Family Fun

Today we said goodbye to our beautiful Arizona, but not without more precious memories made. I tried to explain to the girls that there will probably (hopefully) never be another year like 2020. A year where we fortunate to spend over 2 months in our favorite place with the people we love the most.

We spent at least 6 days and countless hours at the pool this trip...what a blessing of warm weather! We hiked Sabino, played tennis, enjoyed gelato and more. Lots of games were played, mostly Yahtzee. Gigi was the Yahtzee champion. But Leah also learned to play Euchre. She’s hooked!!! There was scrabble and monopoly too.

We ended up having a little birthday celebration for Papa a few days early. Gigi got Tamales and a delicious Lemon Bundt cake. The girls enjoyed singing to Papa. 

I’ll miss my nightly walks with Mitch on the course. We certainly got our steps in but mostly we enjoyed each other’s company and the great outdoors. Arizona we’re already counting down until the next time.

 

Christmas Day

 Laura and Jeff were gracious enough to host us all for Christmas Day. Laura and so had gone shopping at Costco a few days before. We scored a beautiful prime rib, ham and all the fixings. We certainly had plenty of food...including an apple pie and red velvet cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. 

I don’t often use the word spoiled to describe myself but I’m so incredibly blessed by Mitch. He cooked a wonderful egg casserole for breakfast. We headed over to Jeff and Laura’s around noon and then he cooked the entire Christmas dinner. The prime rib was excellent!!! 

The girls enjoyed opening presents and playing with all the new toys. It was just a relaxing day, being together, and enjoying the company. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

 The girls didn’t know it but Gigi and Papa were set to arrive on Christmas Eve. Originally they didn’t think they would get to Tucson until the 27th or 28th but they were ahead of schedule moving Papa’s office so they made it to Tucson just in time.

Mitch and the girls got busy making the famous Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip cookies...Mitch actually blended oats. And we ordered tamales for Christmas dinner...just to get a message from Grubhub at 6pm saying our order was cancelled.

Good thing we had a back up plan! Mitch made tacos, burritos and rice and beans. Gigi and Papa arrived just in time for dinner. That night we watched Home Alone together. Papa laughs so hard when Kevin launches his attack on the wet bandits. I think they enjoy watching Papa more than the movie! It’s shaping up to be a lovely Christmas! 

Hiking Sabino

 Christmas Eve in Tucson was a little overcast and low 60’s, so we decided to take a break from three days in a row at the pool and hit the trails! I’ve been to Sabino Canyon a few times but this was a first for the girls. Mitch and I decided that Seven Falls would probably be a bit much of a hike so we opted for Sabino Dam West and did the Phoneline trail! We got elevated for sure. At one point looking down below, the people looked like ants. It felt good for us to be outside and together doing something we all love. Plus it was some good exercise in preparation for Christmas cookies! Afterwards we headed home to prepare for the big guys arrival...I mean Papa Jerry, not Santa!!!

Star of Bethlehem

 Of course in 2020 the “Christmas star” would be visible for the first time in hundreds of years!!! What astronomers believe may have been the Christmas star on the night of Jesus birth was actually an alignment of Jupiter and Saturn resulting in a bright light in the sky. 

Mitch and I observed it getting closer and closer a few night in a row on our walks, but on the evening of the 21st it was very visible in the Tucson sky. The girls were excited to watch from Gigi and Papa’s driveway. It was very touching and quite a sight to see. So glad we were in Tucson with clear skies for this wonderful opportunity.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

 To Grandmothers house we go! Literally, we went over the river and through the woods, on our 24 drive back to Tucson. With nearly two weeks off for Christmas break we decided not to just sit in dreadfully cold Illinois. We decided we could all use some sun and some time in the great outdoors. The temps are looking perfect and it feels really good to be back. 

Right away the girls were begging for the pool! Mitch and I started up our nightly walks on the course. I have a feeling this break is going to go too fast for our liking!