Sedona

We've been dying to go to Sedona since we moved here, so when Lance got the news late Friday that he didn't have to work Saturday, we packed up, got a cheap hotel from priceline, and took off. We arrived at 10pm and the kids had already been sleeping in the car, so they were exhausted and went right to sleep.

...however uncomfortable that sleep may have been for some of them

 I tried to save Addi by turning everyone the right direction and spacing them out, but they came right back to her.

 In the morning, this was the view out our hotel window. WOW. We did not see that when we got in at 10pm!

So amazing.

 We went on a 7 mile hike that crossed the river (about 2-3in deep in crossing) 13 times each way, so it was really fun for the kids and broke up the hike a lot. I will say however, that we knew it might be a challenge before we went...not for Evelyn since she loves hiking and has done six miles easily before, not for Blake since he would be fine in the backpack...the limiting factor would be Addi.  She is not a hiker by any means, nor does she enjoy it. Walking around the corner to the bus stop is "so far" for her and "too hot."  Seven miles was definitely going to be a stretch on her 3-year-old capacity...so our best plan was to bring the jogging stroller. Lance was somehow able to make it the whole way pushing it. Well...can you guess who was complaining the whole time? Yep. The girl who was not walking, not carrying any backpacks, and not breaking a sweat.  Some of the phrases heard along the trail were (imagine them as dramatic as possible): 

"We're NEVER going to get home!"
"I'm so tired"
"I need help"
"I'm thirsty"
"We're going to DIE!!!"

Well, patience was wearing very thin for complaints from Miss Addi by the time we got halfway through, so she was very lucky she changed her mind and decided to have a good time. She made it easy for us though...next time she is walking. The whole time. She will learn to enjoy it...right?

I'm going to let Evelyn tell about our hike, because she loved every minute of it! (Addi added in a few comments too!)

Evelyn:

We are hiking in a place where we had a fun day.

 We were hiking in a place with a wall with a hole in it. And I even went through it.

Addi: Let me see...hey Mom what is this? Is it a moon?

 I was holding a lizard in my hand. I named him Wilt and he was so cute. He was like a little baby one.

Addi: Awwwwwww...we better go find him to take home...we don't have a lizard named Wilt.

 We saw huge mountains and they were so cool. There was a cave in it.

Addi: That mountain looks like a otter.

 We were hiking in rocks, I was so strong. I almost got big, since I was so strong.

Addi: I'm not crying and after that I was feeling better. I had a dream about I was a baby and Evelyn was a baby too that was snoring at me.

 It was so fun stepping on rocks in the winter...oops, I mean water. My shoes were Keens since they could go in the water.

Addi: Hey Ev's stepping on rocks!

 There was a spider and I was actually really brave.

 I loved jumping the puddles of huge water.

 I crawled in that water...it was kind of cold.

 The leaves were shining in the trees...it almost looked like Fall, but Mom said we have to find red leaves, cause she loves red leaves. We saw pink beautiful leaves and we loved them. So cute.

 There was a stick falling down, but we just goed through it. I was hiking through it.

 These are swirly things and they are so like...swirly, but they are almost like snakes. But don't worry...they're not snakes.

 Addi was so cute, and we loved her and she was so cute sitting in the stroller, but she reaaalllly got her hair messy. I think she thought we were going to live there forever.

 We were hiking and hiking until we found it...we were trying to look for Wilt, but when we were driving almost home we saw a frog too.

 That was a tall mountain and it was so cool. It was awesome and it had a lot of trees on it.

 The puddle...I was dipping sticks in it and it was so fun playing in the water. I jumped right into it.

 Mom and me were brave, and we love to hug each other on hikes, then we just had a little break eating snacks.

 This picture is of a cool mountain, it was like a "c" and I kind of climbed on it.

 We were stepping on rocks in the river. We tried to not get too wet, but we actually did.

 Blake loves to hold sticks. It's because I love picking up sticks too, I help Blake too when he picks them up.

 Bugs live in plants, and these grow for more animals to eat food.

 We were eating on a rock. Mom said bugs would be eating all the crumbs we left on that rock.

 We were tired, eating in the sun, and we were soooooo hungry eating on the rock.

 We sawed a caterpillar. It was real...not dead, and it could sting.

 There were lots of nests in these trees.

 Addi was having a cute day, and a cute smile. She had eyes shining bright.

 It was a huge river to cross on, but it was so fun to step in.

 Blake was so fun, but he whistled...he knows how to whistle.

 We ran to go and sit on this log when it rained SUPER duper hard, so we sat and ate snacks. Then it stopped raining and we came out.

 That was a HUGE beetle. It was freaky, but I was brave. Dad put his finger by it, I guess he didn't think it was freaky.

 Blake was thirsty, so he drank out of it the whole time.

 Addi had a cute smile. She matches keens like me.

 This was just a little river to cross. We knowed the way.

 I was sliding in the water, but I didn't want to go under the water at the end, but lots of people were watching me so I was brave.

 Dad catched me and I slowed down right into some fish.

Addi: and you got right into the water

 It was a beautiful day and the sun was rising into the mountains when we drove back home. Good bye everyone.