Here Comes the Sun, do do do do

We're back! Devin had last week off from school and we took a vacation. Thank goodness! My brother Mark and his family were kind enough to let us invade their home in Queen Creek, AZ (suburb of Phoenix) for a week; and we enjoyed it thoroughly! And thanks to the kindness of people from Church and school, we were able to get to and from the airport free of cost and pretty much free of hassle. Unfortunately, we are lame and did not take any pictures. If I get any from my sister in law, I will try and post them. And we forgot to take Molly! Gasp.

Saturday morning Devin's friend from school, Tom, took us to O'Hare for our 8 something flight. After a few wrong turns at the airport, we made it with plenty of time to get through security and not have to linger forever before our flight. A 3.5 hour flight later and we were in sunny AZ! Cristina (my sister in law) picked us up at the airport with Justin (age 4) and Brianna (age 6) and we headed to Scottsdale to swim. Mark was busy running an ACT! conference, but invited us for swimming and lunch at the resort they were staying at. Lunch was tasty and we got to meet some of Mark's friends and coworkers.

It was so much to swim (even though I forgot to shave)! We didn't even get sunburned because I remembered to pack the sunscreen. For the most part we hung out in the hot tub (Cristina is a chicken when it comes to water temperatures ;) ) and helped Justin "swim". I took them over to the waterfall dividing 2 of the pools, and we had fun. After swimming, we changed and relaxed back in the hotel suite. Then it was time to head back to the house!

We picked up pizza on the way, and got a tour of Queen Creek, before meeting Cristina's parents and seeing little Mark (age 8). That night we played Just Dance 2, and helped tire out the kids and put them to bed.  The next day was Church and more playing with the kids, as well as baking a couple of pies.

Monday we picked Justin up from preschool, where he introduced me to everyone as his Aunt Rebecca, and then went Pupusa shopping at a Latin market in Mesa. On the way there we had this conversation

Justin: "Where are we going?"
Me: "Mesa."
"That's not in AZ!"
"Yes it is. It's that way."
"No it's not."
Upon arrival.
"See Justin, that sign says Mesa."
"No. We're not in Mesa"

Oh the joy of a 4 year old.

That night we had a Thanksgiving dinner and Mark brought home 2 of his employees, as they were having their yearly company pow wow thingy ma jig. We also played Uno Attack and rough housed with the kidlets.

Tuesday, Devin and I made pizza for the family and 3 of Mark's employees, and the family boogied to some sweet tunes. It was a big success and we are thinking about opening a chain of pizza discos in the future.

Wednesday we went to the Temple with Cristina and saw a Grapefruit tree! Neither of us had ever seen one before. It's a surprisingly small tree for such a large fruit. That night, we had Pupusas! Cristina's mom made them from scratch and they were wonderful. And I started watching the newer BBC Sense and Sensibility.

Thursday was probably the first day we really saw and talked to Mark, as he was so busy with everything. Cristina, the kids, her mom, and I all went to the Arizona Mills mall and did some shopping. I bought 6 pairs of Old Navy flip flops for $0.47 a piece! That night we had leftovers (of which there were many) and played with the kids.

Friday we just relaxed. Devin and Mark played some Guild Wars, and I watched the newer BBC Persuasion and Emma. Cristina made us a yummy Ramen dish with all kinds of different meats and vegetables in it. We tossed the kids on the couch a few more times (Brianna would come find us and say "Come on Aunt Rebecca! Come on Uncle Devin! Come on!" and little Mark would come up to you and have you take his arms and he would lift his feet in the air for the other person to grab), packed our bags, and called it a night.

Saturday morning, Cristina made us pancakes and sausage and then it was time to go :( We hugged and kissed all the kids goodbye and Mark and Brianna took us to the airport. A few hours later, and we were home.

Thanks Mark and Cristina for having us! And especially thanks to Cristina for feeding us well and making us feel so welcome! We love you all and can't wait to see you again some time!