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.

Scottsdale Vacation Day 1

Our 2016 summer vacation began yesterday! And boy were we ready!

We got a late start because Harper and I are doing a 5 week Summer Reading Program, through NAU, for students entering Kindergarten.  Yesterday was the first class and, although I don't have any pictures, she did great!  She followed directions, tried her best, and participated a lot.  It was great to see!  Yesterday's focus was on the letter "Mm," the sight words "I" and "can," and the reading of Caps for Sale.  We will miss class 2 due to vacation, but we can't wait to go back and learn more!

So, we arrived in Scottsdale around 2pm.  Our room wasn't quite ready so we took the shuttle to the Commons and had a lovely lunch at The Green House.  When we got back the room was ready so we got settled and headed to the pool.  After swimming for a few hours and doing the slide numerous times, we went back to the room, went and did our grocery shopping, and called it a night!

VIP Graduation

The day following the Desert Willow end-of-preschool celebration, we got to celebrate Harper's graduation from VIP (Vail Inclusive Preschool)!  It was amazing!  Harper has had such a great experience at VIP.  Her teacher was Ms. Jessica and her speech teacher was Ms. Cheryl.  We will be forever grateful for the love and care she received there.
Thank you to Grandma & Grandpa Palmer, along with Grandpa Steve and Viv for joining us for the event!  Harper's class performed a super-hero song (thus the cape and mask) and then we celebrated with a yummy dinner.
Harper was so cute up on stage!  Her cap wouldn't stay on but she didn't care!  She was so excited to be up there and she waved at the family with much enthusiasm.  When it was time to put her arm around her classmate, she didn't even hesitate.  We are so very proud!

End of Preschool Celebration

This has been a very busy week, filled with many celebrations!  On Wednesday night we had Harper's End-of-Preschool Celebration at Desert Willow.  She started Desert Willow right before her 3rd birthday and for 1 year was a DW Diamondback full-time.  This current year, she's attended Desert Willow half-time and VIP half-time.
It was a lovely celebration!  There were craft activities for the kids, they all got bright orange t-shirts, and the UA marching band came to play some songs.  There was also a slideshow that documented all the growth and the fun that the kiddos had throughout the year.  It was also a great opportunity to take pictures with all her AMAZING teachers: Ms. Jacquie, Mr. Cesar, Ms. Liz, Ms. Audra, and Ms. Laura!