Wide as a smile and narrow as a wink

After six weeks, and a very long drive in an enormous moving truck (yes, I drove it, and yes, I am The Woman), we are finally back home.  Lily and I had a lovely time in Arizona, despite the suffocating heat the last few weeks.  Even though I forgot my camera, between my parents' camera and my own cheap camera, I did manage to capture a few memories from the trip.  We packed so much into such a short time, but much of it didn't get on film.  Here are the highlights that did:

A princess tea party!  Of course, a trip to Grandma's house would hardly be complete without a princess tea party.  When she saw Grandma's table, Lily declared it to be "très elegant!"

Lily's first camp out.  I know, I know, I can't believe it took three-and-a-half years to get around to it, but I am a consummate procrastinator so you really shouldn't be surprised.  Lily had a great time the first night, but she woke up with a tummy ache and ended up throwing up all over the tent, the hammock and my dad's truck.  I felt so bad for my poor baby.  I hate it when she is sick under normal circumstances, but having a temperature of 104 and throwing up while camping, I've discovered, is so much worse.  Still, my little trooper says she had sooooo much fun on her first camping trip and can't wait to go again.

We also spent some quality cousin time at the zoo.  Lily loved the new orangutan exhibit.  If you haven't seen it, it is definitely worth a visit.

She also loved the camels.  I was very surprised when my overly-careful daughter agreed to a camel ride.  I was even more surprised when she didn't cry or get scared, but actually smiled and even LAUGHED!  I have mixed feelings about these rides, but it sure was fun.

 We also got mani/pedis with Grandma and Aunt Jenny.  Yet more fodder for the idea that Lily is the Empress of the Universe.  As if she needed more...

And a trip to the west coast would not be complete without a roadtrip to Lily's birthplace.  Sunny and beautiful California.

 
Where Lily got to hang out with her Uncle Johnny.

 And wrestle with Grandpa and Tommy.

We went to SeaWorld...

Where she hung out with Uncle Johnny some more.

She got spoiled by Grandma...but just a little, I PROMISE!

And she spent hours watching the dolphins and whales.

She got to visit some swanky L.A. hotels (further promoting the whole Empress-of-the-Universe concept)

And rub elbows with some pretty impressive stars.

And she rode every single ride she could get on at Knotts Berry Farm.

I'll be honest, she's a big flirt.  She had these guys eating out of the palm of her hand.  I am both amused and horrified by this aspect of her personality.

  But the fun didn't end there.  Oh no...

When we got back to Arizona, we took Lily to see Suessical AND Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Broadway Palms theater.  Ever Thursday this summer they have tickets for dinner and a show for only $18.  I thought it was a steal and if we'd stayed longer, we would have gone to see more shows. 



Sadly, I didn't get any pictures from Cinderella.  She loved seeing the "real, live theater", informing me afterward that the regular movie theater is too plain and she only wants to see live shows.  Yes, I know...I've created a monster!

I love spending time with family and friends.  We don't get to see my Arizona peeps nearly often enough.  We packed a lot of fun into our time there, but we also got to spend plenty of time just chatting and catching up with everyone.  It was a long vacation, but it was definitely fun.

But getting back to our new house has been fun too.  And check out the view from our front lawn...

I wonder if we'll ever get sick of walking down to the beach everyday?...

Somehow, I doubt it.