Jan 2006

Well this is the big Month for me. I will be turning the big 30. But believe it or not I am not really all that bothered by the age. I have always felt that age does not really matter as long as you feel youthful and strong.

So we have all sorts of things going on this month. Selim traveling like a crazy and Alex and I trying to tag along for some family time.

On Jan 12 Alex and I joined Selim in Boston for the day. It was great the sun was shinning and it was nice and warm. While Selim was in Filene's for his final apt to say goodbye to the buyers (Macys bought Filene's and they will be closing the Boston buying offices). It gave me a chance to roam through down town crossings (my old work stomping grounds). It was nice to see familiar faces but I did not miss the head aches. It was funny to see how nothing really changes with people. Every one that I once worked with still had the same issues going on and the same old grind of work. Every one asked about my thoughts of staying home with Alex and I said each time with out hesitation "Loving every second of it". And that I truly do. I think that it is so important for me to be home with Alex. Her life is changing so much each and every day and I want to be a part of it and experience each and every new thing with her. It is just amazing to see how her vocabulary grows each day and how she sees the world thru her little eyes. It is so much fun.

Then Jan 18 Alex and I joined Selim in Texas for a few days. It was so nice to get out of the cold and warm up a bit. Wed we flew to San Antonio. While Selim was working Alex and I spent some time at the Alamo. It was so much fun to play with Alex in the gardens. We walked and ran and gathered acorns for the squerlls. Well I should say that Alex gathered the acorns, and then threw them at the squerlls. She thought that was fun. Then I showed her the biggest fish or "juice"(that is what Alex calls Fish) in her life. They had a pond of coy fish. It was fun to follow Alex following the fish up and down the walk ways. Later that night we flew to Dallas where we spend the next two nights. Selim knows his girls well, he made sure to pick a hotel attached to a mall and what fun it was for us. While Selim was working us girls shopped till we dropped. But the best part of the mall was the huge in-door skating rink, Alex just loved it. She loved to watch all of the little kids taking lessons and flying by, or should I say "wee". Every time we came close to the rink she was just mesmerized.

Thankfully Alex still loved to fly on the airplanes. Every thing is so much fun for her. She loves to make new friends and have great new experiences.

Then on Jan 25 I flew down to Florida to join Selim and start my 30 Birthday weekend celebration. We drove from Orlando where Selim had been working to South Beach on my Birthday Jan 26. What a weekend, more details to come. I need to get to bed.

Selim and Tab at the National Hotel in South Beach Miami

Christmas 2005

Well I know that you all have been waiting for an update from the Tobey Family. I am so sorry for the extreme delay. All I can say is where has the time gone.

Let me do a few updates and try to link a few photos for the stories. Well since I have updated last we have celebrated Christmas and what a Christmas it was with Alex.

Christmas 2005

This was Alex's second Christmas and it was just so much fun for all of us. I think that Selim and I had as much fun this Christmas as Alex did. We truly did feel like parents this year. It was the first year that we stayed up late wrapping gifts and putting together toys. Just really made Selim and I think back to the excitement and gittyness our parents must of had for us when we were little.

On Christmas morning Selim woke up first, he wanted to make sure that Alex's first impression on Christmas morning would be perfect. He had a nice warm fire with christmas music, and made sure that Santa did not forget any details (batteries, crayons, camera, and tripod for video taping). The mood was set and so were all of the toys. But little Alex decided that Christmas morning would be the perfect time to catch up on some of her missed sleep from all of the holiday parties and shopping she had been doing. It took all I could do to keep Selim from waking the baby up. I just kept on trying to remind him that it was going to be a long and very exciting day for Alex and all the sleep that she could get would only be in our best interest.

Finally at 8:00 AM Alex woke to see all of the exciting new toys that Santa (or should I say "tanta") left for our good girl. Santa made sure to leave every thing all set up and ready for instant use. A new art table with crayons and rolls of paper (huge hit), Tricycle (great for ridding around and putting babies in the back basket) to name a few. We were having so much fun watching Alex with her new toys that we let her work on opening every thing at her own pace. This way Christmas lasted for days.

Alex with her new Tricycle

Alex's new Art table from Santa

After Christmas at home we headed over to the Tobey's to celebrate Christmas.

It was so nice to visit with Jim, Nikki, Aylin and Mike, oh, can't forget all of the puppies too, Nutmeg, Spice, Marty, and Dephne too. Izzy had to spread her Holiday cheer to her fellow four legged family too. After we stuffed our faces with great food and opened all of the Christmas gifts we headed for one more Christmas celebration for the day, the Hamilton's.

Aylin, Mike, Selim, Tabatha, and Alex

Alex with her new baby from Big Grandma from Turkey

At the Hamilton's we got to visit with Alex's Grate Grandparents, Al and Gean Hamilton, and Jim and Marlene Gillis, grandparents John and Marsha, auntie KiKi (Nikki), cousins Nicolas, and Noah, Auntie Kim, and family friends. It was lots of fun. Alex got to play in her new kitchen with her cousin Noah. After a second huge meal we loaded our selves up into the car and headed home for a good nights rest.

Just before a long Winter's Night Alex had to write her thanks you letter to Santa

More updates to come....