Phoenix Zoo Time

We decided it was time for a family adventure!  We had been planning on one for a while and finally got a chance!  Off to the Phoenix Zoo!  

This place is huge! And the kids were ecstatic to go explore!

The kids loved the squirrel monkeys where you could walk right into their abode and get some close up shots!

The two goofballs! :)  Love-love-love them!

Playing on the tractors sunk into the ground...who woulda thought...these got way more attention than I thought they would! The kids played on them for quite a while.

Mr. Joey the turtle! 

Rooooaaaarrrr!

The coolest picture posing statues ever!  

Oddly enough, this was a favorite! His back was pointed like a mountain range. Haha!

Our little Joey's.

Our real little Joey in a joey.  :)

One of the highlights of the day....a friend gave us some free tickets to the sting ray pool where you get to pet the sting rays as they swim around and around.  Way cooler than I thought it was going to be.

It was super cool and fun....until Ellie, Hannah and I got completely splashed and drenched by a few sting rays!  I mean- SOPPING-in the MOUTH wet!  It was disgusting! Yet in it's own way, super memorable!  That place was packed...and who are the THREE people that get drenched?  Me and my 2 very tired babies!  Haha!  Oh well!  Even though I was dry heaving for a while, we will never forget that experience! Here we are below- dripping wet! :)

Aren't they just adorable??  My kids could live at the zoo.  No, they really do fit right in! Haha!

I love this capture Dave got! Abby got a camera for Christmas and they love posing for each other! :) I love it when I see moments like these. Makes me completely forget the hard times. 

Such a cutie...wearing his carefully chosen- for the zoo- tiger shirt! :)

Waaaahahhaaaa??  

Here we all are!  What a nice elephant to let us pose on him.  We'll have to send him a thank you card! :)  What a great day!  We had so much fun!  We didn't quite cover EVERYTHING at this enormous zoo, but we got kinda close.  These family adventures bring us together and create memories that we will have for always!  I'm so grateful we could  go. I love my family!

Random Outside Fun January 2013

Ellie LOVES the swing! 

We spent an hour on a random swing one day.

Just swinging away...

Looking adorable...

....until she got hungry! hahahaha!

Ice cream!  We may have been celebrating Joey's birthday again!! :)

I think we had gift cards and BOGO coupons...

Couldn't get much better than that! 

We love rainy days in the desert!

Although I think the kids just love playing with umbrellas! :) 

They were so cute all playing together in the rain!  Love these kids!

Queen Creek Holiday Parade

At the parade!  Dave's ALA band was playing in the Queen Creek Parade this year.  We were so so excited for him!

The kids loved the horses.

And all the floats...(ok, there were only a small handful of them.  Queen Creek is tiny!)

One of my best friends from high school came with her adorable daughter to watch with us.  It was way fun to see her!

There they are!  They sounded awesome!

Some people threw candy out and the kids would run for it!  Look close....I'm pretty sure Joey's feet are OFF the ground!  He was fast at grabbing that candy!  :)

Family Hike

We decided we needed a family adventure!  Just down the road is the San Tan Mountain Regional Park with a bunch of trails and a little visitor center.  So we packed a lunch and hit the trail!

It was so nice to be outdoors together!  We need to do this more often, that's for sure!

Ellie on  dad's back. Look's  like  she's   having  fun! -Abby

Our gorgeous "winter" desert and sky.  Love it! 

Abby and  Joey  in  the   desert. - Abby

Day Trip to Payson

                            

 A friend of ours told us of a great pic-nic spot just north of Payson, AZ right next to a stream and shaded by beautiful trees. She was so right...it was an amazing and gorgeous spot! 

The water was freezing, but felt great and was super fun to play in!  I think it was called 3rd crossing or something like that. 

Ellie was having a ball in the shade too!  She was 6 1/2 month old or so. 

Look at that face! Mwwwah!! 

So beautiful!

Joey looks like he is walking on water!

The whole group playing Rrrrrrack-o!  What a super fun day!  So glad we did it!