The morning started off fairly early-since the alarm rang at 3:50. We got around fairly quickly and finished loading the car with the kids. Campbell slept in her car seat last night so she was ready to go. We picked James up and he chauffeured us to the airport in some light rain.
We checked in easily and headed to security. Security seemed to be a breeze-until Robby heard someone asked if he left his suitcase. Ooops! We did have all of the kids so that is what counts. With 4 kids, 5 backpacks, 2 strollers, 3 car seat bags, 2 suitcases and one other bag, it is hard to keep up with everything.
Our Dallas flight left on time but we might have wished they would have waited the storm out a few more minutes. It was the bumpiest flight we had ever been on. We dropped once and Anderson said "whoa, how'd that happen?" Graham was a little scared when the plane ride started. I don't think it was because of the turbulence but just the whole idea-noise, bumps, sitting down quietly! We finally made it to Dallas but the weather there was bumpy too. Poor Anderson threw up-thankfully, Tara caught it all in that little bag. She always finds them first thing when she gets on an airplane-and she even has one in her pocket right now! Soon after he was asking for something to eat and ate a cinnamon roll, nerds and 2 drinks on the next flight so maybe it was airplane sickness and not that dreaded stomach bug that Graham had earlier in the week.
The Phoenix flight was much smoother. Campbell was a pro since this was now her second flight-the first flight didn't bother her much. She has her milk, smiles, sleeps and then smiles some more. Dad held Campbell and sat by Anderson on this one and Mom had Graham and Reagan near her. Once on this flight, Robby had Anderson sit in another seat by an older lady. Robby told Anderson that she was nice and a grandma. He said that she wasn't his grandparents! We went to the bathroom a total of 10 times but it did help pass the time away. Reagan spent her time marking all of the places that she had been on the map and Anderson enjoyed watching another plane land as we landed.
After landing, we found our luggage and Robby headed to get a rental car. He was able to pick any van he wanted and was searching high and low for a van with a movie in it. He didn't find one of those but he did open one van door-and he found 2 ladies sitting in it. They were all surprised and had a good laugh. They had just picked their rental car and were getting settled in. After picking a van similar to our, he drove the 5 miles back to return to the airport and pick up Tara and the kids. You do get lots of pitiful looks when you are standing at the airport with 4 babies and one mound of luggage. We hit the road in pretty good time despite making the loop around the airport twice.
The kids were all asleep in just a few minutes but Tara hadn't had her bathroom break so she ran into Walmart to do the weeks shopping and take care of business. After running all over the store, she forgot what Dad had requested-a COLD diet coke (she had 24 non cold ones). So the next stop was a gas station to pick up a COLD beverage. Before long, the crew was waking up and needed a bathroom stop. We picked an exit (the wrong exit) and found a bathroom a zillion miles away from the interstate. It was a popular stop, Black Canyon, and we were back on the road soon enough.
On the side of the road were tons of cacti. Robby asked Reagan if she had ever seen a cactus and she said "yes, that what's on Mickey Mouse" and Anderson chimed in "they will poke your bottom."-who says tv isn't educational? Also, Reagan once said "this looks like where Lightening McQueen and Sally drive" and indeed it did. One field had tons of yellow flowers and the purple mountains were in the background-it was gorgeous.
Our first real stop was Montezuma National Monument. It was quite amazing. The dwelling was built high in the rock-the kids couldn't understand why it was so high up. Tara couldn't really understand that either. Reagan made certain to stay on the path after seeing a sign that warned of snakes. Though, Anderson was hoping to find a snake. This was just a short walk but Mom quickly realized that Campbell needed her hat on since her cheeks became red!
Graham doesn't really like his car seat-actually he abhors it! So he was ready to get out in Flagstaff. Tara had found a great diner to eat at…but it was closed. We found a diner right near Route 66, the Downtown Deli. It was very good and the kids enjoyed sitting at the bar stools. After our supper, ice cream and malt, we walked to the train tracks to see an old train which was on display. Poor Graham was scared of it and didn't want to come near.
We only had about 86 miles to go until we reached the Grand Canyon. We wanted to get there before sunset so we pressed on. We arrived at the Grand View area and started walking down the trail. Everyone was safely in their buggies. Reagan's kept saying "This is a miracle" and "Am I dreaming?" It was just a beautiful in person as it is in pictures. However, it looks just like the most gorgeous picture you have ever seen so it is hard to believe that it is real. The kids seemed to be interested in it. Dad rolled Campbell and Reagan's stroller off the trail and over some rocks to get a picture and Reagan wasn't real sure what he was doing and tried to get out of her buggy!
The sun was bright so the kids (those that were looking at the camera) had squinty eyes. We walked and walked around the trails, had a potty break, saw the book store and then headed to Mather Point. There was a little bit of construction so you had to take a very long detour (we didn't know that it was long) on a gravel pathway. It was a long and bumpy ride for the kids. We saw the overlook and took some more pictures. Note the picture of Mom and the 4 kids-poor Campbell's hat is covering her face. Dad said he didn't notice because he was too busy making sure none of the kids took a leap!
After finding the car in the massive parking lot, the next stop was our hotel. We are staying at the Maswik Lodge. We are in a cabin that has 3 other rooms connected to it. It is very rustic and has a great Grand Canyon feel. Robby thought he could drive up the trail to the front of ours-and he did-it just took 20 minutes since he had to dodge trees, a light post and boulders. It reminded Tara of when we got the van stuck in the tree!
We unpacked while the kids sat on the bed. They were so tired that they could have fallen asleep right then but we needed a little bite to eat before bedtime. It is only about 100 yards to the main lodge so we went there to eat. Robby remembers staying here with your grandparents and Cousin Kathy when he was 10ish. The lines were long so we just picked up some sandwiches and chips. The kids devoured the chips. Tara grabbed a Christmas ornament on the way out and we were back in the cabin by 8:45 (AZ time).
Campbell never woke up from her last bottle, Reagan went to sleep as soon as she laid down, Anderson and Graham giggled at each other for awhile but now Anderson is snoring and Graham has finally given it up. Sleeping arrangements-Campbell is in her bouncy in the shower, Anderson is in his sleeping bag between the beds, Reagan is in her sleeping bag at the foot of the bed and Graham has pillows all around him on a bed (we will see if that lasts!) It is going to get to 25 tonight so we have figured out the heat and covered up the kids with a few more covers (leaving us only a few)
The morning plan is to see the burrows, walk to the rim and maybe see the train before getting back in the car for more driving! Hopefully the night will be restful.
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