Slides and Cousins

Sasha on her favorite new toy. Even better than going down is climbing up the green part, she thinks. We have since moved the slide to our great room.

Joe and Teresa came out over Labor Day and we had so much fun with them! Sasha and Jake played very well together and Baby T.J. was such a pleasant bright-eyed little guy. We showed them around Santa Fe, went to the zoo in Albuquerque, did a hike in the mountains, went out for a lovely adult-only evening on the town, and splashed around in the creek close to our house. Sasha really missed all the activity and company after they left.

Summer in Santa Fe

We have been doing a lot of hiking this summer with Sasha in the backpack, exploring new trails and returning to favorites. We discovered what a treat lollipops are for a toddler, and they have bought us many more minutes of happy hiking. We like to hike for awhile, get out and have a picnic (above) and let her explore before heading back. We're gearing up for a road trip to Zion and Bryce National Parks in October where we hope to do a lot of hiking every day.

Books continue to be Sasha's favorite pasttime. Her favorite is Richard Scarry's Big Book of Words right now.

At the summit of one of our weekend hikes. Phil and I were pooped--it was quite steep, but Sasha had all the energy in the world.

New Mexico has the most lightning strikes of any state we've heard. We watched a fantastic storm the other week and Phil caught a few dramatic pics over the city.

Nice Routine

Even though Sasha is far from starting school, this August there was a distinct change in our day to day schedule which reminded me of all those changes that come along with the end of summer and back to school hoopla she will soon experience. The biggest addition to our lives is that Sasha started 2 days of daycare at a small in-home bilingual daycare center. One of my good friends sends her son there and recommended it as a good place for Sasha to socialize with other children (there are 5 others there) on a regular basis. She is adjusting fairly well, but still needs to figure out how to take a nap in a different crib with other small children in the room. In addition to the socialization for Sasha, the new arrangement has allowed me to start studying violin again seriously. I've started taking weekly lessons again and practicing a lot. Who knows where it will lead... All I know is that after staying home full-time with Sasha for 1 1/2 years I really started to need something of my own to focus on. I'm not ready to go back to nursing just yet and violin is something I've always been very passionate about but afraid to pursue from a career perspective so I guess now is my chance to delve into it once more. It feels so good to be pursuing a personal goal again even though it means the return of my violin "hickey" on my neck :(

These are just a few random pictures from the last month that I really like. My mom taught her to say "Baby Yoga" when she does the above pose. We started gymnastics this week and she was thrilled when the teacher had us do this position. She really liked the first class especially the balance beam and the parallel bar.

Mom and Dad's Visit

Finally I have some more pictures to post (they've been building up for awhile) so be prepared for rapid-fire blogging over the next few weeks. My parents came out to New Mexico at the end of July to visit their daughters and see the house for the first time that they have purchased out in Albuquerque. Yes, they bought the house site unseen but based on Megan and Uli's scouting--it was too good to pass up. Thankfully they are pleased with their future home as of next summer. They have sold their house in Goshen and moved into an apartment for the rest of the year until my mom finishes out her last year of school nursing before retiring. It seems too good to be true that my whole family will be living in New Mexico! Sasha will be so lucky to grow up close to one set of grandparents at least. Above we are celebrating my parents anniversary with a special meal in our dining room.

Phil and I enjoyed many meals outside on our back porch after Sasha went to bed this summer. The sunsets were truly breathtaking over the mountains. Now we just need a hottub for those cool winter nights. While they were here, my parents helped us pull off a big open house party with 75+ guests. We cranked A LOT of homemade icecream beforehand and ended up having a really fun time. Sasha really got attached to grandma and grandpa and talks about them often.

We go downtown to the Farmer's Market and new Railyard Park that includes a splash park every Saturday morning. Sasha is fearless despite the cold water.

She finally achieved the 20 pound mark at 20 months of age. Way to go, short stuff!