Arizona

Last week, we visited Brian's parents in Green Valley, which is right outside of Tuscon, Arizona.  The mountains and desert are beautifully breathtaking, and the landscape is so different from South Carolina.  The weather was gorgeous with temperatures in the 70's and 80's.  I was nervous about flying with the boys (especially Will, since he can be a loose cannon at times.)  I was pleasantly surprised, because they did great!  While we were there we visited The Queen Copper Mine, Sabino Canyon, Madera Canyon, the Tubac Art Festival, The Tuscon Gem and Mineral show, and the town of Tombstone.  The boys also went to the Air and Space Museum while Grammy and I checked the Gem Expo.  I hope to get a chance to visit again one day.  It was a great time making family memories.

Hiking around the saguaro cactus near the Desert Museum

A little building we sat in at the top of Cactus hill

Grammy and the boys taking a rest on the rock

This picture doesn't really do this area justice.  This is one of my favorite areas we visited. Seeing all of the big cactus is really amazing!

A little father son talk

At Sabino Canyon

Another family picture at Sabino

A gorgeous view of Sabino Canyon

The playgrounds and parks in Tuscon are really awesome.  They have a lot of cool equipment.  Here Jackson is sitting on a turtle in the one of Tuscon's parks near the zoo.

Will on the playground

Grammy and boys riding the train at the park

At the house one of the boys favorite pass times was cleaning the pool, you can't see it in this picture but that is what I'm helping Will clean out.

We got pretty close to this rattlesnake at the Desert Museum, it is the closest I hope I'm ever around one again.  

Will as a tortoise

Grammy and the boys looking at the beavers

Our silly faces

Another Desert Museum pic, If you zoom in the bird is holding some sort of animal I think it is about to eat

The Pima Air and Space Museum

This is Grammy and Pap Pap's view from their back yard, so pretty!

A date day selfie from when we hiked Madera Canyon, It was awesome to have some time away while Grammy and Pap Pap watched the boys. :)

Getting ready to go in the copper mine

The mountain behind us is the mine we went inside

Riding the train into the mine

Pap Pap and the boys playing with their lights

Christmas in the North

We headed up to visit Brian's family this past Christmas.  During the week, we got to see most of the family.  It was the first time we've been there at Christmas since before Jackson was born.  It was nice for the boys to get to have a super big family Christmas, especially since they are used to my family being rather small.  They had such a wonderful time playing with all of their cousins. We even had a little snow flurry that Jackson enjoyed.  Both of the boys had a blast in the snow while we snow tubed at a ski resort near Brian's parents.

 Jackson at the natural history museum

 Jackson and Grammy exploring at the museum

Harper and Skip at an exhibit

Family picture on the lawn near the capital

We visited a hotel with an exhibit called Ice where they had huge ice sculptures everywhere.  Above are the girls and Jackson sitting in an ice taxi

This was my favorite part of Ice, the nativity scene- It was beautiful

Will's favorite part of the day a fountain at the hotel, he got soaked when the water spouted out.

Our attempt at a picture with Grammy and all of the grands

Jackson and Brian during the snow flurry the day before Christmas Eve

Sledding in a little bit of snow

Christmas morning

Another Christmas morning shot of us eating breakfast

Grammy and her sister Dianne, with Lily, Harper, and Camryn

An aerial view of Christmas Day

Several of the cousins on Foreman side of Brian's family

Pulling Will up the hill while we were snow tubing

 Jackson about to go down the hill

Loving it!

Will goes down backward