She might look adorable...but she's actually a moody teenager trapped in a two year old's body. This means she's constantly on the phone (albeit a plastic toy phone), she doesn't want to get dressed, and she doesn't want her hair combed...ever. The only thing missing is some emo music and a constant nagging for my car keys.

Hullabaloo is, to put it succinctly, the GREATEST KIDS CRAFT FAIR EVER! All is can say is that I am exhausted and I have no idea where three hours of my life went...other than walking around and looking at all kinds of fantastic homemade crafts.

In a word, Saba "scored"!

AND, she really scored when I got a call later this afternoon telling me that I had won the "little girl" raffle.Hello plethora of pretty hair clips!

I hear the question a lot..."so, where does Saba sleep now that she's two? Has she graduated to a toddler bed?" The answer to that question is that she sleeps exactly where she slept from the day she was born. She sleeps with us. I often tell people that instead of getting a kid size crib when Saba was born we just converted our bed to a king size crib (thanks to the guard rails).

I'm sure it will be just a little bit more crowded when Saba's brother makes his way into this world - but we wouldn't have it any other way. Saba's pretty excited to have another body to cuddle with!

Recently, Saba and I were able to join my parents at an air show. It was great for Saba to see all of the different kinds of planes and helicopters that ranged from being absolutely huge to being (according to Saba) "saba-size." The plane that Papa Bruce was there to help exhibit fell in the "huge" category. So huge, in fact that Saba couldn't manage to climb up the side by herself. She did, however, manage to eat a entire hot dog all by herself.

And, of course, she managed to score some gear so that she could look the part while attending the exhibit with Papa Bruce. It didn't take long to fit right in with the rest of the pilots - she's basically ready for take-off at any time!

Sky's the limit.

Ever wonder how you patch a door with a two year old?

If you're Grandma Didi, you have to lay on the floor and then reach AROUND the two year old to get any work done. A help? I think not, but entertaining nonetheless.

In an effort to prepare for our new little one Saba has been OBSESSED with everything baby. Not only does she often insist on a diaper change for her baby whenever she gets one - but she also insists on nursing her babies at least once a day.

Giving them lots of love is another must! Clearly we're both nesting over here.

I never really feel the need to "spring clean" - maybe it's because Phoenix doesn't really have a spring. We go from It's hot, to... it's not so hot, to...it's a little bit cool - and that's about it. So, it's when we start to get to that "it's a little bit cool" stage that I really get excited about opening up the house and getting a little bit of cleaning done. By the end of summer I feel as though I've been sucking in air conditioning and dust for 6 months or more, so I really just always want to have the windows open and to have everything smell like some sort of scent. Whether the house smells like cinnamon or lemon - I don't care- as long as the house no longer smells like bodies and dust.

Saba has been delighted in our little cleaning missions. She especially loved when I chose to sweep the garage while her Daddy was doing some yard work. It basically gave her the chance to put her helmet on while giving a thumbs up at all of the hard work being done. She's supportive like that. Next time I'll have to remember to put a broom in her hands so we can take her "helping" to a whole new level!

It's that time of year again! It's Fall (only 90 degrees here in Phoenix), it's time for the holidays, and it NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month).

I know no better way to kick of one month of posting other than plastering pictures of my adorable child dressed up like an Octopus. We had a wonderful time trick-or-treating at a friend's house. The kids all gathered with their fantastic costumes and pumpkins for gathering candy. Saba was especially excited to show all of her friends that she could say "trick-or-treat" at the doors without my prompting...I soon realized that instead of saying "trick-or-treat" Saba was saying "give me a treat, please" - The "please" was a nice touch. And it certainly got her a pumpkin full of candy.

It was another fantastic Halloween!

Right around January 3rd Saba will be a big sister!

While Dereje has been in DC doing an extended Clerkship (he's been gone about 9 weeks) Saba has had plenty of time to become completely spoiled by her Grandparents.

Specifically, she has become accustomed to fine dining.

Exhibit A: Papa Bruce's ribs:

And, his grilled asparagus:

She has also become accustomed to going through my parents' entire Tupperware drawer and seeing which container makes the best hat:

And eating homemade Popsicles in the bathtub:

See what I mean? Utterly spoiled! But that's not even the piece de resistance:I don't know what says "spoiled" more than a little girl desperately attached to her Grandmother's iPad.

This past weekend Saba and I attended a friend's BBQ for a little sun, a little food, and A LOT of slip n' slide! This was Saba's first slip n' slide experience - so she basically had to be thrown down the slide - which she absolutely loved.

We had a wonderful time hanging out with our friends. Thanks Piccione Family for a great time!

When we were in Texas, it rained. And it rained, and it rained, and it rained. It rained so much we lost a park. Meaning, we went to the park after it stopped raining and half of it was under water. The kids were in heaven.They splished and splashed and then they stripped off their clothes and splished and splashed some more.

What did we have to do to capture the magic of such a wonderful situation? Take a bunch of pictures and completely ignore the nagging feeling that this situation seemed vaguely familiar on an episode of "House" (meaning, kids playing in lake run-over end up with something completely undiagnosable the next week).

Good times (minus the threat of undiagnosed diseases).

While we were in Lubbock we were lucky enough to catch one of Ana's school field trips. Saba was incredibly excited about being one of the big kids. Saba really got into "taking turns" which meant that all of the big kids had to basically stop their field trip to allow Saba to try whatever it was that they were learning about. She was cool with that.

Luckily, after all of the "heavy duty learning" - snacks were provided! Saba decided that field trips are totally her thing.

(I have no idea why Ana looks so miserable with her rice cake when she was actually really quite excited about it). Saba and Emery also took this opportunity to "ride" a tractor which was not only adorable but also served as a great reminder to make sure all tetanus shots are up to date.

We go the idea for the cake here. So we started making a white cake mix:

By mixing...

And mixing some more...Then we divided the cake mix into 6 seperate bowls.

Emery added blue to one...And Ana added red to another...Then Saba and I added yellow...After we finished mixing the rest of the colors (orange, green, and purple)- We baked the cakes, piled them all together and added some cream cheese frosting...The result was pure delicousness...with a side of learning all about the colors of the rainbow.We sang about the colors of the rainbow. We talked about the colors of the rainbow. But, best of all, we ate the colors of the rainbow.

Truly delicious learning.

This past weekend my parents took Saba with them to visit my grandparents. Saba spent the night away from momma, which was a much needed break for Momma as Daddy is still in Washington DC doing an externship (he'll be home in 2 weeks)

Whenever Saba is away for the night I get a little worried that she won't sleep well. Not that I'm worried about Saba losing a little bit of sleep - It's more that I'm worried about Saba keeping my parents up all night and they won't take her next time!

In a word, she did just FINE... According to my Dad, Saba spent the entire night in a permanent horizontal position with her feet wedged into his back - but at least she slept! Of course, I think it's the hot cup of joe in the morning that really has Saba wishing this was an everyday kinda thing.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fantastic break!

She has a horse...

And she can churn butter...

She knows how to wash....

Rinse...

And hang up to dry....And best of all she can brand her own cattle with an "S" so they won't get lost in them there hills.It's a good thing Ranch Heritage Days in Lubbock teaches kids all of these important skills - I'm not sure what Saba would do with all of her cows if she didn't know how to brand them!

Cause they're about to have another baby and Saba really took it upon herself to help Eric and Megan get comfortable in their future with 3 kids. To help Eric get into fighting shape Saba figured it would be a great idea to go along with him and the kids to the park...ON HER BIKE!

Ana chose to walk Azul which turned out to be the way to go as Eric called me on their way home to come pick up the kids "cause Saba was poopy and Ana was just plain pooped".

Of course after a their trek to the park the kids all needed a bath and then a scoop of peanut butter to get them through the night...cause that's how big kids hang.

Notice, once again, the matchyness of Saba and Ana (Megan and I might need twin therapy). Lastly, Saba decided that Eric should see just what it looks like to put THREE kids to bed!Of course, after a round of Olivia and Goodnight Moon Saba proceeded to jump out of bed to find me and tell me that she "wanted to go to sleep with me" - which suited me just fine as I'm not quite ready for her to be one of three - I'm perfectly happy with her as my one and only for a little while longer!

This spring Saba and I took a trip to Lubbock to visit cousins! Megan and I decided that Ana and Saba look more alike every time we get them together (that may be because we keep dressing them alike).

My next couple of blog posts will be dedicated to our trip to Lubbock. Lots of cuteness. Lots of Cousins. And, lots of commentary!

So. Because of my 5 month hiatus, I have a lot of catching up to do. I will start with Easter. That's right....April...get over it.

Anyway, for Easter we had brunch at the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium here in west Phoenix. In a word, it was AWESOME. Imagine getting to eat eggs while staring at these guys...

Any by "eggs" I mean "bacon, eggs, and grapes" - basically, Saba's idea of heaven (grandparents, meat, and fish tanks). After breakfast we had a wonderful time walking around the zoo and visiting all of the animals. One exhibit that Saba especially enjoyed was the Lory Parrot Feeding. I was ever so slightly apprehensive, but since Saba was set on running full speed into a cage of hungry parrots I figured I should probably follow her... so that I could, well, take pictures. (Notice Saba's milk cup in with the birds...that's right - you can mail me my Mom of the year award now).

Besides, open milk bottles among mangy fowl wasn't even the highlight of our day. We started off with a little baby goat petting...

Tongue and all... Then, we finished off our "immune system boosting trip" with a quick swipe of some Manta Rays.

Never fear...no Sabas were harmed by this outing...disinfecting wipes were had by all!

It was a wonderful Easter filled with family, food and fun!

A very wonderful and memorable Easter!

I could make up a nice little story about why I haven't blogged in FOREVER (or as my brother says, "so, you're just NEVER EVER EVER going to blog again huh").

But honestly, I have absoltuely no excuse. Except for the fact that Dereje has stolen my computer (and thus my iphoto) and run away to DC to do an externship. That would be a great excuse, except I stopped blogging long before he left.

How about the excuse that since my husband is on hiatus in DC I am single momming it over here! Except for the fact that my parents help me out a ton and once again "except number 1" fits this excuse.

Maybe I could just give the excuse that Megan and I were competing with one another to see who could go the longest without blogging (in which case - HA - I won)!

Except Megan didn't take a 5 month break, and she's gestating to boot, so that's not the best excuse.

I guess I'll just have to say...yeah...I've really sucked at blogging - but heck, maybe I'll get motivated? Sound convincing? Yeah, I don't really buy it either - but here I go.

This past month Dereje has been doing an observership at a local hospital. Needless to say, Saba and I miss him a lot, but we're also really proud of him.

The best part of the day is when he comes home to us and gets to see just how much Saba has missed him...

And then he gets to wrangle his shoes from her little feet - nothing says "welcome home" like a little Saba wrangling!

One of the last things we did before Megan and Eric headed back to Lubbock was take a quick trip up to Camp Verde to visit Grandma Lena and Papa Wally. So, we rented a van and packed the whole family in for our hour and a half journey up to Camp Verde.

Some passengers were more willing than others... And some treated the drive like nothing less than a 10 hour road trip... We did make it to Grandma Lena's house and everyone had a wonderful time. Especially Saba who learned the beauty of Papa Bruce's Ribs...Seriously, this lady can gnaw on a bone like no one's business... It was a beautiful end to a beautiful holiday season!

Our last day in San Diego was spent ignoring the fact that it was 60-something degrees and embarking on a beach-day adventure.

Emery, Saba, and Ana had a ball playing in the sand.

Then Saba and Dereje decided to get a closer look at the ocean.Before we could bat an eye Dereje had a band of cohorts ready and willing to get wet.

Then THIS started happening:

Of course, there were tears when it was time to leave - but we thought it would be best to leave before hypothermia truly set in.

Thank you Belasco and Williams family for a wonderful vacation!

Right after Christmas we made our yearly trek to San Diego where we joined my brother-in-law's family for a day of fun at Knott's Berry Farm

We learned that Snoopy lives at Knott's...and since Saba is in love with "puppies" she was basically on board with anything involving Snoopy. So, Snoopy's bounce house was basically her idea of heaven.

We had a fantastic day with all of the family - Saba even managed a couple rides with the help of Daddy. And all of the kids had no problem staying warm with all of Megan's hard work making all of the hats for their little heads. Best of all Dereje and I got to ride a couple of really great Roller Coasters while Saba got to hang out with her Aunt Megan and her Uncle Eric. It was a wonderful holiday...and a great time with family!

Starting last year Dereje, Megan, Eric and I came up with a new tradition during the holiday season. Our tradition involves ditching the kids, scoring some basketball tickets, and drinking some beer (for those who are not with child). So, this year we repeated this formula for holiday cheer and ended up with the following:

Some awesome seats: A cute couple here:And lots of sisterly love (especially from the sister who is allowed to drink beer a.k.a me)

To end off a perfect night we came home to this:

Thanks Mom & Dad!

What an amazing Christmas we had! So amazing I didn't have a chance to blog about it...well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

So let me go back and try to remember all of the Christmassy goodness...

Ah, yes, now I remember that all of the children looked adorable in their matching pajamas... And Grandma Didi surprised them on Christmas morning with a fancy pair of pajamas of her own. The Christmas tree looked perfect...surrounded by presents and treats from Santa...I was happy to see that Ana and Emery were thrilled with a set of their own felt fruit and vegetables made by yours truly. And Emery was excited that Saba wanted to ride with him on his new ride on toy(and by excited I mean that he was slightly annoyed)!

It was a beautiful Christmas. The best part was that we were all surrounded by family...it just doesn't get any better than that. Stay tuned for more holiday spirit posts to come!

On the 1st of December Dereje and I celebrated our 2nd wedding Anniversary. Actually, Dereje celebrated in New York (as he was away on an interview) - and I celebrated in Phoenix.

Luckily, we knew we were going to be apart so we celebrated before Thanksgiving by going out to dinner (sans Saba - thanks Mom & Dad)

Thanks to restaurants.com Dereje and I decided to try a new restaurant (and by "new restaurant" I mean any restaurant with a smokin' coupon).

Now we have decided that this restaurant (Il Posto) is one of our favorites!

Happy Anniversary Dereje!

Side note: Dereje also took me on another Anniversary celebratory escapade tonight (this time we celebrated with Saba). He took us out for wings and a drive-in movie...does this man know me or what?

What's that you say? Did I get a new floor pillow in the shape of Saba?

Well, no, but thank you for asking. That, my friends, is what you call one exhausted lady. So exhausted that she fell asleep in this position while playing peek-a-boo with me on the floor. That's what I call a good days work!

Last night we witnessed something beautiful...the Phoenix light parade! It was incredibly cold...and running slightly late, but Saba managed to stay awake long enough to see some beautiful floats and lights (the flash on my camera was a light she could have done without).

I was just happy to have Dereje home safe and sound...and home in time to see the parade!

We made a party of it by meeting up early with some friends for hot chocolate (Schnapps optional) and cookies.

Dereje and I both opted for the schnapps! Just for the "it will keep us warm" sake...which it did...for the first 15 minutes.

Of course, all of the wonderful festivities left us with a conked out baby and the tune of "Santa Claus is coming to town" permanently running through our head.

That's what I call a perfect night!

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!

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!

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!

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 to which 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.

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!

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).

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!

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.

.

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.

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)!

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.

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!

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!

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)!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!