Antics and anticipation

We've been having such a nice time in Arizona, soaking up the sun and company and getting ready for Christmas.   Nana Rose wanted to give cookies to her neighbors, so we set to work to make eight dozen for her (thank goodness the girls are experienced in this area already!).

Nana and G-Daddy reciprocated by taking us on a nighttime train ride at a park, where we had candycanes and hot chocolate and rode around under the stars.  (In this shot of Clara you can just see her shimmery "tinsel" that we had put it in her hair at the kid's salon for the holidays).

Elena on the train ride, looking where we're heading (and sporting a little tinsel shimmer herself) with Steve beside her and Nana and G-Daddy just a seat behind.

Because it was so dark out the pictures are wonky, but still oddly pretty!

Warp speed - now we're rolling!

Through the tunnel!

After the train ride G-Daddy coached the girls on their horse riding skills.  Then, since it was so late, it was off to bed.

The next day both girls indulged in their daily Arizona pasttime - hot-tubbing!  They want to go in the "hot pool" as often as possible, which we have decided is once a day.

Dreamy, relaxed girls...

On this day, they were pretending they were dolphins, which seemed to involve grooming themselves with their "fins."

It also involved being fed dolphin-fish-flakes (potato chips) by anyone who came by!

We put together one of the presents this year from Santa (somehow this is getting posted out of order, but pretend we've already shown you Christmas for a moment).  Elena and Christina tried doing it themselves, but Christina did assembly from inside the house, which resulted in her being unable to get out!  Elena had to rescue her by dragging over a chair she could use to climb out the top.  After that G-Daddy got involved, and we have the entire house assembled and ready to decorate another day.

Even before it was decorated it was fun to have parties inside it.  At one point Elena brought the girls' favorite Arizona doll (a cpr practice doll Rose has had for 20 years, called Resuci-baby, now called Big Baby a la Toy Story 3) out to "play."  She asked permission to take a picture of Baby playing in the house "cause she's so happy there."  When we saw this was her shot we were grateful that pictures are no longer developed on film - we'd hate to see the people at CVS have to report us for abandoning a clearly-neglected baby like this, no matter how "happy" she is!