Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving in Tucson

We are spending Thanksgiving in Tucson with the Fields this year. We have so much to be thankful for; good friends and family, a wonderful little boy who amazes us everyday and jobs and home that allow us to bless those who God places in our paths. We can't ask for too much more and are so excited each time we get a little piece of home; that is visitors to AZ! Here are some pictures of our holiday celebration so far.

We took a long weekend and are staying with Caleb's sister and our brother-in-law Patrick who are currently, albeit temporarily stationed in Tucson. It has been the best having some local relatives in AZ. They were excited to announce they will be moving to Germany in March for three years.The picture below is Patrick and his plane. Becky and Steve got a little base tour upon their arrival on Wednesday. Caleb, myself and John (Caleb's brother) arrived in time for dinner Wednesday evening. We've had plenty of food, football, fun and conversation to go around so far. What a relaxing four days we are in for!

We won't see these guys for Christmas this year so Josiah was surprised with his first Christmas gift almost as soon as we got our bags unpacked. Grandpa searched high and low for the perfect John Deer gear and Josiah was definitely a fan! What a cutie!

you may notice the monkey harness in this one: we pulled out the baby leash the other day in case I needed to use it in airports on my recent trip to WA. I didn't really end up using it, but once Josiah realized he had a monkey on his back, he wouldn't take it off. He wears it all the time. He is so funny. That is one of those memories that I hope I have documented well because I never want to forget this precious and silly stage!

We brought Shep to Tucson with us to hang out with his pal Coda. Turns out Coda is quite a talented sled dog!

Caleb smoked the Turkey on the Treager for Thanksgiving day and a brisket today. What a guy. Of course we brought the Treager to Tucson as well. Duh. Good thing we have a minivan. We were so packed full with the Treager, our bags, stroller, hiking gear, toys, etc. we barely had room for, well the adults, baby and dog.

I had a tiny role in dinner...I helped with the innards of the apple pie. Sarah did the rest, and John did most the sides. It truly was a group effort! We commented several times that there was really no stress for anyone. What a great way to spend a holiday.
Besides eating and football we managed to squeeze in a little "outdoor" time.











Tomorrow we are hiking. We also fit the hiking pack for Josiah into the car. Hard to believe there were actually a few important things we forgot including my inhaler for the cat allergy. After a rough day and a half, we finally got a replacement this morning. I am sure there will be more pictures to come from the next few days as we have a hiking trip, a Christmas card photo shoot (if I can talk the family into humoring me on this request) and a whole other family coming to stay with us on Sunday. We have much more celebrating to do!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Lion cub


I personally think we excelled in the creativity department with our safari theme for Halloween this year! We tried to get Traci to be a giraffe (she graciously participated in our family theme night for Halloween last year), but declined this year for a better party!
We mistakenly assumed Josiah would refuse to wear some or all of his costume so we bought the cheapest lion we could find. Turns out he loves it! He has worn it several times, we've had to wash between wears (which didn't go too well), and he still roars every time he sees the pictures. Maybe next year we'll splurge a little since it appears he likes dress up!


I wonder if it is really the costume he loves so much or the association it obviously has with copious amounts of chocolate.
Halloween (check)...now, on to the holiday season! Starbucks Christmas cups are back! I love this season. Even if I can't wear sweaters or drink hot cocoa or see snow gently landing on rooftops, it still feels like fall (at least when I am inside with the AC on).