Saturday, December 21st we were suppose to get an early start down to Arizona, but the weather had different plans. It snowed pretty good which mean it wasn't wise to be on any roads. Such a disappointment.
But Sunday morning we decided to go for it. Roads were better... So by 4am we were on the road heading south toward St. George, Las Vegas then over down to Phoenix area. Past Vegas, was the Hoover Dam. It had been awhile since I had been that way, so we stopped to check it out.
It a big drop, Ammon was a little paranoid someone would fall off it we lean too far for a look...just like his daddy :o)
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This bridge is amazing. The traffic use to go over the dam, but is now rerouted to this new bridge.
On the drive the kids did a great job. We had games, scavenger hunt, travel tickets for snacks and of course movies to watch.
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After stopping in Vegas for breakfast, Hoover Dam, and sack lunches in Kingman, AZ we made it to my parents' house by 5:30pm. It was so nice an warm the kids played outside until the sun went down.
Next morning the kids helped pick more oranges to juice. Love fresh orange juice!! Also, they loved picking more grapefruit for breakfasts.
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Later went to my brother Bens' house to let the kids hang out with their cousins. Didn't catch everyone in this picture, but you get the idea. Reed, Lauren, Rian, Tatum, Paige and McKayla...the rest of my kids must have escaped the photo op.
Christmas Eve
The celebration was at my parents house. Yes a lot of people to fit in, but it's good to be together doing the Christmas story.
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Of course the Christmas PJs
Christmas day was very simple. Since we drove, we had limited space in the van, so we were only able to bring one gift for Christmas morning...hence the reason the kids were anxious to get back home soon. It was still fun with Gma and Gpa and with some of my other siblings coming over for breakfast. Jarom was able to break out the 4 wheeler and drive around the pasture and of course Ammon loved collecting the chicken eggs daily...many times daily...
Next day my brothers got together to go shooting. This was news to me...I had no idea how involved into guns my brothers were! But it was awesome. We drove about an hour in the direction of Florence, AZ and found great desert hills to shoot. My oldest brother Scott is the most invested into guns, while he's gotten Tim and Ben into it as well.
Scott had an AR 15 that my kids were a bit weary to try...so was I, but we all LOVED it.
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Jarom Mom
Ammon also had his try on the .22 rifle
But he rather play with his twin cousin, Nixon. These two seriously look and act the same...only Ammon is a bit taller but these are both crazy characters.
Rian, Tarin and Raegan trying out the .22 Rifle. These were pretty cool too.
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As Jarom was trying one of the guns, he had put his arm down on the table where a shell had just ejected from one of the .22 rifles and it was stinkin' hot! Although he wasn't to happy he got burned, he was kind of proud of his branding...
My brothers thought it would be fun to have a little friendly competition between me and my older sister. We were shooting 40 caliber hand guns and aimed for the flags. I hit 3 and she was close with 2. That had quite the power!! It was such a rush.
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Trent loved the thrill of the AR 15 -- we all did!
Kids all had their turn...at first they were a bit scared with the loudness, but soon realized it didn't have the kick back they thought it would...and they loved it!
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The best thrill of all was learning about Tannerite. A stable but explosive component that makes the target that much more exciting. We'd found old trash (fire extinguishers, shot up propane tanks) and when tannerite was hit, the target was shot up into the air with a loud explosion. Pretty cool.
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My nieces, McKayla and Paige thought it was fun to pose with the hand guns.
Finally, that evening, the night before heading back to Utah, we needed to visit the Mesa Temple and see all the lights.
Rian was missing from this picture, because her and cousins Paige and McKayla went to see the movie Frozen with Aunt Karen and my brother Ben and their family.
A beautiful night on the temple grounds.
Next day we were up early once again and headed out of warm AZ and back to snowy Utah. We made it home by 2:30pm (skipped lunch and other site seeing) so the kids could enjoy "Christmas" at home. They were excited to open up gifts and play the rest of the day in the snow. Weird though, in the same day we were in 70 degree AZ and that evening sledding down the slopes in our neighborhood.
It's good to be home.
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