Family
Heartfelt updates about family milestones and everyday moments. From taking Mazie to college and annual visits to the Renaissance Festival to Swedish‑pancake breakfasts and VR outings with the kids, this category celebrates togetherness.
Mazie and I at The Grotto Cafe after our hike in Cave Creek. The Grotto has an amazing outdoor patio space. It was Lucky’s first attempt at joining us at a restaurant and she did well until another dog showed up.
It was Tyler’s birthday today and we decided to get a really cool Minecraft themed cake to celebrate. Lesley’s Creative Cakes did an amazing job on this creation!
It was a little confusing to figure out how to cut into it, but the main cube was delicious Red Velvet cake.
There was plenty of cake. Cake decorators probably know this but I was surprised that the more decorative blocks were actually Rice Krispie bars.
Most importantly Tyler loved it!
Tyler got Mario Kart Live for his birthday and we’ve already had a ton of fun playing it. We setup a couple of quick tracks and it is really fun to have a game that is played both in front of you and on the Nintendo Switch.
Driving to Tucson for the day and introducing the kids to some country music with Hank Williams Sr., Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and even The Cactus Blossoms. Tyler declared it “not modern” and I fully agreed. 😊🎶
Day 6 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Sport.
Wasn’t a lot of “sport” options today but Tyler likes to wear Bayern gear nearly everyday. ⚽️
We had a John Hughes movie night with my brother and his family with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. There is more swearing than I remembered, or at least you notice it more with a 10, 12, and 15 year old watching. Mazie still liked it. 🍿
Tyler completed his LEGO® Nintendo Entertainment System™ project in just three days! He got very focused on it and worked through all 2,646 pieces. The finished project is very cool. The cartridge slides into the console and presses down just like an original Nintendo does. The controller feels normal sized in your hand and the cable disconnects.
The TV was a big part of the project and it operates like a track that you turn a handle and it moves. Mario is on a slide and bounces around on the course as you move it.
Here is the scene before going into the TV.
See console done and beginning.
Tyler is making great progress on his “biggest ever” LEGO® project. The Nintendo Console, Super Mario Bros cartridge and the Game Controller are assembled and look cool!
I took the top off to show how the cartridge action works.
Tyler tonight shared his favorite YouTube gamer Mr. A-Game’s birthday, which was a little surprising to us that he knew that. So Tammy asked him what her birthday was. Tyler failed the test. 😬
Tyler and I made the first Christmas cookies of the year.
