Oh, Arizona...

Easter was a wonderful time complete with egg dyeing, Easter baskets, egg hunts, church, and a nice family dinner. We miss Arizona so much. We got back and the cool breezy weather was less than refreshing, we miss the sunny 80 degree weather we enjoyed for four days. Of course the end of March and into April is the prime time to be in Arizona. I'm sure if we had been roasting in Arizona in the middle of July for 4 days the bay area weather would be very refreshing. But more than the weather of course we miss "Pa", my grandpa and my kids great grandpa. We miss him insisting on us eating just one more pancake. We miss his voice. When he says your name you're sure you are just the most important grandchild he has. I'm sure each of his 20 grandchildren feel this way and I'm no different. And of course we miss his excitement over the tiniest pleasure, like ice cream cones. We also got to enjoy time with my Uncle Mike. He's so willing to help and love sharing his knowledge of space. We were treated to an excellent view of the stars when he got out his 6 foot tall telescope!
On Monday we packed in a lot of activities. We started out by visiting my grandmothers grave. It was the first time I got to see her headstone and I was reminded of how long she's been gone. None of my kids got to meet her. I know Pa misses her a lot too. After that we took a turn for fun and went to the community pool. Mia had a blast and did some pretty creative jumps off the diving board. Kai wasn't feeling well, but he still was able to enjoy himself. He's so much better in the water since he started swim lessons. It was great splashing around and soaking up some warm sun. When the pool "visitor hours" were over, we headed home for lunch. It wasn't long until Aaron and I headed out again and were off for a few hours much needed hours at a day spa. Can I just say pure BLISS! No kids, quiet, relaxing, someone massaging all our cares away. It was awesome. Three hours later we walked out and it was still warm and sunny and we strolled around before heading home for dinner. It was hard walking through the door knowing all the energy that was behind it, but time away always makes you appreciate your kids a little more even if it is just a few hours.
It was great having Aaron around for a few solid days and he looked much more relaxed by the time it was time to go. Another positive not was that the kids were GREAT on the airplane both ways.