When we were trying to decide where to go, we went through a list of where we haven't been that was in a days drive. We had gone everywhere around El Paso or at least within a few hours drive from home. We realized that we had never done Phoenix as a family and it was only 6 hours from home. We booked an Airbnb and headed west on Dec. 21st.
Phoenix Bound!
Smiles and snacks! Here we go :)
We left after Pres got home from work. Luckily it was a half day for him so we got into Phoenix right around dinner time. We made our first stop at Portillos. A forever favorite and a place that will always remind us of home!
Sweet smiles!
Happy to be in Phoenix!
Phoenix Zoo
First stop was the giraffe exhibit while we waited for our train ride.
Ready to go on the train!
Jack was our map guy. He LOVED holding the map and telling us where to go.
Smiling faces while we wait to take off.
Beckham boy sat with me. So much excitement!
Daddy and his girl were right behind us.
The train was awesome! We saw everything without having to hike to every single exhibit. We knew the kids would eventually get tired from all of the walking so this was a great way to see the exhibits.
Quick stop to play at the playground. Jack helped Q down the slide :)
Awesome Christmas Tree! Merry Christmas!
Beckham riding on the bull in the kids zoo area.
Jackson wanted to make sure to get a pic by the cool horse shoes :)
Quinn's turn!
"What do you see?"
She was trying to find the goats on the mountain, haha.
After a fun day at the zoo we came home and did naps and treats before bed. We had some tired kids which means it was a perfect 1st day :)
Treat time!
Children's Museum
I think this smile can sum up this entire day! So much stinkin fun!!
"Mom, I'm up here Mom" - Beckham boy
The boys climbed all over this thing. It was crazy cool too. They loved running, sliding, jumping, playing on every surface.
Quinn is a big fan of the "vacuum" area.
Keeping up with the boys!
There was a specific area set aside for kids ages 3 and under. I was in here 90% of the time. I would have one kid at a time. One would want to stay with me and the others would go off with Pres and when I would get up to leave someone would come back haha. It was such a fun room. They had slides, books, blocks, bells, puzzles, a kitchen, an electronic section that made sounds and noises.
Beckham played Chef
Jack asked the Chef for toast :)
Table is set and they are ready for breakfast! We had a lot of fun playing make believe in this little kitchen.
Quinn had so much fun on this thing. She would just laugh and laugh. It was darling!
Show Time :)
Once we got them out of the 3 and under area we went exploring. We ran through a noodle forest, shopped for food at the supermarket and played dress up in the theatre room. The boys put on a play for us...heart melted. This day was such a blast! We LOVE children's museums! They are full of fun and there is tons to explore.
After the museum we made a stop at another favorite restaurant...Cafe Rio! It was getting late so we were happy to stop and grab some food before heading home.
On the way home we saw an IKEA and stopped for a minute. The kids had fun running the isles and holding hands. They were laughing so loud and having such a great time trying to stay together. It's moments like these that I just love and try to capture. These three were having so much fun on our little trip away from home.
The first night we got into town Pres went to the temple. It was so nice for him to take a minute to leave the world behind and enjoy the peace and quiet of the temple.
The Clarks Say Goodbye to Texas
Pres and I found out right before leaving for Phoenix that he had been offered a promotion with transfer to Manteca, California. A sister hospital to the network he was already with. We knew that our lives were about to change over the course of the next few weeks. It wasn't something that we had expected or even looked for. It fell right into our laps and it was the next step for this Clark family to take. We decided to take a minute and enjoy the break and Christmas before we dove into any future plans heading our way. We were very excited for the opportunity and welcomed the confidence and excitement from those involved in the upcoming change. I couldn't believe we would be leaving a place we called home for the past four years, but I was looking forward to seeing what was in store for our crew of 5. I am so incredibly proud of Preston and all of his hard work. He has done so much for the family and continues to amaze me at balancing life as father, husband, employee and friend. He's a such a wonderful person to have right by my side.
Home just in time for Christmas!
After a VERY successful trip to Arizona we headed home on December 24th to get ready for Santa. The anticipation was killing those little hearts and souls in the back seat. Preston and I were super excited to see those faces light up that next morning.
There is absolutely nothing like the Spirit of Christmas. Once we were home we made a dinner and took over some special gifts to a family that could use a pick me up this year. The feeling of serving and helping those around you is absolutely awesome. I love to feel like we can make someone's day a little brighter just by a simple and small act of kindness. We want our kids to know that as well. I am so happy they got to help us prep for this special day too. The gratitude from this special family filled our hearts with joy. How grateful we were to have had the opportunity to meet and help in a time of need. May we all try a little harder to look for those who may stand in need of a small act of kindness.
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