Proactive Procrastination: Part Deaux- Phoenix Day 3-6 - the end.

Well you get a double post today, because I need to start the new year out on a better, or better intention, good foot. So the remainder of our trip to Phoenix in early November is below, and then I think we are all caught up for the year. HELLLLOOOOO 2016 and Happy New Year to you all.

Ok- so post wedding we headed up to Jess' new place just north (like JUST, literally the boarder) of Scottsdale. What a wonderful time we had with the Schaefer clan.  It was so great, first off, to get to meet Sammy, and I think the feeling was mutual with Jess meeting Lucas. It had been three years since we had seen each other last, and had not got to meet each other's littlest of littles...although, come March Sammy will no longer be the "baby" of the family, as she is due with a yet-to-be-named girl. I think Kristin is a great name don't you? Especially if she decides to come on my March birthday ;).

They live on some acreage and can I say it was the best feeling to be able to just let the kids roam the property, without fretting about where they were. The property was fenced in and the kids had the run of the place, literally. Bash and Sam are with in days or weeks (Bash 2 days younger than Elijah and Sam 6 weeks younger than Lucas) than our boys. Elijah, however was enamored with older brother Jonah, who seemed to be in to the same things as Elijah, namely star wars....need I say more?  Sienna, the oldest of the troop was a real sweetheart, played well with all the kids and best of all, let us stay in her lovely room.

The kids got to go on a bobcat ride. Bobcat as in the vehicle (see above)....lol, only in the country! I just loved it!

A boy and his horse...

Jess and I also took them out on  few field trips. One to the train park and museum, which of course, four little boys had a BLAST at, and the other was to a local ranch with horseback rides (Elijah would not partake in the risky horse back ride). The kids had a blast, and so did we catching up with Jess and Kevin and all the kids.  Now, we have to go back sometime next year to make sure we are not waiting 3 years to see each other OR the new baby!

Playing in the beds. sooo cute.

The four littelest boys at the train park - not easy trying to get them all to smile at the same time.

i tried to find the picture from the last time these two met, which was three years ago and they were so tiny, but alas, I failed.

Ninja Turtles

on the miniture train ride, there is jess in the back

Carousel ride

Sammy (he and lucas looked like they could be twins with their toe heads)

Bash and mommy (not so sure of the horse, he's a lot like Elijah that way)

Video of Luke's carousel ride

two bubs in a tub, Sammy and Lucas

floating boys

i had to take aaron to the airport and Elijah didn't want to go to bed without me, so Kevin read him a book until I got home, HOW SWEET!

FARM TIME!

Luke

Sam

Elijah

Sam on his horse ride

The boys on their first BART ride home! They loved it!

And finally a little music to wrap the year up. The boys thought this song was the funniest thing. If you can't hear it, its Rafi singing Down By the Bay

Back to Thanksgiving

Yeah, sorry, wayyy late, but at least you are getting something.  :)

The boys and I in my cube.

 So, work had their first annual Thanksgiving potluck and bring-your-kid-to-work day. So instead of my planned work-from-home day (the day before Thanksgiving), I brought the kids in to work (half day anyway, so it was like a 1 hour work day) and we had a blast.

Of course it took Elijah about 2 hours to really warm up, but by the end he participated in all the events: making turkey hats, decorating cookies, eating lunch, making a mess of mommy's office....lol. It was so neat and I can't wait to bring them back next year.

Lucas in his turkey hat

And the back view

Elijah eating his decorated cookie

Luke and his creation

A better shot of Lucas' cookie

Elijah's second creation.

Lucas's First Movie

Dad and I took the boys to see the Charlie Brown movie back in lat November. I have to say, amazingly the boys did extremely well. I think each got up once, but that was it.  We prepared well though. We bought popcorn and water, soda and brought in some of our Halloween candy.  The movie was really cute, and easy to follow for the boys, and it kept their attention.
The best part though: at the end Charlie Brown is talking to the little red-headed girl and asks her why she picked him to be her pen-pal, and she said because she thought he was a nice person and she liked him, at which point Elijah goes "OHHH YUCKKKK!" loud enough for the whole theater to hear.  All of the parents were getting a great laugh out of it, including us, I really had a hard time stopping laughing.

Random Pictures from this month

Because every once in a while, I don't take enough pictures to warrant a full post, and so has been the month of December. I have been terrible at capturing pictures, and videos, and on top of it, my phone, the main camera in my possession, is running out of storage space, which of course is due to the fact that I have not uploaded all my content to the blog. So its a circular problem. Let's clear the cache on the phone, and the air with some much awaited (well, you were waiting weren't you?) pictures.

The boys with their singing toys from Aunt Lynn. They rounded out last year with a late arrival, and started this year with them right off the bat. 

All the boys- Lazy, possibly sick, day on the couch.

Elijah just before his Christmas performance

Quick still picture of Elijah during his Christmas performance (fall left, standing in the red shirt, back row)

Luke eating Colleen's famous Christmas Crack - a myriad of cereals, m&m's, peanuts and pretzel sticks, all mixed with white chocolate.

Annual Tree lighting on First st., the boys got a few minutes in the old fire truck

The boys waiting to get their advent calendars, and Elijah in his new christmas pj's - Lucas wouldn't wear them, he wanted his Captain America Jammies on .

My co-worker Kristin in our lobby, that they decorate every year with some new dreamed up scene.

Soo cute!

My cubicle all decorated for the season.