Back to Reality

After 2 weeks in Oregon and a week here with Mom visiting, it's back to reality for us - unfortunately.  Mom left this afternoon and we already miss her!  As Isaac said, "Your mom is just so helpful."  Mom never just sits around, she's always helping - washing dishes, giving the kids baths, helping around the house, helping with the kids.  She hung curtains, helped me hang all our framed pictures and wall hangings, helped organize the house, the outside of the house, spent lots of time with the kids and babysat Eli all day while Isabelle and I had our (as I've named them) Tucson Days (basically 3 hours of driving and 2+ hours of doctor appointments).  We left around 8 in the morning, got home around 3 and it was amazing to deal with the driving and appointments without having to calm Eli down and find ways to entertain him while he looks at all the cool things (climbing wall, ball pit, swing, etc.) that he can't use because he's not a patient.  I wish my family lived closer and so do the kids.

 The kids are missing mom already.

 We got to do a few fun things as well.  We went to Bisbee, a really cool town close to us.  Mom, Isaac and Eli went on a mining tour that they said was really interesting.  We didn't think Isabelle would handle it very well, so Izzy and I walked around town and checked things out.

 Pretty dang cute.

 We also went to Tombstone, since my mom is a huge western fan (I swear, every time I come home to visit there is a John Wayne marathon on one of their channels).  Eli was in cowboy heaven with the stagecoaches, horses, cowboys and guns fights.  Here's the girls on a stagecoach ride.

 Eli and some cowboys from the gunfight show we went to see.  Since Sat. he has repeatedly asked me if he can go back to the cowboy town and hang out with the cowboys.