Arizona Day 3

On another beautiful Arizona day, we climbed into the truck and headed to Oatman, Arizona.

What does Oatman, Arizona have to offer, you might ask? 

It's a mining town.  With burros.  And you have to drive on Route 66 to get there.

 

Pitstop on Route 66!

How does my son not like sunshine?

I just don't get it.....

 

Once in town, we found a burro almost immediately....about a dozen of them.

They literally walk the streets of this town like they own the place.

So, we decided we would walk the streets of this town like we owned the place.

Three generations.

This had to happen.

So did this.

 

It was a grand adventure.

We were back to the RV park by mid afternoon.

 

More sunshine.

More volcano building.

Met wonderful people.

Fed some few ducks.

I'd like to tell you that seagull in the upper corner ate out of his hand.

I'll let you decide if that is truth or not.

 

And enjoyed a fun razor ride around the park.

 

Another great day in Arizona.

Tomorrow: DISNEYLAND!!

Arizona Day 2

After a morning of swimming, we headed to the Desert Bar for lunch.

 

Oh, the Desert Bar.

 

When I say Desert Bar, I mean DESERT. BAR. 
A bar in the middle of the desert.

Seriously.

 

It was awesome.

 

It may not seem like much. 

Every piece was dragged in by the owner, there is no electricity, and the place takes care of itself. 

Super hippieville.

It was awesome.

 

The day we showed up the place was PACKED.  See those bleachers in the front in the above picture?  That is where we ended up sitting because we couldn't find an open seat at the 100 tables they had set out.

While we baked in the sun, Eric stood in line for multiple beverages (he's the guy on the far left of the bar).

 

There was a live band.  They were from LA and have been performing at the Desert Bar on President's weekend for years.  Just our luck.

 

I loved everything about the sunshine.

Alexander did not.

As long as Eric had a drink in his hand, he tolerated the heat.

 

Well, not really.  We left after about an hour or so.

Alexander and Umma were ready to spend time together.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon with this view, chasing the sun with my lounge chair.

 

While Alexander spent his afternoon building a volcano and Daddy hung out in the shade.

Cause what else do you do when you are a boy and surrounded with dirt and rocks?

 

It was awesome.

 

The first of too many vacation posts

Mid winter break.  So much fun. 

 

The week began with a couple of days in Arizona with Big Papa and Umma.  This year, Daddy joined us!!

 

We boarded a plan and headed off on our adventure.  And, by the way, we're really glad we made our flight because there was a moment where Alexander leanred we didn't have seats and proceeded to cry and cry and cry because he never thought we were going to leave. 
If we hadn't made it on that flight, I hate to think of how things could have been.

 

I didn't take any pictures of Alexander when he saw his grandparents for the first time, but trust me, it was an epic greeting.  A lot of clapping, jumping up and down, and so many hugs. 

We started the long drive back to the house on wheels and were lucky enough to enjoy a firework show on the way.

 

Part of the deal for this trip was Alexander would stay in the house on wheels and we would stay in a hotel.  Our first night was at the local casino.

The best part of the casino was the pool.  One little boy was really excited about swimming.

 

The first 48 hours of vacation was off to a great start!

Can you really ever get enough Disney?

Clearly, we can't because we're going again this year!

I'll post pictures upon our return.

In the meantime, enjoy a few of our favorite photos from our past Disney adventures!

 

Disneyland 2010

 

DisneyWorld 2010

 

Disneyland 2011

 

Just Sayin' Hi

 

Ho-Ho-Ho Papa!

I miss you.

I'll be back for another visit soon!

Learning all about basketball

Everything Alexander tackles, he tackles 110% with enthusiasm.  His enthusiasm is contagious.  This is one of his more endearing traits and one we hope is never squashed.

Alexander is playing basketball this winter.  He is playing in the 5/6 league with his best friend Addie..  If I were to break down his skills I would tell you he is pretty solid at dribbling, sticks like glue to his guy while playing defense, and loves to pass to his teammates.  When it comes to shooting, Alexander is hesitant because the concept still hasn't clicked in his mind.  Since he can't make a basket, he doesn't bother trying during a game.

I decided a trip to the high school to watch the big boys play was in order.  We went on a Saturday night when there would be a smaller crowd and we could focus on the game.

This was his face for most of the night.

Unless we scored, in which case, I saw a lot of this.

SCORE!!

"We crushed 'em, Mom!"

 

When the game ended, I asked him if he wanted to meet any of the big boys.

He looked at me as though I was crazy and said, "I gotta get home and start practicing!  Let's go!"

 

Birthday Party Extravaganza!

I know I'm WAAAY late in posting these pictures.  But I hate to post out of chronological order and I just haven't had much spare time. 

Alexander wanted a LEGO themed party this year.  Originially, we had talked about a party at a little gym or the pool but Alexander told us, "let's have it at home and invite the regular crew."  So, that's what we did!  I freaked out at first on how to decorate but Eric and I looked online for ideas put our creative minds to work, did a little shopping, and it didn't turn out half bad!

Following tradition, Jo-Jo and Eric worked their frosting magic.

 

Before long, guests started to arrive and played, played, played!

The great thing about kids this age is they don't need a lot of organized play.  Toys in someone else's house are super fun and new so why bother making up games when they would rather play? 

 

We were going to play "Pin the Lego head on the Minifigure" but I couldn't convince any of my students to help me this year ran out of time and didn't make the minifigure.

Instead, I had the kids partnered up, received a bucket of Legos, and went to work to create a birthday cake!

It was no surprise that Alexander chose Addie to be his partner!

 

Next up: PRESENTS!

Our little man was very spoiled and has Lego sets to play with for MONTHS!

 

The party kept rolling and singing Happy Birthday was next on the agenda.

 

After which, the birthday boy promptly burst into tears because Ho-Ho Papa's voice was missing.

Yea, I took a picture of it.

 

Once the official party ended, it became a wine and beer party for the adults, the kids continued to play, play, play and we considered ourselves lucky to have such wonderful friends and family celebrate our little man with us.