McCall and Neil's Super Fun Blog

After 8 or 9 years of posting on this blog, I'm quite sad to say I'm calling it quits here.  For a couple years I've been thinking I'd go private or start a new blog and never got around to it.  One reason I'm actually going through with it now is because of a weird email thing.  I tried to open a new email account and it somehow erased my old email account and access to other things so I'm going to delete the new email account that linked itself to this blog and it will delete this blog when I delete that account.  It was a huge mess that has mostly been sorted out but I'm still just going to get rid of it and not have to worry about any of it!

So after 1266 posts
Thousands of great comments
and 101,104 views
it's time to say goodbye.

I'm not totally sure but I will most likely start a new blog because even though I post less and less, I still love having it all printed into an annual "scrapbook" for our family.  If you want to leave a comment with your email address or message me on facebook with your email, I'll add you to the new blog once it gets up and going- IF it gets up and going...

June ended pretty tragically when my cousin died of an accidental drug overdose. I haven't wanted to write much about it but I definitely did want his obituary saved in my blog book. I honestly hadn't seen him much in our adult years, but I have many memories from when we were all young.
A friend of their family drew this incredible picture of Parker very quickly to have it completed for his viewings and funeral. She's amazing, this picture is so amazing.


Parker's 4 siblings all spoke at his funeral and were so incredible.  I have no words to describe how impressive their family is.  And no words to describe the sorrow I feel for them.
My aunt Connie had a few more good pictures that she posted.

Barrett and Eden are just in heaven with all the extra cousin time they get during the summer.
The triplets were over one day last week so we got out the old water table and slip n slide for some refreshing fun.  This top picture made me laugh because Lindsay took it (and about 5 more like it) and they all had her finger in it.
I tried next and although my fingers are all out of the way, it's not much better!

Eden liked the water a little bit.


She really wanted some gatorade though!

Bear was so lucky he got to go see Finding Dory two days in a row!  His Papa and Grandma picked him up the first day and took him and his cousins to see the show, play on the playground,
and get a Fizz drink.
Then he went the very next day with my mom and some of the cousins.

He got to do some fishing.
And wood chopping (NOT a mom approved activity)
4 wheeling.
And holding a gun (also not mom-approved, but he didn't hold a loaded gun or shoot anything.  At least that's what I'm told...)
He was SO dirty!

Nope, this wasn't mom approved either.   Neil had very strict instructions from me not to let him out of his sight the entire trip and even though he let him do things I wouldn't have, he brought him home safe and that's what matters most.


He loved having cousin time.  I'm assuming this was when they were eating their dinner the first night.  Diamond, Lola, Bear.

Bear and Neil made their bed in the back of my car so they could be a little more comfy and a little warmer.

It must've been cold in the morning!

Neil got this perfect picture of Bear focusing so much on his breakfast that his OJ just dumps over.

William, Lewis, Barrett, Henry, Mary.

Barrett got a new suitcase for the trip and I wish I would've filmed his reaction opening it, I don't think I've ever seen him that excited opening something.  It was precious.

He's such a sweet brother.

I would've LOVED for her to sleep on the plane, but she didn't fall asleep until the shuttle to the rental car.

As soon as we got to the hotel, we got some lunch at one of the hotel restaurants. We got a nice open area by one of the doors and just let the kids run around.  Eden had been held or in the stroller all day and they just needed to play and stretch their legs!

Then we changed and went out to the pool-  Bear put his shirt on backwards as you can see.  This was the adults only pool, we accidentally went through there on our way to the family pool.  It was a very nice, quiet area!

Here's the family pool, WAY more fun!  There was a HUGE lazy river, a water slide, and a flow rider over here too.

One morning at 7:45, it was already 100° on our way to breakfast!

I think this was our favorite breakfast place.  I think it was called Perk Cafe.  It was really good.  Bear got  french toast every morning and I got pancakes.

When I'd put Eden down for her naps, we'd all be trapped in the bathroom so we wouldn't wake her up.  My friend told me that she puts the baby in the bathroom and then they can stay in the room and they go down to the lobby to use the bathroom when they need to.  I need to remember that!

Playing at the pool again.

Bear made a friend or two each time we'd go swim.

Peanut butter and honey by the pool.

I couldn't keep poor Eden cool enough.  She was fine if she was in the water, but would get too hot almost as soon as she was out. She liked fishing for ice cubes while we gave Bear a few more minutes to play.

Gotta have a pina colada!

Oh they're so cute!

We went to Cold Stone one day and (even though I ate my whole entire thing) it was NOT refreshing.  Outside was about 113° and inside Cold Stone was no less than 90°.  It was kind of miserable.

See how hot we still are?!

The next day we went to Snooze for breakfast and I was very disappointed.  These pancakes are chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and peanut butter cup and none of them were as good as they sounded.
Bear liked his french toast and fruit though.

And then I had to take it away from Eden because she just ate it!

Pool again.  We really were dying of heat anytime we were outside and not in the pool.  Going across the street to the shopping area wasn't even fun because everything was outside!

Getting out of the bath.

The Phoenix Zoo.  I definitely should've sat this one out.  I woke up with a migraine but I figured I'd go with them to the zoo because we wouldn't be there too long.  I was wrong and it was awful.  Plus it was so hot even though we got there at 8.  Me and the kids were really struggling and Neil was happy as a clam!
They had this fun splash pad area.  Bear got pretty soaked but Eden didn't want to get too wet- she needed to though.  Poor girl.

This area was neat. You walk through the monkey enclosure and get really close to these tiny monkeys.  See him on the rope?


See us dying!?  We are dying.

Oh man, they had a really cute baby orangoutang too.


Of course Bear wanted his picture with the statues.

This is the whole reason we even went to this zoo.  Bear loved feeding the giraffes when we got to do it in Colorado Springs a couple years ago.  All 4 of us got to feed the giraffes, we only got video of the kids doing it though.


These pictures made me laugh when I saw them because where the giraffes are standing, their heads basically line up perfectly with mine and Eden's heads so we look like giraffes!


After the zoo we went to Butterfield's Pancake House.  My friend lives in the area and I had seen these pancakes on her blog so I knew we had to go!
Neil got the wild berry french toast.

Bear got french toast again.

And I got Oreo S'Mores pancakes!!

And then we flew home that night and it was so nice to get back to a normal summer climate of like 90°! And Eden even sat with Neil for a few minutes to give me a break.