Hummingbird Encounter

When we were in Arizona, our hotel had a nice little patio area where you could sit and read a book outside without the sun beating down on you.  Mama went out there at one point just to feel the warmth of the outdoors when she saw a hummingbird.  Then she saw something she never saw before - a hummingbird land in a tree!  So, she watched for a while.  Finally she braved the indoors for the camera and super awesome zoom lens.  Voila!  Awesome hummingbird photos!  For the sake of this post, we assume he/she was a girl birdy...

This one is just a close up in the tree...

Then she started to ruffle her feathers and scratch behind her ears...

Then, as seems customary with birds, after a good head and ear scratching, a good wing flapping is in order...

And then, she was off!  Here she is taking a drink from some of the local flora...

How does she drink, you ask?  With this super awesome long tongue!  Check it out!

One of the coolest parts of this for Mama, besides getting documentation and a cool tongue photo (she just sticks it out like she's tasting the air or something) was being able to hear the hummingbird's call.  She makes this really unique noise, so when she flew off that first time and came back, Mama was able to find her in the tree by her call.

Mama had recently watched The Big Year, so maybe that's why she was so into birding on this trip...

Yes, we still have kitties...

Despite all the Xander related posts, yes, we still have kitties too!

They still share a bed from time to time...

And Sark has pretty much always done this weird thing where he sorta sits up against a wall like he's in a chair or something.  He sorta sits on the floor and uses the wall for back support.  Really quite funny.  Anyway, we are never able to document this because he always seems to know when the camera is coming to take his picture and he doesn't think he's photogenic enough when he's up against the wall.

So when Sark did one of the other funny thing he does - as soon as you leave your chair at the nook table, he jumps into it... to hold your spot for you?  To keep it warm?  To steel the warmth you left behind?  Not sure, but he's predictable as all get out on this one - we were able to catch him in the act!  This is a picture of him doing his chair sit in an actual chair.  Sorta lounge-y, sorta side ways chair sit... all weird...

Bon Voyage, Uncle and Auntie!

Mama and Dada got back from Arizona just before Uncle Jeremy and Auntie Samara were leaving for Israel.  Dada went over to their place on Saturday to pick up a few things he wanted to borrow while they were away.  While he was there he pitched in to move a few of the larger items into storage.  The next day was the final farewell.  We all arrived to help with the last minute pack and clean up, then it was off to the airport for our official goodbyes.

Xander is sure going to miss his Auntie!

Aww, they are so sweet together!

At the airport, one last hug with Uncle Jeremy.

We know they are going to miss all of us, but with all the adventures they will be having, the time will fly by so fast for them!

Bye bye Uncle Jeremy and Auntie Samara!  Thank you for the bedtime story you recorded for me!  I listen to it and wiggle to the music each time!

Day Six - our last full day!

We started out with breakfast in our hotel room.

Xander had a lot of fun playing with some banana bits.  As you can see, he found this particular breakfast rather hilarious.

We tried to go to the pool again that day, but it started to rain.  We kept going, got all the way to the pool and found no one there.  Great, the whole pool to ourselves!  This was Arizona rain, not Washington rain, we figured we coul deal with this... until the wind picked up, we started to shiver, and  the thunder rolled... ok, we get it, time to go inside!

We ended the day with dinner in the hotel restaurant.  Xander was really worn out from the trip and lack of sleep over the course of the week, so he was really causing havoc during the meal.  But who could blame him?  He was happy to be home once we got back and settled right back into his old routine.  Overall, he was a traveling champion!  We're so proud.

Day Five - a river, a rarity, and a restaurant

This was one of Mama's favorite days on the trip.  In the morning, we made our way to the hotel's largest pool - the one with a lazy river!

Even while he swims, Xander prefers to cross his feet or legs.  Our little Buddha Baby.

Xander floating with Dada on the lazy river!

It seemed that on each day we saw some sort of wildlife.  On our travels we saw a jackrabbit, a hummingbird, a condor and here we saw a lizard!  He was pretty cool, or she...

Mama and Xander had fun on the lazy river too!

After we rivered it up, Xander played in the small fountain.  He preferred trying to crawl as fast as he could to the edge of the pool, so that didn't last long.

Family photo op!

Another kiddy pool where Xander could smack the edge with his hand.  He loved it.

Mama and Xander enjoying some dry time before heading back to the hotel room for lunch and a shower.

Ok, so by "lunch" we mean that Xander ate his lunch and then we headed over to the Fry House for dessert as lunch.  Kinda like cereal for dinner, right?  One of Mama's favorite things to eat is indian fry bread.  Not just any fry bread, not something you get at a mexican restaurant like little pockets of fried dough, but traditional straight up fry bread that is bigger than your plate!  Mama used to get it with her Mom and Dad and sometimes her cousins on an indian reservation between her old house and their house in Tucson.  Yum.  That place was closed a few years ago when Mama tried to go, so she found this place instead.  We ordered a powdered sugar and a honey fry bread.  We made fry bread sandwiches with them too.  SO GOOD!  Just like Mama remembered.  So fresh, so tasty, so TERRIBLE for you, but so what!  It is such a rare treat that it's worth every last calorie!  Who needs a balanced lunch when you can get your entire caloric intake for the day in one sitting!

Once we finally felt like eating again, it was time to dress up in our fanciest vacation clothes and head over to Bourbon Steak.  Dada had been to a different Michael Mina restaurant in Seattle, so he just had to try this place too.  We started with a complimentary truffled popcorn then enjoyed a fabulous Ahi Tartar, a side of truffled mac and cheese with broccoli florets and a butterfish in mushroom broth.  There was a slight issue with one of our dishes, so the chef prepared us a complimentary cheese cake ice cream dessert with fresh strawberries.  We had a great time and left totally stuffed.

It had been a great day, but we were going on a week in a new place with a different schedule, so Xander was definitely worn down and showing it at this dinner.  We still managed to get some great photos though.  He's so cute!

No matter how crazy he makes us sometimes, his cuteness always ends up overruling the drama.  We sure love this little guy.

Day Four - another day, another pool

Xander deserved a chill day after being such a champion on our Grand Canyon journey the day before.  So, we found a kiddy pool for him to play in.  It was fully shaded when we went, and at just under 2 feet deep all the way through, he was able to stand up the whole time.  He loved it!

He jacked this blue cup from the pool shared toys and played with it the whole time.  Man, that kid has a soft spot for cups!  Here he is standing at the side all by himself banging the cup on the edge of the pool.  Loving it!

Don't worry, Mama is just a second away!  Here she is watching over the little guy as he plays.

Eventually Dada was able to get into the pool too.  He decided the pool was really cold (it felt warm once you were in it for a moment) so we moved to the big pool where it was warmer.  Dada played basketball at the pool's hoop for a while as Xander enjoyed his chill floatie time.  We finally had to cut the fun short when we all started to prune up.  Tomorrow is another day for the pool!

Day three - so much to see!

Our one big idea for this trip was to visit the Grand Canyon.  Not so much for Xander's benefit, but because it's one of the few things that Mama has done but Dada has not, so she was eager to show him something new.

That morning, the boys were so cute when they woke up!  Little did they know what a long day they had ahead of them.  It is a really long drive from Scottsdale to the GC, but we hoped it would be worth it.  With a pitstop for lunch and again for gas, we made the journey in about 4.5 hours.  We would have gone faster, but the time we made up by speeding all melted away when we got stuck behind an oversized load caravan made up of a bunch of police cars leading the way for a giant floatation device (we are still not sure if it was a yacht or a strange looking ship, but it was gigantic, not Titanic, but monstrous in its own right) that was so wide it took up all lanes of traffic and we all had no choice but to putt along behind it all the way up the curvy road.  Finally there was room for the monstrosity to pull off and let us all pass, so we could put that painfully boring part of our journey behind us, literally.

Once we made the stop at what we thought was our last chance for gas, we had a lot of open road ahead of us.

We made it!  This is the viewpoint from the Watchtower vantage point.  Xander and Dada shared this moment as it was the first time either of them had taken in the amazing view!

You can see the river from here too!

Family photo op.  What is with people who take your picture for you?  No, we didn't come here to see the trees, we came here for the GRAND CANYON.  Can you maybe get that in the shot next time.  Thanks buddy.

Mama!  I like this Grand Canyon thing!

As you go along the route at the Grand Canyon, there are many places you can stop for photos.  The view is different at each one - so crazy!

Wave "hi" to the camera!

Kisses for the bubba!

Camera shy?  No, Mama, I just need a hug!

As we approached on of the main viewpoints near the visitor's center, we heard some commotion.  Anthony thought someone had been pushed or jumped over the edge, but Mama knew better.  We'd been seeing this massive bird (could have been different birds) along the way as we had made our journey from the Watchtower to the other side of the park.  Finally this big bad bird decided to take a rest.  Of all places, he chose this rock just outside of the viewing area.  People were going a little crazy for this bird!

As it turns out, this is a condor.  Massive thing.  They used to live in the canyon, but at one point there were less than 10 birds still living there so someone decided to reintroduce the birds into the environment.  This is one of those birds, number 87 by the looks of it.  He's a scary looking bird beast, like a vulture.  The park ranger that we spoke with said this bird has a wing span between 8.5 and 9 feet wide.  Woah!

Overall, it was a very long day, but it was worth it to take in the beauty of this amazing sight.  Xander was an amazing trooper.  We are so lucky to have such a good baby boy!

Thanks, Grand Canyon, for the good times, great photos, and precious memories!  (Double click for a bigger version of this panoramic view!)

An eventful second day in the sun

Mama and Dada thought Xander's first time in the pool should be early in the morning to avoid the worst of the sun.  We got ready so early and so fast that the pool wasn't even open yet!  So, once it was finally allowed to swim, we were all set!

Here is Xander, all decked out from head to toe in sun protection, ready to get into the pool for the first time!

Xander did great!  He did try to crawl on the water at first, and isn't yet much of a swimmer, but he was very relaxed and happy to be in the water the whole time!

After spending some time in his floatation device with Mama, it was time to venture into the pool without a raft!  Xander loved that too!

Then it was Dada's turn to swim with the boy.  So cute!

Xander did a pretty good job of holding on to the edge of the pool too.  He loved smacking the ground with his hand.

After we started to prune up a bit, it was time to get back to the hotel room for some lunch and a nap.  Before we could go, we had to take a detour in the pop jet fountain.  Xander had a good time reaching out for the stream of water like it was a tangible item he could hold onto only to deflect the water into his and his Mama's face.

After rinsing off the chlorine, Xander spent some naked baby time with his Dada and his Saxophone while Mama finished getting clean and dry.

After some fun time, Dada made and attempt to feed the boy his lunch.  For the first time EVER Xander attempted to eat a banana!  While he wasn't entirely successful, it was pretty encouraging for Mama and Dada to see him give one of his favorite flavors a try in it's original form.  Way to go Xander!  Keep up the good work!