People. I’m coming back to life. I just made an iMovie! Us Johannes (and Joy) folk went up to Flagstaff for the 3-day weekend and had a grand ol’ time. But to be a little serious and sentimental here .. it was more than that. It was everything. It was like time stood still. I didn’t post on social media. I just soaked in every minute I could with my boys and only took my phone out to video when I remembered or had it nearby. Or asked my Dad to run the video button! There was a lot of built up anticipation for this trip, mostly on Jace’s part to see the snow and play in it. And play in it he did! We could barely get the kid to come inside. What a joy it was to see him put on all the gear and go trekking through the snow. Building snowmen and snow forts and throwing snow balls. We went all out. And the cottage I rented didn’t disappoint. The most perfect layer of snow surrounded the cottage and even beyond the fence of the property. I guess I don’t really know who had more fun, Jace or Tacoma. They were like two peas in a pod. Walker and Callen were a little skeptical of the snow. They ventured out occasionally, and rallied at the snow park. I felt like a kid again myself, out there crunching in the snow in my borrowed snow boots. Rolling huge balls of snow into a snowman body (I forgot how much work it is!) .. packing little snowballs and hitting my son over the head with them. I even made him cry. Not a proud Mom moment, I admit. But come on!? It’s called a snowball FIGHT for a reason! I felt bad, sure. But he got over it and demanded a rematch the next day. That boy has to toughen up! Our AirBnB was located right down the road from the Deer Farm. A little place full of baby deer starving for attention and $4 cups of food. We kissed a camel, fed the deer, talked to a porcupine, and admired the llamas and wallabys. Walker even got an unexpected KISS from a reindeer, causing him to fall back on his buttocks! Aside from playing in the snow non stop, playing scrabble with my Mom, hot chocolate in the morning, watching Top Gun after the boys went to bed, we didn’t do much else. The wood burning stove was marvelous … the sleeping arrangements quite tight .. the wild Elk galloping in the fields .. the sound of the train .. pretty spot on perfect if you ask me. And then, by the end of the weekend, 2 out of the 3 boys were sick, ha. Pretty typical of a trip up north, I’d say?! We are definitely going to have to make this snow trip an annual thing with the boys. More downtime, and more slower days, please! And don’t hate me. I’m a sucker for these face in the hole pictures every where I go, lol!
After our morning at 
On our second day up in Flagstaff, we took the boys to Bearizona. Really, there’s not much to say .. you stay in your car, very Jurassic Park style, and look out your windows at all the bears. And reindeer. And coyotes. And bison. It’s fairly short-lived. Thankfully there’s a small zoo-like park you can walk through after, with a petting zoo, more bears of course. and even a jaguar! Our favorite part, aside from all the sleepy bears, was the birds of prey show. Mr. Walker was getting pretty sweaty, so by the end of the excursion he was walking around shirtless, ready for a nap. It was a nice activity for the boys, but next time, I want to try the Deer Farm!
For the first part of our Fall break this year, I found the cutest AirBnB in the Flagstaff area. It was called the “bunkhouse”, just a turn away from the old Route 66. Sometimes you just need to get out of town for a weekend. We had such a nice time with our boys. The boys explored the grounds, spooked the cows behind us, kicked their soccer ball and at night we played flashlight tag and made smores by the fire. The weather was perfect, and across the street was even a little park. The boys helped me pick wildflowers, we made waffles for breakfast, grilled chicken and ate on the picnic table outside. The boys shared a bunk bed (their favorite thing in the world) and Callen snuggled in our room. The bunkhouse had a great southwest charm and it was the perfect size rental to contain our wild beasts! Even Hocus Pocus was playing on cable one of the nights. It truly felt like Fall and I’m thankful for all the laughs and scuffs and snuggles by the fire. Even Jace and Walker were extra cuddly with each other! Just melts my heart. I enjoy seeing the excitement on their faces in a new place.