Phoenix 2012 pt 2

 Saturday the 14th was a fun day. The kids, Aunt Amy, and Aunt Teene and I all went to the "choo choo park" as Claire keeps calling it. She apparently loved it. There was a narrow gauge train to ride and a merry-go-round and some fun playgrounds. First thing we had to ride the train and then we rode the merry-go-round. The kids spent a good hour running around playing on the playgrounds too. They really enjoyed it. Claire has been asking all week to go back to the choo choo park. I told her if we have time we will. So far, it hasn't happened.

 We had a decent lunch at 5&Diner. It was nowhere near as good as it used to be. Or it could have been because it was a different location. The fries were a touch burned, the kids' chicken nuggets were overdone. And the server was WAY slow. Afterwards we came home and had naps.

Sunday was good for a Sunday. This is the first time we've visited that we've actually stayed for more than just Sacrament meeting. And that is since we've had kids! But neither of the kids needed morning naps or anything, so I stayed. At first, I was bummed. We got to church and sat in the "normal" spot. The Woods have sat in the same place since I started going to church. But they never showed up. So I struggled through Sacrament alone. Halfway through, one lady behind us offered to hold Alex, who of course would have nothing to do with her. Then another lady moved up from the row behind us to act as a barrier so they would quit escaping. Overall, it wasn't too bad of a meeting. I wasn't sure we were going to stay for Nursery (which is honestly how I think of church right now- Sacrament and Nursery (aka free time!)). But the kids really wanted to stay, so I dropped them off at Nursery and headed over to Sunday School. A few minutes into Sunday School, Veda walked in, and didn't see me. Someone had sat down and was being friendly with me, so I just stayed where I was and didn't move. But the lady next to me made a comment and Veda turned around and saw me and insisted I come over and sit next to her. They had gotten there late so they sat in the back and hadn't seen me. In the middle of Sunday School, Claire came in to go potty. I helped her then sent her back. In the middle of Relief Society, Claire came to go potty again. She refuses to let the teachers help her go potty. She always wants me. Maybe when we get home she will let her regular teacher help her. I can hope. Anyway, when I took Claire back to Nursery, Alex saw me and started throwing a big fit. Apparently, the first time I brought Claire back he also threw a fit. So the second time I just took him with me. For the most part, he has a really hard time with being separated from me. A lot of the time, I try to just let him deal with it. I know that's the only way that he will get over it. (When we started going to Bible study, he cried EVERY week for 2 months. He would stop after a few minutes of course, but I remember the day he just waved good bye and happily went his way.) But I also know that he has been dealing with a lot of new stuff lately. I'm sure he doesn't remember the last time he was here, so the house is new to him, being around his aunts and Nana are both pretty new to him. He saw Amy in December, but he was still a little apprehensive when he saw her again. So I took him with me back to Relief Society. He sat on my lap and had a snack and was perfectly happy so it wasn't really a hassle at all.
After naps, we headed back to the Woods' house for dinner. It was nice to catch up. The kids had a fun time playing with Angelique. They went to bed late of course. But it's hard for me to leave when I only get to see them a few times a year.
Monday was a holiday, so Aunt Teene was off work. We saw Nana for a bit and then went down to Teene's house to visit. We played at a park and then had lunch together.
Tuesday morning was exciting for me. I am FREE! I finally got my bottom permanent retained taken off my teeth. The thing has been bugging me for a year or more. I can't floss behind it, food gets stuck. It was just a nightmare. And no dentist would take it off, even though they all commented on it and how I needed to take better care of it or see an orthodontist. So I went to see the orthodontist that put it on. He tried to lecture me about how I was making a mistake, but that's ok. I know that it was better. I would rather have clean crooked teeth than straight cavity-filled teeth. I'm still getting used to the change. After 10 years of always having this thing in my mouth, the feel of my own teeth is strange. But I'm happy with it. 
Tuesday, we spent all day in Mesa. We went to Teene's house and then we went over to a children's museum. It was okay. I'm just glad it was free thanks to our Magic House membership. It was small and the kids had a lot of fun, but we were pretty bored. They had a small area for young kids with a kid-sized house and some big blocks to play with. Afterward, we had a picnic lunch and then played at a park with Uncle John and Aunt Teene. Alex decided that John was an ok guy and let him hold him and play with him. Teene lives in the flight path for the airport, so there are a LOT of airplanes. Alex noticed them while he was swinging, and then just wanted to be held and watch the airplanes go by. Every time one went by, he clapped and said "another!" Luckily, he only had to wait another 30 seconds or so for another one to come by. We went to have naps at Teene's house. After naps, we had dinner together and then headed home. It was a fun day.