Heading: Arizona Trip and Payton's 2nd Birthday

So we finally were able to take a long awaited trip to AZ. We were super excited to see family that we haven't seen in years, and thanks to them they made it financially possible! With Mike on Strike, and Payton's birthday it was more than a perfect time to get there.

We left Thursday, Oct 2nd and arrived Friday night Oct 3rd. We drove through the night to make it not so painful for Payton to sit for 24-25 hours. She did pretty darn good, as we kept her mouth full with food, her dvd player on, and lots of milk, toys, and rest stops for her to run around at. We first went to Gilbert for a few days to spend the time with Dean, Kelley and Dillon. We all had a good time as they were more than generous while we stayed there. We were well taken care of and we couldn't have asked for anything more. Payton had so much fun with them and not to mention how spoiled she got.

We then headed up to Show Low on Wednesday and went and picked up Suzanne (Mike's sister) in Thatcher at school to take her with us. It was nice to see her again and have all of us catch up. Payton and her got along great, and had fun playing. What a great aunt she is!

We got to Show Low around dinner time and arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandpa had steaks on the grill and we ate right away. It was yummy too!! Teanna, Peg, Aliesha and Luke along with Mel all came over as well. It was so great to be with everyone. It felt as if we had never left, and we were just carrying on as normal. Payton enjoyed all of the attention she got. She was the center of attention for most of the trip.

Since we were in Show Low for Payton's 2nd Birthday we threw her a little party. Dean, Kelley, Dillon and one of his friends came up for her special day. We had pizza (Payton's favorite) and an ice cream princess cake. She had a good day and enjoyed opening up her presents. She got a HUGE dollhouse that Grandpa made for her, a princess bike with training wheels, dolls, puzzles, books, a stroller, a shopping cart, and some clothes. Thanks to everyone who pitched in as they knew it would be funny to watch us haul it all home. We did get it all home safely though and we thank EVERYONE who came and celebrated her birthday with us. It means a lot to us and we know Payton had a wonderful day.

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone as we wish we were closer. We headed back to Seattle on Monday morning the 13th. We again drove straight through. Payton did well on the way home too. And we were so blessed we got home safely.

So that was a trip in a nutshell. I have a few pics that we took while we we re there. Enjoy!!!!