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The second part of our trip contained much less action. While everyone really enjoyed the excitement of having a full house with an active toddler running around, it was definitely a nice change to have a little quiet and time to relax. Friday, after Curtis and Kolton left (I was of course very sad to see my boys leave), it was just myself, my grandmother and Shayne for the entire day. We got caught up on cleaning and organizing, and were able to have a day to relax a bit. Later that evening, my sister Nicole came to town from Phoenix. She got in later than expected, and I was pretty tired, so we did not get to visit much that evening.

The next day, we had planned to meet some family for a ladies luncheon. It was so much fun to see family members that I don’t get to see very often, and they were absolutely gushing over Shayne. She is just so easy to take places, and can sit through an entire meal at times without making a peep. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch and even stayed for dessert, coffee, and more great conversation. The seeding was beautiful on the patio, and we just weren’t quite ready to leave.

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My sister was able to enjoy some beautiful moments with Shayne as well. I just loved watching the two of them bond.

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Everyone seems to think that Shayne looks a lot like my sister, and at these moments, I would have to agree.

After lunch, we went back to the house for some rest and relaxation. I was worried that Shayne would have a tough time napping in her new surroundings, but luckily I had brought her own sheets from home and her new swaddle strap from Anna & Eve. I put her in her pajamas, wrapped her in her swaddle strap, and after just a few short minutes, she drifted off and took a nice long snooze.

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I think she enjoyed having the house a little quieter those last couple of days.

On Sunday, unfortunately, we had to leave. I had scheduled our flight out of Phoenix for later in the day, so we would have most of Sunday to spend in Tucson before my sister would have to drive us to Sky Harbor Airport.

We spent the early part of the day at church where we had Shayne blessed by our family’s priest. We did the same with Kolton when he was about 6 months old, so this was very special. Shayne was quiet the entire mass, and even dozed off for a bit while I had her wrapped.

After church, we went to a fabulous Mexican restaurant for lunch called Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe. The ambiance was so fun, the food was authentic and delicious, and there was a woman making tortillas from scratch in the middle of the restaurant. It was a great family restaurant with amazing food! I will definitely be heading back there next time I am in Tucson!

The drive to Phoenix was bittersweet. It was nice spending some time with my sister during the almost 2 hour drive, but it was sad knowing we were leaving. I was a little nervous about flying alone with Shayne and all of our baggage, especially on a busy Sunday travel day, but I was very eager to get home to my son and husband.

The flight wasn’t too bad. Shayne was great, but the flight was overbooked and it took awhile for us to take off. Other than that, it was a smooth flight. I was so excited when we finally landed because I knew our boys would be there to greet us! Kolton ran to me so quickly and gave me the biggest, warmest hug! Curtis told me that Kolton had been waking up in the middle of the night both nights we were gone looking for Mommy. This really touched my heart and made me feel sad and a little guilty for not being with him. Of course I knew he was safe with his Daddy and got to see his Grandparents and cousins while we were gone.

All in all, the entire trip was so much fun! There is nothing better than spending time with family! We are starting to plan our next visit, and I am so looking forward to it. Hopefully this Spring!

xoxo

Danielle