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.

Digital Sketchbook: Grow

My Mom recently sent over a photo of the harvest in full-swing going on in Minnesota, which is the image that is overlayed in the graphic below. Harvest is my Dad's favorite time of year and if you were to talk to him for just 5 or 10 minutes about the season, you would certainly be able to tell.

I have very fond memories of harvest back when I was young. I remember one year my Dad let me help unload each truckload of corn. I diligently watched the corn flow out of the truck and into the auger, making sure to sweep any piles of corn that had fallen outside. I felt even more proud when at one point during harvest my Dad left me to go the shop to grab some more supplies and I was "in charge" of unloading the entire truck by myself. I think he had even taught me how to lift and lower the truck bed. From there on that year, I was my Dad's tag-a-long. At that time we had a Springer Spaniel named Sadie, who, like most dogs, loved a good car ride. When the corn had been emptied and Dad was ready to drive back out the the field, I would call out for Sadie and she would come running and make her jump in the truck and the three of us would be on our way again.

I have so many more sweet recollections of autumn and harvest, but I think that one is probably the one I hold closest to my heart.

 

Today's Adventure: As told by Sebastian

The last week of August I was gone on my annual company trip. As a company, we once again made our yearly goals for growth, so each full-time employee was flown out to Cabo to enjoy a little bit of relaxation after another whirlwind summer. For most people in our company, summer is non-stop chaos since that is when our actual summer camps are up and running and it's showtime. (On a side note: I can't believe I've been there 6 years now. It was my first "career" job out of college and what an amazing company it has been to work at for so long.)

Of course, our company doesn't pay for each employee's family, which is understandable, so each family or friend brought along is an additional expense. Aliyah turned the big 2 this summer which means that bringing her and Sebastian along would have been pretty expensive with flights and hotel, so we decided to save a few pennies and have Mom go solo for the first year since I've been married or been a parent. (I have to say, I'm pretty sad to see the "free" seat for Aliyah go now that she's two.) Because I was leaving my two favorite people at home, I decided to just do four days in paradise. It was the perfect amount of time to be away. Just enough to have some fun and alone time, but also enough to be incredibly happy and grateful to be back in their arms when I returned.

I often get asked by my co-workers if Sebastian can handle taking care of Aliyah for such a long time when I'm away for business trips in San Jose. And to that I never have any hesitation to say, "Of course!". Sebastian is an amazing Dad and while I miss both he and Aliyah terribly when I go away, one thing that I am very grateful for is that I know that Aliyah is in great hands with Sebastian. I never have to worry about how they're getting by. Sebastian is also great at keeping me in the loop and writing me sweet little letters like this so I can read all the fun they're having together.

Here's his letter from when I was in Cabo:

What a day,

This morning, Aliyah's sentence repetition blew me away. "Look at the little bunny, Daddy." She spoke it slowly and clearly, and I think she kept repeating it because she was so proud. We got off to a bit of a slow start because were having quite a bit of fun. Once she got in the car, she started fussing a bit about Lightning not being there. Then she fussed about you being gone.

Then more about Lightning... and a little more "Where's Lightning?" after that.

I picked her up a bit early today (since the team did well) and disaster struck immediately.

Everyday, Aliyah rushes up to me. This time she came barreling towards me like a maniac. I failed to soften her slamming into me though, and her nose bumped hard into my shoulder. It wasn't super painful and she didn't cry too much, but she had quite a bloody nose. It got on her shirt, my shirt, and she really didn't know what to make of it. She was fascinated by the taste (it was really coming out) and the color it left on the napkins.

She wouldn't look up so I had to lay her down. She didn't like that, so Ms. Monica and I assuaged her plight with some crackers.

At home, she went nuts with Nola (that's "gronola in Aliyah talk) again. I gave her some celery, but she kept asking for Nola. We played a bit and I downloaded Madagascar. At first, she was a bit spooked, but she settled into my shoulders for a bit and we watched it with few interruptions.

After that, it was Lightning Puzzle time. We also did some spelling exercises in Microsoft Word. I had her find letters and I think she's starting to get the concept of sounding out words. We'll see. Bedtime was a little challenging, but I'm committed to turning her around in the next four days. I played hard ball.

Real hard ball. I told her if she didn't stop crying I was going to take Italian Car, because Italian's don't like crying. She cried.

I look Italian Car. She lost her 'Ish, Marta. You should've heard her. I felt terrible.

I returned 10 seconds later and returned Italian Car.

She went to sleep with just one more request. Tea.

She's such a sweetheart. We miss you lots and hope your enjoying the Margaritas and Coronas. You absolutely deserve your trip.

Love,

Bastian Sauce and Aliyah Berry

Letter to Aliyah: Happy 2nd Birthday from Daddy

I'm very late in posting this (which is also why I'm back-dating it) but still wanted to do so anyway. After I had written my birthday letter to Aliyah, I thought it would be a great idea to have Sebastian write one as well. My hope is that every year until she's 18, we will both write her a letter. 

It was interesting for me to read what Sebastian wrote, because I realized as I was reading his letter that how we remember milestones can really differ from person to person. 

____________________________________

Happy 2nd birthday, Princess!

I can't believe it's been two years. Put better, I can't believe it's been ONLY two years.

Where to begin? The last year has been amazing, but it didn't really start so. I missed your first birthday because I had already driven to Arizona. I had just taken my promotion and was so worried I would be one of those Dads who wasn't around - I even told your Mom all about that fear. I did Skype your birthday party (you had it at your Godmother's house.)

I flew up the next weekend, picked up you and your Mom and we drove for two days down California and into the desert. We won't talk about the first hotel we tried to stay at in Palm Springs, but it was quite a trip. You behaved so well. We stopped at a few truck stops to watch the big 18-wheelers go by as we ate lunch. I must say that through all the moves and travel, you've been quite the sport. I can only hope you hold onto this quality as you grow.

We spent two weeks in a nice condo in North Scottsdale, right beside a beautiful open desert field and the airport. The sunsets were as beautiful as the weather was hot. But neither the heat nor the sunsets compared in intensity to the sheer joy you brought your mother and I when you started talking steps.

You had been standing for so long, just building confidence. And then you did it. On a wood floor in the middle of the condo, you took a step... then fell. And from there on out, our days were set - I came home and we got to work! Mom and I would sit on the floor across from each other and you would take 1... then 2... then 4, 5, 6 steps. Before we knew it, you were standing on your own and walking across rooms.

Settling into our apartment in Tempe was tough. We lived in a 2 story, fairly cramped and bland apartment for 8 months before we bought our house last April. You adjusted to daycare pretty well.

How you loved Mrs. Olga, your older Russian daycare teacher. And she loved you right back. When you first started talking, Olga was a very popular word! By the time we left that daycare, Olga cried. I believed her when she said you were special. The emotion was absolutely authentic, to the point where my emotions surprised me.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's step back...

We worked hard on lots of your learning fundamentals. ABCs came, and numbers a few months later. In between we did shapes, animals and you started needing your nighttime story time. And let's be fair - colors were very difficult for you, especially green and red. You get them now... most of the time.

At some point in Tempe, you fell in love with two things; two very big things. Trucks and Airplanes. You could spot them from so far away. Every now and then you would scream, "AIRPLANE!", and Mom and I would look into the sky. We wouldn't see anything and you'd keep yelling, and I'm telling you, each and every time, there was an airplane - a pixel in the sky, and eagle-eye Aliyah saw it!

Trucks had a similar impact. So did any type of animal. So did any type of anything really. It wasn't that you were curious (all toddlers are), but the exuberance you brought to those moments of discovery. Soon enough, you'd say "What that!?" and we'd say "cactus". And you'd remember. Just like that. Then you'd remind us that you knew by shouting "Cactus!" every time we passed one (which, in Arizona, is quite often.)

Mom and I were pretty good about the rules we set for you. We didn't want you watching alot of TV and did pretty good up until about 18 months. You loved your ABC puppies, Cars (Ligh'ping go fast!) and Dora. At this point, it's pretty much ‘all Dora, all the time’ when the TV's on.

You've fallen in love with Legos, choose a different fruit to love just about every week, and seem to have a knack for most everything you try. You’re still a bit fussy when it comes time to go to bed. Not to say that you’re not good at going into your crib. At least 5 times a night you call for your mother or I to come in for some different reason – to get your Lightning McQueen, or for water, or a book. Right now we’re simply rocking you to a calm state each night and you fall asleep.

You’re absolutely in love with the outdoors. You have been since you were a baby. The first thing that ever fascinated you were trees. Any type of tree you saw, we would stop so you could take a closer look. What’s funny about that is trees are the source of your greatest current fear.

Leaves! They stop you cold. In the pool or on a walkway, you’re never more distressed than when a leaf stands between you and your door. Your mother and I aren’t too worried. I doubt you’re leaphobia will persist.

I’m missing a lot of good memories, I know, but if your 2nd year of life leaves me with one clear memory - one I will always remember with absolute glee - it was your singing. Oh, how you sang. In the car on the way home from school, we sing each and everyday (in between games of “where’s Aliyah”). Here is a small sample of your current favorites

• ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’
• ‘ABCs’
•  ‘Happy Birthday to You’
•  ‘Yellow Submarine’ (which you learned simply from me. I don’t know that you’ve ever heard the Beatles do it)
• ‘You Make me Feel’ so… La La La La La.
• ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’
•  ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ (You’ve replaced wheels and wipers with cows and pigs)
•  Any song from Dora
•  ‘If You’re Happy and you Know It’
•  ‘Please and Thank You’

And that isn’t even half of them. Your Mom used to say, “I sing because I’m happy.” And if that’s true, you’re one happy girl. Like all parents, that’s all we want.

I know you’re little, but I’m so proud of you; the way you grow, the way you behave, the way you sing and smile. You are a gift to us, each and everyday. Even when you’re trouble, it’s hard for me to see anything but a beautiful, vibrant little girl who loves her parents and the world around her.

Do me one favor, would you? Please keep asking “What’s that?” Keep asking “Oh, no! What’s happened Daddy?” I can’t wait to answer your questions as you come to find out who you are, and your wonderful place in this world.

Oh, and you’ve got a cannon for an arm. I’ve never seen a little girl who can throw a ball quite like you!

With all the love I have,

Your Daddy,

Sebastian

Letter to Aliyah: Happy 2nd Birthday from Mommy

Dear Aliyah,

Happy 2nd birthday to my sweet girl!



What a difference a year makes. Every day you amaze me with yet another new thing that you can do. I love watching you grow and discover things. You're so full of love, laughter and excitement for the things that are around you. You love your Daddy and me with such a strong fervor that when in our presence, you never want to let us out of your sight. While this makes it hard to get some things done or to leave you with a baby-sitter, this love that you have for us is such a special gift and one that we will always be grateful for as your parents.



The last 12 months have brought many big changes for you that you have handled well for someone so young. A year ago tomorrow, you moved from the only home you knew in San Jose, CA to the beautiful, yet vastly different climate of the desert of Arizona. Unaware at the time, you had to say good-bye to your first friends and your first daycare teachers in San Jose. Once in Tempe, it took you about a month to adjust to your new daycare teachers, but once you did, you fell deeply in love with Ms. Debbie, Ms. Alisha and Ms. Olga. Every day on the way home from daycare, you would ask about Ms. Debbie and your best friend Ethan. Seven months later, we moved you again, but this time to your first house. Like the last time, it took awhile for you to adjust (we realize now that change is tricky for you...much like it is for your Mom.), but finally this past month we've heard you talk about your new teachers and your new friends, Carter and Amelie. Such a relief for your Mom and Dad to hear!



You love your new house. From the moment you walked in, you would run through the halls and kitchen laughing. To this day you still do, and you love to have me chase you when it's time to put on your pajamas. Most nights around 7:30, I can find you running away from me naked. On the weekends, you corral your Daddy and I into your room--one of your favorite spaces--and sit us down for "circle time" and coloring.



At seventeen months you were able to say your ABC's, and a few weeks later, you were counting to 10. Around twenty months you could count to 20 and at twenty-two months you could count intermittently to 10 in German. You started brushing your teeth (mostly) by yourself around twenty-two months. You love to take charge (a trait I believe you got from your Daddy), and always let us know when you like or dislike something. Some of the most memorable phrases you've learned this year are, "Not nice," "Just walk away," "Oh my goodness", "I love you!" "Look at all the mountains (or birds, or trees.)", "I tooted" and "Lipening go fast!". You love to sing and for awhile, I think there was barely a moment in the day when you weren't belting out a tune.



You've recently become a pickier eater, but when you like something, you will eat huge portions of it. Your tastes seem to go in phases. One week you love broccoli, another week you love strawberries, another yogurt. And then suddenly you want nothing to do with a certain food, only to have it become your favorite the following week. This can make meal-times tricky, but Mom and Dad are slowly trying to teach you to, "Just try it." Sometimes this works, most times it doesn't.



You are one extremely happy and vocal girl, but if something doesn't go your way, you have mastered the art of throwing a temper tantrum. Sometimes it's a long, loud wail, other times you fall to the floor with the grace and drama of a well-paid actress. In the past couple of months, you've been introduced to short time-outs and as independent as you are, you always obey when you're told to sit down for a time out.



Bedtime has been a complete change this past year. You use to go to bed with a bottle around 8 and never made a peep until morning. You've always been such a good sleeper and still are once you actually fall asleep. We managed to finally wean you from the only bottles you took before your nap and bedtime just a couple of weeks ago, which was longer than I wanted you to have a bottle, but it made you fall asleep so much easier! As you've become older you're realizing your time is much better used to explore and have fun, rather than sleep, and with this comes nighttime calls from you every 10 minutes or so for about an hour after we put your to bed at 8. It's typical childhood requests, like a book to read in your crib, or some more water in your sippy cup, or keeping the door open or asking to be tucked in and kissed again. Your Dad and I are slowly learning how to be more firm with you and gradually the time it's taking you to wind down is dwindling. You still sleep soundly through the night, but where you once woke up around 8, you now wake up anywhere from 6:30am-7:00am. Your naps are becoming shorter as well, sometimes only being an hour to an hour and a half.



Aliyah, I'm so excited to see what the next year will hold for you. Your exuberance for little things like taking walks and watching the birds are what make you such a joy to be around. Thank you for making your Daddy and I so happy with your presence. I love you so much. You are such a beautiful little girl and a true blessing to have in our family.



Happy Birthday my sweet daughter. I'll forever love and be smitten with you.

Love,

Mommy