Pueblo Grande

Even though we lived in Mesa for nearly four years, we never really did any of the touristy things, so this trip I tried to do something uniquely Arizonan with the kids. It ended up being more Arizonan than we thought it would be because we all got sunburned. THAT is definitely Arizonan.

Here we're visiting the ancient ruins of the Hohokam Indians who inhabited the valley for about 1500 years.

Looking at these pictures now I can see Anthon's exuberance for life. He is so expressive! Sometimes I get frustrated and tell him to hold still so I can get a good picture, but really, I LOVE these pictures of him! They are so Anthon.

Here, Erilyn is pouting because she's hot. She does look a little limp.

The funny thing about this trip is that when we toured the ruins the first time, they were totally bored, hot, tired, and whiney. It really wasn't that hot, about 85 degrees, but that Arizona sun can fry you in a second. Anyway, I got so frustrated that I finally just dragged them to the car, until I realized I hadn't taken any pictures. So, I made them get out so we could go pose for some pictures, and we ended up touring the ruins a second time and this time they loved it! Anthon kept saying, "Mom, can we go see their little houses again?! Mom, look over here!" So strange. I'm glad at least that we left happy and satisfied.