Runway for Research & Tucson

We went to Tucson for the 4th Annual Runway for Research Fashion Show. Natalie has participated every year and loves it so much that we travel back to Tucson for it. It is a good excuse to go back and visit people we love too. We had a great time this year. My parents were able to drive down from Nevada and that made it even more special.

Check out this link for more Runway picturesand Natalie's special party. Another highlight of the trip was that Natalie got to go back to her old clinic, which moved to a slightly new spot down the hall a few weeks ago, and bring a bunch of costumes from the Princess Alexa Foundation to benefit the children in her old clinic and inpatient unit. It was a special treat for Natalie and she LOVED handing out costumes to the kids. I love that she can have a chance to give back and that she loves helping other kids. We got the chance to tour the new Diamond Children's Inpatient Hospital and every nurse we saw up there remembered and loved Natalie. It was pretty special. Check out pictures of that HERE.

Silly Grandpa!
This is "Karen the Seamstress." She made Natalie's dress and also sent her a very special pillowcase for Natalie's birthday. It had mermaids on it and she wrote on the card "to the prettiest mermaid in Texas." Natalie was tickled pink with that and wanted to make her a special gift. After emailing Karen to find out if she likes ladybugs (because Natalie can draw those) she ended up painting a special dragonfly when she found out it was Karen's favorite.
Pretty Model.
Natalie LOVES Dr. Wittman, her old oncologist from Tucson.



Here is a funny video of Natalie & Dr. Wittman dancing after the show. Stephen came up and playfully wacked Dr. Wittman on the behind- I bet that doesn't happen from patients or their siblings to often:)

Enjoying the Beautiful Sonoran Desert

Fresh squeezed lime-ade. Isn't she a pretty little helper.

Darn cold sores. She got one a few days before our trip and I thought she was going to be able to get rid of it on her own because she just had one. But, then she started getting more and they kept getting worse. Poor kid, wish she didn't get them so often and so many.

This was the funniest thing, The Colonel came up to this statue, wrapped his arms around her, and planted a giant kiss right on her lips. We were all cracking up.

At Paula Walla's House

Paula completely scared Natalie about snakes for life after telling Natalie the story about a rattlesnake in her backyard a few weeks before. She was trying to scare Natalie about rattlesnakes so she would know to look out for them before going to the 'other side' of her yard that is not snake proof. It is that way so she can feed the squirrels and other wildlife without trapping them in. She accomplished her mission- Natalie wasn't quite sure she even wanted to feed the squirrels after that- one of her favorite things to do at Paula's house since she was itty bitty.

But she got over her fear and fed them a little in the end:)

Stephen LOVES little dogs and Rudy is the Littlest thing. Here Stephen is giving him loves and giving him a special pillow to rest his head on.

Natalie came in and activated Scott's new halloween toy and then with her hand on her hip, she told him it wasn't very scary. Halloween stuff is the one thing our sometimes timid girl is not scared of. Let me clarify- our girl is never timid in social situations either.

A Surprise- Grandma & Grandpa Came for the Show

Another dress? Can you believe Natalie came home with three new dresses!

Making us all breakfast!

Sabino Canyon

Oops, this didn't surprise anyone but Stephen. His face looked like he might cry for a second- I think it was pretty cold- but then he The Colonel shook it off!

Now this was a surprise. When we first arrived Grandpa teased Natalie and offered her five dollars if she jumped in- she flatly refused. After she lost her footing and fell in- she stood up and without missing a beat asked for her five dollars!

We all busted up! She got her five dollars!

Being "the leader" is a new thing at our house. It started with the corn maize and has really taken flight, especially on our little hike.

Natalie was SO impressed with the Saguaro Cacti and wanted to know why we don't have them in Texas- we only have the small prickly pear in Texas.

We couldn't have had a better time in Sabino Canyon. It was a perfect afternoon, beautiful and warm. I love and miss the charm of the desert. Tucson is a special place that I fell in love with the first time I visisted there.

We topped off our perfect afternoon in the desert with a cherry on top--almost literally. Stephen LOVED this pretty desert he picked out at one of our favorite bakeries.

I always remembered AJ's cannoli's as being so good, but truthfully the ones we get in Dallas are even better. Now I won't miss this place so much, but we sure have a lot of good memories there from over the years.

Back at Paula's enjoying her beautiful naturistic backyard.

The Javelina are back this year and it was so cool to show them to the kids and to let them see the itty bitty baby javelina. Watching one of these tiny babies nurse is a special experience.

And there isn't much that can be said about how special the hummingbirds are. These were Natalie's favorites when she was two. You can't believe how many hummers Paula has and how active they are. It is a hummingbird oasis in her yard.

Stephen Scott with his two namesakes. Pretty special.

These last few pictures I put on because I have had requests for them. This was one of the funnest things for Grandpa, Auntie Kathy, and the kids. They thought this was SO funny!