn't been on a road trip for so long, but they played games, read books and we only watched 1 movie the whole way, and there was relatively no fighting. We got to AZ where Scott was able to golf with his old golfing buddies and it was just like old times. The kids and I went over and visited with our good friends the Henlines (thanks again, Tiffany) and the Kendalls. We sure miss you guys. We went to church the next day where everyone asked if we were moving back. Ha ha. I wish. Then visited some more before taking off for Mesa. We got to Michael and Lindsey's house and stayed for a couple days. We were able to see Michael's new practice and destroy it (we ate lunch there and the kids were running all over and spreading pizza with them). And we went to the park and basked in the glorious sunshine.

Then we took off for California! Except for the weather, Soran getting pink eye and Livi having the stomach flu the whole time, it was perfect! We went to China town, to the beach (which was freezing but Alyssa still got in) and a Farmers market. I have to say right now that we were an anomaly for California. People asked if the kids were all ours, commented on us having our hands full, and one guy even took our picture. By the end of the trip I was ready to go home and not be stared at so much. But first it was Universal Studios!