Amelia Turns One!!!

 Amelia's actual birthday passed with fairly minimal fanfare. I was so busy and stressed about the move that I decided to just keep her birthday super simple. I sang happy birthday to her several times (which she loved) and made crepes for her birthday dinner. I thought that she would like the yogurt, the blueberries, and the bananas. She didn't. She just liked the crepes.

Luckily, my mom and my mother-in-law are way better at this than me. They both made her cupcakes. Which she loved a lot.

Also, this cute crown was made by my brother-in-law. I bought the felt for it, but then we decided to move up her birthday party. I had skied all day and was too tired, so my sister, Lauren said she would sew it. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to use the sewing machine, so Bruce showed her how. And then finished. Yay for Bruce! So basically I didn't do anything for her birthday. Other than that, a year ago I gave birth to her, which made her birthday possible. So that was a pretty big deal.

It may be overdone and cheesy, but her birthday made me a little weepy. This girl has changed our lives.  She has made me stronger and more tender, more tired and more invigorated, . I feel like she has been part of this family forever, but it still surprises me that it's been a whole year. I am so thankful that I can be her mom. I hope I never stop telling her how wonderful she makes our lives. She is the silliest, sweetest, most charming little girl I have ever known.

I'll love you forever Millie-girl.

Photos by my dad.

Arizona, Here We...Are, We've Been Here for Two Weeks

We are now living in Arizona, and we love it. Amelia loves that we have been on a walk or to the park every day since we left Utah on January 15. We are excited to get to know our new ward, make new friends, start new jobs, and be closer to Lauren! The last couple months have been really exhausting and kind of a whirlwind. I never got around to sending Christmas cards, so I decided I would just post it here.

P.S. I wrote this Christmas letter three days after Christmas. I'm really winning at this procrastination thing.

Dear Friends and Family,

2015 was a big year for us. It started with McKenzie pacing the apartment trying to get labor started and ended with Amelia taking a few steps of her own. A brief rundown on what happened: Brad went canyoneering in March while McKenzie stayed home with the baby,  McKenzie went canyoneering in October while Brad worked on his thesis (and Amelia stayed at the campsite with Grandma Smith). We went on many hikes and trips to the park, tried camping with a baby (not as bad as we imagined), and drove to Oregon where Amelia learned to hate her carseat and love her Aunt Delaney who kept her entertained in the back seat.

Updates on the fam:

Brad: spent many long hours at the Utah Water Research Lab at USU, spent too few short hours on his new hobby of RC airplanes, finished his master's degree, and got a job with Carollo Engineers in Phoenix, AZ.

McKenzie: spent most of her time this year just being Mommy, but also got to perform with the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, teach a full violin studio,  and made so many loaves of bread her KitchenAid started smoking.

Amelia: made her earthly debut January 6 (her due date) at 11:43 AM. She was 7 lbs. 3 oz. and perfect. She is extraordinarily happy and friendly. Loves: music, books, being outside, making people laugh, and anything soft and cuddly. Starting to walk,  eats constantly,  and says "Dadda," "Mama," "wow," "woof," and "moo." 

Merry Christmas!

The Clawsons