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!

Minecraft-themed birthday cake for Tyler with pixel grass blocks, Steve, a Creeper, TNT, and a house on top, displayed outdoors on a table.

It was a little confusing to figure out how to cut into it, but the main cube was delicious Red Velvet cake.

Minecraft grass block cake cut open revealing red velvet interior, decorated with green and brown fondant pixel squares

There was plenty of cake. Cake decorators probably know this but I was surprised that the more decorative blocks were actually Rice Krispie bars.

Minecraft Creeper birthday cake cut open revealing red velvet interior, with decorative fondant character figures on a black board beside a knife.

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.

Mario Kart Live toy kart with Mario figure sitting on top of an encyclopedia book on a table

Day 11 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Machine.

This new M1 MacBook Pro is an incredible machine.

Closed space gray MacBook Pro on a rustic wooden desk, with books, glasses, and a pink cloth in the background.

Day 10 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Energy.

Electrical energy into light. 💡

Glowing incandescent light bulb hanging in darkness with lens flare streaks and blurred bulbs in the background.

Day 9 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Mudy.

While visiting the Salt River wild horses today I noticed this horse that had been having some time in the mud recently.

Muddy chestnut horse nuzzling a lighter brown horse in a sandy desert area, with several other wild horses in the background.

Salt River Wild Horses

Today we visited Coon Bluff Recreation Area to see the Salt River wild horses. The non-profit Salt River Wild Horse Management group helps provide for these wild horses, and they are currently putting out hay for them each day. You can visit while they do this and walk among these wild horses but you need to be slow and calm, and keep your distance. The horses themselves were skirmishing a bit. It gets your attention when twenty horses start stirring and running around you. I brought the good camera with a long lens to catch some photos of these beautiful horses.

Day 8 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Hope.

This is the first Saguaro cactus flower, arriving over a month early, showing hope for another spring.

Large multi-armed Saguaro cactus with a single pink bloom amid Arizona desert hillside under clear blue sky

Saguaro National Park

We visited Saguaro National Park today. We didn’t have a ton of time so we only (and accidentally actually) went to the East park. We did a quick hike but it was our second hike of the day so we didn’t go too far. It looked like an incredible set of trails for hiking and the loop road was very popular with cyclists.

Entrance sign on a stone base with the National Park Service arrowhead logo, tall saguaro cacti and desert hills behind it Tall saguaro cacti alongside a sandy desert trail with scrub brush and rugged mountains in the background under a blue sky Sonoran Desert landscape with tall saguaro cacti, prickly pear, and scrub brush stretching toward rugged mountain peaks under blue sky Two riders on horseback travel a desert dirt trail surrounded by saguaro cacti and scrubby brush with mountains behind them.

Sabino Canyon

We visited the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area today on our day trip to Tucson. We took the shuttle to the top of the trail and then made our way down stopping at several locations. It was a very pretty walk and fun to see the spring creek with running water down the canyon. We had to cross it barefoot and the water was very cold!

Day 7 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Craving.

Treats from Mesa Donuts. 🍩

Assorted donuts in a box including chocolate-glazed, rainbow sprinkle, and crumb-topped varieties from Mesa Donuts.