Arizona - Fun in the Sun

We got a break from the cold over the holidays and visited my sister in Gilbert, AZ...and for those of you who don't already know, that's where we'll be moving in a few months. Just in time for summer!! 

While we were in Arizona, the temperature was in the low 70's, but when we came back to Omaha it was in the teens with a wind chill in the "negative a whole bunch range." Ouch! It's the kind of cold that has your children begging for mercy when you open the car door to get them out.

 Pictures of us in front of the Gilbert Temple. The open house is in about a week and I wish we could be there. Lizard was able to go through the Sacramento Temple before it was dedicated, but she doesn't remember the experience.

 Little Bird is a little more cautious and wouldn't have anything to do with the trampoline at first. It took her Uncle Tyler to coax her into trying. Thanks Tyler! After that it was hard to get her off. She loved it.

They have an aquarium inside of a mall that was fun. Just the right size for little kids, and there's a playground at the end.

My dad and me. :)

Cute boy.

Look, The Chief is out of the stroller. He still isn't walking so he doesn't get out as much as he would like because our arms get tired of holding him.

We went to Arizona in March of last year and at that time Little Bird wasn't too sure about Clara. This time they spent almost all their time playing together. It was so cute to watch.

Clara is acting scared that she is getting eaten and Little Bird is wondering why I am making her stand there. 

A tight squeeze.

 

Noboby caught anything on this fishing trip, but it was so nice to be out enjoying the nice weather that nobody seemed to mind.

 

 

Fun pile of leaves!

The Chief is really into diapers. He likes throwing them away, sorting them, moving them from one place to another, etc. At one point he started throwing used diapers in the toilet, but once the toilet lid was shut he moved on to throwing diapers in the bathtub. Such a big helper!!

Christmas Sunday

I found some fabric at Hancock's and knew I had to get it. I've been trying not to buy fabric without a specific purpose (which means I have to avoid fabric stores altogether unless I have a project in mind), but I made an exception for this fabric. It ended up becoming a skirt for Little Bird. Lizard didn't want a matching one so I have some fabric left over for a future Christmas project.

I thought it turned out pretty cute. There is elastic in the back of the waistband, but it is flat in the front, and I found a spool of pleated ribbon that I thought really completed the hem. 

 Okay, I wanted a really nice picture of the kids dressed up on Christmas Sunday...even though they aren't coordinating at all...what kind of mother am I?!! I digress, so I wanted a nice picture, but hubby had to go to church early for meetings and it was just me and well, you see the results. The background isn't anything to get excited about and The Chief was a little less than enthusiastic. Lizard did her best to keep the photo shoot going and I went with it. I'm all about the "natural shot," you know, capturing children as they really are.

The Durham Museum - Union Station

After twenty months and $3.5 million, on January 15, 1931, the 124,000 square-foot building was complete. Union Station is reputed to have been the first art deco railroad terminal in the United States and to this day is considered one of the finest examples of that architectural style in the country.

Hubby and I both love art deco and we were really excited to visit the Durham Museum which is housed in the old Union Station. The architecture was spectacular and the exhibits were entertaining and educational. 

My camera can't even begin to capture how beautiful everything is, I wish you could see it in person.

 There was a map of Omaha on the floor and I'm standing on our street. Little Bird got to carry a lantern around while touring an old passenger train.

Lizard strikes a pose in front of a replica mercantile.

Hi daddy!

They had a traveling exhibit called "The Science of Fear" that the kids liked and I thought was interesting. Lizard was trying out the booth called the "Fear of Falling."

They even had Santa and you could sit on his lap and take a picture for free. Very cool!

Lizard ended up agreeing to sit by Santa, but not sure how happy she is about it. She loves the real Santa though.

Some photos of the outside of the building.

Gingerbread Houses at The Mormon Trail Center

An annual event at the Mormon Trail center is the Gingerbread Display. Ward members, girl scout troops, boy scouts, etc. were invited to share their talents and have their creations put on display. There was also a stage in the background with children singing Christmas songs and a cute gingerbread house for children to play in.

It appears that the Tail Centers definition of "Gingerbread House" is very broad, and includes anything made out of edible materials, but there were definitely some amazing creations. I took pictures of some of the best, but there were even more.

One woman made all of the gingerbread houses on this table. 

I collect Pez containers but hate the candy. I think this is the best use of Pez candies that I've ever seen.

This is the last one... I think she must start in January and work all year long.

This castle is the collaborative effort of Relief Society in one of the local wards. 

This is the left side of a Western Town made of gingerbread. I like Santa in the outhouse.

There was so much attention to detail in this display. The "glass" paned windows, snowman in the stagecoach, tables, cactus, etc. I was really impressive.

 This display is pretty cute too. She had a lot of fun running around and playing in the house.

They must have know I was coming and made this photo prop for me. I can never get enough of these. Hubby got the kids in the car for me while I was handing out some of the cream pie I made (or else I would have eaten it all) and he forgot to get coats for the kids. The Chief isn't even wearing any socks. Luckily, that night was pretty warm (keep in mind that warm is a relative term), but we haven't been above freezing for quite a few days...teens and single digits. Brrrrrrrrr.