Park in December

          One of the best parts about living in Arizona is the "winter" weather.  While it has been cold by Arizona standards this past week, we can still play outside every day with a jacket or sweatshirt!  I love taking advantage of the mild weather by spending as much time outdoors as possible.  We read books on a blanket in our park, have lunch picnics, take walks, play in our backyard, and play on the numerous parks in our neighborhood.  We took Poppy and Grammy with us on our park adventures, and all of us just enjoyed God's gift of perfect playground weather!

Zoolights!

          While Grammy and Poppy visited, we took a little trip to the Phoenix Zoo.  Each year in December, the zoo does a spectacular Christmas lights display.  Last year, Matt and I made the trip with Audrey while Grammy and Poppy baby-sat Claire.  This year, all of us enjoyed the show.  Claire said it best when she said, "WOW!"  We all enjoyed the cool night air and the breath-taking lights.

Visiting Wagoner

          Poppy and Grammy (Matt's dad and step-mom) came to visit!  We were excited that they made the trip from Florida to Arizona to celebrate this Christmas season with us.  During their stay, we stayed busy and had a lot of fun.  The first weekend of their visit, we spent two days and a night visiting Wagoner and Prescott.  Wagoner is a little piece of ranch land about an hour outside of Prescott.  Matt's Grandma Cole spent a lot of time there, which means that Poppy and Matt both spent significant time there, too.  All of us were able to visit Wagoner, explore the property a bit, and learn more about Grandma Cole.  Audrey and Claire loved finding quartz and other unique rocks to add to their growing rock collections.  Audrey helped Daddy and Poppy make a few repairs on the old windmill.  Then Grammy and Poppy went exploring with Audrey and Claire.  After exploring Wagoner, we visited a neighboring ranch.  The girls had the chance to see horses and goats there, too.  We spent the night in a historical hotel in downtown Prescott before heading back to Phoenix the next afternoon.  The overnight trip was another great adventure for our family!

CCV Stars Soccer Tournament

          Audrey's first soccer season closed with a tournament.  Her team, the Wildcats, played two back to back games Saturday morning.  Each game was 20 minutes with no half time.  The girls play four on a side, and it is just so fun to watch.  Audrey has not only LOVED playing this season, she has worked hard and gotten better, too.  She is naturally aggressive (in the appropriate soccer playing way), and she intuitively knows where to be in relation to the ball.  To top off a great season full of laughter and learning, Audrey also scored 3 goals in her last two games and stopped the ball from going into the goal at least two times.  She was extremely proud, and we were proud of her, too!
          We also are so thankful for the team and league Audrey played with.  CCV Stars is a phenomenal league that promotes learning the game and good character qualities over winning.  The coaches, Larrie and Dave, were encouraging, supportive, and loving toward each of the girls on the Wildcats team.  Their leadership influenced the parents, who also constantly encouraged their little ones.  Obviously, this is the way soccer should be, especially in these younger age groups.  However, I have been around soccer long enough to know that this isn't always the case.  To be a part of a program that placed such high value on learning, fun, and positive attitudes was refreshing, to say the least.  Thanks, CCV Stars, for making Audrey's first soccer season such a success!

Preschool Field Trip!

          Audrey is in the sweetest little preschool program.  Three mornings a week, she and five other little ones go preschool.  Two wonderful women, who are also twin sisters, work with these precious kids and are absolutely wonderful with them.  Through the efforts of another family, the preschool went on it's first field trip to Luke Air Force Base.  The kids got a tour of a fighter squadron, met some pilots, tried on flight gear, took a ride out to the flight line, and got to sit in an F-16.  It was quite a morning, and the little ones really seemed to enjoy themselves!  Siblings and parents were invited, too, so it turned into a family affair.  Field trip day was a success!

Santa!

          Three weeks after our trip to the North Pole on the Polar Express, our girls had the opportunity to talk to Santa again!  Santa Claus made an appearance at our neighborhood holiday party, and the girls were happy to share their wish list.  Audrey asked for a Pocahontas doll and Claire (with help from Audrey) asked for a choo-choo train.  Claire was not so sure about sitting on Santa's lap, but once Audrey climbed up, Claire followed.  Where sister goes, Claire will go!

(Claire's eyes seem to be pleading, "Mommy, why am I sitting on this guy's lap?!")

Dogs

Just because we love our dogs...

 Buddy, the yellow lab, is seven now and as loyal as ever.

 Sydney, the beagle, is ten years old and quite the Queen, even though her back legs get tired a lot.

Thanksgiving

          For Thanksgiving this year, our family loaded up the van and drove to El Paso, Texas.  Spencer and Lara graciously hosted Stuart and Courtney and our family.  The food was excellent and the company was even better!  The girls soaked up every minute of "Aunt and Uncle" time.  We played games, played on the playground, had a nail painting party (girls only), played with our little cousin, and ate lots of really good food!  The long weekend was over before we knew it.  While Audrey and Claire were sad to leave their aunts and uncles behind, we reminded them that we get to see them again just after Christmas!