10, 9, 8, 7,

We stayed at a hotel that had a very peculiar door message. After collecting snacks and eating them- We rallied together to keep each other awake until the ball dropped.

Happy New Year

Welcome 2015

New Years Eve or The last day to try and make it to the beach.....

Once dad was done working we wanted to try to make it to the beach for 2014. We had made several plans to go throughout the year but things just kept coming to prevent us from making it. So since we were within an hours drive, and even though it was a bit chilly we decided to take Pixie and head to the shore. We were the only ones on the beach. Pixie was so curious about the sea gulls. She wanted to go see them but was sorta scared of their size. Eventually with Lola's help she ran up to them and off they flew. It was a great way to spend some of the last hours of 2014.

Da Vinci Science Center

 What a great hands on museum. We really had a great time learning and exploring at this little museum. The take home science project where you make an Olaf snowman was really cool.

 environment balance

 batteries

 building

 sea creatures

 wind dynamics

Liberty Bell Church

 We visited this really great museum. They had an incredible Christmas puppet show and afterwards there was a little history about the liberty bell museum. During the Revolutionary war the Liberty bell was  hidden under the floorboards of this church.

 We learned about how in the old days your gifts would be attached to the tree and all of the ornaments would have been made by hand. It was really fun little side trip.

Christmas Puzzles

 Following Christmas are days filled with enjoyment of gifts. We love puzzles and so to have several new ones to do made it all the more fun.

Christmas with Family

Christmas Morning Treats

Christmas Cookies

 Martha Stewart's sugar cookie recipe never fails:) 

We had a great time of rolling and punching them out, but I think the best part is the decorating :) 

well, maybe the eating of them:)

Candle Light Service

 We went with to Granny's church for the Candlelight service. How peaceful it is to sing Silent Night.

Sewing for gifts

Lola has been making little gifts for her dolls. One item she has really worked on was this little doll's blanket that she embroidered. It turned out really sweet. She also realized how much work goes into making gifts. She had planned to make one for each of her dolls but the time ran out before Christmas. Next year I bet she starts on her gift making a little earlier.

MIM

The Musical Instruments Museum in Phoenix was absolutely the most well done museum we have visited. We liked seeing all the different kinds of instruments and the costumes of each country. We really enjoyed how the headsets you wore around the exhibits would change as you passed the different countries. Lola especially liked the hands on exhibit on the lower level. We both liked trying the harp and the gong. The gift shop was very well stocked, too. We picked up a recorder.

Zoo and Hole in the Rock

 We were very excited to visit a new zoo. It was a little chilly but nice out. The kids took a class where they made an enrichment snack to feed to the Oryx. It was fun to hear the lions roaring. After the zoo we headed next door to the Hole in the Rock for a short little hike up to see it. There were nice views of the area.

Javalina

In the wild area behind my friends house there are these animals called Javelinas- they were pretty cool and funny. Read more about them:)JAVELINA

Desert Botanical Gardens

 Butterflies and hummingbirds in December! What a treat. We went with our friends to the Desert Botanical Gardens. They did an excellent job of showing the variety of beauty of the desert. We saw many creatures too. The kids really liked the hands on 'what life used to be like in the desert' part. It was a beautiful day to stroll through the gardens.

Beauty of the Desert

Visiting our friends in the Desert was a nice way to warm up in the middle of December. We went on a hike after our flight and enjoyed seeing some new plants. It was the first time we had seen the Saguaro Cactus up close. 

Saguaro Cactus

"Christmas" Cactus