grandparents visit and birthday fun

My parents came to visit us recently.  It was so nice to see them.  The kids had a lot of fun playing in the backyard, going for walks and spending time with their grandparents.

Soccer Game

Bean Bag Toss

Bowling at Amazing Jake's

Mini Golf at Amazing Jake's

Plus we all got to celebrate Bert's 36th birthday!

Birthday Dinner

Happy Birthday Berto! Carvel Cake FTW

Bert, his mom and her puppy Jerry

Birthday boy got a recliner (and iPhone)!

Reading his card with Hudson

Getting Silly with Grandma

Brotherly Love

My parents are amazing, generous people who like to have a good time and watching them with my kids made me so happy. It is bittersweet as a mom and daughter to know their time together is so limited. The time we do spend together is all the more precious.

riparian preserve

It has been just beautiful out so, we have been trying to get outdoors and explore. On Tuesday afternoon we headed to the Riparian Institute Preserve with some friends.  It was a great walk with lots of wildlife sightings: birds, ducks, fish, dogs and a turtle. 

The boys climbed trees and had such fun playing in a little creek.

There was a little amphitheater and Ethan and Nathan put on a dance party show. 

It was a really nice afternoon, the boys were quite intrigued by the people fishing around the lake.  One of these days we need to get them some fishing poles and try it out.  Neither Bert nor I have ever really fished so, I bet it would be an interesting and silly experience.

enchanted island winter fun

Enchanted Island in Phoenix was having a winter wonderland event this weekend.  It is a cute park with kiddie amusement rides.  The boys always have a good time when we go. This weekend for winter fun they had a snow mound and some snow tubing! Fun!

 

 

 

 

Ethan on the snow slide

Hudson on the snow slide

Nannie went tubing down the snow slide too!

polar express and grandpa's visit

This month, Grandpa came to visit! The boys were so happy he was here.  It has been awhile since they have seen him.  Although we were sick in one way or another while he was here, we made the best of it.

Excitement building for the train!

Waving to Santa at the "North Pole"

Grandpa most of the trip, he wasn't feeling very well.

Reindeer bells from Santa!

Grandpa brought with him the best gift ever, a recordable Christmas book from Hallmark. Grandma, Grandpa, and my sisters all read a page of the book to the boys.  Brilliant!

It was so fun to hear each of their voices and to watch the boys listen and pick out each person reading to them.  They really loved it. Really a cool idea for family members far away to connect.

santa sightings!

We have been seeing Santa all around town!  HO, HO, HO

At Bass Pro Shop

At Ethan's Elementary School

At Polar Express

At our community's Breakfast with Santa

cartoon lesson: action dogs

  

Last week I taught action dogs for my cartoon class.Hudson wasn't into coloring so much this week.  Purple is his new favorite color so, he just stuck to that!

Ethan Age 6

Hudson Age 4

day at the children's museum

We scored some free culture passes this weekend for the Children's Museum of Phoenix.  The boys had a great time.  They loved the market shopping area.  It's usually too crowded to get in that section we we usually skip it but, it was nice and quiet this past Sunday and they had a great time shopping, checking out and putting everything back on the shelf.  Of course, the ball room and texture cafe and noodle forest were big hits also.

Recycled Items Fish Art

Crazy Climber

They have this new climber that we had yet to see and it was really cool! I joined in the fun and climbed through it also. Hudson exclaimed "This is the best place ever!" while we were there. It truly is a place of wonder and fun for kids.