Scottsdale! An annual tradition!

Oh Scottsdale, how i look forward to it every year. Brian and I sit by the pool, play with the kids and enjoy our time together. We always have a few date nights and get a break from the kids.  This trip was different because they met some new friends on the first day - 3 kids (2 boys and a girl) ages 9, 7, and 6.  These 6 kids ran the hotel as though they had been best friends for their entire lives. They would go to kid's club and then the pool and then back to kid's club. Needless to say, this made our vacation super relaxing. We mostly hung out with Maisy by the pool. She is pretty self sufficient, as she found an inner tube and kicked her way around the empty resort pool. She also came forward light years in her ability to swim. I predict she will definitely be swimming 100% independently by August.

We love food. I am on a kind of funny diet these days. I try to eat super healthy. A lot of it is because of my health issues (Lynch syndrome - if you didn't know, now you know).  I take super good care of my body because of it.  Anyhow, I love protein and greens. It appears that our pictures are out of order, so I'll describe them as we go.

Chef's cut ribeye with foie gras at Mastro's. Brian ordered this to "share" and I ordered a Mambo salad.  A mambo salad is basically a Caesar salad with horseradish to make it spicy. We also had a U2 shrimp from he West Indies, which was just okay. The Dungeness crab cocktail was AMAZING. The maple bourbon pork belly with scallops was straight out of heaven. They sent out a butter cake for our anniversary. We didn't finish it - which is the first time ever and we left STUFFED. It was an amazing meal.

This was a meal at Talavera, which is the signature restaurant at the Four Seasons. It was also an amazing meal. I was being so good, ordering the Wedge salad and scallops with pea puree - both were over the top. They sent out 3 desserts and so many fancy drinks. It was also an incredible meal. The guys at the Residence Club have known us for 8 years and wanted to spoil us rotten. It was so sweet and an amazing meal.

Zinka. I'm bringing it back old school. I don't care how many clothes/towels/etc we ruin if it keeps their faces from getting burned. It became quite a hit at the pool and the kids asked me to do their friend's faces as well.  I should have charged for how many faces I did! It was really fun and everyone was happy.

 Landon is currently obsessed with tigers. This is the best I could do (we don't have black).

 This guy. Handsome.

 He toted that girl all around the pool. She was so happy.

 I hit the gym while there and found a new fun torture device. Ab wheels. Ouch!

 When she's in her tube, she can't be touched.

 Our friends brought this big tube. Oh the games that they played!

 Salsa making presentation!

Brian took the boys golfing on 2 occasions while there. They went out on the course and played pretty well! These golf lessons are paying off.

 That's a legit stance right there.

 Homework time.

 "Mine"

 Asleep in her Daddy's arms!

 Because I've been working so hard - here you go. I will share my abs with you. I'm hoping to get a bit tighter before we leave for Bora Bora in 2 weeks!

 Lunch - 3 handfuls of spinach, 2 eggs and a little Mexican cheese.

Moo and Squelch

 Oh my Wedge salad with crab chunks and Nueske bacon. Oh yes.

 Brian's first ribeye with a side of foie gras. and truffle butter on top!

 My scallops and cauliflower with pea puree

 Lemon ricotta cake

 Soem kind of amazing cheesecake

 Maisy begins her jump with "Readddddy?" So cute. Then she throws the kick board in front of her and swims until you rescue her.

 2 pm everyday is Dibs by the pool. The kids all gather for their 4 free dibs. It's quite a scene. I won't lie, we made sure to be poolside at 2 pm everyday.

 We met up with a friend of Brian's who lives nearby. They went to school together 2nd-12th grade!

 I can't capture her eyes. They are magnificent.

 I want to be a cat.

 Zinka on my lips

 Ok - on Saturday we let them get a smoothie. On Sunday we let them have ice cream. Today (Monday) it's back to healthy eating.

Date night at Mastro's!

 Golf cart ride

 Kids for all seasons

 Popcorn time!

After treats and shuffleboard we grabbed a quick dinner and drove home. We got home at around 11 last night. I've spent the day doing laundry, putting stuff away and trying to get the house organized for the week ahead.

 Reading with Landon on the couch this morning. Back to the grind..

 Haircuts!

 Lunch! Keep it healthy. I'm challenging myself to not have one bite of anything unhealthy before our trip to Bora Bora. I'll keep track and let you know. P.S. I only ate 1/2 of this. My kids devoured the other half. It had dried cranberries, tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese and a light vinaigrette. So amazing.