Being so close to our families now allows us to hop in the car and go visit.  My dad turned 70 on the 7th of February and we headed to Oklahoma to help him celebrate.   The boys love Bebe and Grandpa’s house so much they don’t ever want to leave.  We had donuts from Happy Donuts on Saturday morning at Billy’s request and then went to dinner in Lawton at the Santa Fe Cattle Company. It was so good.  We gave Dad his birthday present a couple of days early so he could get a crash course in using it.  My brothers, mom and I all chipped in and got him an IPad.  He loves it.  He is the bishop of the LDS Ward in Altus and now he has everything at his fingertips.  There are so many applications that are church related.  Bill got Dad all set up on his smart phone and on the IPad.  He is totally connected!  Dad requested chicken enchiladas for his birthday dinner and we had cake and ice cream with a couple of friends over, too.  It was a lot of fun.  Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you.

Billy’s Cub Scout Pack held their Pinewood Derby on Saturday.  He was excited to be taking part in a Cub Scout tradition.  He wanted his car to be blue and red to reflect Super Mario. one of his favorite characters.  Billy had a lot of good father – son time while they sanded, painted and made the final touches to the car.  Unfortunately, Bill couldn’t be there as he was with his Varsity Scout Team at the Klondike Derby. I am sure he would have gladly taken the Pinewood Derby over the Klondike as it was really cold.  Billy’s car did really well and he won third place in the Tiger Cub division.  He is already looking forward to next year.

Over the river and through the woods, to grandma’s house we go. We drove up to Utah to take  Grandma Dunow back home after Christmas. We drove in snow the whole way, but arrived safely thanks to Bill’s excellent skills of driving in the snow.  There was a lot of snow. I never heard an official amount, but there was probably about two feet of snow on the ground.  The boys loved it. They got to play in the snow, but were disappointed when they couldn’t build a snowman because it was just too cold.  The snow just wasn’t the right consistency.  On New Year’s Day, Bill and I along with Curtis, Bill’s brother in law, took the kids to the golf course to sled down the hills.  Baden went down the hill once and got a face full of snow.  He didn’t want to sled after that.  I went down with Billy and he jumped off and I had a face full of snow.  It was really cold out, but the kids a blast playing and sledding with their cousins in the snow.

For Christmas I got a new Wii game called Just Dance.  It’s a lot of fun. The boys and I have been having fun playing. It’s quite the workout.  Here’s some video of us playing.

[youtube PQYbS0H-4N8 nolink]

When we first moved to Edgewood, a fellow church member told me that it usually snows before Halloween.  The first year we were here it snowed a few days before Halloween.  This year there has been snow around us, but it hadn’t snowed yet.  We got our first snowfall on December 16th.  It started snowing Thursday morning and didn’t quit until Friday afternoon.  We got almost a foot of snow.  It melted quickly and the boys are looking forward to the next big storm.

Every year at Christmas time, Albuquerque hosts the Twinkle Light Parade.  The parade consists of all kinds of transportation decorated in twinkle lights.  It’s a lot of cars. Some were just minivans that wanted to be cool others were low riders.   There was one car that really put on a show.  I can’t imagine how much money was invested in that car, but it was really cool.  Baden’s favorite part of the parade were the candy canes being handed out and Billy really liked Spider Man.  My favorite part was when we were leaving and I saw the mayor of Albuquerque, Richard Berry.  He’s a lot taller than I thought and he’s super nice.  He was nice enough to take a picture with me. That was the highlight of my night.

Billy’s Cub Scout Pack had their rocket launch on Saturday. Billy had a good time making the rocket with Bill. He painted it yellow and black to look like the Transformer  Bumblebee.  Billy’s rocket went the highest and was the last one to come down. He was so excited.  It was a fun morning for all!

Bill is a huge Pink Floyd fan.  When he found out that Roger Waters, a founding member of Pink Floyd, would be touring this year he was excited. We had the tickets for months.  Since Roger Waters wouldn’t be in Albuquerque, we decided to go to Phoenix for the November 27th show.  It was our belated anniversary trip.  My mom and dad came to spend Thanksgiving with us and watch the boys while were away.  We had a good time in Phoenix and it was nice to get away.  Roger Waters performed The Wall.  It’s  a rock opera.  A wall is actually built while the show is going on. It was really cool to see.   The show was great and Roger Waters always puts on a great show (we have seen him in concert 5 times now). I had never been to Phoenix other than the airport so it was neat to finally see the city. It reminds me of Southern California, but I love the Saguaro cactuses and am determined to get my picture with one the next time I am in Phoenix. Maybe for another Roger Waters concert. Who knows.