Grandma and Grandpa’s Visit

Just a few things we did while Grandma and Grandpa where here…

Grandma helped (well, did most of) the gardening.  She tackled three years worth of pruning and filled up I don’t even know how many large black trash bags with dead branches.  (I promise Sylvia at least has underwear on in this picture.  If it was up to her she would be gardening in the nude.)

Grandpa planned and built the roof of our carport.  (Why it was off in the first place is a whole other long story.)

Unfortunately Joey was so sick that weekend and later commented that it was a blow to his ego to have to watch a seventy year old man surpass him at carport roof building.

Grandma helping set up the school room.

Sylvia painting in the school room (which is separate from the main house…I love it.)

Hazel finding a match.

Hazel painting.  (View of the tree house out the window.)

We got two kitties.  A little brother and sister that let Hazel drag them around.  They are such good kitties.

Ever since we moved to Tucson I’ve wanted to walk through the rattle snake bridge.  While grandma was here we did it!

Being digested.

When you walk by the tail you hear a rattle sound!

After learning about the Moors, we had a Moorish style feast with Islamic music and incense.

Shirts were optional.

Joey and Isabel went on a Daddy Daughter date for her Activity Days group.  I hear they are quite the athletes in a wheelbarrow race.

Chuck E Cheese’s Portraits

Forget paying a lot of money for school picture packages, get your kid’s yearly pictures taken by a machine at Chuck E. Cheese’s!

Luke

Isabel

Sylvia

Hazel

Today we went to Chuck E. Cheese’s with our gift card (thanks Uncle Brad and Aunt Hai Minh!) and one of the token games was a machine that takes your picture.  The originals have a classy looking boarder like this one… (signed by Chuck E. himself!)

Green House!

Downtown Ducks

After a week of unpacking (and however many weeks before that of packing) we decided to get out and take advantage of living downtown!  Our neighborhood is right next to the zoo and the huge city park with ducks.  Tucson is my personal favorite city we’ve ever lived in and I hope we will live here for quite a while.

With all “school work” being on hold during our move (with the exception of piano) Luke, Isabel, Sylvia and Hazel have been finding and creating things to invent and games to play.  They’ve also been wonderful at helping unpack, cook, and clean, all of which I count as school.

Wizard of Oz Tea Party

January was a full month, starting out with a horrible computer virus, then packing like crazy to move, finding out we might not move, and then eventually moving.  Not meaning to complain, just saying, it’s been inconvenient to keep record of what we’ve been doing.  But as you can see, same old same old…

After learning about the Maori people of New Zealand, we tried to paint each other’s faces like them!  No thanks for the Hitler mustache Sylvia.  And I love how Luke drew pokemon balls on Isabel’s cheeks and the Legend of Zelda triforce on her forehead.

Maori Warrior

Lately I’ve been finding hundreds of pictures just like this one when I upload our photos.  Hazel has become quite the sneaky photographer.

I remember my big sister always had the best ideas and I am pretty sure Sylvia feels the same way about her big sister.  I sure feel like I could use an orange slice on my forehead at the Isabel Spa right now.

Spa beauty table.  (I love it when I go to a spa and they floss my teeth for me!  Actually I’ve never been to a spa, maybe they do that.)

Sylvia got the “Chicken Pox.”

Isabel made her own TV and DVD player out of our moving boxes…

…along with some DVDs.  (The Wizard of Oz Tea Party is my favorite.)

Thank you for the warning signs.

Luke and Isabel’s piano teacher, Mary Woods, is also a fantastic quilter.  One day a week for quite a few weeks Isabel has been quilting at Mary’s home for hours making this beautiful quilt.  I can’t even express how grateful I am to Mary for taking the time to teach and work with Isabel.  I know Isabel enjoyed every minute of it and it has been a great confidence booster for her.