arizona attractions, cooking, family, food, holidays

Christmas Collages

Mom and Dad Moody came for five days before Christmas! We introduced them to the meaty deliciousness that is Miracle Mile Delicatessen and then drove up to a lookout on South Mountain. The road to the summit was closed due to storm damage, but the view was still impressive. Silas was thrilled to be “climbing” on a mountain.PicMonkey Collage1Back at home, Stephen, Dad, & the boys made fresh lemonade from the lemons Connie gave us.
PicMonkey Collage2In a surprising turn of events, Dad tried his hand as a sushi chef. I had mentioned that we made our own sushi this year (we followed this online tutorial) and had bought a bamboo mat and everything. Dad was so intrigued that he wanted to try it himself. Instead of using raw fish, we made California Rolls with imitation crab meat and smoked salmon.
PicMonkey Collage3It was Baby Brynn’s first Christmas, and she loved cuddling with Grammy. Of course, Grammy was happy to indulge her.
PicMonkey Collage4I guessed what one of my presents from Stephen was, so he let me open it early so we could enjoy the firepit and s’mores with Mom and Dad.
PicMonkey Collage5Silas had been asking to make a gingerbread house, so I picked up a pre-assembled kit at Walmart. Best idea. The boys and I had a lot of fun decorating the house, and I think I enjoyed it just as much as they did since it was the first one I’ve ever made too.
PicMonkey Collage6Dad was excited to play with the boys, and he certainly delivered! Silas and Cooper wore him out with all the constant requests to play. Grampy played Battleship and built circuits and played his heart out. We took a chilly, windy walk one day to get some fresh air and burn some energy.
PicMonkey Collage7One night we wanted to go see Christmas lights, and Stephen suggested a place along Baseline Road that he spotted on his commute home. It was a little bit of a drive, and I was starting to wonder if it would be worth it. As soon as we turned the corner and saw the place, I was shocked. So many lights on one property! First we drove through and exclaimed in amazement, and then we walked around to get a closer look at all the cut-out characters and lights.
PicMonkey Collage8We love having family visit, especially at Christmas.

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