Kisses, thank you & 1,2,3

Finally, a long-overdue Soren update. It seems like he has grown up so much since we moved to Arizona just one month ago! First, he kicked his second nap right after he got here. It's nice when he takes one 3 hour nap a day, but not so nice when he thinks he can get away with 1.5 hours. You parents know the routine--meltdown at 5pm.

And as soon as Bran and I started school Soren started preschool too! (Above pic is his first day of school.) It's definitely been an adjustment for him--taking naps on a mat in a roomful of kids (I can't believe he does it!), getting to know a lot of new people, and saying goodbye in the mornings. But thankfully he's only going 2 half days a week and he's already learning a ton! The second week of school he started saying "thank you" (more like "tank u") and now he says it for everything! And this week he just randomly started counting in his high chair!

Needless to say we are so proud and can't believe our little boy is growing up so fast.

Here's a pic of his first piece of artwork he brought home from school...

Here he's chowing on some good ol' Sawyer taco meat...

He absolutely loved his first quasi-hiking experience a few weekends ago--getting super dirty and attempting to jump off rocks...

He now climbs onto his rocking chair by himself and starts reading his books...

Here he is singing in the bathtub..

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Oh yeah, and he attempted to help me decorate!

But our favorite thing that Soren's been doing lately is giving kisses. He loves kissing with his big sound effect and kisses absolutely EVERYTHING--his stuffed animals, tractors, bath toys, hamper, even his meat! We are so happy he's turning into such a loveable and affectionate little guy:-)

Hello Arizona.

Arizona is our new home. This reality is finally starting to sink in. To be honest, this has brought about some melancholy in the Sawyer household, but that's to be expected. Thankfully we've been through this before and so we hold onto the perspective that this quiet, lonely stage won't last forever, and that before we know it our life will be full and we'll be missing these first simple days. That being said, we've been pleasantly surprised with what Arizona has to offer so far. Our house is just beautiful (click here for pics of our almost-finished place) and our neighborhood is scenic, quiet, and close to absolutely everything. Speaking of our neighborhood, we are surrounded by alfalfa fields and old tractors which is very reminiscent of my hometown and quite comforting! (Not to mention that Soren is in heaven with the tractors.) It's hot, but we've found great relief in our neighborhood pool and these wonderful things Arizona has called splash pads.
We've scoped out our huge local library, and even escaped into the beautiful rim country for a day to get views of pine trees and beautiful lakes. My favorite find has been a local gem called The Coffee Shop, where I go several times a week to study and get urban/hipster/artsy inspiration. They've also got an awesome restaurant next door called Joe's Farm Grill. These will definitely be our go-to's for visitors!
As for the reason we're here, Bran and I are diving into our studies full-force and enjoying them immensely. Although by looking at the difference in our books (mine are the two stacks to the left and Bran's is the one on the right) you might say I'm jumping in at a fuller force:-) I personally feel like my mind is coming alive in a way I never dreamed of. It's exhilarating to be here.(ASU Polytechnic: Bran's campus)(ASU Downtown: my campus)
So come visit!