Friday evening we arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, at the home of Steven's mom and her husband John. There, we found Steven's brother Brian and his family. We were also soon joined by Steven's sister Karen and her family... and Andy and his family who had driven part of the way with us and then stopped somewhere along the way... It was fun to see most of Steven's family. We missed his brother David and his wife, but they were unable to come. That evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner, and then watched the lego Batman movie on a screen in the backyard. That night, the adults checked into a hotel leaving all the grandchildren with grandma Kathy and John to watch over.
Saturday, the adults returned to the house to make sure the kids were ready in time for the drive to Cottonwood to attend Steven's Grandma Maureen's 90th birthday celebration. We were saddened to learn on our arrival at Kathy's house, that Grandpa Ray (Maureen's husband) had a stroke early that morning and was in the hospital. Maureen decided to go ahead with the party that so much expense had gone into, and that so many people had come great distances to attend. Kathy went early with Brian, Kendra and our John to help set things up, and the rest of us followed, arriving in Cottonwood around 12:30.
Steven enjoyed seeing cousins and other relatives that he hadn't seen in a long time. We enjoyed a great meal, and listened to Grandma Maureen reminisce about old times. We talked, took pictures, and then returned to the car for the trip back to Phoenix.
 |
| Kathy listening as Maureen tells stories. |
 |
| Steven's cousins Stephanie and Joscelyn. |
 |
| Steven with a 1st cousin once removed, I think. |
 |
| Kathy made these cute table decorations |
 |
| Joe, Kendra, cousin Rory and Megan |
 |
| Steven made a great impression on Brian and Kendra's son Finn. |
 |
Steven with another cousin once removed, John Hansen
(who might know my parents from Nauvoo...) |
 |
| Angela enjoys her cake |
 |
| Josh and Peter eat cake |
 |
| Grandma Maureen with her descendants on Kathy's side |
That evening, Steven and I and his siblings and their spouses all went out to Applebee's for dinner. It was fun to have some adult time to catch up.
On Sunday we attended church and enjoyed a quiet afternoon at Kathy's home. That evening we loaded the car, said our goodbyes, and took the kids back to the hotel with us for the night. We awoke super early Monday morning (4am Colorado time... 3am Arizona time) for the long (13 hour) drive home.
 |
| Megan and Andy |
 |
| Kathy (and Karen in the background) |
 |
| Brian |
 |
| Kendra |
 |
| The siblings: Andy, Steven, Karen, Brian (David not shown) |
 |
| Grandma and her 13 grandkids |
 |
| Steven with his girls (Abigail, Renee and Kaylee) |
 |
| Angela and Hannah got into the mix too... |
 |
| The big boys: Peter, John, Ryan and Joshua |
So now we're home again. As much as we enjoyed seeing family and visiting the beach and all, it was nice to be home again and to sleep in our own beds.
Comments
Post a Comment