Mesa

Eli was baptized on Nov 16. We decided to go up a day early for a family daytrip. We checked the kids out of school early and hit a few sites in Mesa. First up was the Arizona Museum of Natural History. The museum goes all the way to the formation of the planet through the age of the dinosaurs, then on to Native Americans and wild west settlements. 

We love the drama.

Arizona used to be under an ocean! I turned my back after taking this picture. Isaac immediately climbed over the railing and had to be retrieved from the exhibit. 

The animatronic dinos were a hit!

Again, we love the drama

There was a big outdoor area where you can pan for gold! Annie maintained her reputation for having a sharp eye. She's always been good at finding things. It's part talent, part persistence, and part luck. Elliot had a good haul of the fool's gold. Isaac had a bag of sand he was proud of and a soaking wet shirt. Everyone was happy. 

The next stop was Pioneer park. The kids adore this place, especially the roller slide. Aaron and I sat on a nearby bench challenging them to slide down every which way we could think of. 

Sibling slide trains always sound like a good idea...

Unless you are the one in front and the ones behind you can't stop

This is how younger siblings learn resilience. 

The Mesa Temple visitor center is in walking distance from the park, so we squeezed in a visit before meeting up with Mary for dinner. The visitor's center is so well done! We were able to see an artist working on a big chalk art exhibit for Christmas. 

Annie and I had some sweet conversations as we explored all the exhibits about lighting the world. 

The kid's section has lots of great activities. Elliot was pleased with his temple picture. We aren't sure why he started doing this toothless old man smile lately. 

We did have to drag Isaac screaming out of each of these locations when it was time to go. I suppose that means they were all hits! I'm glad we made the time for a little family bonding. 

One other thing that I'd like to note about this trip is that it was the first time the kids didn't put up a stink about not having screentime while driving to Mary's house. I credit podcasts (Smash Boom Best is a current favorite) and cool non-fiction books. The family has a radically better relationship with screens than ever before. I credit Aaron for this. He pushed for a family rule where the kids are only allowed to play video games with someone else. This means that Elliot either has to go find a friend to invite over, or be nice enough to Annie that she will want to play video games with him. It has done wonders for their relationship, and Elliot's relationship with screens is far less addictive. He's allowed to use his 1 hour of screentime doing educational stuff or making things if he doesn't have someone to play video games with.