December 2024

The most interesting things that happened in December were centered around Christmas. Here are all the photos and videos, and below is a summary.

Snowy Days

Rob: We had a few more snowy days in December, including a bit on Christmas Eve while going to the airport. Not a huge amount of snow, but enough to make it feel a bit more like Christmas and even pull Alex around on his sled a few times.

Christmas Festivities

Rob: In addition to putting up all the lights and decorations, we had a few events and activities going on this month to get into the holiday spirit. At church, we had a great ward Christmas dinner activity, and a nice Sunday musical program. At home, we invited some friends over for cinnamon rolls, hot cocoa, and a white elephant gift exchange and enjoyed visiting with them. Becky had a gift exchange Relief Society activity as well. And keeping up with past traditions, we drove through Watt's Christmas Wonderland and wondered yet again if they store, or just leave up, the ridiculous amount of big Christmas decorations and lights that line the mile stretch of their farm where they are all displayed for people to come see, at the suggested donation of $10 per car. We also visited the lights at the arboretum.

The Long Journey to Sierra Vista

Rob: This year we planned to spend Christmas in Arizona visiting Becky's family. We found the cheapest flights around Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, so we planned accordingly. Getting there is a multi-step journey. On Dec. 23, we packed up in the morning and drove to Newark in the afternoon, where we stayed overnight at an AirBnB by the airport. That evening there wasn't much to do but get dinner and watch shows in our room, which shared a common area with some other rooms. We had to keep an eye on Alex so he wouldn't wander out in the hall and start opening the doors to other people's rooms. We woke early the next morning and parked at the Newark airport, beginning the journey with our shuttle ride to the terminal for our  10 am flight. Unlike last time, we got there with plenty of time to spare. Alex was very excited about the whole thing, especially the shuttle ride and the plane taking off. We had a layover in Denver, and then continued on to Tucson. We entertained ourselves with airplane movies, books, and naps. We got a rental car at the Tucson airport and drove about an hour and a half south to Sierra Vista, where we arrived that night to greet Becky's mom at her house, along with Becky's brother Nate and his wife Riley visiting from Provo, and Becky's brother Sean and his boy Quito. After the long journey, it was great to be with family on Christmas Eve.

Fun Times with Family in Sunny Arizona

Rob: We couldn't have asked for nicer weather in Sierra Vista: up to mid-70s in the day and cool at night with lots of sun. Sierra Vista is not a big town, but it has a Walmart, Target, and a few other things that Alex likes. And since we just wanted to relax and hang out with family, it's actually kind of nice to be in a quiet desert town. During our time there we opened presents Christmas morning, ate lots of good food that Becky's mom made, went on walks around the neighborhood and to the nearby park, and had lots of time for visiting, playing games and watching shows. Becky's mom reserved a little cabin at the Ramsey Canyon Inn, which is in this nearby canyon that is a Nature Conservancy preserve with a lot of birds and wildlife and hiking trails. The Inn had a breakfast option with other travelers, and also complementary pie each day. Nate and Riley stayed there a couple nights before they returned to Provo, and then me and Becky stayed there a few nights while Alex hung out with Grandma.  We all hiked the Ramsey Canyon trails the day after Christmas  and it was like autumn there. Later in the week we visited Becky's brother Dave up in Tucson, where we gathered to look through a box of old things belonging to Becky's dad and have a bit of a memorial for him. Dave loves to host big bonfires in his yard, so we did that too. Alex did well with entertaining himself by exploring new toys and new surroundings, playing on the trampoline, and having extra time playing games on his iPad while grownups visited throughout the trip. But we did some things for him, including visiting the kid's section at the local library, going to the local park, swimming at the big indoor, heated aquatic center, going to the mall and stores he likes, and also Peter Piper Pizza. All of it was a good time that went by too quickly.

Returning to New York on New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, we packed things up in the morning and said goodbye, then drove north for 3 hours to get to Phoenix. It would have been nice to do some things there or visit old friends, but we only had time to get tacos (the good kind we can't find in NY) before heading to Sky Harbor airport. After returning the rental car, we took the sky train, which Alex was very excited about. It's like a Disneyland ride to him, and he held a stranger's hand sitting next to him the whole way as he let out shouts of glee. From Phoenix, we had a direct flight back to Newark in under 5 hours. It's hard to say whether the drive to Phoenix for a direct flight trumps the shorter drive to Tucson for a connecting flight, but either way it makes for a full day of travel. We got to Newark around midnight, but there wasn't much New Year's Eve celebration going on. We had to wake Alex to get him off the plane, he fell asleep in the car in our hour drive home, and we just carried him to bed before trying to settle down and go to bed ourselves. He was an excellent traveler. I went to bed around 3 am. Thank goodness we had no plans or obligations on New Year's day. However, we discovered that a mouse (probably several mice) had gotten into our cupboards where we store some grains and cooking ingredients. They really tore into a bag of flax seed and pooped all over, including in the drawers where there is silverware, washcloths, and packets of soy sauce and honey mustard that they were happy to chew into as well. So taking care of that situation was the first plan for the new year.

What Else Is New

Rob: This month has been all about setting up a 15-gallon desk aquarium that was my Christmas present. I can't say how much I've enjoyed thinking about what kind of fish, plants, rocks, wood, etc. I wanted to put in there and how, along with figuring out the lighting and filtration. I obsess over it now just like I did last time I was into this hobby as a teenager. It's not finished yet, but you'll see some photos in the Google album of the progress. The goal is to have a little habitat with a lot of plants that looks natural, and eventually get some clown killifish as the centerpiece animals (although I'm starting with guppies for now). So far I've really enjoyed having that to look at while I'm at work instead of the wall and filing cabinet.

Alex already got a lot of new toys for his birthday last month, but for Christmas he got a few more including: legos, various cars, a giraffe puzzle, bath toys, books, a stuffed animal that you warm up in the microwave, and some things from Lakeshore learning to help him learn things, 

Becky:  Some things I enjoyed this month include getting to spend time with my little brother, Nate, and his wife, Riley.  It was the first time I've gotten to hang out with Riley since they got married.  She's super nice, smart, and fun to hang out with.  She totally dominated at "The Office" trivia game.  I enjoyed all the little things our family tends to do when we get together- ball tag, games, a bonfire and LOTS of food.  My mom took good care of us.  Among other things, she made us her famous spring rolls, homemade bread, and bran muffins.  She also made a killer reuben sandwich.  She always tries to make all our favorites while we're there.  She took us to Tanuki- our favorite Japanese restaurant.  Amidst all the hosting, it was nice to see her kicking back and having a good time.  It's been a year for all of us.  Speaking of which, I read a short tribute to my dad at his memorial.  It was really nice to hang out with my siblings, (including sister-in-laws) as well as nieces while we reminisced a bit about my dad.  I'm sure I'll always miss my dad and wish I could talk to him, but am happy that he is whole again and probably spending time with my sister and all the dogs and cats we've had along the way:)