Christmas Recap - The vacation:-)

So every time we go to the desert we talk about going to the Tram...they have new cars that rotate and it is a fun time...and there is usually snow this time of year! But alas, something always happens to foil the plan...this year we thought we had it figured out...But sickness, and scheduling conflicted...and weather, it was supposed to be windy...trust me you do not want to be hanging from a cable when the wind gets roaring through the desert!

So instead of heading to the tram we went to the local Children's' Museum on the day after Christmas (after I went and got some snazzy boots for a ridiculously low price...my first day after Christmas purchase ever!) So anyway the museum was a BIG hit! I tell you it's awesome, you don't have to worry about your child doing something they are not supposed to because they can touch EVERYTHING in the place...Holden had a blast...he REALLY liked the outside "ball" area...look at him trying to manage two at a time!

We ran into some old friends and got to catch up...and we tired out the kiddos BIG TIME:-) always a plus...I love the above pic of Holden walking with my mom...
I can't remember what day it was but we decided to take Holden to the Living Desert...It is a sister zoo of the San Diego Zoo and it is very fun...we saw giraffes, hyenas (Holden's favorite from Goodnight Gorilla, you should have seen him it was SO fun!), Camels, Zebras, Big Horn sheep, oh and an amazing miniature train display which Holden thought was Great!

He thought he would take a ride on the Boar...too bad while he was doing this the Boar came out of his hole for a quick showing and he missed it! Man those things are UGLY!

Here he is chatting with my dad..."Ranka" apparently "Ranker" is Grandpere, "Ranka" is Grandpa, "Ranger" is Grandmere, and "Ranga" is Grandma...funny

My cutie! It was cold for the desert...colder than its ever been for us I think...we dressed almost as warm as we do here! The funny part is we thought it was fine walking around the zoo...but Grandma and Grandpa were FREEZING! Guess they are desert dwellers...Holden's cheeks are pink here partly due to the dry air...his poor little cheeks got chapped... He thought he would ride a camel too!
And play some drums in the African Village

Here are the Big Horn Sheep...these are my favorite! I have always thought they were beautiful...and growing up before there was so much development here, we would sometimes see them in the neighborhoods that nestled along the mountains/hills...
For our Christmas present from my parents we got to go on a 4 hour jeep tour of the San Andreas Fault line...it was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot! My folks watched Holden and we enjoyed the day...I learned that the valley which houses the desert sees only 5 inches of rain per year! No wonder its dry! Anyway the tour was fun and we got to hike around in some slot canyons, and see some real Oasis' in the desert.
Here we are in one of the slots...Glad there wasn't an earthquake or a flash flood while we were there! I always remember Flash Flood warnings from when I was growing up, but I never understood how there could be flooding with so little rain...apparently the desert floor is so dry it can't even soak up any rain so it runs along the top of the ground causing flooding...interesting...

Here Holden is imitating my mom's dog I think...He had so much fun with Brat (short for Brat W. Urst the daschund) I think Brat was tired out though...

What a fun vacation we had and a busy one...now we are recovering and enjoying the new year!