cactus blossoms

One of the big draws to the Desert Museum this time of year are all the blossoms. We loved saying hello to the otter and prairie dogs. We are definitely making the most of our membership and will be back!

good list

Shrinky Dinks! Keaton made some keychains to thank his awesome theater directors complete with sheep drawings ;)  I was commissioned to make him a red panda that became a tiny guy.

At the homeschool meetup they have a "free table" and this particular day all the kids thought they'd hit the jackpot.  Huge tracks of Zhu Zhu pet warrior tracks were constructed... some of it even headed home with us.

This treat shop on University Ave had chocolate covered marshmallows. Keaton who hardly gets messy like that when eating had no idea he got a gob on his nose.

titan

Another spot we'd never visited in our time in Tucson was this site connected to the Air and Space museum membership. It turns out to be right around the corner from Nana and Grampa's house, so we met up to check it out. You'd never know that there is a giant missile buried in the ground right there! We visited the underground control center and saw the missile from the side and the top. Aiden was able to help move the 6,000 pound door and they put me in charge of turning the key to fire off the launch sequence - eek! Keaton helped and sat in my lap, and when the launch sequence had sound effects we didn't expect we each showed off how jumpy we are ;) It was fun to earn a key for those Captain responsibilities. Our tour guide was actually a member of the crew when the site was still active, so he was really informative and enthusiastic.  Then the best part was heading back to Nana and Grampa's for hand tossed pizza and ice cream bar! Thanks Grampa Guido and Nana!

skating

This gem is a true old school roller rink complete with updated timeline of rockstars on their murals! Skateland was hopping and a great spot for these buddies to meet up. All the boys even won free drinks from the "corner game" (rolling dice for each corner a la musical chairs).

crystal cirque

This was close to our favorite Cirque show we've seen. It might have been our beyond excellent seats in the very front row on top of the ice. It was amazing to see the skaters expressions right up close.  The skating was absolutely amazing over ramps and aerials. The show itself was really unique because it actually has a main character and a storyline along with tons of Sia pop-like songs.

good list

We did officially fit in a visit with the Easter bunny at the mall (sans a picture in his lap because we were dressed as mall rats). The boys told him that they wanted their favorite candy - starbursts and reese cups and a bunch of random pokemon type goodies.  They then went to pick out some Pokemon goodies at GameStop before the Easter bunny had a chance to deliver them ;)

We picked up a Boston Creme Pie (which we all declare is our favorite, although maybe technically cake?!) to celebrate Pi Day!

Climbing to the top of everything at the playground is Aiden's favorite!

Playing catch among the cactus in the front yard - only a few cactus stickers inside our foam balls ;)

leprechauns

We won't blame the leprechaun for bringing me (mom!) a case of strep throat (after three cases for Aiden I thought I was in the clear!), but I was feeling a little bit better when we woke up on St. Patrick's Day. Turns out the leprechaun didn't cause any funny business (like green toilets or milk!) but left treats! A lanyard full of green Disney pins ;)  Then we went for a fun open air activity at the grand opening of the Loop path with rock painting and kettle corn.

air and space

Had fun meeting up with Nana and Gramps at the Pima Air and Space! There's always something more to see there in that huge collection.

miniatures

Went back for the Miniatures Museum Tiny Things kids workshop and to see the pencil tips again. They had supplies to make these adorable houses with balloons like Carl's house in Pixar's Up movie.  I also plugged into their audio tour this time to hear more about the collections. Love that place!

zoo

Huge zoo fans over here practically beg to go to the zoo to hang out!  This time we rode the carousel (does it get any better than an otter and a red panda next to each other?!), the peacocks were especially happy to see everyone and we said good bye to the red pandas that are on tour.

book fest

For years, I've seen photos of my Tucson friends visiting the huge Festival of Books. This year we had a chance to visit and it was huge! We walked over to the mall covered in tents full of fun with a whole kids area and Science City. The music tent was a hit. We joined in a talk by a graphic novelist who showed us how he draws and even let the audience draw along with him.  The boys were excited to pick up his book too! A big highlight was randomly running into my old boss while we ate lunch... she lives in Phoenix now so it was a big surprise to see her and her family!

boy who cried video

The songs and snippets of the show:
B o y W h o C r i e d W o l f from Bren on Vimeo.

tad the dad

Keaton thoroughly enjoyed his acting class at the Live Theater Workshop here in Tucson. We are so lucky to have found this home to build confidence and skills. As always there is more to come, including video, but for now - The many faces of Tad, the Dad from the Boy Who Cried Wolf (all these photos were taken by Aiden!):

kc almost seven

I happened to notice an old interview with Aiden at exactly Keaton's age, and had repeat it. I would not let the fact that this app no longer exists deter me, and recreated in with screen shots of the questions and my own video ;)
Keaton at almost seven from Bren on Vimeo.
Here is the version from Aiden:
https://ababybrennan.blogspot.com/2014/10/one-day.html

2nd month secs

Our second month in Tucson:

Month 2 in Tucson from Bren on Vimeo.

palm springs

So glad we got to sneak in a visit to Palm Springs to say hi to these smiley guys!  Playing in the legendary toy pit was a highlight for Keaton especially ;) He loves his little buddy Augie! The Bonk crown from our college days just lost its luster after all those years and we got to get one last King Bonk shot ;)

rainforest

The boys hadn't heard of the Rainforest Cafe, so we snuck in for breakfast when it isn't crowded at all. Such a cool place with rain storms and fish tanks. All the animatronics were neat, and we even brought home our own Fingerlings.

mickey

Mickey's house and the whole land surrounding it is amazing. The Chip and Dale roller coaster and tree house seemed like you stepped into a cartoon. The Roger Rabbit area and ride and all really well done.  It was fun to visit Mickey at his house.

treehouse

I have memories of Disney around Aiden's age and visiting the big Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, so I insisted we take a look around Tarzan's treehouse. It sure is full of memorable bits.  We also enjoyed the submarine ride with some Nemo in the mix.

jedi training

These guys were totally sold on the Jedi training! They donned the robes twice actually because the first round they signed up for was cancelled because of a misty rain... thank goodness they gave us another chance, because it was a definite highlight!

star wars

A major highlight was the end of the evening visit to the Build Your Own Lightsaber shop! These guys were so pumped to take home their own special edition.

We visited the big Star Wars area and all the characters that were fully in character. Kylo Ren threw a fit and confused me because I couldn't understand what he was saying... and it turns out he doesn't like nervous laughter ;) I turned to set down my bag, and he stepped right in my path so I would smash right into all seven feet of him.  The boys thought it was hilarious!

disneyland

There is a certain charm to the original Disneyland castle and the It's a Small World ride.  We probably spent the most time in Tomorrowland thanks to Buzz and Star Wars.

tomorrowland

Aiden said his favorite was Star Tours and we went on it a couple times. We bought the magic ponchos that convince the misty rain to go away and bring out the sunshine ;) It was mostly clear, but I am glad we got our poncho picture ;)  The submarine Nemo ride and Matterhorn were fun.

imagination

We really enjoyed the Midway Mania ride, the Monsters Inc ride, and the cool animation area with Beauty and the Beast's library.

characters

Fun Zootopia characters and old school Mickey!

radiator springs

The whole Radiator Springs set up was my favorite part.  You really felt like you were in the movies with Lightning and Mater just cruising down the street to their character greeting spots. The Racers ride was amazing! It combined cool scenery with a fast rush, and the boys were pumped our car won the race.

adventure

So many sights to see and they are opening even more with the Pixar Pier under construction!  Somehow we will need to come back when that and the Star Wars land are built...  Grooved with Groot, offered that funny bear a churro, and found a Fairfax Market in CA?!

bug's life

The giant world created in the Bug's Life area is really neat. The boys didn't want to ride the water raft ride, but loved this big bear that greeted us right by our hotel entrance to the park. We went in during the early entry magic hour when we could when the park is nearly empty and we can get all the fast pass action and get on the first rides. We were mostly lucky with mild weather and a little bit of rain threatening to keep it from getting crowded.

breakfast

We were so spoiled by this fun breakfast to kick off our day at CA Adventures. These characters were so fun and gave the boys big pins to add to their lanyards.  Our pin trading game was strong and we were excited each time we ran into new sets of pins to trade. In our hotel there was was a whole gang of cast members trading on our first afternoon there, and that was a real treat.

brennans

Downtown Disney was hopping and we found Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.  We couldn't pass up the New Orleans food and beignets.

lego

In between dance parties in the street, the boys were so thrilled to find a giant lego store in Downtown Disney.

californian

Loved staying right next to the parks at the arts and crafts style Grand Californian. It was cozy and grand at the same time.

pool

Kicked off our visit at Disney with a dip in the heated pools!  It was chilly but that didn't keep these boys from running up to the water slide over and over again. 

flora and karchner

Here are some pictures from our many trips around the desert lately...so many cactus! We had a chance to visit Karchner Caverns which doesn't allow any photography and makes you lock up your phones, so I don't have any photos... which a bit disconcerting for such a cool memory. We had reservations for the Big Room.  It has so many unique and well preserved formations.  The boys liked the tram up the hill. It was unusual to be in such a warm cave.

tumacacori

Our national park passes have motivated us to visit new spots we haven't been to before. Tumacacori is right down the road from Tubac. The boys were diligent with their Junior Ranger guide and found all the spots to answer the questions. They earned another badge - check!

tubac

It was a nice day to wander around checking out Tubac and the Presidio. So many familiar spots mixed in with new galleries.

san xavier

The San Xavier Mission is a nice spot down south of town. We hiked up the hill a bit and checked out the views and earned our fry bread snack. The artisans spot had flutes to add to the boy's collections. The dogs wandering around were so sweet the boys wanted to take one home.