Scottsdale Vacation Day 7

Yesterday was our last full day of vacation.  We spent the morning at the Phoenix Zoo.  It was hot but we had a good time.  I love watching the girls play nicely together, they really enjoyed petting the goats, and we all liked seeing the baby ape playing with a cardboard box.

When we got back to the hotel we ate a quick lunch and then headed to the pool for a few hours!  Shyla had fun with Ivy and Harper ended up falling asleep in my arms and had to be carried back to the room.

Finally, to complete the evening, we decided to utilize a special going on at the hotel: if you dine at Deseo (a fancy-schmancy restaurant in the hotel), children can attend the Kid's Club Pajama Party for free (usually $50/child) and for being owners at the Villas we got 20% off our bill.  We dropped the girls off at 5:30pm and our reservation was for 6:00pm.  Shyla, again, was hesitant walking toward the Kid's Club but once we arrived she was ecstatic to see all the games and fun things to do.  Our meal was delicious and fancy and way too much food!  

After dinner we picked out 2 desserts (chocolate peanut butter pie and a chocolate covered strawberry), a cup of coffee, and enjoyed them on the beautiful patio overlooking the golf course while live music played.  It was glorious!

At about 8:15pm we went to pick up the girls who were now in the OK Corral.  They had made smores (2 each!) and were playing with the teacher and 2 other kids.  They were having a blast and we basically ruined their night by picking them up.  I suppose that's a sign of a good night and a fun day!

Scottsdale Vacation Day 6

Yesterday was a pretty low-key day but fun nonetheless!  We had a relaxing morning and enjoyed a yummy breakfast with Grandpa Steve and Viv, then we had to say goodbye to them as they were heading back to Tucson.  We sure are glad they made the trip up here!

After that, Stevie and I attended our "update meeting" that we have to complete as part of our time-share.  A few things of note:

• The update was so low-pressure it was kind of ridiculous!  We really appreciated that we got to ask our questions and hear about the new villas, without feeling like they were trying to sell us something.  And we got our $100 gift card.  Score!

• Even more important - Shyla and Harper got to attend Westin Kid's Club for free during our meeting.  Shyla was nervous walking up but ended up having a great time!  They had a yummy lunch and made all sorts of arts and crafts, including learning how to make a loom bracelet.  So proud of my girl!

After the meeting we headed toward Phoenix and met up with the Woods at Joe's (yes, again!) and then joined them at their hotel, The Grand.  As you can see from the pictures, they had some pretty intense slides that Shyla, Joey, and Stevie did multiple times.  Harper and I enjoyed the wave pool (she was showing off her swimming skills for Sydney) and the lazy river.  We all had a great dinner together before we headed back to Scottsdale for bed - exhausted!

Stevie and Jerry ended up going to play Top Golf and Stevie didn't get back to the hotel until about 3am!  Crazy!

Scottsdale Vacation Day 5

Day 5 of our summer vacation was another great day!  We went to The Legoland Discovery Center in Phoenix with Nana and Grandpa Steve.  It was a lot of fun complete with rides, master builders, a play place, and a 4D movie.  We had a yummy lunch at Garcia's and even-more yummy dessert at our favorite Joe's Italian Ice!

After returning to the hotel we went to the pool and the Falseys met us again and then we concluded the evening with a dinner of KFC, playtime, and story time.  Then Shyla "pulled a grandpa" and simply fell asleep while our guests were still here!

Scottsdale Vacation Day 4

Yesterday was day 4 of our summer vacation and it was a cousin day!  Uncle Jim, Auntie Kirsten, Simone, Sophia, and Sabrina arrived around 11:30am or so.  We'd had already been at the pool for a few hours and were tired but were excited to see our cousins.  Then, Grandpa Steve and Viv arrived shortly thereafter.  We played at the pool, had lunch and rest time, played by the pool, had dinner, and then ended the evening with a dance party.

Two HUGE things happened at the pool though:

1) Shyla willingly participated in the "How long can you hold it?" competition and got 2nd place!  She swam, underwater, way longer than anyone thought she'd be able to (pictures below)!  And, she made a friend named Ivy who is here every summer with her grandparents.  Ivy is 9 so she and Shyla were able to do the photo scavenger hunt by themselves (and I only freaked out a little while she was gone).  She's getting so independent and confident!

2) Harper is now swimming without floaties and will bluntly tell you that she no longer needs lessons (wahoo!  $200 that we thought we were going to have to spend!).  She had been doing great with the tube and then accidentally fell off one time.  Of course Stevie and I were there to guide her, but that gave her the courage to continue without the tube.

Scottsdale Vacation Day 3

Yesterday was day 3 of our summer vacation and it was a busy one!  After breakfast we headed to Big Surf Waterpark.  It was awesome and well worth the cost of the Groupon!  It wasn't too crowded until later in the afternoon and the girls had a blast.  They are at such a perfect age because they like to do the fast/scary/dark slides but they also like to wade together in the shallow pools and play together.  Shyla conquered just about every slide there and Harper mastered each one that she was tall enough for.

After that we returned back to the resort and rested and ate dinner.  Then headed to Chase Field for a Diamondbacks game!  I received 4 free tickets through a program we do at school.  We stayed for about 4 innings in our seats then walked around the stadium and spent some more time at The Sandlot, the kids play place.  We drove 2 very sleepy girls home and carried them to bed!

Scottsdale Vacation Day 2

Whew!  What a day!  Day two of our summer vacation is coming to a close and we are exhausted, in the best ways possible.

Today was a resort day.  This morning we went to the resort pools then walked over to the hotel pools (where the lazy river is).  Then after lunch and rest time back in our room, we went back to the pools.  We played TV Trivia and didn't win.  The girls went down the slides over and over and over again.  And Harper played with her fish and net for hours (best $3 I've ever spent).  Stevie grilled chicken for dinner and after enjoying that he went to watch the basketball game with his friend Alex while the girls and I went back to the pool!

The only "bad" part has been that Shyla got sunburned on her face.  She's really not very red but she's very sensitive and when we reapply sunblock or aloe, it burns really bad and she cries.  I'm hopeful it will be better by tomorrow.