Spring Break in Albuquerque

The girls and I got the chance to fly to Albuquerque, NM for our Spring Break. We planned the trip a few months ago and for awhile we got a bit worried we might not be able to go. My brother, Nate and sister-in-law, Heather, had just sold their house and had to find a rental only a few weeks before our trip. If it had been me, the last thing I would have wanted after moving from a 3000+ square foot house to a less than 2500 square foot house is try to fit family into my barely moved-into rental and entertain them for a week. Then again, I'm not Heather. Two weeks is all they needed to squeeze all their stuff into the garage and get moved into their house well enough to live for the next few months while their new house is being built. Unlike Nate and I, who after three years of living here, have yet to "really" move in all the way. So, we went ahead with our trip and had a great time!

I caught the stomach flu a few days before we were scheduled to leave, so getting ready wasn't the high point of my week. The weather was windy and cloudy and so our bumpy plane landing mixed with my already queasy stomach didn't mix well. I continued to fight off that stomach bug and started fighting a sinus infection mid-week as well, but we still were able to have lots of fun. We watched a few movies at home and saw a couple at the dollar theater after the kids were in bed, as well. We spent some time outdoors before the end of the week got too cold. Here are some pics of the girls at the park...

We also got the chance to see one of my nieces get baptized. My parents came for that, so we were able to see them, as well. We had a few family dinners and the kids played and played and played some more. Natalie and her cousin, Jordyn were finally old enough this trip to actually spend more than a few minutes together playing and not fighting. All week they called each other "my friend, Natie" or "my friend, Jordy". They played lots of pretend games and watched Ariel together over and over and over again. They had a few minor fights each day, but would always run to each other and hug once they got over it. It is too fun to watch cousins become great friends. Didn't we get any good pictures of them together, Heath? I didn't even bring my camera this time around. Last time it ended up spending the entire time in my bag while I used their camera to take pictures, so this time I didn't bother packing it at all.

The kids loved getting to drive out to their lot to see the new house being built. We got to go a few times, of course, and the kids just loved running around in the mess that is made on a construction site while we moms yelled at them to "be careful!" a hundred times over. Here's a shot of us on the second floor of their new house. Talk about panic attack. They hadn't yet built the stairs, just had a huge ladder set up. The kids begged and pleaded to be able to climb that ladder, so we finally relented. Here we all are...well, except for Heather who is taking the picture...

All in all a good trip! The ride home was less than desirable, but we made it safe and sound...even if it was at 2:00 in the morning. We already miss all the Albuquerque crew like crazy. Natalie asks everyday if we're going to visit "her friend, Jordy tomorrow". Hopefully we can make it back there again in time to see my sister, Jen have her baby and visit this little guy:


My nephew Noah, who provided hours of entertainment to us lazy moms. There's something about a 2...almost 3 year old boy who's insanely obsessed with all things truck to constantly find ways to make us adults laugh.

Maybe the next time we make the trip it will be for a job interview? It's hard to keep hoping after all these months, but every trip there gets my hopes up once again.