A Week With "Colorado Grandma & Grandpa"

Just like last year, March has proven to be a spotty month for blogging. We've been busy playing and working...here's hoping I can get caught up by the end of the month!

The highlight of our Spring Break was a visit from "Colorado Grandma and Grandpa"--aka My Parents, or Ray & Lori Nash. They make it to Arizona once or twice a year, so it was a special event. My parents arrived on March 16th--just in time for a bizarro cold spell (very unusual for Tucson in mid-March). We first shared an uneventful St. Patrick's Day (we had a soccer game in the morning, went shopping for painting supplies in the afternoon, and topped it all off with corned beef, cabbage, and potato cakes for dinner). So far, so good--80 degrees, sunny. Then, the very next day, came rain and chills. We had to turn on the fireplace...crazy!

On Monday, we ventured out with the whole family (minus Nate, who we'd be meeting for lunch at his work). We spent our morning at Pump It Up, a jumping-castle indoor play place we've visited before. It was crowded but fun (Grandma & Grandpa mostly sat & watched, but they took it all in good humor). Then we headed out to meet up with Nate and got caught in a heavy hailstorm...

So weird for southern AZ in March!! It was certainly strange to drive through it when I have, shall we say, fallen out of the habit of driving in inclement weather. Oh well, we made it to our lunch date with Nathan at El Guero Canelo, and then made it home safely afterwards. I did have to dash through the hail at one point (through a grocery store parking lot), but it worked out in the end...I was able to make delicious zuppa toscana for dinner that night (the Olive Garden recipe, according to the friend who sent me the recipe). It was the perfect end for a surprisingly chilly day:

Some other fun outings with Grandma & Grandpa included a trip to the International Wildlife Museum, which we'd also visited last November. Here are a few pictures from this museum (which is a great place to go if you like taxidermied animal dioramas):

Aurora's mesmerized by the animals...and Grandma's mesmerized by Aurora!

This wall made my dad think fondly of his big game-hunting older brother, my uncle Lee. He actually went on an African safari and shot animals not unlike these!

Celeste made herself at home on this crocodile

Lorelai surrounded by stuffed cats

Grandma & Aurora on the walkway into the museum

The girls loved this cute "courtyard" outside the museum

 

They also loved this lion statue!

Grandpa & Aurora goofing off

We also took Grandma & Grandpa Nash to the Green Valley Farmer's Market on the 21st:

By then, the weather had improved, and it was a lovely warm sunny day--perfect for strolling around outside, looking at local wares, and even buying a few things (the girls got some vintage jewelry--you can see their necklaces around their necks)! Mom and Dad also got a few things from their friends, and even a little yard decoration for me:

Cute! I love these little "rock bugs"; maybe someday I'll buy some friends for this guy (look: he's playing the piano! Awww, how adorable).

But it wasn't just fun and games last week...we got some work done too! Since we moved into the new house last year, my mom & dad have been invaluable in helping with our home improvement projects when they visit. Last year, for example, Grandpa pruned old trees, planted new trees, installed a bathroom sink, and painted a living room--among other things. Grandma was our "behind the scenes" help, as she kept the kids occupied, playing games with them and keeping them well away from the work sites. (She also slipped me a little money to get toys, food, and clothes--shhh! Don't tell Grandpa--all of which were much appreciated).

This year, I resolved to not overtax my parents as I'd done the year before...they needed some R&R, darn it! But they were eager & enthusiastic to get to work. My dad (much like myself) sees home improvement as a form of relaxation and recreation. Go figure. So here's what we did:

First, we painted the middle bedroom a pale yellow color; now all three of our hall bedrooms are painted!

Then, since we were on a "yellow" kick, we painted our downstairs half bathroom as well. I really like the way this turned out. The paint is a much brighter shade of yellow, and it's set off very nicely by the red towels inside the room. There's no window inside this bathroom, but the color makes it look so bright and sunny!

And I guess it wouldn't be a visit from my dad unless we pruned the heck out of one of our trees:

Before...

This is the tree in our backyard. Last year, during the deep freeze, most of the taller branches died off, and since then the tree has looked very skeletal & depressing. So, we finally decided to cut the sucker down to size, and chopped off all the tall branches!

...and after!

Yes, it probably looks a little stumpy and forlorn now; however, I think this will actually be to the tree's benefit in the long run. Hopefully it will grow a little quicker and healthier now that it's shed all that dead weight up top. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

After all that, my parents packed up the car and headed for Colorado (but not before leaving behind a little spending cash, some toys for the girls, and LOTS of hugs and kisses). As always, I'm in awe of what good workers my parents are, and of how loving and helpful they are. I'm so blessed and grateful to have them...and so is the rest of my family.