Family Fun Day

We deicded since we really hadn't done much for the kids in the way of fun places to visit over Christmas holiday we were going to have a great fun-filled day. We started off with a visit to the dentist at 7am for Adam. Of course this was no fun so we added hiking Picacho Peak. The initial climb was very easy and fun. It is only 3.1 miles from bottom to top on the trail we were on and we figured since we have gone farther than that before this would be a piece of cake. It was a good time however once you get about 2/3 the way up it is just too much for little kids. The trail gets really steep and then there are places where you have to hold the rope and walk on the little footbridge to get across. We enjoyed the 1 1/2 miles roundtrip we did and the kids had a great time. They all wore their new camelbacks that Aunt Stacie and Uncle Terry got them for Christmas. It was quite the exciting thing! A brief history on Picacho (pi-coch-cho) Peak. It is famously known for its brief confrontation during the civil war in which only 5 lives were lost before the union and confederate soldiers both retreated. Apparently the terrain was too rough (I agree in some places). It is also where the Mormon Batallion fought Mexico. Picacho actually means peak so we are calling it Peak Peak. I brought the camera with me to get some pictures but then stupidly left it on the front seat of the car and realized this about 20 minutes into the hike. The views were spectacular and there were lots of "caves" and such along the trail. I would recomend to anyone who loves to hike. They do have other smaller length trails that are made for kids too.

After we finished hiking we went to the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch just a couple minutes south of Picacho Peak. (http://www.roostercogburn.com/) We have seen this place so many times while driving to Phoenix we figured it was time we paid it a visit. We paid the extra money to take the kids on the monster truck ride. They take you around the ranch and show you the breeding, hatching, feeding areas and such and also give you a background on the cactus and such around the area. During the ride they stop and let you go fishing for ostrich's. You put a piece of orange on a hook and hold it over for the birds. The kids had a blast. It was quite entertaining for us all. Once we finished the tour of the ranch they did a little off-roading which was quite fun. We were all being bounce off our seats as we caught air on some of the jumps. If you ever make it to the ranch it is well worth the cost for the ride.

After you go on the monster truck ride you can come back and feed the animals. They had ostriches, of course, and deer, donkey's and lorakeets. It was a lot of fun for the kids. We did have to be very careful around the ostrich's because they do bite and were very aggressive.

After we finished at the ostrich ranch we went to a nearby lake and let Zach play with his new remote control boat he got for his birthday. Again it was more great fun. I don't know who was more excited, Greg or Zach. We spent about an hour there and wore out the first battery pack and a second we purchased seperately. The boys all had a great time and I just sat and watched. We were all exhausted from our fun day and retreated to our home to get cleaned up and relax. Elayna was the first to fall asleep at about 6:30 with Adam right on her tails. Zach was up until 10ish but what's new there. We had a great time and would love to share these occasions with any friends or family who would love to join in.