Grand Canyon!!!

We had a 4 hour drive one way to the Grand Canyon from the Voss' house and the kids did great! Here's Eva & Lily enjoying the view in style!
When we got to the Grand Canyon it was very windy and chilly, so we were glad that we took our jackets! We took a total of 150 pictures there, but I've just uploaded some of the best ones. If you've ever been you know how incredible, awe-inspiring, and breathtaking it truly is, but pictures cannot capture all the depth and beauty of seeing it in person.

This next picture is like Where's Waldo! Can you see us? We are near the middle :)


All of the little critters that live there are very friendly. I guess they've become very accustomed to all of the tourists. This little squirrel was really wanting to get to the kids, but the fence just wouldn't let him!


The Daddys giving shoulder rides while we enjoyed the beauty...









We stopped in a nice shady spot for a picnic lunch and the kids loved pine cone hunting! We brought home 2 large bags full of pine cones.




Can you see the Colorado River winding through the Canyon?

On top of the world!
As we were driving out of the Grand Canyon Park we saw a family of Elk near the side of the road. We couldn't really get very good pictures because it was dusk and there wasn't much light. There were probably 6 or 7 of them all together in this one area.
Not long after pulling out the kids crashed...
It was a long day in the car (14 hours), but it was worth it! We all had a blast and we are just relaxing today and enjoying each others' company!

Children's Museum of Phoenix

We've had a another fun, full day here in Arizona!!! We went to the Children's Museum of Phoenix today and the kids played 'til they dropped! Here are some fun pics of the day :)

Zora & Lily at the sand table

Zora & Noah at the art table creating tarantulas

Lily creating a tarantula

Lily & Daddy at the sand table

Zora's gingerbread girl :)

Lily measuring lentils at the "grocery store"

Zora (the cashier) at the "grocery store"

Just a couple of bikers!

Daniel, Zora & Lily trying to get the pigeons to eat Cheetos

Here are a couple of cute videos from the museum.

Lily going through the "Tricycle Wash"

Zora in the "Noodle Forest"

Afterward, we visited a local mall for a little more fun and went to IKEA. Gotta love that place! We ended the evening with dinner at the Morris household. Rick and Stephanie were gracious enough to feed us all and it was nice to see them again. Rick was our (Joel, Daniel & me) youth pastor growing up!

The kids were out like a light early tonight and the parents are turning in early as well! Tomorrow we're making the BIG trip to the Grand Canyon, so we'll have more great pics coming soon!!!

Sightseeing in Arizona

Whew! What a day we had yesterday! I must say that we all slept very well last night because we completely wore ourselves out!!!

We started the day by driving out to an old mining town which has now been turned into a tourist attraction. There were neat old buildings, a little bit of history and some quaint little souvenir stores...








Then we traveled took a little journey to the Roosevelt Dam. It was a beautiful scenic drive. First, we passed part of the mountain where they mine for different minerals. Here is a beautiful result of the process...

We also went up into the mountains and saw a Native American cliff dwelling. How's that for a little American history? :)
Here's some more scenery on the way...
Four cuties at the Roosevelt Dam lookout tower...
The Roosevelt Dam...
On the way back from the dam we took the REAL scenic route. We took a backroad that was dirt and gravel for 22 miles. It was a very bumpy ride, but absolutely worth it! What beauty!We finished our day by eating at SanTan Steakhouse. It was a really neat, family-oriented place to eat. We ate outside at picnic tables next to a firepit. We enjoyed delicious burgers and some old-fashioned marshmallow roasting!

Bubble Bath!!!