Visiting Cedar City

 We headed to Cedar City to stay with grandma and grandpa. Aunt Cheryl-Lynn and Liz came as well. Ben was going to come but did not because he was sick. Speaking of being sick, Me got sick on the trip and by the time we were in Cedar City, she ended up sounding like a frog. Funsies!

We enjoyed putting puzzles together, watching basketball games and shows (the kids watched Seeking Persephone with grandpa), playing games (Grandpa was an actual troublemaker in One Night Ultimate Werewolf, making trouble by opening his eyes with the werewolves even though he was the troublemaker), playing monster, going on walks and a hike. We had a nice visit!

Matthew is slightly taller than Cheryl-Lynn

Me and CL with the glow-in-the-dark fairy puzzle we put together.

 There were 22 fairies in the puzzle, some hidden. It was cool to see it glow in the dark.

We saw some pretty flowers when we walked around the temple. I miss the perennial flowers we used to have in Colorado.

Liz, Megan and Matthew playing Mousetrap.

Grandpa, Megan, Liz and Matthew playing pickleball.

Cheryl-Lynn made elderberry syrup for us all to drink. It must have helped because nobody else got sick. One night, she accidentally pulled out the beet juice. It did not taste the same at all! Can you tell which is which?

Another puzzle we put together.

Megan, Matthew and Liz at the park.

Matthew making some music.

Liz joining him.

CL, Megan, Liz, Matthew, Me, Grandpa on the hike.

Silly faces!

Megan, Grandma, Liz, Grandpa and Matthew

Group hug!

We went to see Lamb of God which was really nice!

Grandma, Me, Matthew, Grandpa, Megan

December Happenings 2024

 December is always a busy month between the end of the semester and Christmas festivities. Ours started out with a nice visit from Grandmo and Grandpo.

Megan's reaction to the possibility of seeing her kindergarten teacher over break.

Matthew's social studies project on cuneiform.

Megan's social studies project on hieroglyphics.

Between the projects, backpacks and instruments, it was a crowded car on the way to school.

Megan and some friends participated in the gingerbread house building at school. They were told their castle looked like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Megan and Matthew had their first robotics competition.

Megan and Matthew with their class

The principal Mrs. Cook came to support the team.
Mila, Sean, Garik, Grady, Mrs. Cook, Matthew

Diego, Mila, Megan and Alex with the robot of Megan and Matthew's team. (Diego and Mila are also on their team.)

Ethan S, Adam, Ethan K and Matthew with the robot of Ethan S and Adam's team.

Bogle vs Bogle in the round of 16! (They are the 38247 teams.)

The Bogle vs Bogle match.

We helped with a food drive for AZCEND at Diamond Lake in Sun Lakes. They had luminaries lining the edge of the lake and people decorated their backyards. It was very beautiful! And we got a ton of food!

Me got a birthday present from Sarah. It was very pretty!

Melinda's cousin Jessie was in town for work and so came over for dinner one evening. It was great to see her!

Me and Jessie headed to downtown Chandler to check out the Tumbleweed Tree and other decorations.

Jessie and Me

Sarah came to our house for a short visit since she was in the area. It was good to see her.

Sarah showing the stocking Grandmo made for Lionheart. I love the lion and heart at the top of the stocking.

Megan, Sarah and Matthew posing in front of the tree. The younger two were trying to recreate their younger years.

Champion and Lionheart came to pick up Sarah. Champion and Sarah went on a walk and left us with Lionheart which was amazing. We gave him a tour of the house and fed him a bottle.

Lionheart and Grandma

Lionheart and Grandpa

Lionheart and Matthew. Matthew really enjoyed being around Lionheart and talking to him.

Matthew successfully took his last peanut oral immunotherapy dose and can now free eat peanut!!! Such a huge thing. (And so many trips to the allergist for the OIT!) He does need to continue to eat at least 8 peanuts per day.

The patient table in the room was super wobbly. Matthew offered to fix it while we waited the requisite one hour after he ate his dose of peanuts. (He had 12 peanuts at home when he got up in the morning and 12 more at the allergist.) They couldn't find a screwdriver but did find a drill which Matthew was super excited about using.

Matthew fixing the table.

Matthew reading a book to pass the time. He still chooses lots of strange reading positions.

Megan and Matthew built and decorated a Haunted House.

They were proud of the roof....

And the gravestone.

Matthew was pictured (as Stumpy) on our friends' Christmas card.

Artemis enjoying her bone.

U, Megan, Matthew and Me enjoying our Jeremiah's.

We did a lot of baking and cooking. This teaspoon measurer was a casualty.

Grandma and Grandpa Martin stopped by to wish Megan a Merry Christmas.

Me finished her nativity puzzles. She really enjoyed doing them every day.

Megan and Matthew playing Napoléon in Europe with Ethan and Sean Kirkham. It was a loooong game. They spent around 12 hours over 2 days playing it.

Megan and Matthew with the latest assembled Hack Pack: laser guns! They are pretty cool. When you get shot, the lenses rotate so you cannot see anything through them.

We went to Zoolights which was enjoyable as usual.

Megan, Matthew and Me with big leaves near the entrance.

Pretty strings of LED lights.

I really liked the sea turtle and coral.

Unfortunately, Megan, Matthew and U got eaten by a shark.

Matthew, Me and Megan with a jelly.

Megan loved this color-changing dragon.

Me, Matthew, Megan and U with flowers.

Me loved the hummingbirds with moving wings.

We finished the Exit Advent Calendar game. This is what the game looked like at the end. And yes, it really was supposed to be disassembled like this. It definitely felt good knowing that we had saved Christmas.

Our prize: postcards to send to people letting them know we saved Christmas.

Front of the postcards. There are scenes from some of the rooms as well as some general pictures of the game.

The reassembled room section where you can see the 24 rooms.

We did the Holiday Yum Box.

James with his Christmas present from us. The engineer training has begun! Ha ha!