Oh my. Life has just been churning right along and one of Dave's aunts sent me a plea this morning for blog updates as she misses seeing pictures of the family. :) It was a lovely request to receive and I will, over the next couple of days, happily catch this blog up to the present. :) Our Christmas was beautiful. Quiet but beautiful. It is always a miracle to share Christmas with a new little baby. And Dave was most kind as he gave me everything I asked for: 1) a scarf with Cpt. Wentworth's letter to Anne Elliott from my all time favorite book Persuasion by Jane Austen. Seriously. Look up the letter! It's breathtaking. :) 2) Cardinal Sarah's book which has been humbling and illuminating. And 3) Essays by Coomaraswarmy about the place of art in the world and the purpose of art.
But I'll start with the New Year.....which was glorious as it was spent in Arizona with my family!!!! We all flew out there.....with the boys carrying their own luggage. Jakob's suitcase, with Jeb Bear attached, was just about as cute as anything you could hope to see and elicited many adoring looks from strangers in the airports. And then there was Jeffery holding Beau Bear by the hand. It was all too cute! :)
We arrived in Arizona.....somehow all still sane. Seriously. Traveling across the continent with a 6 and 4 year olds and a 5 month old is not for the faint of heart. :) Upon arrival, we got to see my sister and brother-in-law and we all got meet our new niece/cousin Hannah!!!!!!! The boys ADORE their cousin. Well, John liked to hit her and try to push her off her own playmate but he's a baby so he can't be blamed. :)
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| Everyone sitting with their bears. Wait! Where's John?! Haha! |
While Richmond became akin to the Arctic (seriously.....they were having negative temps.....VERY rare) and the James River was actually icing over in places, we were roasting in near 80 degree temps.
Amongst a myriad of fun surprises that Papa had in store for the boys was their very own Southside Speedway track that he had spent hours building. It was one of the coolest things he's ever built and the boys (all 4) were instantly infatuated with it. Other surprises included remote controlled cars and fishing poles. :)
Papa and Dave took the boys to the historic Falcon Field Air Museum where the boys were taken with C47's and B-17's and gunner turrets and the such.
My brother-in-law took a day off and so the whole family traveled to the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum....which is one of the most beautiful places in all of Arizona. And....it is a tradition for us to take the new Pedersen boy! The Arboretum....and the Mexican lunch in Superior afterwards....did not disappoint!!!! The boys got to ride on Papa's and Zach's shoulders. We took the traditional pictures. We got chased out by bee hives. And then it all ended by getting to see an old caboose for the mining operation in Superior and seeing some of the old mine shafts. A win for everyone!!!!
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| All 3 boys have had their pictures in front of this sign that says "Rattlesnakes Only" |
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| And all 3 boys and mommy have had their pictures taken on the suspension bridge! |
More fun was had as we took the older boys to the Mesa Natural History Museum where they got to pan for gold, see fossils, witness a flash flood, and learn about the Native American cultures in the Phoenix valley.
Of course, no trip to Arizona would be complete without a trip up to the Train Park in Scottsdale. My dad is now a member of the Sun & Sand N-Scale Club so we got to see him run trains and then Dave got to go behind the scenes and try his hand at running them. We rode the train through the Park, much to the delight of the older boys and John is now an Honorary Member of the Chesterfield County Chapter of the Gentlemen of the Railway Board. ;) (You become a full member with a trip to Cass, WV.....or so I'm told by Jeffery.) Such a special night for the whole family!!!!!
Time with Oma is always special.....especially at bedtime. Most nights, I would find the boys on her bed....everyone very engaged in some story. It's these little things that melt my heart.
I still have so many friends that live in AZ but I never get to see them all when I'm in town. So, if you're reading this and I missed seeing you this past trip, please forgive me!!!! 9 days always looks like a long time.....and then it just flies by! :( I did leave Dave with my family one night and headed out to see some friends from high school. That was a lovely evening!!!! And then our best friends (and Dave's best man in our wedding and Jeffery's godparents) made the trip up from Southern AZ to see us! How we miss our Winfields and how we wish we lived closer than a continent away!!!!! They are the people that you hope and pray and dream to be blessed with in your life. Come the fall, Jason and I will have been friends for 20 years! Unreal! They are some of our favorite people in the world!!!!
One of the highlights of our trip home was that we got to be present for our niece/cousin's baptism. And yes.....she, too, wore my Grandpa's baptismal gown. Some of Zach's family live in town so they joined in the celebration at the church where my parents and my sister and brother-in-law attend. Everyone was then invited back to my parents' house for a lovely brunch. It was a festive and joyous occasion.
Our last full day in the Valley was truly one for the Arizona books. We took the Beeline Highway and went through the Tonto National Forest......looking for the famous and somewhat elusive wild horses that live along the Salt River and through the National Forest. Dave and I have loved going out into the Tonto on our recent trips home as the scenery and vegetation is just stunning.
We tried 3 places where the horses have been known to be spotted. No luck. One last ditch attempt however saw us hit the jackpot. I first spotted a small group to the side of the road. We watched them for a couple minutes before they disappeared over a rise. We then continued into the area, walked down to the Salt River....and there, to our right, under the Four Peaks....was a herd. I mean, you can't get much more Arizona or Wild West than that. It was unbelievable!!!!!!!
That evening was spent celebrating John's 6 month birthday and enjoying pizza and the largest Wurlitzer Organ in the world at the famous Organ Stop Pizza. It was fantastic and the boys were entranced......including John!
Sadly, like all good things, our trip to AZ came to a close. We flew home to Richmond where we were greeted with far warmer temps than RVA had had for over a week! Phew. Dodged that bullet. :) We had an amazing time in the Grand Canyon State. Now all 3 boys have been to AZ for or around their first Christmas/New Year. That's pretty special.....in our book, at least. It was an absolutely magical time full of family and friends and laughter and warm weather and building family bonds that will last a lifetime.
Arizona, I don't know when we'll see you again but you and the dear people who live there are in our hearts. All 5 of our hearts!!!!! Till then, Arizona Moon Keep Shining!!!! :)
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