I think one of the best kept secrets in Phoenix is their Children's Museum. We've been there 2 or 3 times and it still enthralls our children... of all ages. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we decided to see what was new at the museum... and sure enough we were not disappointed. In their front room there is a brand new, creative climb-on, 3-story fort! The kids LOVED exploring it... and so did Grandpa!
On one end of the structure there is a large boat with legs sticking out the bottom. The kids knew what to do...
Help me out mom!
A 2-year old and tunnels of all shapes and sizes. What's not to love?
Beware of the "dog house"!
The gigantic winged bathtub. We all fit! Talk about a family-sized tub!
At the very top is the rocket ship with garbage can engines and car door wings. So clever.
The 2nd floor car wash is always fun to ride through...
....over... and over.... and over
...and over again! Corbin thought his passenger was his cousin Eizley, but it was a total stranger hitching a ride. Hence, her disgusted face in this picture.
Dallin pulled Corbin thru... and got a real kick out of it apparently!
Miss Eizley sitting under the fort her cousins were building above her in the fort room.
Deagan building his own fort... of sorts.
The cousin fort was a work in progress.
All that climbing, riding, racing, and building wore Corbin out. So, he built himself a nice place to rest.
The boys got in a good foam sword fight, of course.
Jeff and Q ganged up on Corbin... and finally got him good! (Those big brothers get what's coming to them sometimes.)
The noodle forest. Deagan loved it.
The spider flinger was a hit.
Adam and Eizley venturing thru the noodle forest.
The daddies, Dusty, Jeff, and Adam. It was fun to hang out with them since my sisters couldn't make it to the museum. Here's the proof they were there.... doing a good job supervising.
Kylie relaxing in a hole.
Q found the xylophone made of old wrenches. He was actually pretty good!
Corbin practicing to be a future Pine-wood derby champ.
"McQueenton" doing his thing.
The adult couch... aka lounge.
Dallin and Quinton hitting the rode together... after Dallin filled Q up with gas first, of course.
If you're ever in Phoenix with children you've gotta take a morning or afternoon and check out the Children's Museum. It's really a lot of fun.
Later that evening we visited the Heals. Little Megan is such a doll. I made a modby wrap for Mandy for her shower and hadn't gotten a chance to show her how to tie it. (It's actually totally wrong in this picture.)Look how tiny she looks with her little pink head. So cute!
Maybe someday I'll have a daughter of my own... I just couldn't get enough of Megan. Even thought they don't do much there's really something more precious and different about holding a baby girl. So glad to be an aunt of a niece again!
On the way home (our last night in AZ), we had to take one last drive around NOPAL CIRCLE. It's the Christmas Light capital of Mesa... just down the street from my parents. It's been a hit for years! I've had lots of memories walking around this cul-de-sac. Now, my own boys look forward to it! Besides, who doesn't like hanging out the car window?
See Santa and his reindeer crossing the street?
Wow... sometimes it feels like a blur to walk by these homes.
See the fire pit? These homeowners sit outside around the fire each evening and welcome and wave at all their fans!
Each home has it's own theme. This one is my favorite. It's a log home/cabin theme. You should see the garage. SO CUTE!
What's fun about a lot of these homes is that I grew up with a lot of the families too so I know the personalities and creative talents of those who make the light displays.
This home always has something custom-made and new.
Wouldn't it be fun to gather around like that each night... in 60* LOW temps?
The Harely Davidson Santa house.
The tropical Santa house.
The True Meaning of Christmas house.
The airline Santa house.
Of course, I had to get a picture of the large saguaro cactus with lights on it... and a deer running through the gravel. This is so AZ. I love it!
The next morning we drove home through Vegas. We loved the new Dam Bridge. The ride was nice, sunny, and fast... until we hit St. George. From there we were in a white-out blizzard and it took us 7.5 hours to get home!
Corbin was so excited to go outside the next morning in his snow gear to play in the backyard.
Welcome back to Utah!
....and 2 tickets to the ASU v. U of U game here in SLC in October. Now that those 2 teams will be in the PAC 12 together, it should be an interesting match-up. Not sure who was more excited for that gift-- Corbin or Jeff?
Deagan was all about the bows and paper this year, but as he got better at ripping into his gifts...
... we think he caught on that there was fun inside the paper too! So easy to please.
Dylan enjoyed his I-Tunes gift card. Fit for a 16-year old boy.
Carson enjoyed his electronic card game.
Quinton couldn't get enough of his Toy Story Memory game.
It was a great get together because as soon as the kids all opened their gifts they kept busy and quiet playing while the adults got to visit for a bit. Merry Christmas to all!
.jpg)
