Holy moly, these last 4 days flew by! They were busy, but at the same time really fun and relaxing (for me).
Day 1: Marraine, Marine, Geoffrey, and Romain took Logan, Taylor, and Kendall hiking up South Mountain, right behind our house. It gave me at least 2 hours to chill and do absolutely nothing.
That afternoon, it was actually kind of cloudy, which was perfect for spending some time outdoors at the Botanical Gardens. It was a lot of walking, but it didn't put me into labor, so that's good. We also went to Papago Park to see the hole in the rock. I was a nervous-wreck the whole time, because I'm not very fast these days, and relying on other people to save my kids from falling off the mountain was not easy, even if they are family. That night, Marraine, Marine, and Romain went back to see some demonstrations, while Billy and Geoffrey spent hours on end arguing about politics, and the kids and I went to bed at a decent time (9:30 was decent in comparison to 11:00).
Day 2: Sunsplash. Well, obviously, I couldn't go on any slides, or carry big floaties up 8 flights of stairs, so I stayed down and took pictures and videos. I loved seeing how much fun everybody was having, though. The kids had been wanting to go back to Sunsplash since we went last year with Marine. I did go into the wave pool with the kids, though, while the family went on rides that the kids were too small to go on. At one point, Marine and Geoffrey came to the wave pool to meet Marraine, Romain, and the rest of us, and Marine told us how she was concerned that she wouldn't find us in this big waterpark, but Geoffrey had put her mind to ease by telling her that finding a bald woman and a pregnant woman couldn't be too hard. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Day 3: It took us nearly 3 hours to get to Sedona, 3 hours to come back, and I think we spent about 2 hours there, but Slide Rock did not disappoint. Why did we only stay 2 hours, considering all the traveling time? We got hit by hail! The sky was clear and blue when we got there. Then all of a sudden, clouds started to appear. Then I noticed rain covering the top of the mountain. Not even 3 minutes later, that rain had reached us and was coming down so hard that it scared the kids. It took us 15 minutes to walk back to the car, because everybody was leaving at once. No one wanted to take the risk of being in the water if a storm hit or if the river flooded. Still, the kids had fun sliding on the rocks, but mostly playing with mud. And I was appreciative of the many genuinely-concerned people who warned me that the rocks were very slippery. Such nice people :-) That evening, we ate at Cafe Rio, and I think Marraine, Marine, Geoffrey, and Romain will be craving it until next year.
Day 4: Marraine, Marine, Geoffrey, and Romain went to climb Camelback while the rest of us slept in. The kids needed that rest, after the last 3 days. That afternoon, we went to a public swimming pool in Chandler. Once again, everyone took care of the kids while I just hung out, mostly in the pool, but occasionally outside of it, too. That evening, everyone hung out with one hand on my belly while baby had her nightly 10 pm party. We also played games, but Kendall passed out on the couch, and Geoffrey was so sweet to pick her up and put her in the bed.
I wish they could have stayed longer, but they had a long trip ahead of them, visiting the west. From Arizona, to Nevada, to Utah, back to Nevada, to California. I hope they create some unforgettable memories. I know we did!
