snow day!

Tucson

Mama and Papa Bejos have been living the life of snowbirds this winter. As you can tell, life is good and they have relaxed into their new lifestyle. The boys and I slipped away for a weekend, leaving mr. bejos home to hit the books. We hit the Desert Museum (sting rays and gem show included!) and then hiked through the desert on a trail I had all but forgotten about from my own Tucson days.

squeezing in a date

Every now and then we find the magical afternoon when both boys have been invited to a common birthday party, or both have playdates at the very same time. They are few and far between but we try to make the most of them, even if it is just a drink out. 

winter cures

The warmth of Sedona calls us this time of year, without fail. Back to those predictable patterns of habits and traditions.

bejos clan

The entire bejos clan in one shot. Check out all those grandsons. 

Gingerbread

 

We were invited to a gingerbread party this year, joining a friend's longstanding family tradition that has been going since 1976. Days before the event, the family bakes and cuts gingerbread to very specific sizes, pre-packaging it all for a design that first appeared in Sunset magazine.

Candy is brought to the party and distributed among the tables, much to the wide-eye delight of my sweet toothed children. Working as a family we attempted to follow the blueprint design but quickly abandoned those plans for a quick-build that would allow for the candy application to come sooner rather than later.