Christmas Day 2014 - Whitney Mesa Park

We took our new scooters and bike for a test spin at Whitney Mesa Park. It was bitterly cold so we didn't stay long at all.

The kids spent a few freezing minutes at the playground.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Day 2014 - opening presents

Merry Christmas! Ours was a very Merry Christmas and I hope yours was as well.

As always, watching the kids open their presents was highly entertaining. They were very happy with everything they got.

The kids also thought it was highly entertaining to watch the parents open their gifts.


Marie-Anne

Hide and Seek Olaf

I saw a Hide and Hug Olaf set at the bookstore and thought it was cute, but not $30 worth of cuteness. Yesterday, I found a beanie baby Olaf at CVS that was the perfect size to play hide and seek with. Olaf has been found in some pretty funny places ever since. Both kids have had a lot of fun with this and I think they will continue to for many years to come.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Stockings

Frank was thrilled with his 13 pairs of socks.

Alex was very happy with his toys especially the small Lego sets.

Sabrina is thrilled with her crayons among other things.

I like my box of chocolates so much I almost ate the box.

Marie-Anne

Candyland Update

After Sabrina's brand new Candyland board ripped in two I searched many stores trying to find a better version. I couldn't find one. I ended up buying a used one (1984 version) on ebay. It arrived yesterday in good shape, but missing the picture cards; no problem, I just printed pictures onto cardstock.

Sabrina and I played Candyland at least ten times yesterday, (no exaggeration).  She also had me read the storyline three times. She LOVES this game which is why I went through so much trouble to get her a better copy.

She already has it set up for us to play today and she is acting out a story with the gingerbread men.

Marie-Anne

Joe's Crab Shack

We took some of the Christmas money we received and went out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. It was fun and Yummy!

First, the kids got to play on the playground.

While waiting for our food we colored and played the games on the kids' menus.

Finally we got the food!! We had a great time.

Marie-Anne

Lego Night

Of course, Alex is still loving Lego Night.

This was Sabrina's first time to go to Lego Night. She said she was nervous at first, but she ended up having a good time.

Marie-Anne

Fire Station Tour

Frank and the kids dropped off some toy donations at the fire station. The fire fighters offer them a tour.

Marie-Anne  

Coloring

One night after church we found some packages left for the kids. A good friend of mine dropped by while we were gone and left a coloring book for Sabrina and a poster to color for Alex.

Both kids were very excited about their surprise. Thanks, Amy!

Marie-Anne

Outreach- Caroling at WalMart

We met the choir from Pastor Jones' church at WalMart. We sang many Christmas songs and passed out many invitations to church. It was a lot of fun.

Marie-Anne

Union Pacific Railroad Trail

The kids and I enjoyed a brisk hike on the Union Pacific Railroad Trail near Frank's work.

Marie-Anne

New dress

Sabrina is very excited about her new overall dress.

Marie-Anne

Games

After the caroling the boys played Axis and Allies miniatures. I'd say they are enjoying their new game very much.

Sabrina and I played a round of Zingo and then many games of Connect Four. She's getting good at that game.

When the boys want to play more advanced games I typically let Sabrina pick out what she wants to play. That way everybody gets attention and both kids get to play at their level.

Marie-Anne

Outreach- Caroling at Ethel M

Sabrina, Ms. Sharon, and I walked the trails before the choir got there. It was Ms. Sharon's first time to see the lights at Ethel M.

The choir from Pastor Jones' church agreed to come to our area twice to sing. Ethel M was nice enough to give us permission to meet there. Those of us not singing stood nearby and passed out fliers for church. There wasn't as many people there as last time we went, but we still got to pass out a bunch of fliers.

This entire desert scene, including the rocks are chocolate!

Marie-Anne

Game Night

I know it looks like they are plotting to take over the world, but actually they were playing Axis and Allies Miniatures.

Tonight we played Sorry. We got Sorry for Christmas last year, and truthfully I am not sure if we have played it or not. It is a bit longer than most games we play so it seemed like, "This is the game that never ends it goes on and on, my friend, some people started playing it not knowing what it was and they'll continue playing it forever just because this is the game that never ends..."

Yep, Sabrina is officially old enough to play longer games.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Tree

The kids had a blast putting up the Christmas tree.

 

 

Marie-Anne

Mr. Cow- Update

Mr. Cow is an avid bird watcher. He even sings to them asking them to jump into his mouth- no takers yet.

Marie-Anne

Game Night- Candyland

Since Sabrina liked Candyland so much when we played it on Thanksgiving, I bought her her very own game. I lost track of how many times she and I played yesterday while the boys were busy. We also played once as a family.

I am not sure when Candyland became a girls' game, but Alex pointed out that all the player pieces were girls and asked if he could use a minifig instead. The version I played as a kid had primary colored gingerbread men. It also had cards instead of a spinner, but I do not mind that change. I actually looked it up and am very glad they got rid of the 2010 and the 2013 game boards, in which several characters were way too sexy for a little kid game. This version is a nice one, (my second favorite) but my favorite would be the 80's version I played as a kid- nostalgia.

Update:
Sigh, last year I posted about the cheaply made games that are on sale this time of year. Well, this version of Candyland is another example of that; I bought it for less than $5 yesterday and already the game board is in two pieces. Hasbro ought to be ashamed of themselves!

Even though it's only five bucks I will be returning it to the store on principle. I just read reviews of last year's version and many people had problems, but didn't return it because it was only five bucks. If you have the same problem we had then Hasbro ripped you off and will continue ripping people off unless customers demand their money back.

Marie-Anne

Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

Today we took advantage of Frank's working from home to go to the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. We have only been there once a long time ago.

The kids and I enjoyed the classroom. There is a variety of hands on activities and stuffed birds to look at. One lady talked to the kids about why birds preen. We were able to borrow two pairs of binoculars.

The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve is a very pretty place, but there is virtually no shade so it would be best to visit in the cooler months. We saw lots and lots of birds including; Gambel's Quail, Greater Roadrunner, American Coot, Canadian Geese, lots and lots of ducks, and many other birds I didn't recognize. Almost everyone we passed had some serious equipment for birding.

We had a good time walking the trails, seeing the birds, being out in nature, and discussing what we saw.

Marie-Anne