Roadtrip!!!

Early(ish) on the day after Christmas all five of us piled into a packed Subaru and hit the road for a 7 day, 1,500 mile, 3 state odyssey.  The journey began with what was supposed to be a 5 hour drive from Tucson to the Grand Canyon.  It turned out to be more like an 8 hour drive because of serious traffic outside of Phoenix and a super long line to get into the Grand Canyon itself.

Still hacking and nose-blowing we all gathered in our little hotel room near the Grand Canyon and managed to make it to the Village just after sunset.  The snowy canyon was beautiful... but really cold! After a delicious dinner we headed back to our hotel.

The next day the girls woke up early to play in the snow.  Evie was particularly into the snow angel idea.

 

Then a little later we explored a bit of the rim and then took a break for a few hours (in hopes of fighting off persistent colds) and then headed back out for sunset on the rim.

The next day Patrick woke up early to go into town and put gas in the car, then we packed everyone (and everything!) back into the Subaru to make the trek to Utah for skiing.  Our departure was decidedly delayed by a very flat tire.  We hauled everything out of the car and Patrick took the Subaru to a garage at the canyon to see if it could be fixed.  After multiple patches failed he came back and we decided that, given it was a slow leak, we would just make our way to Page, AZ to get a new tire....

In Page, instead of a tire, we bought a pump... using said pump became Patrick's morning and evening ritual for the rest of the trip :P

Once again a 5 hour trip took decidedly longer... this time mostly because the route I had planned for us to take was closed due to snow, which meant we needed to go out and around to the tune of about an hour extra on the road.  Exhausted we made it to our "condo" (which gets quotes because somehow both Patrick and I had missed that this condo was really just a big hotel room... quite a disappointment given that I think we were all ready for a little space...) and regardless of the 1 foot by 2 foot cooking space with one plug in burner, I managed to make spaghetti and sauce from scratch for dinner. The girls extra impressed me by making the most of the need for them to sleep on the floor, making a nest and a game out of our unexpected lack of space.

 

 

 

 The next day we got up early (as it turns out too early) in our quest for skis and lessons.  In the skis we met with success... lessons not so much.  The happy accident meant that Patrick and I got to spend the whole day with the girls on the magic carpet teaching them to ski.  It turned out to be both a lot more fun and more of a workout than I would have imagined!

The next day the girls were able to get into lessons so the adults could ski the slopes beyond the bunny.  It was a beautiful sunny day (for most of it) and everyone had a great time skiing.

 

 

 

 From there we drove a (mercifully) traffic free and straightforward three-hours from Brianhead to Las Vegas for New Year's Eve.  Our New Year's Eve festivities included midway games at Circus, Circus; an amazing Cirque du Soleil called Mystere; a trip to the strip for Patrick and Anna; and games and fun for the girls and I in the room and then champagne and cider for all together back in the room at midnight.  It is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is that I actually stayed up until midnight! (Celebrate the little successes!)

The next day we got out of the city and went to Red Rocks for a picnic lunch and a beautiful (albeit quite cold) hike.  Then back to Circus, Circus for more midway madness :)
 
On the way home I made everyone stop at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead... Which wouldn't have been a big deal except for the 1 hour wait in a line of cars to get there because all cars had to be checked before going across the dam...  All in all it was quite the odyssey!

Merry Christmas!

 The lack of posts is not due to a lack of goings on....  Of course the most significant goings on was yesterday! 

We spent Christmas Eve at my parent's house (with so many people it meant Patrick and I slept on the floor in my Mom's office... Kita kept trying to boot me from my bed, thinking that a soft place of the floor must be for her, not me) and then woke up Christmas morning to the bounty of Santa and family. Santa brought Izzy a house full of kitties, Evie a fairy doll and house, and Anna a large, doe-eyed unicorn. 

The other big gift (from Patrick and I) was a hamster that the girls have named Onchau after a unicorn in a show they are enjoying right now.

In the week's prior we have had winter performances for both girls. Unfortunately said performances were at the exact same time so we had to divide and conquer.  Patrick and Anna went to Izzy's dance concert (but I did the hair...getting pretty good at this stuff) and my Mom, Dad and I went to Evie's choir concert.  I heard a rumor that although Izzy was perhaps not the most skilled ballerina on stage she was as proud as punch of her performance!  (Which really is all that matters)  Evie's choir concert was amazing.  Just like last spring, it was so fun to watch her on stage, singing with so much emotion on her face.

 But the concert-going fun did not end there!  The next week was the last week of school and the holiday concert for IST.  The week before Evie came home as excited as can be for her staring role in "Percy the Puny Pointsetta" (She got to be Percy).  She played sad, lonely, poinsettia well...

There were also other songs like Tucson Wonderland (where instead of Sleigh bells ring, are you listenen' it is Palm trees sway and the pool is glistening) and a number of recorder tunes. (I'll spare you the recording of that one :)

After the big performance there was a delightful little Christmas market, where each class sold goodies they made to raise money for something they wanted, e.g., junior school Chinese kids were raising money for a class hamster.  Evie insisted we buy half a dozen star shaped soaps that she made in her science class (they were actually quite cool).  She also decided that she would help her English teach and manned the booth for her English class the whole time we were there (they were selling painted rocks and hand-made cards... painted rocks, I am afraid, were not as popular as soap)

I think perhaps all of the going ons is why all of us (well except Anna) have terrible colds we are fighting off.  These colds have us so sick we even missed our chance to go to Winterhaven this year...  That's ok though because a big adventure is about to begin and I now hear little girls excitedly waking up their Daddy in our room....

Gay and Merry at the Zoo!

 
The weekend started off on a high note with a happy hour/dinner at the Zoo and then a walk through the zoolights.

 

Of course as is generally the case, the highlight of the lights is the visit with the S-man himself.

This year though the new carosel was also a pretty big hit.  (No great surprise in the girl's choices in rides... a leopard for Izzy and an elephant for Eve)

Other weekend activities included a trip to ballet class where I received a preview of next week's big performance and not one but two trips to the movies.

The first trip was just the over 18 crowd (Mina babysat the under 18 crowd) the second was all five of us out to see Minons... which was pretty darn hilarious... hilarious enough that none of us can say banana without giggling for the past 5 hours.

The girls also "helped" Patrick get the lights working (and I say working not up because, embarrassingly, the lights have been up since last year.... yup we are those people on your block) Most of the helped ended up being really helping themselves to fruits from the barrel cacti in our front yard...

The weekend was quite merry, except for a surprise attack in the middle of the day (around 11 am) by a bobcat who disregarded the fact that both Patrick and Kita were in the backyard, jumped over the fence, snatched a chicken, and hoped back over the fence.  I jumped over the fence to find it about 10 feet from me eating my chicken totally unaffected by my shouts and claps.  Poor Matidla... poorer still is our now lone white chicken, Milou.  Look for her to get a few new friends in the weeks to come.

Thankful!

The girls in their holiday dresses... I am afraid I forgot to take cute formal pictures of them in the dresses :)

 

We had a pretty incredible Thanksgiving this year.  A gathering of over 50 relatives up at my Aunt and Uncle's new place in Phoenix.  It was amazing, so many family members that even after a 4 hour dinner I still had not had a chance to talk to them all.  The food was, of course, wonderful as was the post-dinner game of Scatergories (with only the die-hard dozen or so of us left).

Friday we mostly just hung around, no crazy black Fridayness this year.  I had grand plans of going for a hike, but the day ended and no hike was achieved :)

Saturday the whole crew headed out for the annual Hot Dog Run with the Tucson Brittish Car Club.  It was the maiden Arizona voyage of our MG-A. 

 

From our house to my folks place (for an oil change and general check-up) to San Xavier del Bac down past Sahaurita, over to the Rincons and back into town to end at a dirt lot an Sonoran hot dogs...  I rode with Patrick in the MG, the girls in the Mini Cooper with my Mom and Dad and Anna went together in the Elise... awesome!

Rolling Queen

 

Izzy has had some good times with rolling things these past two weeks.  Last week (on Vetran's Day) she went to a friend's birthday at a bowling alley and had a ton of fun bowling.  Not only did they have bumpers, but also a ramp to chuck the ball down the lane with.

Then Saturday we went to another birthday party, this time for Evie's friend, and Izzy discovered a true calling: roller skating.  She spent almost the entire two hours out on the rink (with a little old lady walker thing) skating around and around and around and around.  She enjoyed herself so much there is now talk of nixing the ballet next semester and taking up roller skating... Maybe she'll be a Tucson Derby girl someday :P  Evie also got pretty into the whole skating thing... even practicing for most of the afternoon in our driveway.  It isn't immediately apparent in this photo, but Izzy is doing a dramatic splits to go with Evie's roller show...

WWF (Wrestling With Father)

It takes a tough guy to stand up to the fierce attacks of these girls...

For almost 6 years now (aka as soon as Genevieve was old enough to throw down) WWF (wrestling with father) has been a main event around our house.  Noses (well really just Patrick's) have been sprained, bled, and bumped, stomachs stomped and knees knocked.  Perhaps, actually, wrestling isn't the right word for it... it is more like a ritual of Beating Up Daddy.  (BUD instead of WWF)  Regardless not only have the nightly to weekly sessions escalated over time (e.g., first there was one assailant, now there are two and in the early days Patrick could bat away their advances, now he wrestles for survival) but so has the cadre of BUD moves. 

It all began with the Chicken Squawker.  This take down involves putting a head under your "wing" and then flapping (and perhaps cawing).  Then there is the more recent Tortilla, which involves both girls folding Patrick in half, and if they can keep him that way, sitting on him.  One favorite that is falling out of favor as the girls get to big is Bear with a Ball, Don't Let it Fall, whereby Daddy lays on the ground and sets a small child aloft on his feet. Evie of course has a secret weapon in her most fragrant feet, which has led to timeless moves like Da Pits of DaFeet whereby she tries to put her feet in Patrick's face and ends up with them trapped in his armpits and tickled.  And of course if the tickling becomes just too much to take one can always call a timeout by saying No Tickles in the Teacup, which originated lo these many years ago at Disneyland when a very little Evie informed her father it was unacceptable to tickle her while spinning around and around.  Izzy's star move right now is Baby Your a Firework, which involves her jumping up and down on Patrick's stomach while singing... you guessed it... the Katy Perry classic, Baby your a firework.

During an interview for this post Izzy indicated a fondness for flatulence as a weapon, and Patrick noted that there are at least a dozen more named moves out there, but the whole activity is so fluid that like a leaf on a stream they are here for one BUD moment and gone the next....

All Souls

 It has been quite a few years since we have made it to the All Souls Procession.  (Well basically since I started my PhD, because somehow the first weekend in November was always the height of craziness, and late Sunday nights were just not happening)  This year, however, I planned ahead and took the morning after off (thus why I am sitting here typing right now) and even told the girls (mostly Evie) that they could sleep in as late as they wanted if they wanted to go to the whole event. (Evie is still asleep, Izzy, who left early woke up on time, but has since "gone back to sleep"...aka playing in the room).

The extra bonus this year was a face-painting party at my friend's house.  Her sister, who is (clearly) an artist was in town and volunteered to help us all become fabulously anonymous. 

After a few hours of face-painting prep (Patrick wasn't too keen on that part, so he met up with us later) We all walked together to the start of the procession.  Izzy walked for about 1/4 mile before she needed to be carried, but Genevieve made it the whole 1.5 mile route.  I have never actually walked in the procession before, I usually just watch.  Having now actually walked I don't think I will ever just watch again.  Something about being among so many people walking through the streets of Tucson was incredibly powerful and moving.  About 1/2 way down the route (and around 7:30) we decided it was time to get Izzy home, so she and Patrick bowed out.  The rest of us (Evie and my friends) though walked the rest of the way to the site of the finale. 

We watched the finale until Genevieve said she was super tired (around 9:30) and then caught the most crowded streetcar I have ever been on back to my friends house, where we tried, a mostly failed, to get the face paint off of us.  I am going into work today with faint blue dots under my eyes... we'll see if anyone notices :)

Halloween 2015

From left to right - Anna's, my (its supposed to be Jack), Evie's (she carved all herself this year!), and Izzy's (she didn't carve it this year) pumpkins

This year's Halloween was particularly special. Not only was it on a Saturday, but it was also our exchange student Anna's birthday!  Pretty much since the day she arrived we have been regaling her with just how awesome we all thought it was that she was born on Halloween and would get to celebrate her birthday and first ever Halloween all on the same night. We made sure she had a good costume (although that one was touch a go for awhile... and ended in a quick Thursday night run out to Goodwill...a trip that had to be quick because I had exactly 30 minutes until the dinner I was cooking in the stove was ready :) and then took her out to some of the best trick or treating we know of.

Leading up to Halloween we went to Valley of the Moon on Wednesday.  Evie once again noted that she would like to participate in the act... maybe next year this mother/daughter duo really will audition...

Then on Friday it was the IST Halloween festival, which despite some rain was great fun (although I didn't take many pictures...)

Then on Halloween itself we started the day with a "real American breakfast" because Anna has wanted to experience one since she arrived.  She ordered the hungry persons breakfast that included biscuits and gravy, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a pancake.  All but the biscuits and gravy were deemed delicious (which is OK, we discovered Patrick is the only one of us who likes that :) As has been the case for the past three months, having the excuse to go do something different because we have a new family member has led us to have a lot of fun, and in this case discover a new fabulous place for breakfast!

We then stopped at a little craft fair where Anna and I bought pastries from a French bakery (although we didn't eat them for her birthday as planned because we had had enough of the not so fancy sugar by the evening). Evie bought a little present for Anna too, to go with the concert tickets Patrick and I had bought her for her b-day. 

We then carved our fresh from the field pumpkins (Izzy and Anna were not so into the pulling the guts out part where as Evie and I reveled in it....) and got dressed for a night o' trick or treating.  Try as we might we couldn't convince her to join our family's Halloween theme...

 

We went to the 49ers again this year for trick or treating with my Mom and Aunt Lisa.  At the 49ers where we went trick or treating there is always this fabulous house that they turn into a pirate ship, complete with a bar and a bunch of people dressed as pirates.  I asked the lady guarding the entrance if Anna could take a look, because she was an exchange student and (by god) it was her birthday.  She agreed to let her in and then Anna was invited to have her tarot cards read by a lady at the party...  Patrick and I ended up being allowed in too... it was definitely the highlight of the evening. After much candy was collected and teeth chattered (from cold and from little spooks here and there) we packed it in and headed home and discussed how excited we were for the "holiday season"!