Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

Luca and I flew into Nebraska on Tuesday at 11pm. We chose the late flight not only because of the price but also in hopes that Ms. Bean would sleep through it. She did not! However, she was a little angel. Our flight wasn’t full so I did some strategizing hoping to have an empty seat next to us. We went to the back of the plane (no one likes the back) and I kept my bag in the middle seat as extra discouragement. It worked! Luca had her own seat for the flight in which to enjoy her complimentary beverage (no, she didn’t get Diet Coke, just the can) and peanuts (fun crinkly package!). The pictures are a little fuzzy; I didn’t want to be the person who uses a flash on a dark plane.

We are settled in at my Brother and Sister-in-Law’s (They’ve turned their basement into an apartment for us!) and are enjoying our time with friends and family. Joe is re-acclimating to working in cold weather; the last two mornings have been in the 30’s! The cousins are working on rapport, Luca trying to be less aggressive and loud, Isaiah being longsuffering. ;-) Spring is just around the corner here and we are looking forward to being outside in the yard and taking walks to the park. I can’t wait to see Luca’s reaction to grass, a fun, new texture! We miss our Arizona friends but are so thankful that God has given us this time in Nebraska. Thanks for the prayers!

Digging

Yes, I know it's sideways but it's the best one of Luca. She was very into scraping her fingers through the dirt and of course, trying to eat rocks. :)

Last Hikes

Well, not truly last, we will be hiking again but we knocked a couple of Arizona trails off our list since we're headed to Nebraska for a couple of months. First, we went out to the White Tank Mountains, our first visit even though we live right next to them! We'd heard of the Waterfall Trail and followed it around and up past wildflowers and petroglyphs to what, I'm sure after a rain, would in fact be a waterfall. Currently, the only hint is a damp trail down the rock face. This was by far the most well maintained trail we've done in AZ and we had lots of company during our trek, including several scout troops. Luca loved having all of the kids around. A Beautiful day, we enjoyed the morning but we definitely want to try it again after a good rain

Piestewa Peak: OUCH. UGH. BLEH. That's what I have to say. I've climbed it, I don't foresee myself climbing it again. For anyone who hasn't tried this one, it's basically a set of stairs on which you climb 1200 feet in 1.2 miles. Once we crested that last boulder, took in the view, relaxed and had a snack, I deemed the hike a fun one. :) Luca had a blast, not minding in the least that her Mommy was being passed by not only small children but also the elderly. Awesome. She is a very good little explorer in her pack and manages to fall asleep in the most awkward positions. Pretty cute (especially in her "Easter-Egg" jammies, as Amy calls them)!

Hat Tricks