Grand Canyon, here we come!

My mom and I wanted to take the kids on a little getaway, and since none of them have seen the Grand Canyon, we thought this would be the perfect little trip. My mom's longtime friend Liz decided to come along with us, so off we went!
We rented a minivan to fit all of us and our gear. We headed out Monday morning for our 8 hour drive. The kids did great in the car! Our first stop was in a tiny town (actually I don't think you could even call it a town it was so small) called Ludlow. We filled up the gas tank and our bellies at the only food in town, Dairy Queen.

After passing through the cute town of Williams, AZ we made it to our hotel in the Grand Canyon Village. The kids were anxious to get out of the car and into the pool! They swam for a while and then we hit the restaurant for a delicious dinner.


The next morning we were up and out the door early. We went to a little cafe across the street for a yummy breakfast and then drove to the canyon. When we got out of the car and took our first look, the kids were amazed. They couldn't believe the sight in front of them!

The boys kept asking when we could go to the bottom! All they wanted to do was get "IN" the canyon. I wasn't sure what we would be able to do, but we kept walking and kept looking...

We went into the visitors center for a while and looked at some of the models and learned a little history. We went to the Hopi Indian house where the boys found some native american arrows. They got lessons on how navajo blankets were made and found a great book on Arizona mammals.


We drove a little further down, saw the train coming in, and found a beautiful trail to go down. I took the kids down the path and they couldn't have been happier. They were so excited to actually be in the canyon. They would've loved to go all the way to the river, but I repeatedly told them that we couldn't do 9 miles down and another 9 back up in one day!

After our hike, everyone was hungry and thirsty. The cafe was pretty crowded, but we were able to get a bite to eat. Of course we followed it up with a little bit of ice cream!

We went back to the hotel for a little while to let the kids swim. It amazes me how much fun they can always have in a pool!

Next on the agenda was the IMAX theater to see the Grand Canyon movie. The kids were enthralled with seeing the history and the white water rafting expeditions.

Since we were only spending one day here, we headed back into the canyon. We headed to the east side a bit and got a whole new view. We found another trail, this one a bit steeper and rockier. The kids were thrilled to head back down, it was hard to keep up! Again, I forced them to turn around and head back up once I thought we'd gone far enough. The views were so beautiful at this time of the day!

(Zoe was exhausted and after a few falls climbing on some rocks, she had a skinned up leg!)

We stopped at a great pizza place for a late dinner before heading back for a quick swim before bedtime. It was a very long day, but tons of fun!

Our quick trip was already over and it was time to head home! Another 8 hour drive with stops for breakfast in Williams and snack in Ludlow. We had a great trip, I only wish it had lasted a little bit longer! I can't wait to go back again and spend some more time hiking and sightseeing. It sure is a beautiful place!