Outings

One last time at the Phoenix Zoo before the membership expires.

Finishing up with the Temple Lights and a very tired little boy!

The next day, we visited the Ghost Town of Goldfield, north of Apache Junction.

We brought 2 extras but left the older one at home (too cool for us cowboys).

T'was the season...

T'was the season for Gingerbread houses, and...

Christmas concert (I had to show that I was there because my singer never saw me!), and...

Gifts from my brother on Christmas Eve, and...

The BIG day!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Ormie the pig

This will be me after January 1st!!!!

It's really funny, whatch it with your kids!

Mad World

Last week, a mad man opened fire in the center of my beloved home town Liege.  He killed 5, including himself, coward.  He injured over 120.  This is a busy season, there was a Christmas market and a ton of young students waiting for the bus after taking their finals.  A perfect time for a perfectly senseless crime.  My heart hurt to hear about it.  Here is a video in honor of its victims.  If you've been following my blog, you will recognize the area as one I photographed back in June.

Winter Wonderland

This year, thanks to a good friend, we made it to the Polar Express up north and took our kiddos to the North Pole (in Williams, Az).  We kept it a secret, we didn't even tell them we were going out of town. I packed the bag while they were at school and on Saturday morning, told them to get their teddy bears to sleep with.  The girls say now that they guessed where we were going. They knew we had a big surprise and had thought it would be going to the movies (hmm, yeah, we obviously don't do that very often since they think it'd be THE big surprise!).  The boys had no clue, even when we got to the train station :) and the girls didn't really guess, they only hoped.
It was fun, a bit expensive for a family of 7, plus staying in a 4 star hotel (it was a 1 star, and I think it got 1 star because of the 27 inch flat screen TV or maybe the telephone with no cord, or the antique windows, and the mismatched furniture, not sure).
We played in the snow too. I realize that my kids are big wusses when it comes to cold, I need to move them where it snows for a a couple of years, just to expose them to the real world, geeeezzze!
Now is the big count down, only 6 days to get all the wrapping done and bake the goodies and get them delivered, yikes, gotta get going!

 That cookie is bigger than his little face!!!

 If you know the story, the little boy loses his bell because he has a whole in his pocket. Santa gave a bell to Tommy and said: "here you go, I hope you don't have holes in your pocket"! So I checked, and look at that!!! He didn't want to wear his pjs, because he's too cool like that.

Oh baby it's cold outside!

This looks like a male snowman for sure!!!

In case you didn't get it in the mail...

Email from Santa!

If you go there http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gksHoRdSQxNh8FdqGv2MVPw you can see an email we got from Santa himself.  It's really fun, just go to http://www.portablenorhtpole.tv.com/ and make one for your kids. It's free and requires no sign up.  Sooo fun!

Another birthday

Here is the next birthday in the Inman household.

 A new bike (thanks to a great friend, you know who you are :)

 Ready to brave the AZ elements, we have had frost in the am, the Spiderman hat and gloves are a necessity these days.

 Yes, that's 6 fingers you count!

...and no, I didn't make that cake either (Fresh and Easy, $5.39)

Saint Nicolas, patron des ecoliers

This year again, Saint Nicolas came to our house, all the way from Belgium, for some very undeserving children, but that's another post!

 Put your shoe by the cheminey (or tree if you don't have one) and he'll bring you goodies on December 6th.

 He is stuck on our tree at our house though, hope he can make it back to Belgium for next year!

 We did Christmas early with my parents, since they leave on Saturday to make sure St Nicolas gets back okay.

 He looks thrilled! and yes, he got glasses, that poor kid was as blind as a bat on the left eye!

My BFF Vanessa sent us a package too this year, all fat free items, of course!

Oklahoma

Eleven years ago, while struggling to get pregnant, I started following a support group for women fighting PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrom).  I met Heather.  We ended having a baby girl just days appart, and we stayed in touch. She had one more girl, I had 2 more boys.  We emailed, followed each others bloggs, then facbooked, then played "words with friends" and texted...then Southwest was doing cheap tickets and they happen to fly to Tulsa.  So last week-end, Reed and I flew to Tulsa, then drove to Bartelesville, OK for the week-end.  I met my best cyber cyster ever and we hit it off just as planned.  It was such a great time.  The kids stayed in AZ with Papy and Granny visiting from Belgium, which made the time even greater! 

Here is me and Heather

Me as a snow bunny...well, I did see snow from the plane!

 In front of Oral Robert's University

 Very tall people in Tulsa, I sure am happy this guy didn't have to pee.

 Saturday was a big College ball game: OSU vs OU.  OSU won after many years of being defeated. They are now going to Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl, while OU is going to Tempe for the Insight Bowl...what's up with all of Oklahoma fans coming to AZ...could it be the 70 degree weather we'll be having at that time of year?

 Each town in OK (or around us anyway) had a different animal as a mascott or something.  They have a bunch of them, all painted differently.  Bartlesville has Bufalos and this one, my friends, was very special because of his disco balls!

 If you have ever been in Belgium or Gernmany, you will recognize this store.  It is one of my favorite place to shop and it looked and smelled the same as at home...ahhh, a piece of Belgium in OK! Who knew (well, I guess the Belgian flag by the universtiy was an omen ;)

 ...and you even have to put a quarter in the cart to use it, just like in Europe!

Ever heard of Keepsake Candles?  This is where they make them and ship them all over the country and the world. 
We learned a lot about that State and we loved the company!