LOTS and LOTS of pictures!!!!!!!!

Okay, I know that I have yet to post about our trip (I'm truthfully kind of avoiding it because I know that I have SO MUCH to write about and I don't know where to start!) but I had a lot of fun with the camera today so I thought I'd post some (okay, a lot) of pictures! Can you tell that I'm the proudest big sister in the world???? This first set of photos is called, "Fun in a New Green Dress After Nap Time, Eating Pasta and Being Silly" (okay, not the best title...any suggestions?)

"All right, I give in. You got my tummy!"

"I'm cute? You really think so?"

Biiiiiiiiiiig hug!

This is her very coquettish look...she'll be swarmed by boys in high school (if not pre-school!)

She approves of her new shoes (surprising, given that she's VERY particular about shoes...I'll have to tell the infamous Sasha Shoe Story later!)

Her Titanic re-enactment: "I'll never let go, Jack!"

By far my FAVORITE picture of her. It completely shows her personality in a way words can't!

What can I say about this shot? She's just too darn adorable!

"Give me that camera!"


Mmmmm...pasta!


Here she looks like the traumatized person in a horror movie (Do you think she has a Sixth Sense?)


"Why, thank you!"

Her first model headshot. 17 months isn't too young, is it?

Just being silly!

Where is my big brother going and why isn't he taking me?

"Now how many pieces do I have left? I better count so I can savor each one!"

Whatever that thing is that I see over there, I need not worry: I have a fork and I am NOT afraid to use it!

"Stop tickling my tummy! You're making me feel self-conscious!" (She knows how much I love to do that- tickling her, I mean.)


"Wait, what?"


She lets go of this bottle under no circumstances! (Unless it's for petting cats!)

This second set of photos is called "Chasing Cats." She has such a funny relationship with our kitties. The first day we got home, she was deeply terrified of them; when sweet, little Coco calmly walked by her when she was playing, she screamed bloody murder and jumped two miles, leaping into my mom's arms. When we showed her that cats are really nothing to be afraid of and demonstrated by petting them, she allowed herself to get closer to them but became really scared when they moved in any way. Now, though, she is absolutely obsessed with them. If she sees one, she points and flaps her arms violently, screaming baby nonsense, of course scaring the cats away. She then grabs one of our hands and pulls it to indicate that we should follow her; she then runs in her funny, dance-y way (she kind of sways from side to side and pumps her little arms by her side very quickly- it's absolutely the cutest thing I've ever seen. The nannies told us that she had a very unique walk, and they were so right! I really have to tape it and post it here; it's completely worth seeing!) At first, we had trouble with her being very rough with the cats; she would grab their fur and try to pull their tails (the cats, impressively and very shockingly, were very patient with her.) After many times repeating "soft, soft" to her and showing her how we gently pet them, she's caught on. Every time she sees one, though, she abandons everything she's doing and embarks on a cat chasing adventure. Oh, and she has this very strange but amusing-to-watch game involving them: sometimes she sees one and slowly starts toward it, but when she gets halfway there she stops, bursts into peals of hysterical laughter, runs back to where she started, and repeats it again and again. It never fails to amuse her.

"If I lick the glass, do you think the kitty will come?"


"In the lamp, maybe?"

"Let me GO! I think I see one!"


"Be honest: does this outfit make my tummy look big?"


I'm REALLY proud of myself for getting this shot! Isn't it classic??


"Olly Olly Oxen-Free!"

That Darn Cat!

"Oh man, there is no WAY you can escape now!"

"Ooh, I see you!!"

"So close, but yet so far! Let me try Fifi instead."

"One down, one to go! I'm off to get your sister now!"

The poor thing is exhausted!

Soft, soft... (as we all always have to remind her!)

"I'm getting outa here!"

"Oh, you're not getting off that easily!"

Warning: consult a professional hair dresser before putting your precious locks in the dangerous hands of a 17-month-old!

Sasha has overall adjusted beautifully. I'll write a post later on her development and our experiences with her in Ethiopia, but I have to just say that honestly, I've NEVER seen a kid her age with this much personality. This kid is the funniest person I've ever met (yes, I'm comparing her to my friends and my uncle!) She is very determined when it comes to what she wants (more on this later) and she has the weirdest sense of humor. We can just be walking along outside and she'll just drop to her knees and start crawling for no reason, and she frequently, out of the blue, tilts her head back and emits a gorgeous, genuinely happy smile. Today, I was sitting with her, and she decided to open her arms wide and leap into mine; she got off and did this again and again and again. She also decided it was hilarious to bite her baby doll instead of hug and kiss it the way we showed her to do. She also has the adorable habit of waving and blowing kisses at anything and everything, and, without us doing it first, sticks her tongue out at herself in the mirror! Yesterday, in a parking lot, she just walked over (we were supervising, of course) and hugged a car. She also, today, after fake-crying to get attention, reached her little hand up to my mom and rubbed her eyes. This kid cracks us up constantly; I'm still in awe of how blessed we are to have her!