Labor Day Fun

The perfect plan for a long weekend is to spend quality time with the family! We took advantage of the 3-day weekend to spend time outdoors . We pretended the weather was nice and cool instead of the actual 100 degrees, but thanks to sunscreen, misters and lots of water, we survived.

Tumbleweed Park was our first outing. It's amazing how the girls seem to completely ignore the heat and focus instead on having fun. We carry their thermos' everywhere we go because constant hydrating is important when you're a desert dweller, of course. Once at the park, the swings are always our first stop...

Claire is always out for an adventure, and the baby swing is usually a crowd pleaser for both girls.... Yes, Lilly still prefers the "baby" swing over the "big girl" swing. I think it's because of the nostalgia and the fact that Sister gets to use it.

What a mean joke, Daddy! Rob helped Lilly onto the monkey bars and then let go. This photo accurately captures her amazement/freaking out moment. Next time maybe Mom should help.

Claire was all smiles when we got to the zoo. She was secretly planning to take home a hippo... oh wait, the Phoenix Zoo doesn't have hippos. What a relief!

This was Lilly's first experience eating a snow cone. Of course it had to be purple. Go Cats! Claire liked it too.

The new elephant viewing area lets you get very close to the animals. Lilly and Claire were impressed and so was Lilly's blanket.

The big highlight of our zoo trip was not the snow cone nor the elephants... it was the log cabin/playhouse/tree house. Lilly was fascinated with this play area and probably would like to live inside this super cool house forever. It's built into a tree... two stories, fireplace, wooden play furniture, a slide and even a patio out back. Super cool!
This photo shows Rob forcibly carrying Lilly away from the house so that we could leave the zoo.

Last but certainly not least was the ride on the carousel. Lilly opted for the crocodile while Claire chose the cheetah. It's all smiles and round and round we go.....