Merry Christmas!

Aaron and Grant want to wish ya'll a cowboy Christmas ... and a happy new year!

Cowboy Town

Here is proof that we are living in the Wild West now. We took a trip to Tombstone, or "Cowboy Town" as we call it, with Mike's parents. It's a total tourist trap, but it's a fun place to visit and is especially fun for the boys to rub shoulders with other cowboys! :)

Our New Home

Much has happened over the course of the last six months (hence the lack of posts!) :) Mike received a job offer at the VA (Veterans Affairs) Hospital in Tucson, we felt good about it and accepted the offer, sold our house in Virgina, bid sad farewells to our family and friends there, and subsequently moved to Arizona.

We then lived in a rental for five long summer months while most of our stuff was in storage. We found a great house to buy in a killer neighborhood and moved in. We got our stuff out of storage and began the process of unpacking and organizing. We love our new home, our new church congregation, and particularly our new neighborhood. It boasts a wonderful playground where I can always meet and talk with other moms, two pools, a tennis court, basketball court, bike paths, and a cute charter school. It is also a "green" community where all the homes are energy-efficient with solar paneling, etc. This helps keep utility costs low during those hot summer months where a/c is essential! I especially love that the streets in the neighborhood are lined with trees -- something you don't see much in deserty Tucson! :) The neighborhood uses reclaimed or "gray" water to water grass, trees, and plants, so the area is literally green as well. Reminds me of the east coast :)

We were lucky enough to have Mike's parents visit us for Thanksgiving. We loved having them. They were so helpful with the boys and our house. They treated us to a wonderful trip to Prescott, a beautiful town in Northern Arizona. I always love visiting there. It was a treat and fun for us to get away for a couple days.

Dianne was gracious enough to take some pictures of our home and community, so here's a little peek. Our house is not fully set up yet. We are still lacking some furniture and organization ... but it will come. :)

Hope all is well with each of you~



Here is the front of our house. It has three bedrooms and an office, which doubles as a guest room.



Our nice, big eat-in kitchen. I love it and never want to go back to a non-eat-in kitchen again! :) The island was not there before we moved in. We had them add it; we also had them add a desk area and a large pantry. We love the function of the space now.



Another view of the kitchen.



And the living room. This room is still very much evolving -- will post an updated picture when it's complete! :) We chose the tile; I love how it turned out!

Here are some pictures of the cute neighborhood:

The Language of Aaron and Grant

Aaron and Grant have been saying some of the cutest things, and I have to record them before I forget.

Aaron

-Speaks a mile a minute.

-Gets excited when he can pronounce a new word like "Mechanicsville."

-Today he paid me a great compliment: "You're a strong engine, Jenny!" (Sometimes he's mistaken that we're a on a first-name basis. :) And ... ya think he's been watching a little too much Thomas? :)

-Awhile ago he crawled into bed with me one morning to cuddle and said, "I would save you."

-I often call him "Sweet Aaron," so awhile ago he would sometimes call me "Sweet Mama."

-When I ask him to do something he doesn't want to do, he'll often reply, "Whatever you say, Mama." (He can be a little sassy at times.) :)

-Several weeks ago we pulled into the church parking lot and Aaron asked, "Are we at Wal-Mart?"

-Speaking of Wal-Mart ... he told me that when he grows up, he wants to "drive to Wal-Mart." Lofty aspirations!

-A few nights ago he asked, "Why do we have to go nigh-night EVERY SINGLE DAY?!"

We love our little Aaron. We enjoy hearing his vocabulary get more extensive and watching him get smarter everyday. I frequently tell him that he makes me laugh every single day, and he really does. He is quite a witty little boy.

Grant

Oh Grant! What a fun little boy he is.

-He says "bachum" for milk, and he pronounces Aaron, "Airie." It's sooo sweet.

-Lately when I sneeze or cough he'll ask, "Okay?"

-He is starting to string words together like, "Where Nina go?"

-His vocabulary is swiftly growing, and now he'll try to say almost every word I ask him to. He is doing great!

He truly is the sweetest little boy -- I can't say enough about that!

Flour, Anyone?

How can we stay mad at him with a face like this!