random ramblings

The girls and I have been traveling the last several days, so blog posting hasn't been what it should be. But there is much to share and much coming up!

First of all, our plane trips to and fro Show Low, Arizona on my own with an wiggly infant and a busy toddler were a success. I am beyond proud of my girls for being so good, especially Hadley. There may have been a complaint or two while on completely full flights from Phoenix to Minneapolis, but nothing earth shattering and that a freeze dried apple snack couldn't remedy.

Now you are wondering, I am sure, "Where in the heck is Show Low?" It's in the mountains of Arizona. Now you are probably thinking, "There are mountains in Arizona?" Yep! There sure are! My mom and her significant other are in the process of building a home there and we went up for a visit. While there isn't much to the town itself, it is certainly picturesque.

So we headed there to see my mom's new digs, celebrate a belated Christmas with them and to meet one of my oldest friends and her family in Williams, Arizona (Grand Canyon) to ride the Polar Express Train. Unfortunately, my mother who is never ill was extremely ill and had to pass on the trip to Williams, so the girls and I drove the three hours from Show Low to Williams, passing through Winslow (nope, didn't stop to stand on the corner) and Meteor City (I was tempted to stop, but the little ones were sleeping)(don't want to interrupt that) along the way.

We checked in to the Grand Canyon Lodge, stretched our legs for a bit, met up with our friends and enjoyed a not-so-hot buffet dinner before changing into jammies and boarding the Polar Express.

The minute we boarded, we were transported into a magical Christmas world! And I am thankful I knew a lot of the story. Hadley was so excited, enjoyed her cookie and hot cocoa, stared out the window in awe once we reached the North Pole, sang and clapped along to the Christmas carols and even chatted with Santa when he came by. Hayden, on the other hand, slept for a lot of the trip, enjoyed a bite of my cookie, and happily took the jingle bell from Santa.

I can't express enough how special this trip was. I love the magic of Christmas and it's been fun to see it in Hadley's eyes this year. And even more, being able to take the ride with my friend and her sweet family. I hope we can make it a tradition (and I hope my mom can join next year).

Yesterday, our day started a little rough, but the girls were once again champs on the airplanes back home. Jonathan picked us up and we went to Ikea for a meatball dinner and let Hadley run a muck in the play area in the Ikea restaurant before braving the snowy roads home. The girls were happy to be home - we could hardly get Hayden to bed because she wanted to play, and Hadley happily went into her room and crawled under her covers and went to sleep. And, after finally getting Hayden to sleep, I fell fast asleep.

So enough about our trip...

I have a few awesome giveaways lined up this month! Next up is a giveaway to CSN Stores. They have EVERYTHING, laptop messenger bag, furniture, baby gear... Just about everything! So be sure to check back on Monday for that giveaway!

OK, so that's it for my random rambling. Hope everyone's week has been great so far!