Christmas Vacation this year took on a whole new meaning for our family! We decided a few months ago that we pick a warm weather destination for our family to enjoy Christmas this year. My mom was on board with that idea and invited us to sunny Arizona! We took up the offer and were very excited to get out of 'freezing' Iowa to enjoy sunny Scottsdale!
Although there is something to be said for a 'white' Christmas we were really looking forward to not having to bundle up the kids every where we went with hats, coats etc. We made a call to Santa and he wasn't going to miss out on these Holub kids for Christmas. He made 2 stops for them. One at our house to drop off the BIG gifts and another in Arizona on Christmas morning. These kiddo's must have been very good this year.....
Look at all of these gifts! Santa brought the kids each matching chairs, even personalized for them! Dylan also had a tool workbench and a few wrapped gifts. Santa sure knew exactly what he wanted ;)
Mommy and Daddy were so excited to awake to see what Santa had brought, as soon as we heard the pitter patter of Dylan's little feet we couldn't wait to show him as well! Mommy snagged the camera and video camera to catch a few candid photos of Dylan's reaction seeing all of these new toys. Daddy brought both kids to the living room, he may have been just as excited as the kids to dig in and have fun with these new toys!
Dylan first stopped at the Mickey Mouse wrapping paper for the gifts that Santa wrapped. He was SO excited to see Mickey Mouse, ha ha ha! But it didn't take him long to run over to his new work bench to start testing out his new tools!
Daddy got right in there to show him what it was all about. The workbench came complete with actual working tools that make real tool noises. The drill works for the screws on the bench even and it works to turn the gears.
Next it was time to open the gifts that Santa had also brought.....
Could it be....oh my....'look mom it's Einsteins rocket ship!' Well Santa certainly knew what Dylan's favorite characters are, he brought a Little Einsteins Rocket Ship. This thing is pretty cool.....you press the buttons for commands such as 'figure 8, 360, strait, turn right or left, you can give it as many commands as you want...press the 'pat' button and it goes and repeats every command. Dylan just loves it!!!!
Both of the kids really like their matching anywhere chairs. They are a perfect size for them to grow with and use for many years to come.
Santa also brought Dylan a medical kit. Santa must have known how nurturing Dylan is and really likes to 'pretend' to take care of things, his baby boy doll, his Mickey Mouse and even his little sister. This is very fitting for him. He immediately went into 'Dr. Dylan' mode and started to listen to Daddy's heart thru the stethoscope.
And after all of the excitement from Santa and his new toys it was time for some breakfast, in his new chair of course!
Although there is something to be said for a 'white' Christmas we were really looking forward to not having to bundle up the kids every where we went with hats, coats etc. We made a call to Santa and he wasn't going to miss out on these Holub kids for Christmas. He made 2 stops for them. One at our house to drop off the BIG gifts and another in Arizona on Christmas morning. These kiddo's must have been very good this year.....
Look at all of these gifts! Santa brought the kids each matching chairs, even personalized for them! Dylan also had a tool workbench and a few wrapped gifts. Santa sure knew exactly what he wanted ;)
Mommy and Daddy were so excited to awake to see what Santa had brought, as soon as we heard the pitter patter of Dylan's little feet we couldn't wait to show him as well! Mommy snagged the camera and video camera to catch a few candid photos of Dylan's reaction seeing all of these new toys. Daddy brought both kids to the living room, he may have been just as excited as the kids to dig in and have fun with these new toys!
Dylan first stopped at the Mickey Mouse wrapping paper for the gifts that Santa wrapped. He was SO excited to see Mickey Mouse, ha ha ha! But it didn't take him long to run over to his new work bench to start testing out his new tools!
Daddy got right in there to show him what it was all about. The workbench came complete with actual working tools that make real tool noises. The drill works for the screws on the bench even and it works to turn the gears.Next it was time to open the gifts that Santa had also brought.....
Could it be....oh my....'look mom it's Einsteins rocket ship!' Well Santa certainly knew what Dylan's favorite characters are, he brought a Little Einsteins Rocket Ship. This thing is pretty cool.....you press the buttons for commands such as 'figure 8, 360, strait, turn right or left, you can give it as many commands as you want...press the 'pat' button and it goes and repeats every command. Dylan just loves it!!!!
Both of the kids really like their matching anywhere chairs. They are a perfect size for them to grow with and use for many years to come.
Santa also brought Dylan a medical kit. Santa must have known how nurturing Dylan is and really likes to 'pretend' to take care of things, his baby boy doll, his Mickey Mouse and even his little sister. This is very fitting for him. He immediately went into 'Dr. Dylan' mode and started to listen to Daddy's heart thru the stethoscope.
And after all of the excitement from Santa and his new toys it was time for some breakfast, in his new chair of course!
Dylan had a few days to get acclimated to these new toys before our big trip to Arizona. He was very excited to fly 'high in the sky' and see his Grammie!
The morning of the 22ND we headed off on our family's first Christmas Vacation.....warm weather style! With a BIG snow/ice storm in the forecast it seemed as if we were heading out of town just in the nick of time. This was also a very special day because it was also Daddy's birthday. Brad was very excited to head off for our vacation also on his special day! We did gifts in the morning before our flight and we had plans in Arizona for dinner that night, the whole day was a special one for Brad.
Dylan sure is the rock start traveler. He doesn't make a peep when it comes to going thru security, boarding the plane and getting seated and even taking off and landing. In fact he loves getting ready for take off and landing often asking if, 'were gonna go really fast mommy'. He's got it down already!
We arrived in Scottsdale just after 2 pm. The weather was a little rainy but we welcomed the warm temps, it was 58 degrees when we got off the plane. That was by far the coldest temp we saw during our trip. But that temp was nice compared to the 'teen' temps we had just left behind in Iowa.
The chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting was YUMMY! Grammie decided to leave the other digit candle off the cake to keep daddy knowing that 30-something was still young! (but we will tell it was his 33rd birthday) :0
We got settled in to our condo and Dylan was ready to help daddy open his gift and have some cake!
Dylan loved taking each item out of the box and even testing out a few of the items for size!
That evening the kids had some quality time with Grammie, Uncle Chase and Aunt Britni while mom and dad enjoyed a well deserved night out for Brad's Birthday. Don and Charlie's steakhouse was the dining choice. We got the kids settled in and we were off!
And leave Dylan behind with Aunt Britni for too long and see what she does....puts him in pink sunglasses! Gotta love Aunt Britni! The kids sure do!
The next morning we woke up to sunny sky's and beautiful warm weather. It was SO nice! Chase and Brad had a 9am t-time so it was Grammie, Aunt Britni and mom and the kids for the day. Dylan was still a little sleepy......
But he snapped out of it in no time and we were off for a day of fun!
That afternoon when Brad and Chase got done golfing we decided to hit up a sports park called Cracker Jacks. They had lots of fun activities to do and a driving range was one of them. Grammie decided she wanted Dylan to have one of his Christmas gifts to take along. Dylan gladly tore open the package to find....his first set of golf clubs! Hooray! These look like SO much fun!
We will need Uncle Chase, Grandpa Kinney and Daddy to show us all about these!
Thank you Grammie for such an awesome Christmas present!
On the way to the sports park we made a pit stop to see Mommy's and Grammie's doctor. Dr. Walters....he was SO excited to see the whole family, to meet daddy for the first time AND especially to see Dylan! Every time he gets to see Dylan, he must get a picture with him! Dylan was all smiles, Dr. Walters gives Dylan lots of attention and yummy popcorn!
Next up.....and evening of laughs, water, golf and FUN!
First up was the driving range, time to bust out the new clubs. Daddy and Chase showed Dylan what golfing is all about!
Next up was Bumper Boats! We laughed and laughed and laughed as Brad took Dylan for quite the ride. First Britni got stuck, literally under the waterfall... and she got soaked. Brad laughed and laughed at her for being so silly.....well he wasn't laughing to hard when he managed to get him and Dylan stuck under their too!
It was hilarious. Brad immediately stood up and started rocking the bumper boat to try and get away from the water fall. The boats engine started smoking because it was so saturated! We all joked that if he could have walked on water he would have ran away from the waterfall. Poor Dylan just sat there and got wet as Brad was standing up and rocking the boat trying not to get wet and to get them away from the water fall. Well they ultimately got.....SOAKED! Dylan was a good sport and laughed along with the rest of us!
Next up was mini golf. All of us tried to show our skills, mommy and Danielle included! It was quite the site! 18 holes later and Uncle Chase wins!
Then it was time for the go-carts. Since Dylan was too little to ride on the big go-carts he had some snuggle time with Danielle and Grammie.
After a few more games and supper it was time to head back to the resort for a bath and bedtime. Dylan snuggled up with his Aunt Britni and he was fast asleep!
The next morning the kids awoke all bright eyed and ready for the day. We had some good relax time before the boys headed off for another round of golf!
Mommy headed off to her favorite shopping spot in Scottsdale. The Kidstop! This store is incredible, they have the largest amount and best variety of kids toys that we have ever seen. Anything from 0+ up to teenagers, they have it. The workers were dressed as Elves ready to package up the gifts for Christmas!
We relaxed at the resort most of the day, enjoyed the sunshine and took a dip in the pool. Dylan was so excited to swim. He is such a little fishy and isn't shy to jump right in and swim with who ever is there to help him!
Meanwhile, Daddy was showing off his skills on the course!
These Arizona courses are a little different than golfing in Iowa. Chase and Brad had a great time and had many laughs, we won't say how many balls Daddy lost the first day, ha ha ha!
Christmas Eve we decided to hit our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Scottsdale. Ajo Al's was our dining spot. But not before we stopped for a train ride at the depot to check out the sights and sounds of Christmas in the 'Valley of the Sun'!
After dinner it was back to the resort to get snuggled in our pj's in anticipation for Santa's arrival while we were all tucked in our beds. We had our version of a Christmas tree, Arizona style, all decorated for Christmas. Gifts and stockings hung for the big day!
Dylan was SO excited for Santa to come again that he fell asleep right beneath the Christmas tree!
The next morning we awoke to find more gifts and full stockings...Santa found us! Dylan was SO excited to see what was in store for him. We spent Christmas day with the ones we love, each other and our children. We had an amazing day. We cooked a big feast right in our condo complete with ham, potatoes, corn, salad, many appetizers and chocolate pie for dessert. The kids played with their toys all day long and the afternoon found us soaking up the sun in the pool. What more could we ask for, we were surrounded by love and enjoying each other with 65 degree temps....it was Christmas Vacation perfection!
During our trip we also took a few family pics!
Our family!
By this picture Dylan was a little wild and crazy, and Danielle was sleepy... this is a candid photo to remember!
Gotta love this natural beauty!
Since Chase and Dylan resemble each other so much, we had to get one picture of them together!
Our Christmas family vacation 2009!
Our resort!
Saturday we ventured to one of mommy's favorite places from when she was a little girl. We frequently visited Arizona and the times I spent at Rawhide were some of my fondest memories. Grammie and I decided we needed to venture there again.
The morning of the 22ND we headed off on our family's first Christmas Vacation.....warm weather style! With a BIG snow/ice storm in the forecast it seemed as if we were heading out of town just in the nick of time. This was also a very special day because it was also Daddy's birthday. Brad was very excited to head off for our vacation also on his special day! We did gifts in the morning before our flight and we had plans in Arizona for dinner that night, the whole day was a special one for Brad.
Dylan sure is the rock start traveler. He doesn't make a peep when it comes to going thru security, boarding the plane and getting seated and even taking off and landing. In fact he loves getting ready for take off and landing often asking if, 'were gonna go really fast mommy'. He's got it down already!
We arrived in Scottsdale just after 2 pm. The weather was a little rainy but we welcomed the warm temps, it was 58 degrees when we got off the plane. That was by far the coldest temp we saw during our trip. But that temp was nice compared to the 'teen' temps we had just left behind in Iowa.
Of course, Grammie Martucci doesn't let any birthday get forgotten, on vacation or not. We arrived at our resort in Scottsdale to find Brad's birthday surprise. She had nice birthday decor set up for Brad, complete with gifts and a very yummy cake!
Happy Birthday Brad & Daddy!
The chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting was YUMMY! Grammie decided to leave the other digit candle off the cake to keep daddy knowing that 30-something was still young! (but we will tell it was his 33rd birthday) :0
We got settled in to our condo and Dylan was ready to help daddy open his gift and have some cake!
Dylan loved taking each item out of the box and even testing out a few of the items for size!
That evening the kids had some quality time with Grammie, Uncle Chase and Aunt Britni while mom and dad enjoyed a well deserved night out for Brad's Birthday. Don and Charlie's steakhouse was the dining choice. We got the kids settled in and we were off!
And leave Dylan behind with Aunt Britni for too long and see what she does....puts him in pink sunglasses! Gotta love Aunt Britni! The kids sure do!
The next morning we woke up to sunny sky's and beautiful warm weather. It was SO nice! Chase and Brad had a 9am t-time so it was Grammie, Aunt Britni and mom and the kids for the day. Dylan was still a little sleepy......
But he snapped out of it in no time and we were off for a day of fun!
That afternoon when Brad and Chase got done golfing we decided to hit up a sports park called Cracker Jacks. They had lots of fun activities to do and a driving range was one of them. Grammie decided she wanted Dylan to have one of his Christmas gifts to take along. Dylan gladly tore open the package to find....his first set of golf clubs! Hooray! These look like SO much fun!
We will need Uncle Chase, Grandpa Kinney and Daddy to show us all about these!
Thank you Grammie for such an awesome Christmas present!
On the way to the sports park we made a pit stop to see Mommy's and Grammie's doctor. Dr. Walters....he was SO excited to see the whole family, to meet daddy for the first time AND especially to see Dylan! Every time he gets to see Dylan, he must get a picture with him! Dylan was all smiles, Dr. Walters gives Dylan lots of attention and yummy popcorn!
Next up.....and evening of laughs, water, golf and FUN!
First up was the driving range, time to bust out the new clubs. Daddy and Chase showed Dylan what golfing is all about!
Next up was Bumper Boats! We laughed and laughed and laughed as Brad took Dylan for quite the ride. First Britni got stuck, literally under the waterfall... and she got soaked. Brad laughed and laughed at her for being so silly.....well he wasn't laughing to hard when he managed to get him and Dylan stuck under their too!
It was hilarious. Brad immediately stood up and started rocking the bumper boat to try and get away from the water fall. The boats engine started smoking because it was so saturated! We all joked that if he could have walked on water he would have ran away from the waterfall. Poor Dylan just sat there and got wet as Brad was standing up and rocking the boat trying not to get wet and to get them away from the water fall. Well they ultimately got.....SOAKED! Dylan was a good sport and laughed along with the rest of us!
Next up was mini golf. All of us tried to show our skills, mommy and Danielle included! It was quite the site! 18 holes later and Uncle Chase wins!
Then it was time for the go-carts. Since Dylan was too little to ride on the big go-carts he had some snuggle time with Danielle and Grammie.
After a few more games and supper it was time to head back to the resort for a bath and bedtime. Dylan snuggled up with his Aunt Britni and he was fast asleep!
The next morning the kids awoke all bright eyed and ready for the day. We had some good relax time before the boys headed off for another round of golf!
Mommy headed off to her favorite shopping spot in Scottsdale. The Kidstop! This store is incredible, they have the largest amount and best variety of kids toys that we have ever seen. Anything from 0+ up to teenagers, they have it. The workers were dressed as Elves ready to package up the gifts for Christmas!
We relaxed at the resort most of the day, enjoyed the sunshine and took a dip in the pool. Dylan was so excited to swim. He is such a little fishy and isn't shy to jump right in and swim with who ever is there to help him!
Meanwhile, Daddy was showing off his skills on the course! 
These Arizona courses are a little different than golfing in Iowa. Chase and Brad had a great time and had many laughs, we won't say how many balls Daddy lost the first day, ha ha ha!
Christmas Eve we decided to hit our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Scottsdale. Ajo Al's was our dining spot. But not before we stopped for a train ride at the depot to check out the sights and sounds of Christmas in the 'Valley of the Sun'!
After dinner it was back to the resort to get snuggled in our pj's in anticipation for Santa's arrival while we were all tucked in our beds. We had our version of a Christmas tree, Arizona style, all decorated for Christmas. Gifts and stockings hung for the big day!
Dylan was SO excited for Santa to come again that he fell asleep right beneath the Christmas tree!
The next morning we awoke to find more gifts and full stockings...Santa found us! Dylan was SO excited to see what was in store for him. We spent Christmas day with the ones we love, each other and our children. We had an amazing day. We cooked a big feast right in our condo complete with ham, potatoes, corn, salad, many appetizers and chocolate pie for dessert. The kids played with their toys all day long and the afternoon found us soaking up the sun in the pool. What more could we ask for, we were surrounded by love and enjoying each other with 65 degree temps....it was Christmas Vacation perfection!
During our trip we also took a few family pics!
Our family!
By this picture Dylan was a little wild and crazy, and Danielle was sleepy... this is a candid photo to remember!
Gotta love this natural beauty!
Since Chase and Dylan resemble each other so much, we had to get one picture of them together!
Our Christmas family vacation 2009!
Our resort!
Saturday we ventured to one of mommy's favorite places from when she was a little girl. We frequently visited Arizona and the times I spent at Rawhide were some of my fondest memories. Grammie and I decided we needed to venture there again. Rollin' Rollin' Rawhide....here we come!
Brad immediately spotted the lasso the steer....he decided to give it a whirl.....he lasso'd the steer after just a few trys!
Dylan and Daddy took a break in the covered wagon jail!
Everything was decorated for Christmas!
There are some really neat pieces from movies etc that found their home here. Such as this cannon used in the movie, 'Wild Wild West'!
There are so many fun activities to do. Stage Coach rides, Desert train rides, comedy shows, Wild West shows, paning for Gold and more!
You can even have the deputy arrest someone. They hunt you down and take you to the town jail, and if you don't cooperate....well that's your deal!
We then had reservations at the Rawhide Steakhouse for dinner.
And while waiting we enjoyed the campfire and music.
We ventured to the BlackSmith shop, amazing hand made iron works in there.
And watch the lighting of the 90 ft. Christmas tree!
During dinner we enjoyed live music from the main stage.
And for a dinner appetizer we even tried out Rattlesnake! Yep, even Dylan gave it a try!
Dylan chowed right down, he called it 'chicken nuggets'. That is pretty much what it tasted like, um....only it was Rattlesnake!
Brad immediately spotted the lasso the steer....he decided to give it a whirl.....he lasso'd the steer after just a few trys!
Dylan and Daddy took a break in the covered wagon jail!
Everything was decorated for Christmas!
There are some really neat pieces from movies etc that found their home here. Such as this cannon used in the movie, 'Wild Wild West'!
There are so many fun activities to do. Stage Coach rides, Desert train rides, comedy shows, Wild West shows, paning for Gold and more!
You can even have the deputy arrest someone. They hunt you down and take you to the town jail, and if you don't cooperate....well that's your deal!
We then had reservations at the Rawhide Steakhouse for dinner.
And while waiting we enjoyed the campfire and music.
We ventured to the BlackSmith shop, amazing hand made iron works in there.
And watch the lighting of the 90 ft. Christmas tree!
During dinner we enjoyed live music from the main stage.
And for a dinner appetizer we even tried out Rattlesnake! Yep, even Dylan gave it a try!
Dylan chowed right down, he called it 'chicken nuggets'. That is pretty much what it tasted like, um....only it was Rattlesnake!
Our dinner was fabulous! Dylan loved eating some of daddy's steak, he even munched on his salad and ate whole tomatoes for the first time. Nothing like trying new foods out at an amazing restaurant for Christmas Vacation. Daddy was very very proud. After dinner Daddy, Dylan and Uncle Chase hit the dance floor and cut a rug. (video coming soon!) After the dancing workout they managed to make some room for dessert. So we headed out to the town and made smores' around the campfire!
A few of the entertainers pursuaded Chase, Brad and Dylan to head up on stage and help the band. A few other kids headed up too and they all picked an instrument and joined right in. It was pretty cute seeing Daddy and Dylan up on the stage making tunes with the electric guitar!
A few of the entertainers pursuaded Chase, Brad and Dylan to head up on stage and help the band. A few other kids headed up too and they all picked an instrument and joined right in. It was pretty cute seeing Daddy and Dylan up on the stage making tunes with the electric guitar!
Before we knew it, it was getting late and we had a morning flight to catch. We sure had an amazing time at Rawhide, one that brought back many childhood memories for me. And as a mother to relive those memory's now with our children is such a fun feeling. Brad really really enjoyed himself and this place was right up his alley ;)
This Christmas Vacation in Arizona was a first for our family and one that will be cherished forever. We hope we will be able to take another Christmas Vacation again in the years to come. Although we missed our traditional Christmas activities and the family behind in Iowa, it was great to getaway with other family that we love dearly. The warm weather was great for the kids. With all of the snow and cold at home, cabin fever can sink in, this was time for us to take advantage of the sunshine and let the kids be kids! Sitting in the hot tub on Christmas afternoon Brad and I looked at each other and smiled, we have been truly blessed to have these opportunities to share with our children. The true meaning of Christmas shined thru, together with family and the ones we love is how we spent our holiday this year. It was one that we will never forget!~
No comments:
Post a Comment