Christmas is in the Air!!

We went to see Santa at the mall this week and Brandon was elated! He practiced what he was going to say to him and was able to communicate effectively his desire for a cat! He was a little nervous (as you can tell in the photo), but he was very brave. He was extremely confused when we left empty handed. He apparently thought he was supposed to get his cat right then and there!
We went to the Phoenix Zoo for family night to see the "Zoo Lights". We went with Sean's mom and Sean's sister and her family. Brandon had cute cousins to play with and Sean and I had good company as well. It was a blast! There was so much to see and fun Christmas music playing the whole way through. One of the first things to see is this large tree completely covered in blue lights. It was truly a spectacle! Look for Brandon standing on the rock in front of the tree.


Brandon has always loved alligators and enjoyed the lighted alligators, too!



This photo below does not do the spiders any justice. They were so cool!! They had the large spiders up in the trees and one spider is about to eat a bug stuck in the web. I really thought of Lizzie and how much she would have enjoyed this little scene.



This rattle snake's tail changed to make it seem like it was rattling.


Some animals were still awake when we were wondering around. I guess this Zebra got used to his peace after dark, so he was snacking right next to the viewer area. He immediately ran off after the flash went off right in his face. Sorry, Zebra!


This is a video of the light show on the bridge. The lights corresponded to the song and was really fun for everyone. We will definitely be back to "Zoo Lights" next year. It was an impressive display.

Temple Lights

Tonight, we went to the Mesa temple to look at the lights. It was great to hear an A Capella group while gazing at the palm trees decorated in brilliant lights of all colors. Brandon's favorite was a light fountain that looked like water was actually coming down. Brandon saw it and excitedly asked, "Mommy, can I jump in it?" He's such an adventurous kid. He loved the lights, but was not pleased by the string of lights creating restrictions on where he could go. He asked if we could "open the gate" and go touch the lights. He was a bit disappointed in my answer.
My favorite was the display of lights floating on the pond in front of the Visitor's Center. It was really beautiful. I am still partial to the lights at the Salt Lake Temple, but at least my toes and ears weren't freezing! After the lights we went back to Sean's mom's house for hot chocolate and muffins. It was a great way to end the night.

Arizona Winter

I'm really getting used to the Arizona winter weather. I don't miss scraping off my windows, having to wear shoes and socks daily, or getting the bottom of my pants wet from dragging in the snow. I'm finally adjusting and able to get into the spirit of Christmas, even though it's not snowing. I think I like the warm winters! It is nice, however, to visit the snow.
Sean is starting to get really busy at work and I'm preparing to take my finals next week. This has definitely not been my best semester. It has been one of the easiest and I guess I got lazy. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks when my grades post.

Here are a couple of photos we took the other night, including a shot that Brandon took. He loves all of the Christmas decorations around, especially the lights. It's so great to get into Christmas with him; it makes the commercial aspect of the holiday more fun. Oh, and here's our elf dance!!!

http://elfyourself.com/?id=1187541279

Look out, Brighton!

My brand new snowboard is finally here! It is a super nice, state of the art board. It has something called magnetraction. It's a new design in the shape of the board that provides more control and ability to carve through rough conditions. I also have brand new Burton bindings that are a new design with a strap over the toe of the boot instead of over the laces. Along with my new dual boa boots that Sean got me last year, I have an entirely new setup! It's all top of the line stuff and the best part is, we didn't pay a single penny out of our pockets to get it.

Sean and I ordered our boards at the same time, but Sean got his board a few weeks ago. My board took longer because it was so new that they hadn't even made them yet.


I put my boots on and strapped in last night. I know it sounds crazy, but I was amazed at the difference! The technology has changed so much since I got my equipment years ago. We're really looking forward to our annual January Utah trip. We're also excited because Brandon is old enough to go with us this year!
All of you season pass holders and Utah residents, get your equipment ready!

Happy Halloween!

Brandon chose his costume very carefully this year. We looked online for a couple of weeks and after wanting to be a police officer and pirate, he finally settled on being a "bone dude". That's what he called the skeleton costume we found. He was really excited about putting on his costume and to get the face paint on. That is, until he saw himself in the mirror. He was really upset and said he didn't like the the face paint. I asked him if he wanted me to take it off, and he said no. He told me he was sad because no one would know who he was. I assured him that people would know. He remained a bit embarrassed about it all until we got to the church and he saw other kids in costumes. Apparently I never communicated to him that everyone dresses up for Halloween! We went to Sean's sister's trunk-or-treat (our old ward) on Saturday and our own ward's trunk-or-treat last night. He was much more laid back about the second one. Brandon loved the carnival at our ward's trunk-or-treat and didn't want to stop playing the bean bag toss to get candy. He would take his three throws and then quickly get back in line to take another turn. He has quite the little throwing arm and even knocked the clown face down once. He definitely impressed all the dads around.

He really started getting into his character and scaring everyone in sight. He's such a fun kid! We're already starting the countdown until next Halloween. I hope next Halloween I'll see some pictures of Bree and Audrey in costumes! I'm glad everyone had a great holiday!!

A Boy and His Cars

For those of you who don't know, Sean won a huge contest at his last company wide meeting. He got $1000 to spend at Zumiez, a new long board, an expensive watch, a backpack with speakers built into the straps, gift cards to local stores (like the movie theater), and a few other little nick knacks. I am so proud of all of his accomplishments! He's great and decided to spend most of his Zumiez money on me! What a great husband. He got me a top of the line snowboard and some amazing bindings. With the new snowboard boots he got for me for free last year, I have a completely new setup.

Sean also got himself a new snowboard and took his bindings off of his old board. The old board left Brandon a little boy's dream. Brandon stuck one end of the snowboard under our entertainment center, creating a little ramp for his cars. This kid spends hours everyday just playing cars, so this was a new adventure for his toys. He now makes them fly off the ramp and crash on the other side. Sean was impressed by his ingenuity in creating the ramp.

I hope you enjoyed my favorite song from the new Jimmy Eat World album while reading this blog. These guys are from Mesa, so I get to like them even more now.

We Love Grandma and Baseball

It has been really fun being able to live by Sean's mom and spend time with her. She's really bright and a wonderful conversationalist. I love talking to her about politics, TV shows, and the local grocery store sales. We were having dinner at our apartment on Tuesday and Sean discovered that she's never been to a professional baseball game. He immediately bought tickets and we went the next night. It was another solid victory for the D-Backs. They win every time we go to the game!
















It was fun to be out and Brandon and Sean always look super cute in their matching hats. Brandon has really bonded with his grandma and loves having her over for dinner or going to play at her house. We love living so close to her (less than one mile away) and definitely enjoy sharing outings like this!