Marley & Her Sprained Ankle

We made our bi-annual visit to the Banner Desert Medical Center last night. Marley was injured jumping in an inflatable "bouncy house" at the gym. She was diagnosed with a bad sprain and put in a splint. She will on crutches for at least a week....

South Mountain

This weekend the family went hiking at South Mountain Preserve, which is located just south of Phoenix.

"At more than 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park/Preserve is the largest municipal park in the country, according to the Trust for Public Land. The history of South Mountain Park/Preserve as a city park dates back to 1924. Prominent local citizens, with the help of Sen. Carl Hayden, bought 13,000 acres from the federal government for $17,000. In 1935 the National Park Service developed a master plan for the park with riding and hiking trails, picnic areas and overlooks, all in rustic regional character. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many of the facilities in the park, based on this master plan. Visitation at the park has gone from 3,000 a month in 1924 to an estimated three million a year today. South Mountain Park/Preserve actually consists of three mountain ranges, the Ma Ha Tauk, Gila and Guadalupe. "


http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south/index.html

We posted a lot more pictures of our day at: http://www.flickr.com//photos/azsmithstuff/sets/72157632565274648/show/

Holiday Lights at the Train Park

Last night we bundled everyone up and went to the train park to check out the holiday lights.



People wait for the train and sip hot cocoa.




Gray sits in the front row of the train car.




Marley chooses her horse on the carousel.

Gray sits and eats a candy cane.

Marley & Mom enjoy the ride.

Striking a pose in front of the Christmas tree.

The family shot (courtesy of a complete stranger who stinks at taking pictures).

Grayson's Holiday Show

Last Friday evening was Grayson's preschool holiday show.

Holiday Activities

Last week we attended the Scottsdale Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony...

The kids enjoyed the carolers.

Gray stretched out a bit.

We stayed for the fireworks.

And finally the tree was lit.

After his big day, Grayson found a cozy corner of the couch to rest on with his cats.

Marley's Birthday

Marley turned 7 this weekend. We skipped the big party, but she did have a fun filled weekend with her best friend. They painted pottery, designed their own jewelry and got "tattoos". After a sleepover they woke up and made birthday cakes.