Everyday Musings

Nothing too exciting has been happening down here in Arizona, but I am still enjoying every day with my family. Each milestone and age just keeps getting better, and for every moment when it gets tougher (tantrums, sleepless nights, mischievousness--nothing too big to complain about...) there are about a hundred little moments that are near perfect.



Isaac has been fully crawling for a little over a month now. For about 4 months he was content with army crawling everywhere. I thought he was fast then...it's nothing to how speedy he is on all fours. He is into everything that doesn't include his toys. The dishwasher (I swear he has a radar on that thing. The moment it opens up, he's right there), the outlets, pulling out cords, anything Aliyah is playing with, Sony's cat food, Sony, the bathroom, my car keys, my wallet...all places and things that I would prefer he stay away. Almost everything goes into his mouth immediately. I call to him and say, "Isaaaaaac, no." And what does he do? He looks back at me and flashes his signature grin. Stern mom protocol disengaged.







He's eating solid foods like a champ, as well as still taking in lots of formula. I thought his milk intake would taper off some after introducing more solid meals, but it hasn't at all. I stopped breastfeeding at 8 months. I was hoping to make it a year, but this kid eats like, well, a boy. That added with traveling a lot for work and his bad habit of biting me, I decided to throw in the towel. I would have liked to have gone longer, but I made it three months more than with Aliyah, and I will admit, not being tied down to nurse or pump is somewhat freeing.)

I'm finally starting to make some mom friends out here in Arizona. It only took me three years! In all seriousness, having some mom friends that I felt really comfortable with and wanted to hang out with is something I longed for, but I also know myself. I'm not overly social or extroverted with people I don't know well, so in the back of my mind, I just kept telling myself to be patient and friends will eventually come. The past few months, my neighbor two doors down who is single, but has a group of friends, many of whom are moms, has included me in their "card" night. (I put "card" in quotations because in the three times I've been invited, they have never played cards. One of the women's husbands told her they should change it to carb night for the lack of cards and abundance of snacks.) The first time I went, I enjoyed everyone immediately. Each time the get together was held at my neighbor's house I was invited. I think I might just be part of the group now since this last time it was held at someone else's house and I was still invited.

Just this past weekend, I met up with one of the mom's to get our girls together to play at a park for an hour. We ended up having a great time and the girls played well and even found some other girls to play with. The love of Frozen brought this group of random girls together and it was pretty cute. From what Aliyah was telling me, they were building a castle for Elsa and Anna.



I left Isaac home with Sebastian that morning and decided to spend the rest of the morning with just Aliyah. So rarely do I do that with her, and while I know it's important, I was really able to experience how much it made a difference. Not one tantrum the entire morning and she and I just enjoyed one another's company to the fullest. That day we went to the park, split some coffee shop breakfast, went to church, grabbed a jamba juice and then made our way back home. At the end of the morning, I realized I need to carve out some time every couple of weeks (or more as she gets older) and do this with her. I remember my Mom used to always make time for me, whether it was a lunch out, a movie, a little bit of shopping or the library. Those moments count. Like any young kid and teenager, I didn't appreciate it nearly as much as I should have at the time, but I do remember having fun during those outings and I am so grateful for those memories.

This past weekend hit about 98 degrees so Sebastian and Aliyah tried out the pool for the first time this season. Sebastian said it was a little cool still, but Aliyah could have cared less. She loved being in the water and even sang, "I'm a turtle! I'm a turtle! And I'm as happy as can be!"








Aliyah is at the age where anytime I tell her to smile, she immediately flashes some crazy face. Sigh. I often resort to bribery in order to get a normal smile out of her.





The weather has cooled down again this week to normal temps, so we're having some nice laid-back evenings in the backyard and enjoying the perfect Arizona weather for the moment.

A few last photos, which I'm sure Sebastian is thrilled that I'm posting. Three out of the four of us got sick with some weird stomach bug. (Aliyah has not gotten it...fingers crossed it stays that way.) We rarely get sick, which I am grateful for and this was a quick one, lasting about 24 hours for each of us, so I can't complain. It could be much worse.

When you're sick, Sony is sure to make you feel better by cuddling and licking you. Gotta love that cat. He knows all the right ways to make us love him even more.



That's about it for now. I would say it feels good to catch up, but who am I kidding? I have so many photos to blog I could write for days. For now, this will do.

Phoenix Dessert Botanical Gardens

Yikes, looking at these photos makes me realize that I haven't taken out my camera for quite some time. There are moments when not taking out the SLR is refreshing, but then I take time to actually look back on the photos I take with that camera and I am always glad I did. I guess it's finding that balance of capturing photos to remember for years to come, but also living in the present so you don't miss it while it's happening. A tricky balance to find that's for sure.

My parents came down for a visit in February. They have been here quite a few times and are getting to know the area quite well, but it's always fun to find something for them to do that they haven't done yet. This trip we decided to check out the Desert Botanical Gardens. I had never been there either, so it was a new experience for all of us.

Sebastian had to work this day, but Aliyah and Isaac joined me. The weather was perfect, probably touching about 75 degrees in February. Aliyah loved being outdoors and I spent quite a bit of time making sure she didn't bound into a cactus (It's happened before when she was two. She ran into it because she is wild. It was a tiny little one, but she still talks about the experience with much drama.) Endless amounts of energy that little girl has.

This was at the time when Isaac was not mobile yet. Little did I know that would change completely. My chill baby, has now turned into a crawling, determined boy. (That's a whole new post.)

The plants in this garden were obviously very different from that of the Midwest. A lot a cacti, and herbs, but all still so beautiful. It was a fun time and nice to be able to experience a new place in the valley with my parents.

It's That Time Again...

The weather is bliss right now in Arizona. Cooler nights, which create a cozy feeling. Perfect 75 degree temps during the day, which allow us to be outdoors. With the beautiful weather, we're able to engage in one of our favorite family activities...hiking! Aliyah has been asking to go hiking for quite some time now, so we decided to take the whole family to Papago Park.























Sebastian gathered all the materials needed for a picnic lunch. I packed up our running stroller and we took the drive down to South Scottsdale and spent a few hours enjoying nature right in the middle of the city. I love Papago Park. The views are incredible and it always amazes me how such incredible hiking is right in the middle of the city. One of my favorite things about the Phoenix/Scottsdale area is that you don't need to travel far to hike up a mountain and get some great views.

This was Isaac's first hike, and he was pretty much the same, calm, relaxed baby that he always is. This kid has such a happy, content personality. Aliyah was an incredibly easy baby, but Isaac is even more so. Sebastian and I often kid that his two's and three's will be abnormally terrible, because it seems too good to be true right now. Let's hope we're wrong on that prediction.

All in all, it was a great family hike. We're looking forward to spending lots more weekends out exploring nature until the heat comes back in May.

Phone Snapshots: A Little Catch Up

Life has been pretty typical here for the Carden's. I sometimes forget how much goes on week by week until I take a look at my phone snapshots. Thank goodness for Instagram, right? Here's a little recap of what we've been up to lately.

1. Easter Egg Hunt: We arrived early to this event, but so did everyone else it seemed. It was packed and pure chaos. Thank goodness for Sebastian's perseverance, because I immediately suggested we leave. We ended up staying and I'm glad we did because Aliyah very much enjoyed it.
2. Coloring Easter Eggs: We dyed eggs this year for the first time. Her patience didn't allow for very bright colors, but she still loved the entire process.
3. Phoenix Children's Museum: Sebastian was gone one weekend, so Aliyah and I made the trip into downtown Phoenix to the children's museum. It was a great little morning trip and a good way to spend some one-on-one time with my girl.
4. Singing Diva: This girl loves to sing and dance and talk. Gosh, how she talks. She is constantly chit-chatting right up until she finally falls asleep at night from exhaustion. She will frequently have conversations with herself and sometimes I will think she's talking to me and I'll ask her to repeat what she said, but she'll reply with, "Oh, I was just talking to myself, Mommy."
5. Barbara's Napa Wedding: I made my last trip while pregnant to California at the end of May to attend one of my very dear friend's wedding in Napa. It was a gorgeous event, and I had a great time. We've had (and still do have) quite a few weddings this year, so Sebastian and Aliyah stayed back while I attended this one solo.
6. Trips to the Library: The library is definitely one of our go-to places when we need to take a little break from the extreme heat. Aliyah has picked up a great love of reading and I've mentioned before that I am impressed at the libraries in Scottsdale and what they have to offer, so we always have fun when we go. Just a few days ago, Aliyah said she wanted to try to read 20 books in one day. But I'm pretty sure it was her bedtime and she was just trying to figure out a way to stay up later.
7. Evening Soccer Games: Sebastian started a Yelp soccer league about a year ago and Aliyah and I have started going to his games in Tempe. Aliyah loves to force anyone on the team to kick the ball back and forth to her. And by force, I mean she locks eyes with them and kicks the ball, so their options are pretty limited. She has a blast each time we go and it's been fun to watch Sebastian and his team get better and better each week. They even managed to move up a a division when they won their previous divisions championship game.
8. Hiking in Tonto National Forest:
We took a weekend trip here last year and made our way back again, this time for just the afternoon. The weather is hot here in Arizona, so it was our last hike until it cools down again. Plus I was about 7 months pregnant for this trip and I've never been so winded trying to hike back up from the Natural Bridge. Sebastian and Aliyah went ahead of me, while I slooooooooowly walked back at my own pace.
9. Family Dinners with Oma & Spencer: Sebastian's Mom and our nephew, Spencer made the trip out here from Georgia again this summer during 4th of July week. Spencer has been attending iD Tech for the past four years now, and the past two years he and Oma have come out here for a week and a half to visit and for Spencer to attend our ASU camp location. The week is filled with lots of fun conversation, wine drinking, and home-cooked meals that are to die-for. I always eat very well when Oma comes into town.
10. Cousins: Aliyah loves when any of her cousins come visit. Being that she is the youngest, she is constantly in their face, but Spencer did really well with her and included her in numerous games and played with her. She is still asking where Spencer is and misses him a lot.
11. Best Buds: Sony is loving all the attention he is getting from Aliyah now that she has finally figured out that jumping on him isn't how he wants to be petted. I'll find these two frequently cuddled up together and Sony loves to plop down right in front of Aliyah so she'll give him some attention.
12. Current Reads: Finding a good book is always tough for me, especially if I've just finished one that I've really enjoyed. My last read was The Distant Hours, which had me up to 2am one night trying to finish it, so I was happy when I picked up two books that are both really good shortly thereafter. The top one, The Best of Everything, is a piece of fiction from the late 50's that is reminiscent of the t.v. series, Mad Men, which I love. I love anything to do with that era, and so far I can't put this book down. Sebastian bought me the second one, Lean In, which is a non-fiction book by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of facebook and it really hits home since it talks about women in the workforce and how there are still too few female executives and why this should change. I like this book mostly because she talks a lot about being a working mom and the challenges that come with it, all without being overly feminist or soap-boxy. A good read that I would recommend to any woman.

Montezuma Peak

This past weekend we met up with a good friend of Sebastian's who has been in the Tuscon area for a couple of weeks training for the National Reserves. I may be wrong on that exact title...but I know it's something close. Jon was in the Army for about 4 years and is currently working in the D.C. area. He and Sebastian have been friends since high school and was also one of our groomsmen in our wedding.

When Jon invited us to come down and visit, we didn't hesitate. We all arrived on Saturday late afternoon and stayed the night in Tuscon. Then got up early on Sunday and made our way to the quaint, historic town of Bisbee, Arizona. With a toddler and two men in tow, I couldn't really do much shopping, but  I caught glimpses of so many neat shops that I would love to make the trip down there again just to look around some more.

We had breakfast at a great little place called The Breakfast Club. The service was up to par with Minnesota nice and the food was pretty tasty too.

From there Jon then took us to Montezuma Peak. It was absolutely breathtaking.





This time we took along the hiking backpack for Aliyah, which turned out to be a good idea. When Jon told us about the hike up to the top of peak I wasn't expecting the it to be so steep. I'm sure that making it to the top would have been much more time-consuming had we not Aliyah strapped to Sebastian's back. And even though Aliyah did whine a bit while in there, the view at the top was well, well worth it. 





Miles and miles of beautiful land. Some of it the U.S. and some of it Mexico. Simply stunning.



This image below fascinates me because in the middle of the photo, the straight black line is actually the immigration wall on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. It seemed a bit surreal that we were so close to such a controversial piece of land and to realize and even wonder with dismay how something so beautiful could be such a cause of turmoil for so many people. 

If there is one thing I have learned from living in Arizona a short while, it's that this state does not disappoint when it comes to nature.

Weekend Getaway

Sebastian and I decided to take a weekend trip with Aliyah up to Northern Arizona. Making the decision to do this on Wednesday afternoon, we quickly found that almost all of the area's cabins were booked solid--many until mid-July. We finally lucked out and were able to book a nice little cabin nearby Strawberry, Arizona.

My hope was to see some scenic landscapes on our trip and going North did not disappoint. Some of the views on the drive there are absolutely stunning. Perhaps the most beautiful part was our hike to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. It was gorgeous. It's incredible to think that such a lush forest of trees and plants is only two hours away from the heat of Scottsdale.

We stayed at a place called The Cabins on Strawberry Hill, which had individual cabins on the property, along with grills, a small playground and some additional outdoor activities. Our cabin was quaint with a small little porch out front and just enough rustic charm to feel like we were getting away from the hustle of everyday life, but not completely away from it all. (Germany was playing a big soccer match, which Sebastian had to watch and there was wi-fi, which allowed me to check Pinterest, facebook and Instragram, so you can see how we couldn't quite "rough-it" too much.) We took in an evening concert in Payson, and also found a spot in the same city where the food was so delicious and the service so nice that we went there twice.

Aliyah had a great time and did pretty well on the hike with a mix of walking some parts herself and then being carried for some parts. She still loves to be outside, as well as with Mom and Dad. I think her favorite part may have been when she realized she was "helping" me pack up the car to go home on Sunday morning. We took a lot of trips back and forth to the truk (trunk) to make sure everything was in its place.

Next spots on our Arizona travel list are Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. Taking trips like that make me realize just how much beauty there is in nature that I'm unaware of. A thought that is very much inspiring to me.