Grandparents in Town
I’m a bit backlogged on my webposts – sorry! Almost a month ago my parents arrived in Salt Lake City to begin a one-month tour of Utah (where my sister Holly lives) and Arizona. Part way through their trip we headed north to Flagstaff to meet up with them, Holly and her boyfriend Joe. This just so happened to be the weekend that it began to rain, EVERYWHERE, and continued to rain well into the next week, thus devastating the front range of Colorado…as we all have heard. The beginning of our Flagstaff weekend was absolutely lovely. We checked out Sunset Crater and the Wupatki Ruins with my parents. By mid-day Saturday though is when it started downpouring and didn’t really let up long enough to have much fun (huddling at camp under makeshift shelters drinking beer only lasts so long). We ended up leaving early Sunday and heading back to Tucson with my parents. We were greeted in Tucson with more rain, which was actually quite nice. It only lasted a day. The temps were cool and the kids had a blast in the puddles! My parents spent the week with us. My dad took Silas fishing a couple times, we checked out the Desert Museum, swam in the pool a ton and went on some nice walks. Silas adores his Papa and has been re-telling his favorite papa-experiences since they left:
“That papa. Up in Flagstaff…at that campsite…you came up to the car, mama, and…you caught us! You caught me and papa rockin’ out (to classic rock on the car radio) and chewing gum! You caught us, mama. That was SO fun.”
“That papa. He LOVES to fish. Yep. He just LOVES to fish all day long.”
“That papa. He LOVES to swim in the pool with me. He LOVES it when I get crazy and jump right in! I just jump right in, mama! He loves it!”
And if Ivan could talk, he’d no doubt *still* be counting all the kisses and hugs he gave his grandma.
The view of the San Francisco Peaks from the top of Lenox Crater trail in Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Silas and Ivan’s Grandma and Papa
Silas in front of an old lava flow
Sunset Crater
The Wupatki Ruins (just down the road from Sunset Crater)
Family photo
The trash pit
The gathering circle
Someday when my kids are a little bigger and not trying to dart away like desert lizards 99.9% of the time, I’ll have a chance to read the guide and learn what the purposes of the rest of these buildings were. 😉
And then the rain started
Wet weather provides plenty of down-time at camp to cook up a good meal
Holly and Joe
And Courtney too! Surprise!
A very wet camp. And the beer is gone. Let’s ditch this joint.
Back in Tucson it’s a puddle field day!
On your mark, get set, go!
Silas catches a crawdad out of Rose Canyon Lake on Mt. Lemmon
Patient fishermen
Meanwhile, Ivan takes a nature walk and giggles hysterically over grabbing leaves off bushes
Grandma and Ivan
Pool time! During the one week that Papa and Grandma were here, Silas went from cautiously easing into the pool via the safe arms of mama or dad to full on kamikaze belly-smackers!
Ivan’s not quite there yet…
…still happy as a clam in the kiddie pool
Papa and Silas up to mischief again. This time, a Sonoran Dog!
Ivan’s thinkin’ about it
…and goes in for the kill
More fishing on Peña Blanca Lake down near the border
Pretty little place
The fisher boy
Got one!
Wondering when he’ll get his chance to catch one
Got another!
Bye bye fishy. Now swim home to your family
Paul and I on our 13 mile “date” run
What’s a date without flowers? 🙂
And a classic “Ivan Hug” for Papa. These hugs are one of a kind. He nuzzles right in and doesn’t let go. Love it.
posted by arr
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