We visited my parents at their new home in New Mexico. It was definitely spacious and went beyond the needs of two people. Nonetheless, my darling seven-year-old announced: “Our house is much bigger. When we get home, I’m going to be like, ‘Our house is so nice!'”
Groan.

On a walk in my parents’ ‘hood. So incredibly peaceful and quiet here.
Another time she said, “These eggs are delicious, Nagy Mama.” (Hungarian for grandma)
“Why, thank you!”
“Because I like things that are burnt.”
Facepalm!

The view from their front yard. I got to watch the sun setting on these hills every night. Gorgeous!
Back at home, she brought me a mini Reese’s Peanut Buttercup, one of my faves. “Would you like a piece of candy, Mom?”
“Sure! Thank you!”
Roughly half an hour later: “Mom, since you had a piece of candy, can I have one too?”
I think I have a con artist in the works.

What was left of the snow by the time we got there. We came during a warm front, which I didn’t mind, and the kids were happy. Didn’t even need coats!
My husband brought home cookies from work one day, each decorated a little differently. He explained the flavors when my seven-year-old chimed in, “And the brown ones are dog chocolate.”
Even typing that makes me want to give my keyboard some face.

Joe’s first feel of snow. He’s clearly enthralled.
More pictures next week! I hope you all are having a great 2018 so far!
Ever been to New Mexico? Where have you seen the prettiest views?
LOL! Oh man, what great lines! And you’d better keep an eye on the con artist; just think of all the things she could try to get away with when she hits her teens 😀 How did Joe like his first experience with snow? Looks like he was probably paying more attention to his sisters’ antics. Thank you for sharing such great pictures–and the laughs, of course!
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The snow was completely lost on him. Not even sure he realized his hand was on something cold. When he’s a little older he’ll be begging us to take him to see snow for the first time, and we’ll be like, “You saw snow when you were a baby!” It was the same with me and Disney World. They went when I was one. So unfair. 😛
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I’m with Joe on the snow. That’s exactly how I feel about it too. 😄
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And this is (partially) why my parents left Ohio.
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Con artist or tactical thinker? You could have been a good parent and said, “Candy isn’t heathy for you and I don’t want any and I don’t want you to have any either.
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Yes, we were in New Mexico several times. We loved Santa Fe (although our son says Santa Fe is not the real New Mexico). We thought it was beautiful and even considered retiring there some day.
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Well, that’s the plan my parents took. They prefer the warmer, drier climate to Ohio.
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The burnt comment cracked me (and my son – he’s sitting next to me, so I read it to him) up.
Beautiful around your parent’s home.
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What a little goof she is. My mom laughed, thankfully. Yes, so beautiful and peaceful. I found it tempting, but my husband said no. 🙂
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Haha, the wisdom of a child!
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I guess wisdom is one word for it. 🙂
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Dog chocolate is presumably missing whatever dogs are sensitive to in chocolate — theobromine?
Hard to believe your 7 YO’s eyes expanded so in NM (Like your parents’ yard was the only plot in the area that was hemmed in?), so she must’ve been just trash talking about the space. She saw how wide open the spaces were there, figured she had to say something to cut them down to size.
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Unfortunately you are mistaken on both counts. She was just being a little goofball.
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Then my next guess for what “dog chocolate” is is…too disgusting to mention here — not that that usually stops me, I must be in a restrained mood now.
Chocolate couldn’t be too terrifically toxic to dogs, because I know of a series of psychology experiments in them where the reward was M&Ms. And of course they’d never harm their experimental animals, would they?
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Interesting.
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I have been to New Mexico, as a matter of fact. Alamagordo area. White Sands National Monument is beautiful – we tried our hand at “sledding” down the sand dunes there. Didn’t work very well, lol.
Nowadays, I always associate NM with “Breaking Bad.”
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Oh, I know! Every time someone mentioned Albuquerque I’d shudder!
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Right now I’d have to say my chocolate stash in the pantry is the prettiest view I’ve encountered in a long time.
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That would make me smile too. Too bad that’s not the kind of “chocolate” my daughter was referring to.
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Gotta say the burnt comment gave me a good chocolate.
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I think you meant to say chuckle. Either way, though! 😉
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Oh how I love a funny kid!!!!! And a parent who shares that humor. 🙂
I’ve seen some amazingly lovely views. I don’t think I’ve ever been to “a” place and not found something beautiful. But my favorite beautiful places include the stone cottages, the cliffs, the mountains, the sun on the waving green, the rain on the lush fields, the ruins of old castles and towers and abbeys, of Ireland. 🙂
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Of course you mentioned towers. Only surprised it wasn’t mentioned sooner. 😉 And not at all surprised that you would have a full list of beautiful places. You’re so good at seeing beauty everywhere.
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I don’t know if it’s that “I” am good at it, as much as I have been blessed with it. 🙂 Thank you PIF. 🙂
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Seeing the world through the eyes of a child–priceless. What a sweetheart. And I love that area. I’m looking for a retirement home. Hmm…
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Yes, if you want quiet and peaceful… and remote, it’s great.
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Dog chocolate…! Great…aand the moment was ruined..
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Haha. Yep. But we all laughed.
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Makes for interesting days, the childrens’ comments, that’s for sure. How lovely for you all to be together for some peaceful days, as peaceful as they get right? I’ve driven through NM, the lighting is amazing same in Arizona.
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Honestly, that drive was one of the highlights. I’d never seen anything like it.
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Very funny. I’d rather be around honest kids than insincere adults, you know? The views from your parents’ home are beautiful. So NOT Ohio.
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True on all fronts. When my sister (from Ohio) came to visit me here in CA she was freaking out by the view of mountains in the distance. Guess I’ve come to take it for granted. Still, nothing like NM, at least where I’m at.
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Interesting how different sunrises and sunsets can be. Locations probably also make a difference. I recall being on the Alabama coast last year … many amazing sunrises … but much fewer wonderful sunsets … yet, regardless of the beauty or lack of, both are surreal events in their own way.
Only been to New Mexico for a few days … actually a long weekend. What I saw was wonderful.
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Interesting about Alabama. And there’s a reason New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment. 🙂
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Kids are so honest and just too funny. Dog chocolate? What is that?
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It’s brown stuff that comes from dogs. Definitely NOT chocolate.
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Oh, THAT dog chocolate. Ha ha.
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Yep. That’s my little princess for ya.
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So cute and funny. I will vividly remember the term dog chocolate every time I will eat a piece of dark chocolate from now on.
New Mexico is very close to where we live. We are in El Paso, which is in the west end of Texas. NM shares borders with El Paso. We visited Albuquerque, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Las Cruces, Old Mesilla Village, and a few other villages in NM that are close to El Paso. Cloudcroft, White Sands, Ruidoso — all are so beautiful. It is really hard to rank.
Have a wonderful time.
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Yep, beautiful indeed! 🙂
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Lat night I was telling the cookie story to friends at a pagan gathering, and was told there is a supposedly legitimate product sold as “dog chocolate”, which presumably has whatever’s reputedly toxic to dogs missing, and heard again about how dogs who ate ordinary chocolate regularly suffered no ill effects. So I had to explain, no, that’s not what the child meant by “dog chocolate”. Sure throws off the timing of a funny story.
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Aw, dang. So close. 🙂
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How adorable your kids are! No I have never been there. Alaska was the prettiest views foe me.
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Alaska is on my bucket list!
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Oh you must go it was fabulous!
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I’ll definitely try!
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Such delightful stories. They make me miss my grandchildren. My husband and I are in Las Cruces NM as I write this. We are thinking of buying a winter house here and becoming snowbirds for all the reasons your and some of your comments mention.
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That’s not far from my parents! Do it! You four could be friends! And my family can visit you next time we’re out. 🙂
That may have either encouraged or discouraged you from moving there. 😉
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Hysterical. Because you had candy, she feels thinks she should be allowed to. You have one smart cookie on your hands lol
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Smart and dangerous cookie! 🙂 Thank you!
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Dog chocolate. Sounds interesting!
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My husband pointed out that that wasn’t clear. Maybe it’s for the best. What she meant was disgusting.
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Love the bit about the burnt eggs. The things kids say…
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No filter. 🙂
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Pingback: January Favorites (Posts I Love) | Lonna Hill
Kids. Can’t be helped. Love the area you visited, so different to here 🙂
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Can’t be helped, and unfortunately, can’t be stopped in advance because we have no way of knowing! 🙂
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What a beautiful area!
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It really was.
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Reblogged this on Russell Pennwright's Blog and commented:
Really enjoyable post.
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Children say the craziest of things!! This is so funny 😀
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They sure do! Thanks for reading! 🙂
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