Stopping in Gilbert

   On our way back from Texas, we decided to spend the night in New Mexico and then visit Megan near Phoenix the next afternoon. Our kids did so amazing in the car (and QP napped 4 hours straight midday) that we pushed through--meaning Fox drove 1,080 miles in a day--15 hours of driving with 3 stops--Dallas straight to Phoenix. Thank you, my children, for being such road warriors!!
And of course thank you, my husband, for being such an excellent driver!
 
  I was so excited to have more time in Gilbert with my sweet sister Meg and her cute family! Fox had never visited before, so we were on a mission to get him to love it. Happy to say that he looooves it now :)

Throughout our whole trip, Coco talked about seeing Sadie the snake.  So, the first thing she wanted to do was hold it...and then pick out a mouse for it to eat.  Eewww...Josh obliged her after we ate.  She picked out a white one from the bag 'o frozen mice (while we all cringed) and got to watch Sadie have her meal.

How amazing is this wall of cupboards?!

The beautiful backyard with the sweet Sadie dog.  There is a trampoline to the side, too.  We loved hanging out in the backyard. The most perfect weather in the dead of winter!

The kids were very excited to be out of the car:

Meg and I at the preserve near the library:

Twinners!  These boys are so cute.  They came home from school and got right down to their homework! I love how Ethan often puts his arm around Jonah when he talks to him.

Girl cousins in this family are few and far between, so they have a special bond.

   Josh pretty much summed it up when he said, "Arizona is great.  The neighborhood is great. The downside? Oh, it's...you know...hotter than death."  But perfect in January!  We love you Abbotts and hope to see you again soon!