Phoenix Zoo

While we were at the library yesterday, we lucked out and got a culture pass to the zoo. That means all four of us got in for the price of one child admission. (Woot woot.)


Kmodo dragon exhibit (I'm pretty sure I have a picture of Lizzie doing this exact same pose about 3 years ago.)

Orangutan

This is where Mommy and Daddy went on their first date more than 7 years ago.

Gotta love Lizzie's face here.

This one makes me think of Ariel.

P.S. These kids look like a bunch of ragamuffins. They're all getting haircuts tomorrow! :)

P.P.S. Can I just say that Arizona ROCKS! It was in the 60s today. Meanwhile in Toledo, it currently feels like -6 degrees and they're expecting 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight. Yeah, I don't even kind of miss that place.

Milo

Grandpa Miller bought a puppy for Grandma Lu a few months ago. The kids had fun playing with "Milo" for a couple hours this afternoon:

Owen kept trying to pick him up by the neck. :-s

Liz got a little itchy (allergies), but had a good time.

Heidi was nervous. She LOVES animals, but usually feels more comfortable from a distance.

Happy New Year!

Our New Year spread... We had Aunt Allison, Aunt Kristi, Uncle Jason, and Ruby over.

Our cute little New Year Baby...  Notice his latest injury, above his right eyebrow.

Birthday cupcakes for Aunt Allison's golden birthday

Grandpa Miller

Grandpa Miller and Grandma Lu stopped by for a visit right before bed:

 

Santa left us a remote control helicopter to share. Dad and the kids got a kick out of it.

 

Christmas Day Fun

The kids LOVED running around at Grandma and Grandpa Ellsworth's house:

Owen got a bloody lip on the slide. Daddy was so proud.

The girls spent HOURS running around with Lindsay and Anna.

Climbing trees and picking oranges

Christmas Brunch

Emily and the kids enjoyed Christmas brunch with Aunt Allison, Aunt Kristi, Aunt Rachel, and their families. (Scott had to study.)

One of our Christmas highlights was meeting cute Miss Ruby for the first time. :)

Christmas Morning

Santa found us!

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was a little non-traditional, but given the fact that we'd just spent the past four days on the road (preceded by packing and finals and all sorts of other craziness), it was just right for us. We had Christmas Eve dinner at Waffle House, and then we went to see the lights at the Mesa Temple:

This kids loves jalapenos. He tried one of Daddy's and was hooked. :)

This is where Scott proposed to Emily. 7 years later...

Road Trip

We left Toledo on the afternoon of December 20 and spent four days on the road. We spent the night in Effingham, Illinois; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. We got in to Mesa around 4:00 p.m. on December 23. These kids did a great job:

In our hotel room in Effingham.

Pictures

For Emily's birthday, we got pictures taken of the kids at JCPenney. Adorable, right?

Bass Pro Shops

We went to Bass Pro Shops with our cousins yesterday. Unfortunately we didn't get to see Santa because the line was so long. Maybe we'll try again on a weekday this week, if we get around to it. We'll see.

In line to ride the carousel

Heidi loves her new cat that she got while she stayed in the hospital.

My best attempt at a cousins' picture. :)