How special that my sister Charis wanted to spend her spring break with us! She came from snowy Massachusetts to sunny Arizona and was glad to escape the cold.

The boys liked “helping” Aunt Charis play the piano. Family time is precious and scarce, so I’m glad the boys could spend time with my sis. She even bought them their first set of Lincoln Logs.

While she was here, we had a gorgeous day for a visit to the Phoenix Zoo. The sun was warm, and the shade was cool with a breeze. Our visit began with the safari animals. The tiger even growled for us, and we managed to catch the lion before he laid down for a nap.

The new monkey exhibit let us visit the little guys without any cage between us and them. We picnicked by the lake where the gibbons entertained us with their tightrope act, and later Silas and Cooper got some wiggles out at the farm playground.

The next day we shopped at the AZ Mills Mall in Tempe before meeting Stephen for lunch at Smashburger. Yum! Then we visited Charis’ former roomie from her year of teaching in Ketchikan, Alaska, and afterwards hit the mall again for a carousel ride.

We love you, Charis! Thanks for taking an Arizona getaway for spring break.