This is what happens when Scott gets to pick his outfit all by himself:
James is 1! We celebrated his birthday as a family on Thursday, then with friends on Sunday. Both days were fun-filled and I wish we could relive them! On Thursday, we decided to make an event out of riding the new light rail from Tempe to downtown Phoenix. I know, I know, the excitement is too much. It actually ended up being much more fun than we had expected: there's nothing like pedestrian tunnels, the Phoenix art museum gardens, the Arizona center's garden mazes and "palmtree tunnels" (Scott-named) to make a 3 year old giddy, and when Scotty's happy, we're all happy.
Here's a shot of Scotty's not-so-boring brown eyes:
Instead of 2 cakes, I decided to make a little rice pudding for the baby on his actual day. Not hard to make out what he thought of it. And although he can't crawl yet, his forward reach would set records. Immediately after this shot, he reached for that sparkly thing and *got it*! So scary! I screamed, and James cried hard, but when the dust settled, it appeared that he wasn't hurt at all, just scared by my scream. Lesson about open flames and babies learned though...
Saturday we squeezed in one last trip to Tucson to see Jer's aunt and Uncle. I love that town. I'll miss it! We also went to Karchner Caverns which are a must-see if you're ever in this part of the world. Truly spectacular, and worth every penny. If you do have a 1 year old, though, I'd recommend getting a sitter...James got a little crazy during the tour, but we all still loved the day. I tried to get a pic of the saguaro cactuses I've grown attached to over the last 4 months, but I kind of failed. Picture 15+ foot tall saguaros, hundreds of them, covering gorgeous desert mountains overlooking the nicest part of Tucson with a soft 70 something degree breeze blowing by. Unforgettable morning.
Sunday we had all of our Phoenix area buddies over for a last shabang/belated birthday. The Millecams and Eberhards each have 2 boys, and the Jennings have 2 girls. We know them all by different means: the Millecams from BYU, the Eberhards from Des Moines church, and the Jennings from Des Moines school. I've loved having buddies to call for me and for Scotty (and James!) We'll miss you guys! Pictures of the 3 amigos + Amelia were difficult: they were in a state of constant *loud* motion, and poor little Amelia was probably scared most of the time. Here's the best I could do:
situation rapidly detriorating:
The boys were very helpful when it came time to open presents:
This is our music boy: everything is a drum or a shaker. This is by far his favorite gift. Don't you love his blurry hands and feet? Ever-moving.
We posted our furniture on craigslist a week and a half before move date to be sure to sell it all. Early the next morning, I got a call, waking me up, the woman asking how much we wanted for *all* of it. Every last thing we had for sale. Not wanting to get stuck with anything, we sold it all! And made a little profit, too. So our last stint here has been a bit like camping again, airbed for me and Jer and all. Scotty is in heaven having a picnic for every meal though. Fitting all the folks comfortably was another story:
James looks confused by his second birthday in 3 days:
Is this really all mine?
Lemme check it out:
What is this stuff?
I could get used to this:
Tada!
Whoa, I am .messy.
To close, a few choice photos of Miles. We'll miss you, buddy.
James is 1! We celebrated his birthday as a family on Thursday, then with friends on Sunday. Both days were fun-filled and I wish we could relive them! On Thursday, we decided to make an event out of riding the new light rail from Tempe to downtown Phoenix. I know, I know, the excitement is too much. It actually ended up being much more fun than we had expected: there's nothing like pedestrian tunnels, the Phoenix art museum gardens, the Arizona center's garden mazes and "palmtree tunnels" (Scott-named) to make a 3 year old giddy, and when Scotty's happy, we're all happy. 
Here's a shot of Scotty's not-so-boring brown eyes:
Instead of 2 cakes, I decided to make a little rice pudding for the baby on his actual day. Not hard to make out what he thought of it. And although he can't crawl yet, his forward reach would set records. Immediately after this shot, he reached for that sparkly thing and *got it*! So scary! I screamed, and James cried hard, but when the dust settled, it appeared that he wasn't hurt at all, just scared by my scream. Lesson about open flames and babies learned though...
Saturday we squeezed in one last trip to Tucson to see Jer's aunt and Uncle. I love that town. I'll miss it! We also went to Karchner Caverns which are a must-see if you're ever in this part of the world. Truly spectacular, and worth every penny. If you do have a 1 year old, though, I'd recommend getting a sitter...James got a little crazy during the tour, but we all still loved the day. I tried to get a pic of the saguaro cactuses I've grown attached to over the last 4 months, but I kind of failed. Picture 15+ foot tall saguaros, hundreds of them, covering gorgeous desert mountains overlooking the nicest part of Tucson with a soft 70 something degree breeze blowing by. Unforgettable morning.
Sunday we had all of our Phoenix area buddies over for a last shabang/belated birthday. The Millecams and Eberhards each have 2 boys, and the Jennings have 2 girls. We know them all by different means: the Millecams from BYU, the Eberhards from Des Moines church, and the Jennings from Des Moines school. I've loved having buddies to call for me and for Scotty (and James!) We'll miss you guys! Pictures of the 3 amigos + Amelia were difficult: they were in a state of constant *loud* motion, and poor little Amelia was probably scared most of the time. Here's the best I could do: 
situation rapidly detriorating: 
The boys were very helpful when it came time to open presents:
This is our music boy: everything is a drum or a shaker. This is by far his favorite gift. Don't you love his blurry hands and feet? Ever-moving. 
We posted our furniture on craigslist a week and a half before move date to be sure to sell it all. Early the next morning, I got a call, waking me up, the woman asking how much we wanted for *all* of it. Every last thing we had for sale. Not wanting to get stuck with anything, we sold it all! And made a little profit, too. So our last stint here has been a bit like camping again, airbed for me and Jer and all. Scotty is in heaven having a picnic for every meal though. Fitting all the folks comfortably was another story:
James looks confused by his second birthday in 3 days: 
Is this really all mine?
Lemme check it out:
What is this stuff?
I could get used to this:
Tada!
Whoa, I am .messy.
To close, a few choice photos of Miles. We'll miss you, buddy.
