Mariana's parents came all the way from Venezuela to meet our family! They were so kind and it was so fun to get to know them. Now we know how Mariana was such a good girl! So they arrived in Phoenix on Thursday night, Friday Brett and Mariana took them to tour ASU where she will be going to school then we took them to a D-backs game! We headed to the cabin on Saturday and drove up through Payson and Sedona and the scenic route. The first day there we took them to Zion National Park and took them on the Riverside Walk. It is a easy and scenic hike.
Alydia enjoyed holding hands with Tony....he was just like Papa to her.
We went to Bryce Canyon and hiked a little.
Here is the crew....we had a fun time hiking and taking pictures.
Anden liked Mariana's shades
Hiking the trail....very slowly.
Mariana and the Daddy's
Mariana really liked Alydia and protected her from her big brother!
We made Smores back at the cabin out at the firepit. It was very cold but we had a blast....this was the first time for her parents to make smores
This was Anden's 1st Birthday! We sang Happy Birthday. He has only 2 teeth but 2 more coming in on the top. He loves to crawl and eat all the time!
Guns are illeagal in Venezuela so we packed some of Brett's guns and took Mariana's parents out to the forest and set up some targets to shoot at. Tony and Mariana took turns shooting all the guns....I shot a couple rounds but just tried to keep the kids out of the way. The kids played down by the stream and went wading in the freezing water.
The day after we got back from the cabin we had all the family over for a big party and Mariana's friends. Mariana's mom is an incredible chef and made a feast of yummy food. We had pork, rice, potatoes, taqueno's, juice, and birthday cake to celebrate Anden's B-day. We had a great time visiting with everyone.
Anden really enjoyed his cake! I can't believe he is already 1! The time is flying by! We had a very busy week but really loved spending time with Mariana and her parents. Brett spoke a lot of Spanish....I wish I could speak more. Tony left on Saturday morning, Mariana and her mom stayed a few more days and went shopping and cleaned up and packed Mariana's bedroom. Her room seems so empty now! I sure miss Mariana but I know I will get to see her when she comes back to ASU in the fall.
We have another foreign exchange student coming to our family on my Birthday....July 17th she is from Norway. We are excited to meet her and hope she will enjoy our family.
