Birthday Fun

I am now 26. I had a great birthday. Lots of people made me feel special. We did several things to celebrate. Celebrations started the Saturday before my birthday. Paul took us out on a family road trip to see some Arizona sights. We have been wanting to check out Sedona. We've heard that it is beautiful and it was! On the way we stopped at a national monument called Montezuma's Castle. It was pretty cool. 

Sedona really was beautiful. I'm not sure I've ever seen rock that red before. It is a very touristy town. We walked around and looked at all the fun shops, got some ice cream, and enjoyed the scenry. We walked a lot and Susie got tired. She decided to ride in the stroller basket. We thought it was pretty funny. 

Monday, (April Fools) Susie and I went to the Phoenix zoo with some good friends. It was a great day to be at the zoo. The kids did really well and we all had tons of fun. We even paid to go in and visit the sting rays. I thought Susie would be all over that-- she loves to get wet. But she was a little scared. She loved watching me touch them but she didn't want to do it herself. I got her to put her hands in the water a few times but if she saw a sting ray coming close, she quickly retreated. 

On the day of my birthday I woke up to a house full of birthday banners and streamers. I was quite surprised. It looked great! Paul must have been up late. After preschool Sam's mom took us all out to lunch which was a lot of fun. Except for when the whole restaurant sang and clapped Happy Birthday. That was humiliating (thanks Michele). When Paul got home from school we picked up some Sprouts sandwiches and went to the park. We went home for cheesecake and presents. What a great birthday! I had several friends call or come over with a treat and it really made me feel loved. I'm so grateful for the good friends I have. What a blessing! 

 

Take a look at these zoo photos, taken by my favorite exhibit, the orangutans. The first picture is of Susie, almost a year ago exactly when we took Logan to the zoo on Spring Break. Look how much she has grown in just one year! What a cutie.