Palm Desert Getaway

AHH....vacation. I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to these 3 days of getaway bliss. We had planned this trip in the beginning of the year, and it seemed like it couldn't come fast enough. We made sure we got a suite (Marriott Residence Inn is the way to go) and that the room came with breakfast in the morning. All we had to do was NOTHING for 3 days. Doesn't that sound lovely? We hit the Zoo and the pool, along with playing ball in the grass beside our room - of course. Here are many pictures of our trip.

I honestly thought the pool would be a bigger hit, but it was so-so. It got really windy in the afternoon and evenings, so it wasn't too relaxing in the water. Ethan enjoyed getting wet and flopping around for a little while with Bryan, while Austin sat on the upper step of the spa while mommy had the jet massage her aching gallbladder (j/k - the pain is tolerable right now).

The brave one himself wouldn't enter the pool except in Daddy's arms.

At the Desert Zoo, this pond was so clear you could see everything in it. We took a break (in the shade) and rested our legs. To be honest my ankles were tingling the entire time with the feeling that some rattlesnake was going to sink its' teeth into them. Seriously....it seemed like there were bushes everywhere and places for reptiles to hide at every corner.

I took this picture to show you the "garden walks" you could take off the beaten path. Ya - would YOU go in there??? I just cringed thinking about it. All I did the whole time during the "garden walks" was tell Ethan - STAY by us please....do NOT go near the bushes. I think I freaked him out a little. I freaked myself out with all the "rustling" the wind was doing to the nearby leaves.

Ok - THIS was wild. WILD. A lizard this big. And there was a wild iguana that we saw, too. A little scary. I asked one of the workers there how often they see a rattlesnake and here was his answer, "Well, I'd buy a lottery ticket if I saw one because we only get a couple a month......actually we had to remove one from an exhibit THIS MORNING!!!" Okkkkk..... so I guess I'd have gotten a lot of money with that lottery ticket....

The boys dancing on the bench to the tunes over the loudspeaker near the bobcat, fox and mountain lion lairs.

And here is me pushing Austin through the most open, spacious area of nothingness at the zoo. I mean it was a long walk through the desert - need I even say that I was on the lookout for wild critters? Don't let the smile fool you.

This guy was about 8 feet from us chewing on Thorny Acacia. Those thorns were huge and sharp and this guy just moved his lips over them, sucking them down with no problem. Notice the chest bulging through the fence as he's reaching for the thorny goodness. It was pretty cute.

Check out the squirrel packing his cheeks full of these seed things. He was going to town and storing up for the summer I guess.

This is one of the biggest model railroad setups in the U.S. I thought of my Papa as I stood watching all these trains crossing bridges and going through the various towns they had set up. They had a "JAWS" scene and HUGE bridges. The train was even programmed to stop at a station. It was pretty cool.

These turtles had a "Do not sit because they may be hot" sign on them, but me being the good Mommy had the boys sit on them anyways. Don't worry - I felt them before their little bottoms touched the metal.

At the hotel Bryan and I played catch with the boys. There was a huge grassy area next to our patio where we saw a Roadrunner and many bunnies. It was a fun place to have the boys get their energy out. I must say they took EXCELLENT naps - maybe due to the blackout curtains we had in our rooms...

And, of course, our mementos from the zoo - fake snakes. These truly looked real when left on the grass. No trip to the zoo is complete without bringing home snakes. What can I say?

And the ultimate thing about our trip? - their OWN bed in their OWN room with their OWN TV. I'm serious the "coolest" thing about the trip was that they had their own room and got to sleep in a bed together. They do have their own rooms at home, but I guess a hotel room to themselves was even better.

The family at the end of the trip before we left for the shopping outlets. The weather dipped at least 10 degrees and actually sprinkled on us at the outlets about 10 miles away. Weird. We had so much fun and are looking forward to the next outing - whenever that may be.