Saturday - what a busy, fun day!

Saturday was busy from start to finish. We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and Cooper went shopping with Rod and got everyone a treat to eat a the movie, Tangled. What a cute movie! Then we headed to Mesa to go to Organ Stop Pizza. We got there early so we could get a good spot in line. The kids entertained themselves while we waited.

Cooper found a good climbing tree.

We were first in line, and got to order our pizza and find a good seat. Just as we finished eating, the show started. This huge organ comes up out of the floor and the guy that plays is fantastic! The whole room is alive with the music he makes. What a talented musician! And the organ is beautiful! There are pipes everywhere, and percussion, too. I have never seen anything like it!

Savannah was pretty happy with the whole thing!

Cannon is such a flirt!

Luka loved his pizza, and when the music started he was so excited. He pointed, and bounced to the music.

Even Cannon was delighted with the music.

My beautiful girl.

He played some wonderful Christmas music and lots of popular songs.

Then we went over to the Mesa Temple grounds to enjoy the lights. Two more beautiful girls!

Cooper and Savannah liked the water.

The lights were so beautiful.

Me and my wonderful sweetie. Thanks for all your hard work and support to make this such a wonderful weekend! I love you!

I love the lights at the Mesa Temple. Merry Christmas!

I am so glad that Katie and Ryan were willing to make the sacrifice to drive their four lively children all the way to Phoenix to spend this time with us. What treasured memories we have made! Thanks for coming. We love you and we miss you! I must say, it was a very quiet and lonely Monday morning with no little people around.

Phoenix Children's Museum - Something for Everyone!

What do you do the day after Thanksgiving? You have your friends come and drag you out of bed, blindfold you, place a birthday girl crown on your head, and take you to IHop for breakfast! After that, you hop in the car and drive to the Phoenix Children's Museum with your niece and nephews. I was totally impressed with this place! It had something at every exhibit for every kid. I think my grandkids were in heaven! There was so much to do and so much to see that we could have spend days at that place!

The Flying Bathtub.

I thought this boat in the air was hilarious!

Caged up Cooper!

Hi, Cannon!

Luka riding through the Car Wash.

Katie wanted to take these trailer bikes home.

Seems like Luka attracts stray little girls where ever he goes...

The boys loved the Lego table. You can see where Cannon got hit in the face with the swing at the park yesterday. Poor baby! He gets so beat up, but he just wants to be in the middle of all the action! His brothers and sister are so cute to play with him and include him in everything.

Cooper concentrates on construction.

They all liked the air tubes.

Hmmm.... how does this thing work?

The lighted sand table. Beautiful!

Vannah and cooper made paper chains to count down the days till Christmas.

The noodle forest. Cannon had a blast running through there. Katie had a hard time keeping track of him!

Luka is weighing legumes at the store.

Cooper is checking out the groceries.

Cannon is designing his own Pizza.

Savannah shows off her salad.

Maybe it will fit in this end...

Easy Rider.

What an amazing place! A Fabulous Black Friday. We didn't even have to fight traffic or shoppers. We walked down to the Arizona Center for lunch in between museum activities, and enjoyed yet another beautiful November day.

Turkey Day 2010

Thanksgiving Day . . . this always musters up many memories for me. Rod was excited for this day so he could teach the grandkids how to make marshmallow shooters. He bought several feet of PVC pipe and cut all the pieces he would need to make seven of the suckers. The pieces all needed to be filed, so he put the recruits to work. There were MANY pieces of pipe to smooth out. Each child was diligent in their duty.

Cooper shows us how smooth his edges are.

Savannah and Luka are intent on the job.

These kids stayed busy all morning long on this project. When they started to stray from the sanding, Rod brought them in and showed them the U-Tube video of how to make the guns. They got all enthused again and the sanding and filing resumed. They stayed on task for about 4 hours and had so much fun creating their new toys! Once again, I love watching Luka's little hands at work. It is amazing what small hands can do when they have a meaningful task.

Rod cooked our Smoked Bacon Encrusted Pork Loin and Spiral Ham in the solar ovens. It was a perfect day to let the sun do the work so I could bake potatoes and oranges rolls in the house.

It was nice to see daddy enjoy some cuddles with baby Cannon. At last! The marshmallow guns are done and the kids are learning how to blow the ammunition through the pipes. Savannah and Cooper had a contest to see who could shoot the marshmallows the farthest. (Rod won. He shot it clear into the neighbor's yard!) I think they liked eating the marshmallows, too. When the Kahlers got there, Rod had guns ready for them, too. They all had a blast! Allen stopped by before he had to go to work. We were sad he could not stay for Thanksgiving dinner, but the kids enjoyed playing with him for a while. He had to go to work, but did not mind getting the Holiday Pay! My yard is still covered in colored miniature marshmallows. They had so much fun with those little guns! We were so blessed with a delicious and abundant meal. We also had the Kahlers, Ryan and Katie's friends that live in Tucson, join us for the day. I didn't take any more pictures, though. Dang! I was too busy trying to the the meal on the table by the promised time. With Katie, Rod and Becca helping, I made it! We had such a fun day! The kids played outside all day. They ran in and out and had a great time with each other. It was good to see old friends. and to have some of our dear family members around us for this special Holiday. I have always loved Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. (Well, I really like them all!)

They're Here! They're Here!

Katie, Ryan and family arrived on Tuesday night, just in time for dinner! We have all been so excited for their visit! They were glad to be out of the car... We set up beds that night and got everyone settled in. I was delighted to wake up to the sound of small voices and the pitter-pat of little feet! We made french toast for breakfast and then Savannah and Cooper asked if we could make Snickerdoodles. We made them last spring when they visited, and the loved those cookies. We had a fun morning baking. After lunch, we decided to go to the park. Cooper pulled his little brothers along in the wagon. It was such a beautiful day! We were so happy that Rondaleen came for a visit. She and Ryan pulled Savannah along on Luka's Spiderman skateboard. Cooper is so strong! I am always amazed at his physical abilities. Luka is wreckless and daring. The little girl behind him sort of stalked him during our stay at the park. Cooper told Luka to chase her, so he did. We laughed so hard because she could run way faster than he did, but he kept after her. When she would stop, he would roar at her! It was hilarious.

A boy, a stick and lots of sand. I just love their little hands.

There is nothing like the way Luka's face lights up when he smiles.What a fun and relaxing day we had, just hangin out with Rondaleen and catching up. I love watching my grandkids play at the park.