Scottsdale: A much needed vacation

Another wonderful Scottsdale vacation and with a few more additions since we went last (thankfully, only one from our family)! It was beautiful as always and the weather was perfect. Each time I am there I say I want to live there and then I remind myself that it hasn't hit the 100+ degree weather yet and we are staying on a resort which is nothing like the rest of Scottsdale. Still, the restaurants are abundant, the golf courses are incredible, and the spa may be my favorite spa I have EVER been to. Lots of pictures on this post but hopefully I can give a quick synopsis of the trip:


Hudson's first flight. Had you asked me when we got there, I would have said the flight was wonderful and he did much better than expected. However, the flight home was a disaster and I am pretty sure he cried almost the entire way. We maybe got 20 min of peace on the 2 hour flight (thankful for a short flight). But focusing on the positive, he was an angel for the 7am flight on the way there. We even had to wake him up, make him wait for his bottle so we could use it at takeoff, and restrain him to our lap which he absolutely hates! Here he is while everyone was boarding the plane:


And about 1 hour into the flight, happy mommy because of sleeping baby:




First time in a swimming pool. So we expected him to LOVE the water because he splashes and squeals with excitement everytime we give him a bath. However, we never even considered the fact that we always use really warm bath water. Even with the 98 degree temperatures (outside) the water was still too cold for him! Therefore, we spent the majority of the time in the hot tub. Thankfully, a couple days into the trip he got a little more used to the water and we made our way back into the pool.


Here is Hadley taking a break from swimming. Fitting picture because her favorite princess is Rapunzel and I am positive the girls watched "Tangled" at least 10 times on the trip.


Sloan and Hadley all lathered up with sunscreen and about to go swimming.



Here are Matt and Hudson hanging out by the hot tub.

The four girls before dinner.


Hudson pulling up on my leg at the swimming pool. His face makes me laugh in this picture. He has definitely discovered his voice!


Our daily wake up call. Hudson never quite adjusted to the time change. He would wake up every morning between 4 and 4:30, WIDE AWAKE. So to keep from waking everybody else up we would get in the stroller and take a walk until everyone woke up. It was completely dark outside and we wouldn't see a soul other than lots of rabbits and a couple snakes! A couple of the mornings we just walked and walked around the resort and the rest of the mornings we would walk a couple miles to the Einstein Bros (my favorite bagels!) and eat breakfast and I would get a much needed coffee. I loved my mornings with Hudson and thankfully the weather was perfect for early morning walks. Who could mind getting up early when you get this smile?


One of my FAVORITE parts of the trip is our Sunday brunch at Camelback Inn. I cannot even describe how phenomenal this brunch is. Camelback resort is about 20 minutes from our hotel and well worth packing the entire family up for the short drive. I really wish I had taken more pictures of the flowers and especially the food because I definitely cannot put in words how wonderful the food is. The buffet brunch has just about any food you can dream of and most of it is made to order. We don't eat anything the morning of and we didn't need to eat the rest of the day! Anyway, once again it did not disappoint. Here are some pictures:

Abby and Katie

One of the many unsuccesful attempts at a good picture of the kids

...and the final attempt. Sweet Hadley was trying to help and Hudson was not having it!

Needing a little break. We were hot and exhausted!

Drew and Davis

Daddy's girl

Finally got our first family pic since Hudson was 1 week old

The entire Holloman crew

More pictures of the trip starting with some morning giggles:

and kisses from Hadley:





Hadley and Sloan chased each other on this lawn for about 15 minutes laughing and giggling. I love how Hadley is running with her purse! She carried that purse everywhere the entire trip, however, this is no different than everyday at home too.


We got Mallory a plane ticket to go with us and help us with the kids a little bit. It was so much fun having her and we were thankful she came with us. I think I heard Hadley tell her she loved her 20 times on that trip. So sweet!

Hanging out with Hadley

The day before we left we decided to have an Easter egg hunt. We went down to the resort park and the kids had a blast. Abby and Katie were pros and the kids ended up with enough sugar for a lifetime!




Needing a lift back to the room, exhausted but still all smiles. What a fun trip...can't wait to come back!

Good Friday and another Easter Egg hunt

Yesterday was Good Friday and I am looking forward to spending the entire weekend with my family. Katie, my friend since Kindergarten, had an Easter egg hunt at her parents house for all the kids and it was so much fun. There was a bounce house, more eggs than would fit in all the baskets, and lots of food. The Easter bunny even made a suprise visit! By the end of the afternoon we had a lot of sweaty kids all on a sugar rush. So much fun!

Easter bunny arriving:

Attempting a group picture in front of the Easter bunny

I told her to stand by the Easter bunny and this is as close as she would get.

Brooklyn and Hadley

Matt, Hudson, Chris, and Oscar

And the race begins:

Holland, Brooklyn, and Hadley 

Who cares about the candy...Hudson loved the eggs.

Maybe not appropriate, but at least it clued us in that he was ready for his bottle!

Matt's trip to the Masters

When Matt got home from the Masters I asked how it was and he said, "Great." I never get an excessive amount of details but I think I got enough to put together a short post.

Matt planned a trip to the Masters with his twin brother, Drew and a friend from dental school, Barrett. He left on Thursday night and the three boys got to play golf at the Augusta Country Club on Friday. Matt said it was so beautiful and so green, but also a really difficult course. Here are a couple pictures from the golf course that day:

Matt and Drew

Drew, Barrett, and Matt

On Saturday the guys went to a dental CE course all about implants. They claim this was the reason for the trip but I think it was just the excuse to go to the Masters tournament! Either way, I am glad they went and had such a good time. 

And FINALLY, on Sunday they went to the final round of the Masters. They had a blast but I am so sad he was not able to come home with any pictures. I am not sure if you can take a camera in but Matt was depending on being able to take pictures with his phone and found out once he got there that they don't even allow you to take your phone inside. Matt said it was more beautiful than the tv can show. It was also hotter than he expected too. And as much fun as it was, he said toward the end you could hardly see the green because of how many people were there. None the less, they said it was an incredible experience. And Hadley, Hudson and I scored some pretty great merchandise. We each got a hat and a couple of shirts. I will have to take some pictures of the kids wearing their new gear!

When Hadley gets married...

Hadley put a towel on her head and this conversation followed...

Hadley: look Daddy, I'm gonna get married

Matt: Hadley, that will be a very sad day for me when you get married

Hadley: why Daddy?

Matt: because that means you will be marrying another boy

Hadley: well, then I will just marry you, Daddy

Precious Moments

These are the moments that make me happy I always have a camera within reach. I love my dad and my kids love their PaPa...probably more than he'll ever know.