Naomi and I hosted a small Valentine's party before the big day itself. Naomi had fun placing the sticky foam hearts all over (all over pretty much everything in addition to the designated spot). And she discovered Oreos...quite possibly her first time having Oreos, and she managed to sneak about 4 before I put the kabosh on having any more!
Here are pictures of Naomi and Grandma reading books (obtained on a library trip on Friday) and us out having fun in the snow. Naomi cried when we had to come indoors and begged to see the cats some more. She watched the cows for a few moments, but they apparently were not nearly as interesting as the cats...
Friday was pretty cold again, so we were only outside long enough to go to and from the car. Naomi spent some of her time inside cuddling up with the huge teddy bear, watching out the window while Grandma fed the cows, and playing with the dollhouse.
Now we're in Monroe and having fun at Grandma and Grandpa Jones' house. Yesterday morning Naomi braved the snow, cold temperatures, and worst of all, the winds to accompany Grandma to the mailbox for the newspaper. Grandma carried Naomi back up the hill for the return journey - it was just too cold to dawdle!
Naomi and I flew into SLC on Wednesday, and Grandpa Jones picked us up at the airport. We played at Bethany's house with Dahlia and Bobbie and Grandma Jones. Aunt Allyson came over and played, too! We had Cafe Rio, which I get about once a year, so it's worth mentioning.
Naomi has taken a liking to the broom. As a narrow-minded adult, I tend to just use it for sweeping the kitchen floor. Naomi has exposed me to a world of uses for the broom!
Matt had a birthday at the beginning of January! We had an all-out crazy birthday party for him..."all-out crazy" is just a little different now than it was in college! We also fed the missionaries dinner and had some friends over to play games and eat the birthday trifle.
Yup, sure is...this is a picture of Naomi asleep in her toddler bed!! Today is the second day we've attempted naptime in the toddler bed. Yesterday was a failure; Naomi got in some "quiet time" but never slept. I need to exult in the victory today, because I don't know when it will happen again!
On New Year's Eve, we took a trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. As before, one of my favorite areas was Cat Canyon, and here is a picture of an ocelot. Matt and Naomi enjoyed the hummingbird house and the aviary, and we took a fun trip down through the underground cavern and geologic exhibits.
Our neighbors asked us to keep their fish while they are on a trip. Naomi loves to watch them, talk to them, talk about them, poke at their flowers, see them eat, etc.
Naomi and I joined some other Tucson moms and kids for a holiday visit to a local care center. Naomi enjoyed it, running around checking out the decorations, marching down hallways, handing out cards to care center residents, and even saying "Merry Christmas" occasionally on demand!
Yet another dark, blurry picture. Hopefully you can see past that to our sweet Naomi bug, all dressed up for Christmas celebrations!
Sorry about the blurry pictures lately - apparently I need to adjust my camera settings
Last weekend was the first time I've wanted more than just a coat for Naomi-bundling purposes. While Matt was studying, Naomi and I went to a short reenactment of the Nativity, and it was an outdoor performance in the evening. Due to the lack of cold-weather gear owned by Naomi, she wore her own coat, Mommy's gloves, and Mommy's ear warmer. We also wrapped up in some blankets. We had a great time, although Naomi was sorely disappointed we weren't allowed to pet the sheep.
BYU cheerleader for Halloween this year. You don't see pom-poms in the picture because they were confiscated after she tried to use them as brooms in Matt's lab building. She held onto the mini M&M's package pretty much the whole time we were there...perhaps she was being greedy, but more likely she saw Daddy's eye on the package for himself!
Here's Naomi's snorty face - she likes to play around with sounds and facial expressions (and she has a fun new dress on - always a good opportunity for a picture!).
My parents came down for a surprise visit in the beginning of November, and we had a great time with them! The morning after they left, Naomi roamed the house looking for them and asked about Grandma and Grandpa all day. (She still talks about them sometimes.) We did some fun things, but unfortunately the cameras didn't come out during most of the visit.
Before Halloween, we took a trip out to Buckelew Farm (a pumpkin patch west of Tucson) along with some friends. Sadie and Naomi picked out their own little pumpkins, enjoyed all the animals in the 4-H animal enclosure, and got to ride on a horse-drawn trailer. The highlight, was probably their ride in a wheelbarrow!
This was Naomi's Halloween costume last year, but it happens to still fit her. She's been wearing it for days, over regular clothes and even occasionally over her pajamas as seen below!
Naomi got a strip of sea-themed stickers at a birthday party recently, and she decided to put them on her tummy. All of them. Not one to waste anything, we also pulled off the outline of the stickers and stuck that on her knee. This provided entertainment for an unbelievable amount of time!
