Last April (almost a year ago…eek!) we flew to Arizona! 
We were visiting for a family friend’s wedding in Sedona so after we landed we drove straight there to the Harpers’ property at Hidden Valley.
Colt loves it.
Feeding the ducks!
Sweet little visit from Sharon’s sister Patsy and brother Tim for a hand of Pfeffer.
Great Aunt Patsy and Great Uncle Time with Finn!
Colt is a focused Pfeffer player.
Colt and Papa!
The rehearsal dinner Friday night was western.
Aunt Lise with her boys in their perfectly fitting Western wear.
Yeehaw.
Mike & Shannon.
A couple pictures from the wedding and party Saturday.
Colt opening up the dance floor.
Rent the runway triplets.
Photo booth.
After the wedding, Michael had to fly to Brazil for work for the week so the kids and I stayed in Arizona. Since we were there for a full week, Michael and his parents decided to take advantage of the time and get Colt into swim lessons with the amazing swim instructor, Marta. The Harpers originally met Marta when she taught the Harper kids to swim back when Michael was 2 or 3 years old. Soon she stepped in to fill the void left by an au pair and has worked for his family ever since – currently their Home Manager! So, she’s basically family. But her hidden talent is definitely swimming lessons. People come from all over Arizona to have her teach their kids – especially since pools are so common there so water-safety is essential.
Colt was only 2 and a half and had NO swimming experience. We only had a few days so they coordinated with Marta to have him take lessons every morning and evening for 5 days. The first few days were pretty brutal and Colt would seriously resist getting dressed and ready for it, but just when I was ready to pull the plug, he turned the corner and started to like it. 
By the end of the week, Colt was able to jump into the water, go under and come up onto his back totally on his own. Then he learned how to float and paddle over to the wall until he could grab on, flip over and “monkey” across the wall to the side of the pool until he reached the steps where he could get out. I was amazed by the incredible progress and accomplishment! We celebrated his “graduation” with medals and gifts.
Excited for his lesson!
Graduation gifts!
Facetime with Dad to show off his medal.
And when we weren’t swimming we were busy enjoying time with family in Arizona!
Bubbles with Lise in the backyard.
Happy Finn at 8 months.
Driving down the lane.
Colt and cousin Julian at the children’s museum.
Finn!
To close out the trip I did one of the bravest things ever and flew with both boys by myself from Phoenix to DC. The Harpers walked us up to security and Michael met us on the other side but I was nervous about the 4 and a half hours in between. Thankfully it was before Colt was really potty trained (so no emergency runs to the bathroom!) and before Finn was mobile so he stayed relatively content in his carseat (I think the only time we’ve bit the bullet and bought a seat for a baby under 2). Not sure I could do it again right now but it was worth it to get that sweet time with family! 🙂
