catalina

We went up to the Catalina State Park to visit my mom's childhood friend who was cruising through town. Karen's adorable dog Sweetpea stole our hearts (honestly this is probably the dog the boys have loved more than any other dog).  They were so excited to walk him through the paths and enjoyed it so much - despite all the wind! - which is why Aiden is wearing my coat ;)  The path led up the hill to some ruins from Spanish settlers in the 1700 and 1800.

artisans

The historic downtown block surrounding the art museum is a gem. There was a spring artisan market going on and we enjoyed looking around (and bringing home some cute zip pouches and a wooden spoon with a wood burned feather).  We found our way to El Charro nearby beating the lunch crowd and then headed back to the museum for dessert. The chocolate bomb is exactly what you'd expect - so rich!

mummenshanz

Taking advantage of being close to Centennial Hall on campus, we had a chance to see the very unique Mummenschanz show. It's hard to describe but it's mostly a mime show with unique props and a few sound effects. The boys loved this sequin drawing on the front of the program.

zoo

These zoo members wanted to visit all the favorite spots at Reid Park along with the special science tables. The big cats, including that tiger and jaquar were out in clear view.

sci fest

The zoo was hosting a Science Fest.  Some highlights included making bouquets for the elephants, learning about worm compost, optics, heat cameras, and laser radios.  The most fun for Keaton was the carbonated watermelon - it did actually make the juices fizzy!

grands

It's been fun to have visits with grandparents here in Arizona! Thanks to Nana and Grampa for having us all over for a fun BBQ!  Love getting out for weekday treats at Prep and Pastry with G&P visiting from snowy OH.

tidbits

Meeting up with old friends for brunch and visits to the gem show... catching up and picking up right where we left off!

Happening to find a program at the library about tidal water creatures and sandy slime making!

The Art of Drawing at the Disney story where the boys made some fun BB8 drawings.

good list

The screens in our travel van have really delivered - even the simple games get a lot of attention.

G&P gave the boys that fun voice activated BB8 robot. He wobbles around on our big tiles ;)

I've been bitten by the miniatures bug and I'm making a tiny town in a box theater tin. Even before we went to the museum, some instagram ad tried to sell me this kit.  It's full of tiny pieces to make a Happy Corner for some cute bunnies. I've just begun on all the pieces and parts and even successfully wired it for the tiny street lamps and back lighting.

Aiden was so spoiled in Tempe when we went up for the show.  We ordered in to the room on a rainy day, and the cookie we added arrived and was more of a heart shaped cookie cake!  

miniatures

The Tiny Time Machine of Miniatures is a really unique museum.  The boys kept saying come look at this... I look forward to going back because you could really examine all the details that go into these miniatures and collections. They call it a time machine because they have different historic periods represented by really unique vignettes. The tiny door at the entrance is for the tiny fairy that travels around the museum surprising you with tiny doors and hidden view spots in that giant tree.

pencils

This special exhibit at the museum features the most amazing, teeny tiny carvings on the top of pencils. They had a kid art station with a chance to use clay to make your own designs on top of their tiny pencil. Keaton was excited to make the Hamilton logo to show off to his brother. 

month in 60 seconds

month in 60 secs from Bren on Vimeo.

hamilton

Getting tickets to Hamilton when I heard it was going to be in Arizona just up the road from where we were became a quest while we were still in Virginia.  We were waitlisted, and then waitlisted again, and then one day the crazy ticketmaster system sent me a text saying that I could click to get tickets right that minute! I was waiting with Aiden for the late orthodontist and thank goodness she was running late because I clicked through more than 60 times before I found tickets! We were in the first row of the balcony in a packed theater. Aiden was so pumped! The giddiness was heightened by bats (yes, real ones!) flying around the theater - ha! The ASU Gammage theater is a Frank Lloyd Wright design and it was fun to see such a unique design. Aiden clapped and cheered more than I've ever seen him! The show itself is as amazing as everyone says it is, and I loved seeing the music we listen to come to life on stage... It makes listening to it even better now!

tempe

We stayed right across the theater and the same hotel were the cast stays. The Graduate has such unique designs all over the place - it makes it part of the fun!  We also ate breakfast (pretty sure with some of the ensemble cast members) at the same spot.  Aiden was so excited by the bacon flight - sample allll the bacon!  

valentine coop

The homeschool group meet up this week included valentines and treats. The highlight was the quad bike rides.  Aiden joked that even valentines from "40 of your closest strangers" are cheerful ;)

sci fest

The Children's Museum was hosting the Science Festival complete with Star Wars characters and plenty of experiment stations.  Aiden wasn't feeling well - ended up with strep :(- but Keaton and I joined our friends. Keaton and Felix go together like peas and carrots.

early birds

The whole crew had an early bird reservation at the Culinary Dropout restaurant with nice big tables and plenty of fun games - and a photo booth!

sabino canyon

We took the fun tram up Sabino Canyon to check out the views!

reid zoo

Loved a chance to visit the visiting red pandas and favorite elephants at the zoo here in town while our friends were visiting from Palm Springs, my best from college and his adorable Augie.  The meerkats loved to be chased back and forth.

king cake

Happy Mardi Gras! When my friends were in town, we celebrated early with a king cake that was delicious - who doesn't love a giant cinnamon bun with a tiny baby toy hiding in it?! Keaton had the baby in his slice and he was very, very excited!

That merry go round with a climbing structure on it is a big hit (and moves pretty slow so it stays safe).

funny foot

The boys love petting zoos and it seems like Tucson is just full of opportunities to interact with friendly animals. This farm (named Funny Foot) upped the ante with capybaras and their rodent relatives, tortoises, and even porcupines to pet and feed.

tidbits

Meeting up with our buddies has been a highlight for everyone. Fun triple jump roping! We saw the Rap-punzel show which was a fun hiphop inspired version of the fairy tale ;) The boys made some new friends at the homeschool group meet up the other day, and boy were they tired after running around for nearly 4 hours!

tidbits

This guy lost his fourth tooth and it was the other front tooth for optimum cute smiles with another one missing right out front.  

We went to the Venomous Reptile workshop at the library and did not expect to be greeted by rattle snakes actually rattling, and then opportunities to pet gila monsters and even a rattle snake tail (the head was held in a pipe).  

Keaton helped pick some oranges with our neighbor and then declared that he was pretty tired of eating oranges. 

The taxidermy tent at the gem show was really something - eek!

tombstone

Meeting the grandparents at Tombstone for some lasso lessons, shoot outs, and wagon rides ;) 

good list

So much good stuff when you get to know a new environment... It feels settled and like we are on vacation and I'm not sure that will fade before it's time to go home.

There's something about a new fresh set of art supplies, but especially a set of pens and art pencils. 

Making kazoos to talk about how sound works ;)

Modeling clay is an upgrade from play dough.

This birdie pin was limited edition from Australia and I couldn't resist...

These boys made these watercolor cactus scenes after we talked about texture and shadows as an art lesson - Love them!

Playing around at the mall and even those daddy long legs still fit in the helicopter ;)

That marionette horse from the circus is so much fun.

The Charley Harper Desert print hanging in this house inspired me to buy these Land of Nod porcupine cactus pillows to jazz up the couches!

Soy sauce smiley faces in every rice bowl ;) 

tidbits

The boys were excited to keep up with their swimming fun from all the hotel pools, but sadly our pool here is freezing! It must be cold because these guys are pretty comfortable in cold May pools in Virginia. So, our swim suits will be waiting for a while...

Cooking and measuring to to make pudding pops!

The best part of this homeschooling business is seeing these guys get along so well. Seriously, the best brother bonding time in Arizona!

Working outside on the patio and eating dinner el fresco!  Woot!

Reuniting with our favorite pizzookie at Oreganos and finding a new favorite ice cream at Screamery...

Visiting dad for lunch on campus with a farmer's market and a hopping campus as classes resume...

dragon breath

This crazy snack at the mall was a fruity giant cereal corn ball frozen by liquid nitrogen called Dragon Breath Nitro. The guy who sold it turned it into a science experiment for the boys explaining how he was cooling the cereal buy pouring the liquid nitrogen over it.  As he poured there were even little droplets dancing from the smoke. It was such a funny thing to see smoke that really did make you look like a dragon!

circus

Thanks to friends in Tucson, we learned that the circus was in town the first weekend we were here.  So we headed to this fun family circus with our ring side seats. Continuing the tradition, J was picked out by the clowns to play along... he even held one of them in his arms - hah!

road trip in 60 secs

Here's a highlight reel of the road trip in 60 seconds - and woah, did it fly by! Already plotting our next trips ;)

Road Trip in 60 seconds from Bren on Vimeo.

gila cliff dwellings

The drive up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings is not for the faint of heart.  We were determined and that 40 miles of ascending and descending switchbacks took almost two hours through a changing landscape and even some snowy evergreens. The easy one mile roundtrip trail up to the cliff was easy in comparison.

pictographs

There were seven dwelling spots to view and climb past.  The best part of this park is how they let you in the caves and tunnel areas to see everything up close. The boys spotted the pictographs on the side of the canyon pretty quickly (we learned that they have pigment painting all over this area but not many carvings despite the soft rock).  The light, wind, and views from the caves gave you a really good idea of what it would be like to live there.

white sands

Checked into our hotel in Las Cruces and then took off across the missile fields on our way to White Sands National Monument. Stopped at the visitor's center to pick up some pins and another stamp in our National Park Passport and surprisingly, sleds and wax. The ranger said to just head to the end of the drive where the asphalt turns to packed down sand.  We parked and trekked across the beautiful dunes to find a perfect hill with just enough incline and range. There were a few unnerving and spooky rocket noises that made it even more surreal. The boys traded off the go pro on a headband as they swooped down the dunes on their well waxed sleds.  There were so many ridges that we almost got lost trying to head back to our car ;)

big bend

We finally converted Aiden's paper pass into a real National Park badge (4th graders and their families get in free for a year).  The ranger wanted to talk to Aiden directly about his visit and tell him about what he might enjoy in the park that day.