Happy Holidays!

Five Things

I like lists...here's one about my favorite musicians/bands of all-time (in case anyone is interested):

1.  Depeche Mode
2.  Morrissey/The Smiths
3.  Ryan Adams
4.  Damien Rice
5.  The Beatles

I could easily add #'s 6 thru 10, but I'll keep it short today.

Happy Monday!

Christmas Cards Ordered!

Color Me Merry Christmas Card

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So Thankful

I'm fairly certain that the coming week will be SUPER duper busy, which means no time to blog about all the things I'm thankful for this year.  I'm taking this opportunity to do it now:

My wonderful husband, who is supportive, and loving, and ridiculously funny!
My little baby boy, who I love more than life.
My family, the people who I look to for love, laughter, and support.  They are amazing!
My friends.  I'm thankful that I've reconnected with so many of them this year.
My health.  I had a great pregnancy and easy delivery.  Recovery was also smooth, and I know I'm lucky!
My job, specifically, my boss.  She pushes me, and encourages me, and still understands the importance of a home life.
Having a nice place to call home.

All in all, 2010 has been an amazing year.  A whirlwind to say the least!  I'm so very lucky and thank God for all His blessings!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

New Name

I thought I'd change the name of this blog to something a little more personal.  Simple Gifts was too generic/vague for me.  Anywhay, I think "Say Ablla" is funnier.  Get it?  Say Ablla, as in, Se habla...espanol?

I've been hearing it my whole life, so I figure I might as well put it to good use. 

Adios!

So I Don't Forget

The little man stood up without any help today!  He stood there for about 10 seconds or so...putting it here so I don't forget the date!  Way to go buddy!

Currently Reading

I used to read a TON.  My commute to work is about 90 minutes, and pre-baby, I used to take the train from Pasadena to Irvine every single day.  Needless to say, I had a lot of time to kill and would fly through books.  Since the little man came into our lives, I've been working from home more and more.  When I do come down to the office, I'm driving.  Those big chunks of time that I used to fill with books have up and run out of my life.  So sad.  Lately I've been feeling the itch to do some reading again and have settled on Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. 

I've been thinking a lot lately about the child, and ultimately the man, that my son will become. I want him to be happy.  I want him to thrive.  I want him to grow up healthy, and strong, and kind.  Not too much to ask, right?  I also want him to feel connected to nature.  Not in a forced, granola, yuppy mom kind of way.  Seriously.  I don't want him to be so caught up in video games, and computers, and technology that he forgets how to have fun outdoors.  Getting dirty isn't such a bad thing, is it?

Well that's what this book is about.  I'm only a chapter in and I find myself nodding in agreement to what Mr. Louv has written.  It's really easy to become a germ-a-phobe when you have a kid.  I try my best to keep him clean, but there's a fine line between that and raising the 'boy in the plastic bubble'.  Based on the fact that it's a national bestseller, I'm guessing that I'm not alone.  Hopefully the rest of the book lives up to my expectations.  We're off to a great start so far!

One Last Halloween Thought for 2010

We decided not to take the little man trick-or-treating this year...mainly because he doesn't eat candy yet.  Go figure! We still wanted to take him out though and get some use of his adorable monkey costume.  We ended up delivering cookies to a few relatives who live nearby.  I think it worked out great!  We got to spend some time with family, do something fun for his first Halloween, and eat some delicious cookies along the way!