Coincidentally, right after we bought Brendan his piano, we got a flyer from school that they were doing lessons. I signed him up! It was just once a week after school for six weeks, taught in a group of about a dozen kids. They started from scratch teaching the piano keys, how to read a scale and different types of notes, rests, and rhythms.

At the end of the six weeks, they did a “recital”.

Brendan is playing “It’s a Small World After All”.

I really wanted him to continue in this class for the next six week session, but he says that he is too tired after school and just wants to come home. I will have to look in to other options to help him continue to learn!

Each year, Metro Auto Auction hosts a giant HopeKids holiday party.

There is a nice dinner and lots of events for families. They have well over 500 people attend! They make everyone feel like VIP’s coming in.

They set up beautifully for the gigantic party

Look at this giant candy buffet!

Trevor discovers the pure sugar blast of a pixie-stick

Slurping up the candy buffet

The Phoenix Fire Department comes out and gives all the kids rides in the fire truck.

They get that truck leaning on the turns!

Brendan is getting out feeling dizzy!

There was a big obstacle course style bouncy house

The picture does not really give good scale to this monster bug. It was gigantic.

The velociraptors visited again

We stayed away from the giant pile of snow this year because of snowballs flying. It really is quite an event and we are grateful to be able to go!

Here are the rest of the portraits from Thursday. I had a plan to take so many more, but the cooperation of the younglings did not allow it.

Malcolm’s little “Kingston” the horse was helping me set up the studio

But I guess I didn’t have permission because he was snatched away

So I had to use an owl

Brendan the cutie

Brothers!

Trevor wasn’t thrilled to get more pictures taken, this is the best one I could get

Friday we left the rental house and drove to Carlsbad to visit the caverns. I had hoped that Black Friday would be a good day to go, but was I wrong. It was packed. The first thing we learned as we arrived in the cave 750ft underground is that they had run out of food in the little cafe after the first 30 minutes of being open. We were hungry but decided to do the tour first anyway.

Can you see Trevor? This place is huge

The sign says “Mirror Lake” upside down because you were supposed to read it upside down in the reflection

Brendan asked me to take this picture because it looked like an eye.

I wasn’t really able to play photographer in this cave. The boys liked it, but the walk got long. Bill had to carry Brendan quite a long part of it. Shannon had to carry Malcolm while Jon chased down fast walking Kieran.

When we got out of the cave and back to the visitor center, we learned the restaurant was out of food too. We drove down to the main highway and the cafe there was having service and food problems too. We ended up having a very late lunch at McDonalds.

We stayed at a hotel in Carlsbad Friday night. We picked this one because of Brendan’s all time favorite hotel amenity- an indoor pool!