The Baby Whisperer ...

....is named Naline. She works at Kiddie Kandids in the Paradise Valley Mall ... and she has magical powers. ha..ha....

We decided we would get Ian's 2 year pics (his birthday was Sunday) and Campbell's 3 Month pics (which we celebrated on Saturday). Let's just say that at nearly all times, one or both of the boys were crying. Not whimpering ... hysterical crying. You wouldn't know it from these pictures. She picked Campbell up (so they could "connect") and spent 15 plus minutes bouncing and talking to him until he was smiling again. Of course each time she clicked, the smile faded, but the fact that we got anything at all is amazing. We started the process at 1:45 ... and left at 3:20. Mind you, the only waiting we did was for 10 min. while they printed the pictures. I couldn't believe how much time she took with them. She is a pro!

Campbell Forrest, 3 months

Ian Clark, 2 years

Escape to Pine Top ...

Last weekend we headed north to the White Mountains. It was nice to escape the heat of Phoenix for the cool pines - a beautiful woodsy contrast to the desert. We had lots of rain but no complaints - we needed it badly ... We had fun with Mimi and Grandpa Honk - exploring the surounding towns and enjoying time to relax. We made a stop at the HS Jon had taught at in Whiteriver - everyone was surprised and excited to see him after almost 4 years. (but I'm sure really surprised to see him walking in with kids! LOL) It was a great weekend!

Celtic Festival, Flagstaff AZ

A couple of weeks ago we made an impromptu drive up to Flagstaff. We saw on the morning news that there was a Celtic festival up north. Not needing to twist our arms to get out of the heat and considering the Russell Scottish heritage, it seemed the perfect way to spend the day. So, we quickly got our stuff together and loaded everyone in the car and after a quick trip to the storage unit to trade strollers, we were off.

The drive up was peaceful....The boys slept, Jon studied and I kept my eyes on the road and hands at "10 and 2" ha..ha... We got into town and it looked a it overcast - a nice change. We got everyone and everything our (there are always so many "things") Just as we got the boys buckled and were ready to walk to the festival, the rains came, at first just a sprinkle or two...and then it was a downpour. We quickly got everyone and everything back into the car and decided to wait out the rain. This might have been Ian's favorite part of the journey. He had a great time playing with Jon in the driver's seat. We couldn't believe how much rain - and how big the drops were....not to mention the pea size hail. YES! Can you believe it?? HAIL! The good news about the AZ rain is that you usually don't have to wait too long for it to pass. About 30 minutes later, we figured we were safe to walk to the park.

The festival was nice and were a lucky to have brought the jogger instead of the "everyday" stroller... lots of mud. ha..ha.. Many of the clans were represented - it was great. I was at the Welsh booth while Jon and Ian were talking to the McDonald Clan - hearing their history etc... turns out the Campbell Clan played a MAJOR part in the demise of the McDonald clan. Which turned out to be pretty funny when they asked what the boys' names were. Of Course "Ian" was a no brainer... but you should have seen the reaction when they heard the baby's name was Campbell. Surprised they didn't run us off with shotguns. Ha!

Eventually, it started to pour again, so we made a mad dash back to the car. We enjoyed eating yummy food, listening to the bagpipes and haunting the McDonald clan. LOL Brought back lots of fun memories from our wedding, kilts, bagpiper, et al. What a blast!