Legal Escape to AZ

I got to take a "vacation"!!! Amazing, huh?! Kierstyn and I went to Phoenix, AZ, October 15 - 20. I actually got free airfare because I was asked to give a deposition in a lawsuit between a former patient of mine and a hospital I used to work at. (I was a witness of sorts.) Other than travelling with a 6 month old baby who was sick with a cold and feeling quite miserable ... and who refuses to sleep in my arms (whether feeling great or not) ... and who does not deal well with missing her frequent naps (whether feeling great or not) ... it was a wonderful trip. The nearly-4-hour flight to Phoenix was not fun, but it was bearable due to a sweet flight attendant who was very friendly. She let Kierstyn and I hang out in her "galley", and she even took Kierstyn on a walk up and down the aisle to say hi to everyone when I was at my wits end with her.

We stayed at my mom's house and were greeted by very warm temps (highs in mid-90's) and my sister, Ashley, and her son, Calvin (who were just finishing a visit there from San Diego). It was so wonderful to see my mom and Ashley. I love spending time with them.

Here's Cal (age 14 months, almost) and KiKi meeting for the first time.

I had to try to get a picture of Kierstyn balancing on her elbow/side - her favorite thing lately.

Cutie Calvin burying himself in the pillows. It was sooo fun to get to know my little nephew!

Calvin adores his daddy, and one night they got to see each other and chat on the video-phone (whatever it's called). His reaction was precious - I had to capture it!

My step-sister, Meredith, came over a couple times for game nights, and we had a blast. Here's me, my mom, and Meredith.

My mom's delicious cooking and a chance to see how Kierstyn had grown ... good excuses for my in-laws to drive an hour and a half to come visit us Sunday afternoon. It was another highlight of the trip.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to "Grandma A" on Monday morning. During our visit, I was pretty impressed that KiKi didn't exhibit her typical stranger-anxiety to any of her family members (Aunt Ashley, both grandmas, etc.). It's like she just knew they were family and loved her a lot!

The flight home was much, much better. We got to keep the carseat with us, which meant naptime was achieved on the airplane. I was kind of excited to return to the beautiful fall colors in N.E. Wisconsin and the crisp, cool temperatures. The kids were definitely excited to see us ... especially Rachel (she's never been away from me before, and she wasn't terribly happy to have us leave for 5 days!). Daddy held down the fort well (along with some babysitter-help when he needed to work), but here's the joyous reunion between two sisters as we walked in the door: