Christmas Activities 2009

This year Christmas was spent with Tony's family. Ann and the boys came down around the 16th. Kyle came that Saturday, and Al came the next week. Mostly we just spent time together. We visited a Palizzi family friend in Scottsdale who served us yummy enchiladas and this awesome lemon cake.
Here's a picture of Kyle in one of the sports cars. Ann wanted a picture of Kyle in it, although I don't know that Kyle cares as much about cars as Tony. Tony would love to have a sports car, particularly an James Bond type.

We also went to ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo. It was kinda of cool, but WAY too crowded. I probably would not go again unless it was totally at an off peak time.

Christmas day was nice. As always, Tony and I were up before the kids. We are such young un's at heart. Tony got the saw he wanted, and I got a treadmill that I needed. I love it. I can watch TV and work out, which I really need to do. I was starting to feel like I looked prego, which would be good if it were true, but not good since I am most definitely not.
For dinner we adopted Melissa and Cameron's tradition of prime rib. Tony made it and it was very good.
We didn't take hardly any pictures, which is kind of unusual for us. It was partly due to the fact that we didn't charge the camera battery and partly because we just forgot. Oh well, there's always next year.

Thanksgiving 2009

My sister and her family came for a visit this past Thanksgiving weekend. Wednesday we went for a drive out to a ghost town and then around the Apache Trail somewhere east of Phoenix. It was a very loonnggg drive to me. Most of it was dirt washboard roads and desert landscapes. I still have not grown a fondness for the desert. Yes we can get great sunsets, but I just don't love the sage brush, prickly cactus plants and the barrenness. Melissa, Cameron, and Tony seemed to enjoy it though, so that is good.

Towards the end a came upon this bridge almost perfectly reflected in the water, if it weren't for a faint breeze.


Ali and Ashling each opened a present from Grandma Bonnie. They were those sit on bouncy balls that you hop around on. They thought it was great fun to hippity-hop down the hall in the house, although their dad was worried they'd bounce off and hit their head on the tile, which never happened by the way.



On Thanksgiving we of course "feasted" as Ali kept saying and played Settlers of Catan. The next day, Melissa and I joined the massive throng of people fulfilling their patriotic duty at 4:45am outside of Target. (By that I mean we spent money to help the economy.)
Not sure it was worth it, although she did get a lot of her shopping done. Plus it was fun for me to have somebody to go with. I required a nap later that day, even though I did not really want one. Sometimes there is no stopping the head from hitting the pillow.


Saturday we all hiked Camelback Mountain. Annika wasn't feeling well, so she cried a lot, forcing Melissa to stop part way, and then I decided that I didn't need to do the very top part which is climbed mostly by hand, but Cameron and the girls made it.
It was also Eko's first hike. He really enjoyed it, although I think he was kind of sore after.

All in all a pretty good weekend. The worst part was having to come back to work after, but there's another light at the end of the tunnel. Tony's parents, Kyle, and the boys are coming for Christmas, so that's something to look forward too.