End of NaBloPoMo

Honestly, this wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. This is my 3rd year NaBloPoMo-ing and I have to admit it did exactly what I had hoped it would...it got me back in the groove of blogging.

Now, I admit my blog is all about the pictures...but I'm cool with that. I promise that my blog will not remain neglected as it has in the past. Hope you've enjoyed NaBloPoMo as much as I have!

Sleepy Sunday

Not much to say this evening. I've been running around trying to unpack, clean, and just get ready for the week. Saba and I have guests coming to stay with us tomorrow, which is fantastic cause Dereje is in New York on a Residency interview and Saba and I love guests to help entertain us! Dereje actually has his interview tomorrow...prayers and good thoughts are requested!

We're home..We're tired...

After a 12 1/2 hour drive home all I can manage tonight are some cute photos of Saba's cousins. We are going to miss them tremendously - and at least we know that we will see them in a couple of weeks for Christmas!
Until then, we will treasure our memories with them.
I will especially miss them when I put make-up on in the mornings - both of them kept me company during this tedious activity which was much appreciated.
Ana would help me with my foundation...

And Emery would help me with my powder...
Thank you to our wonderful hosts for the week of Thanksgiving festivities! We'll miss you!

Black Friday Overload

Our Black Friday adventures have been amply recorded here. So, I'll just talk about the Krispy Kremes that we inhaled after waiting in a Target line for 5 hours out in the freezing cold (totally worth it). Saba felt our pain and inhaled doughnuts with us while wearing her new reindeer hat made by Aunt Megan!

And then Grandma Didi made Carmel Corn that Saba ate while wearing Ana's bike helmet.
Basically, Saba feels that wearing random head gear while eating everything in front of her face will somehow provide MORE (and by more I mean some) nutritional value...or, at the very least, distract everyone from her constant eating and direct it towards her cuteness (which is where the attention belongs...according to Saba).
Of course, Saba is not the only one in the house plagued with cute things on her head... Daddy often finds a cousin or two growing atop his neck at any given moment.

Happy Thanksgiving

From our turkey to yours!

Seriously, Saba is living it up down here in Texas

I imagine that it is every 15 month old's dream to be surrounded by family. The nice thing is that Saba gets to live that dream. All she has to do is take a step forward and she can't help but run into a cousin's face, or an aunt and uncle's shins, or even better, a grandparent's warm snuggle.
So, this kind of situation is Saba's new "norm"-
Basically, Saba is "a kid in a candy store" who simply can't get enough lovin' - especially when "lovin" involves being allowed to play with Grandma's reading glasses.
Yes, Saba may end up cross eyed - but she'll look cute doing it!

Playing Soccer

Every Tuesday afternoon Analise has Soccer practice. Dereje thought that this would be a good time for Saba to get in a little bit of practice herself.
But it was kind of cold...And Saba thought eating Cheerios sounded a whole lot more appetizing...And then Dereje realized that Saba was a waste of his precious soccer time and Azul was where he needed to focus his efforts...
The good news is that no matter what the activity, both of them were entirely worn out by 7pm. I think both activities (playing soccer and eating Cheerios were well worth their efforts).

Tumblebugs!

When Saba happens to be in Lubbock on a Monday something special happens...she gets to go to tumblebugs! Tumblebugs is a gym class where the kids get to "play" on gym equipment (like trampolines and mats) and learn cool things like how to stretch, somersault, and swing in a harness.
Saba is partial to the swinging in a harness.
In fact, if she could, I think she would stay in the harness for the entire hour if there weren't other kids waiting for their turn.
It's amazing to see how brave she has become in the gym. She used to be slightly timid and shy around the other kids. Now she runs around the trampolines like a champ!
We wish we had something like Tumblebugs in Phoenix, but for now we're happy just to join in on the fun when we're here for a visit!

A new found sweet tooth

Ana and Emery have taught Saba something new. They've taught her all about dessert. To be specific, they have taught her all about ice-cream.
Ana has taught her the art of biting the cone.Saba is now a pro at this talent.But the sugar high after the ice cream cone is uniquely Saba's. Nobody does hopped up on sugar quite like she does.

This is why Target would rather we don't go down the seasonal aisle

.
Basically, I find every thing that I could possibly put on Saba's head...and I put it on her head. Then I take a picture, and promptly put it back where it belongs.
I don't think I ever have (nor ever will) actually purchase something to put on Saba's head. Not when I have the photos to last me the season!
Now if only I could convince some guy with a white beard and a red suit to hold Saba in the middle of Target...then I might actually get a Christmas Card photo without much effort.

When in Lubbock...

Play like a Lubbockian (or something like that). That means playing on the swings (even though the swings are in the shade and Mommy (a.k.a. me) complains about having to push a swing in the FREEZING cold).
Truth be told it usually reaches 70 degrees by the middle of the day - so I don't have a whole lot to complain about - but it still feels a whole lot colder than Phoenix!

Good thing we have a hand me down vest from Ana and some new boots from Grandma Didi...yes, Saba's nose is running non-stop, but at least she looks cute while dripping!

Tomorrow Daddy and Papa Bruce join our family gathering (otherwise known as a week long of Thanksgiving celebrations)!

The many ways family helps us out...

Aunt Megan helps Saba drink juice (which is actually the first time I have ever known Saba to drink juice)
And Emery helps Saba balance the top of the juice on her nose (a la trained seal)
And, best of all, Ana helps Saba figure out what to wear...
What would we do without the help of our family? I dare say, I shudder at the thought.

What were we doing today?

Well, Saba went shopping through the sky mall magazine....And then after a little bit of shopping at our very high altitude we ended up smack dab in a bathtub with some very helpful cousins.
So helpful, that Saba doesn't even have to wash her own body...her cousins take care of EVERYTHING for her.
We're ready for Thanksgiving fun!

Houston...we now have a schedule

One of the great things about Saba getting a little bit older is that she is now much more willing (and able) to engage in a type of schedule. That means that now I can pretty much count on a 3 hour nap from her every day (knock on wood) as long as I keep her busy and moving in the mornings. To help facilitate us getting out of the house in the mornings I have come up with a type of schedule (that can change at a whim, but it works for us)!
Our Monday activity is one of my favorites. We've started going to a place called Tot Town. Tot Town takes place in the gym of a baptist church every Monday morning. Basically, they transform the church gym into a huge space filled with toddler stuff (i.e. tricycles, bounce houses, kitchens,etc). It's a bit of a drive for us, but Saba and I have come to really look forward to Monday mornings. Saba is completely worn out by the end of all of this activity and I get to socialize and hang out with some really cool Moms. I call this a "win-win" - and Saba just calls it fun!

We're getting excited...

Cause we're heading to Lubbock on Wednesday to get some cousin lovin' (of the Ana and Emery variety). That means that there will be lots of playing, lots of hugging, and lots of...well, sliding.
We're ready for good times to ensue. Now all we have to do is pack (and get through Tuesday)!

Camp Verde Activities

On Saturday we made the trek up to Camp Verde to visit my grandparents. While there we played a little game called, "what can we do to keep Saba busy so that she doesn't act like a bull in a china shop."
So we sent Saba for a couple of laps around the driveway with Grandma Lena.
Then Dereje spent some time taking Saba around the living room on his shoulders.
And then Saba engaged in her favorite activity -
rearranging Tupperware.
A great visit was had by all - Luckily, the bull was contained and the china shop was left intact.

What's the weather???

In Phoenix the weather in November can be kind of tricky. It's cool and beautiful in the mornings and the evenings. But, the afternoons...

Well, the afternoons can be down right hot. That's why I dress Saba in "layers" - her birthday suit and a long sleeved dress. That way she's covered no matter what the weather is.

Daddy for rent

Dereje and I love to have people over...especially if our guests involve little munchkins that exhaust Saba. ALL of Saba's friends love Dereje (I think it's because he's probably the most excited when they come to visit). They all love it when Dereje holds them. I think you can see from the picture below just how much Saba loves to share her Daddy...
Saba's kind of the epitome of an only child - I think she needs some more cousin-time in her life to help her learn to "share" her Dad.

Too cute for words...

Meaning, I don't really want to type much...just show you a really cute picture (compliments of Uncle Alex and Saba) and call it good. There you go.

This is why we need a dog...or maybe we need a dog that lives really close to us

Saba consistently acts like she's afraid of dogs. If you get her near a dog she'll start to act really shy and nervous...but she always wants to be wherever dogs are. Usually she wants to watch dogs from the safety of Dereje or my arms, but every now and then she'll venture out - only to come running back as soon as the dog makes a move towards her.
This past weekend we were able to visit a pack of very friendly dogs. Saba saw this group of friendly dogs and immediately retreated to the safety of her Daddy's arms. Luckily, after a few licks and some sniffing (licks from the puppies and sniffing from Saba), Saba felt comfortable enough to start telling the dogs what to do.
Of course, since Saba always has bits of food sticking to her...they happily obliged her with some more licking and tail wagging. She definitely warms up after a couple of minutes, but I think we need to find some repetitive doggy time that will help her to get over her squeamishness a little bit faster!

Monday night at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Monday nights have turned into fun family nights...well, extended family fun. Dereje is usually busy at Toastmaster meetings on Monday nights so Saba and I head over to my parent's house where Monday night fun is had by all. Saba gets lovin' from her Papa...
(her shirt says "my Grandpa's plane is faster than your Grandpa's plane" - it's awesome).
She also gets some lovin' from Gandma Didi...And we even manage to get a bath in most Monday's...
It's a lot of fun visiting Monday nights- and best of all Saba is usually EXHAUSTED by the time we get home.

Saturday's high flying adventure

On Saturday we got to do something really really cool.
WE FOUND SOME DIRT TO DIG IN!

Oh, and while we were digging in the dirt we got to see Papa Bruce flying his NEW AIRPLANE...
So, yes, the dirt was cool...but the plane was way cooler!

The next time we get to see Papa Bruce's plane we are going to demand a chance to get to ride in it, but for now we're cool with letting him practice the take off and the landings!