It is 2am...I seriously can not sleep...I splurged and had a can of diet pepsi at like four thirty and I am now paying for it...This is why I never drink caffeine people!!!

Blake works for eight days and then has six days off...It gives us a lot of freedom to go places and not have to go on the weekend when the rest of the world travels...So we took the opportunity to go to Mesa and have a mini family vacation!!! We left Sunday after church. We drove straight there without stops!!! I thought that was pretty good for having a two-year-old and a five-month-old...They were troopers!!! We checked into our hotel and just hung out in the room for the evening...

Monday we got up and shopped literally ALL DAY!!! I'm talking 8am to 8pm people...I could have died a happy woman...Once again, the kids handled it pretty well...And Blake was a total trooper too!!! There was minimal crying and mostly smiles all day...It rained on and off all day...It was cloudy and we never saw the sun...I got nervous that the weather wouldn't be nice for our trip to the zoo the next day but the forecast was for sun...We got Tess' ears pierced that evening!!! She cried at first, of course, but was fine like two minutes later...She looks sooo cute!!!

Tuesday we slept in a little and then headed to the zoo...The kids loved it and we all had a great time!!! Let me tell you what...That double stroller is a workout!!! It felt good to be having fun and burning calories at the same time...There was not a cloud to be found in the sky that day...The weather was perfect...It was like 70 all day long...I already miss it :( After the zoo we did a little more shopping and then went back to the hotel and got in the pool...Well I shouldn't say we got IN the pool...It was supposedly heated but we stepped in and decided the jacuzzi was where we wanted to be...It wasn't freezing but it wasn't "heated." So the boys got in the jacuzzi and Tess and I just dipped our feet in...I figured she was probably too little to get in and I didn't want to get very wet...I know...I am such a crazy fun mom...

Wednesday we slept in a little again and then packed up and headed home...It was so nice to just go at our own pace and do our own thing...Don't get me wrong, I love vacations and reunions with our parents and siblings but it's nice to get away with just Blake and the kids every once in a while...It's crazy to think that our little family is going on our own family vacations now!!! Didn't I just graduate??? Ummm...5 years ago!!!! I am already halfway to my ten year reunion!!! When did THAT happen???

So here are the pictures of the trip...They are all at the zoo, for obvious reasons, except the last one...Enjoy!!!

Blake strapping the kids in

Tess is sporting a zebra print skirt for the occassion

That red Explorer behind us is our new ride...LOVE it

I love how Riley's arms are folded on top of Blake's head...He is so chill...

Tess slept through 50% of the zoo...It's rough being 5 months old...

Toward the end of the trip Riley didn't want to take any more pictures...Especially the ones where we posed him on something...That explains the less-than-stellar expressions on his face in the next few pictures...Didn't like the oyster shell...

Or the turtle...But seriously that's the best looking turtle I've ever seen!!!

Didn't like the elephant trunk...

Not sure what the puckered lips are all about...Probably because he didn't like sitting on the lion either!!! Every party has a pooper...And crazy parents who insist on taking advantage of EVERY photo op...Can you blame us???

This one is my favorite :)

In the hotel room...On our way to the pool