tales from a far-land

We kicked off December with a trip to see the APS Electric Light Parade on the first Saturday of the month.  As the weather was supposed to be very chilly and possibly rainy, the adults decided that we should secure a table inside at SunUp Brewing Company on Camelback just in case.  What a great decision!  It allowed us to have some adult-only time inside while the kids played outside before the parade near our sitting area we secured earlier in the day.  Luckily, the weather wasn't as bad as predicted and we were able to sit outside once the parade started. The kids loved telling the air balloon handlers to "Spin it!" every time they walked passed us.  It was a fun way to start our holiday season.   The kids with the toys Auntie Paige bought them Some adult time inside Watching the parade Paige and her kids Madi and I Miss Mae The whole gang Just the adults

Saturday night we had the opportunity to take the kids to a Suns game.  A first for both of them!  The game started at seven in the evening, so we decided to head downtown as a family and make a night of it.  After parking near the Talking Stick Resort Arena, we walked over to The Duce for dinner before the game.  Then, on to the game where we met up with Christy and Brandon.  The kids behaved really well.  We weren't quite sure if they would stay in their seats and watch the game, but they remained entertained for over three-fourths of the game.  The halftime ice cream and cookies might have provided them with some extra incentive to be good.  Aiden's favorite part of the game was trying to locate the Gorilla as he moved around the arena.  Madilyn really loved watching the Suns dancers.  It was a fun time out as a family! Pictures at The Duce An Aiden and Mommy Selfie The kids posing in front of the Suns players poster ...

Happy New Year!  The Farrell-Landers clan had the most idyllic start to our new year.  After breakfast, we all cuddled on the couch with blankets to watch the Rose Bowl Parade on television.  Aiden was so mesmerized with all of the floats and marching bands.  He sat on my lap watching the parade for at least an hour before he wanted down to play.  What a shock!  After the parade, we decided to head downtown to visit a park from Josh's and my childhood -- Encanto Park.  Encanto Park is a municpal park established in 1934 and consists of picnic areas, a lagoon, a boat house, swimming pool, nature trail, amusement park, fishing and two golf courses.  It was a beautiful day to go to the park.  Sunny and not too chilly.  We all had a great time.  The first thing the kids wanted to do was feed the ducks. As soon as we opened the bread bag, the ducks and geese started swimming over....

On beautiful February Sunday morning, we just decided to venture downtown to visit one of our favorite places to take Madilyn, the Children's Museum of Phoenix .  As I have stated before, it is an amazing facility for children and adults.  Plus, now that Madilyn is mobile, she seems to enjoy exploring more and more of the activities it has to offer.  Here are a couple of photos of her playing at the museum: While we were in the museum, we discovered that across the street from the museum at the Heritage and Science Park, the 27th Annual Matsuri Festival was occurring.  The Matsuri Festivial is a Japanese cultural event.  There were exhibits, demonstrations, arts and crafts, children’s activities, bonsai displays, Japanese food, live entertainment and tons of people dressed as Japanese "Anime".  Anime is a Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sexuality. ...