Our Family in March 2018

Our Family in March have travelled about 6,600 miles in the last 10 days. We have flown across the atlantic for 11 hours (yes all 5 of us), and then driven across 3 states of America, seeing everything from giant cacti and Native American hieroglyphs, to the Grand Canyon and Salt Lake City Temple – to name a few! We have had blazing hot sunshine and snow storms, and eaten stacks of pancakes, lots of Pizza’s, and are drinking root beer galore! The kids love that they have been allowed chocolate cereal here and chocolate milk and “Soda” – it’ been epic as basically all of the things we say no to at home, we may have said yes to on this holiday, and of course they have absolutely been loving it!

 So yes… with treats and travels, this month has been quite the adventure for the Smiths!

This month we have so many gorgeous and special pictures of our family, it was hard to choose which ones to use. People have been eager to capture us all together and I have loved it, because I have loved all of this time we have had together as a family. It has felt such a treat to spend so much time with Nathan, and to have hours of driving to have some great chats together. We have seen some incredible things and I am grateful that we have been able to share them as a family, creating wonderful memories!

The pictures I have chosen were all taken last week when we were in Mesa Arizona. The hiking ones are when we went with my friend and his kids to Superstition mountains and walked up to some Native American Indian hieroglyphs. It was only a 4 mile round trip but going up hill in hot weather was a little bit of a challenge, but then the incredible drawings in the rocks, and the views and scenery made it so worth it – They were just fantastic and super cool!

During the hike Megan had a run in with a giant cactus (true story), and ended up having to have the spikes pulled out of her leg. It was rather sore, but she was brave and it didn’t bother her too much. Towards the end she skidded on the rocks and grazed her arm and knees, so it was certainly a day to remember complete with scars to prove it! I loved being out in the desert together – the views and scenery were amazing – and we loved the history of the location. Ethan had a blast climbing up rocks and exploring with the little boy that came with us, and he was totally in his element all day.

The other picture I have chosen were taken at the LDS Mesa Temple where we went to see the visitors centre and have a walk around the beautiful grounds, and then the other was outside this cute little pancake house we had breakfast at before we left to drive to the Grand Canyon.

The Mesa Temple is an iconic spot in Mesa, and it is where I had the privilege of serving an 18 month mission for our church back in 2006 – 2007. The same day the picture was taken we had fun playing in the splash pad in the park opposite, and then a picnic tea on the grass with our friends whilst we watched the annual Easter pageant. It has been 10 years since I was there but it was great to reminisce and soak it all in.

Mesa was such a great few days, with great people and an opportunity for us as a family to experience a glimpse of what my life was like when I lived there. I just loved being back and seeing everyone, but ultimately sharing it with Nathan and the kids.

Before we left on this trip Nathan and I had a great night out with several couples in the village to celebrate our next door but 1 neighbours 40th! It was a lot of fun as it was great to chat and get to know everyone better and dance, and generally socialise in the village. It was also great as it was a 20’s theme and so we were able to dress up and have some laughs. It felt lovely to become more a part of our neighbourhood and made us feel even more settled than we already did.

it was also great to see both Ethan and Megan go up a reading level at school, and also have a really positive parents evening too. It was good to come away and leave as things felt mostly in a positive place, and the things that didn’t (I had a low period following mothers day and a few other things) were soon in a distant memory as we immersed ourselves in our travels.

The kids have had their moments here on holiday, but mostly they have been so brilliant with all of the people we have seen and all of the driving we have done. It’s been so tiring, and of course that at times has been way too much for them (and us), but ultimately they have been great and we have had a great March. It ‘s weird to not be having Easter in England, and therefore no tasty big chocolate eggs, but  this month will be long remembered as the ultimate adventure for us all.

 I love that we still have another few days running into April to build more memories and see more exciting things together here in the states. I love our little crew – this family we have made and built, and I love that we are not afraid to take the plunge and see the world together… it has been so fun and joyful and a great month for us!

This Month We Are Grateful For…