Our Trip to Tucson!

We decided a little break from reality was in order, things have been extremly busy around the Smith compound and everyone needed a little time off. I found an awesome deal on expedia for $25.00 off the purchase of any room, so I thought, what the hay. We'll give it a try. Dustin had a full day off of work, so I packed everything up, loaded the car, and off we went for the night!

The drive was pretty short, I thought Tucson was a lot further away than it really is, thankfully the kids behaved well and even napped a bit. We made a pit stop for some greasy fast-food and sodas on the way-what a treat for the kids!-and we were off. Instead of stopping at the hotel first, we headed straight to the Pima Air and Space Museum. Let me start off by saying we had absolutely no idea what we were in for when we stepped foot in that museum! It was the biggest place I've ever been to! There were multiple buildings, plus an entire airplane "graveyard" outside we didn't even see. The kids enjoyed walking around and seeing all the neat airplanes, even getting to sit inside a few.

Peeking at the inside of the plane!

Laila taking the simulator plane for a test drive!

"Freedom", the plane retired and was replaced by "Air Force One"

My tiny little girls!

The heat outside was scorching, the vending machines didn't work, and they didn't allow outside food or drink. Kenadi was feeling pretty nauseated and mumbling about a chimpunk, so we decided we better head out. After arriving to the hotel Dustin and Kenadi took a nap while Laila, Little D, and I headed into the sun for some swimming in the hotel's pool. To say the water was cold wouldn't even begin to cover the freezing I felt to the core of my body, but the kids didn't seem to mind!

Laila ready to hit the water!

Swimming in the ice cold water!

Drying off with mommy!

Kenadi seemed to be feeling better so we decided to head out for dinner. After stopping at Walgreens to pick up some more tylenol for Lil D's teeth (which is when I discovered tooth #3 had cut through!!) we headed toward town to find a respectable place for dinner. About 5 minutes into our drive, little miss Kenadi threw up all over the back seat of my car. Back to the hotel it was! We ordered dinner from the Denny's attached to the hotel lobby and had "breakfast in bed" for dinner! The kids all seemed to enjoy being able to stay up late watching tv and eating food in bed-I sure didn't hear any complaining! We called it a night and decided to try for a better tomorrow. We packed our things early in the morning and headed to (yep, you guessed it!) Denny's for breakfast. The kids ate really good and no one got sick, so we had high hopes for the day!

A diabetic's dream come true! Laila loved her breakfast!
Pancake bites, whip cream, syrup, jam, and juice!

After breakfast we headed to the Reid Park Zoo! What a tiny little zoo! It was fun, not crowded, and clean. The kids were able to see almost all the animals, the tiger was missing (he was on a "date" with a woman tiger) and the bear was sleeping. At the end of the rounds the girls decided they enjoyed seeing the Monkeys (Kenadi's favorite), the Polar Bear, and the Elephants the best. I loved how close you could get to the giraffes! I jokingly told Laila they were looking for a kiss and she responded, "Not until they brush those teeth! Their tongues are black!" I got a good chuckle out of that, and so did everyone else hanging around the exhibit.

Quick pit stop for a photo!

Handsome!

The polar bear-he was hiding out in the back pacing around in the shade.

The girls checking out the rhino.

The girls by the giraffes.

Oooh!

After the zoo we made a pit stop at the Missions Sans De Xavier. It was such a beautiful church, posting photos doesn't do it justice. Laila and I went inside together and talked a lot about what church is all about, God, and the importance of believing. The experience was really great for both of us, I needed the spiritual "awakening" and she needed a little boost to want to learn more about our faith. We left the church and headed back home. The ride home wasn't nearly as pleasant as the ride there, but we made it in one piece.

The trip, in all, was a good one. We all made it there and back in one piece, and on a pretty low budget. Now, Dustin and I recovering from a nasty flu bug! Here's to hoping for a better tomorrow.