The Brown Family: Arizona and back

We had a great trip to Arizona after Lyla's birthday. We went and visited my parents, whom you could call "winter birds", because they try to miss most of the cold weather back home. My brother, sister-in-law and nephew Colin even came! We haven't seen them since Devil's Lake weekend in October so it was nice to all be together again.

Arizona was unseasonably warm when we got there. It got up to 100 degrees one day and the high 90's for a few days as well. It was warm at first but we got used to it pretty quickly. We were definitely not complaining when it was cold back home.

Trip to the Zoo
We went to a zoo in Tucson so Lyla could see the desert animals. We went a little late as most of the animals were in the shade sleeping since it was the hottest time of the day. I guess we know for next time.

We even had to hit an outlet mall to see what bargains we could get during our trip. There was a carousel in the mall and Lyla had to go for a quick ride. She didn't understand why she had to get off at the end!

Swimming baby

We went swimming almost everyday and Lyla just loved the water! She loved jumping into the pool and getting attention from all the people around her. I think we will have to make sure to go swimming a lot this summer.

Posing for the camera!

Date night

Matt and I had a date night while my parents watched Lyla. We hardly get away so it was nice to have a relaxing meal without chasing a 2 year old around.

Belly picture

B-day time

Colin's and Lyla's birthdays are just over 1 year apart so we had to celebrate by opening presents during the visit. Lyla got toys to play with in the sandbox and for outside. Maybe she will want to help us weed this summer??

Playing together

All ready to go swimming

Sedona

We went to Sedona for the day to see the beautiful red rock and go for a little hike. It is typically 10 degrees cooler compared to Phoenix so it was a nice break from the hot weather.

Here are the guys carrying Lyla and Colin in their strollers across the rock

It's tradition to balance your rocks in this area...I believe it's a sign of good luck. Here are Matt and Lyla next to our family's balance rocks!

Family picture

We even had to go downtown to the shopping area where Lyla found this turtle to hug

Lyla did great flying to and from Arizona. I was worried since this is the first time she has flown but we kept her busy with snacks and DVD's and she even took a nap for the 3 1/2-4 hour flight.

Back Home

We've been busy since we got home from our vacation. We have been shopping for Lyla's big girl bedroom furniture, trying to figure out how to decorate the baby's room, getting Lyla's 2 year pictures taken and doing housework. We were lucky last weekend my parents came to help us trim bushes and do some clean up work outside. The bigger my belly gets, the harder it is to bend down for a long period of time so we are grateful for the help! I'm getting this urge to get everything done so it's nice to get things crossed off the list before I drive myself crazy. The last few weeks I have been getting swelling in my ankles and lower legs from being on my feet too much like I did when I was pregnant with Lyla. This is much sooner in my pregnancy though so I will have to make sure to not overdo it....we will see how that goes!

Lyla still loves to play dress up. She found her GB Packer onesie and this time put it on. I guess this is the new style to wear onesies!