Our Easter

Easter for us was low key, relaxing, and wonderful!  Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous--not a cloud in the sky!  We started the day off by going to church.  Easter service was uplifting, even though neither of us could fully enjoy it thanks to a VERY squirmy girl who was tired and hungry.  After church we ate lunch and then Sophie and daddy both took naps while I slaved away in the kitchen all day :)  Ok, not really.  It's not really hard work when you love to cook for your family!  After an early dinner, we enjoyed a walk around the neighborhood and some quiet family time until bed.  Like I said--quiet and wonderful.

The salad with parm crisps

Ham with tangerine glaze

Tangerine ham and carrots, grilled asparagus, and scalloped potatoes.  I forgot to photograph dessert, but it was delicious!

Hello? Anyone out there?

So...it's obviously been awhile since I last posted.  Sorry about that--I don't really have any excuses!  I just want you all to know that we are healthy, happy, and having a lot of fun over here!

Life has been busy since Sophie's 1st birthday.  Daddy's been busy with work and yard stuff, I've been preoccupied with caring for Sophie, the house, and Junior League duties, and Sophie's been growing like crazy.  This age is so much fun!  Here's a rundown of what little miss is up to at 13 months of age (as of yesterday):

-has been walking for about six weeks
-can say Dada, Mama, Dog-dog, Bath (ba), Uh huh, and Uh-oh
-understands "who's here?", "are you done with your milk?", "where's ____?", "do you want to take a bath?",    "give that to Mama", and many other simple instructions
-still waves hi and bye and can clap
-likes to feed herself and tries to use her spoon to do so
-drinks solely from sippy cups
-still nurses twice per day
-sleeps 12 hours straight per night (and can put herself to sleep!)
-loves to give hugs and kisses
-can point to her ear, eye, and nose if asked to do so
-favorite foods include string cheese, grapes, mandarin oranges, and red beans and rice with sausage :)

Now, how about some pictures?

A pic I snapped a few weeks ago in the back yard.



Two weeks ago we went to the zoo.  This was Sophie's second or third trip there, but it was definitely the most fun trip because she's really interested in all the animals now.  Every four-legged, furry animal she saw she'd point and say "Dog dog!"  Ha!

And here's Sophie "talking on her blackberry".  I noticed awhile back that she would pick up certain toys that resembled cell phones and walk around the house with it up by her ear, babbling and laughing as though she's on the phone!  Talk about imitation.  Eventually I dug out M's old blackberry and gave it to her to play with (don't worry, I took out the battery so she wouldn't get sick).  Now she carries this thing with her EVERYWHERE! 

 These last pics are from the tulip festival last weekend.  We had a blast playing at the city park!

This is (sadly) the best shot we could manage in front of some tulips.  Obviously, it was naptime!

Happy Easter, everyone!  We hope you get to celebrate His gift of love and life with your own families!

My baby is ONE!

Happy birthday Sophie!  Today my baby turned one and I can't believe it.  One year ago today I met her for the first time and fell in love.  Now she's not a baby anymore but a curious, rambunctious, hilarious, and sassy toddler!  She's growing up so fast, sometimes I wish I could freeze time for a little while...

Saturday M and I had a little party for her.  Just some family members, snacks, present opening, and of course, cake.  Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Sophie the morning of her party.  I just had to document her bedhead.  Actually, she sports this 'do all day.  We call it her "Kate Gosselin" 'do.  Ha!

Here's a shot of her outfit.  I could just kick myself for not getting a picture of her bloomers.  They said "birthday girl" on the tush. 

Sophie and her auntie Kaci.

Party decor all set up in our dining room.

The invites.  By now I'm sure you're noticing the theme.  I used a baby birdie theme in cherry red and pink. 

Sophie's smash (cup)cake made by yours truly.  I just didn't see the point in spending a lot of money on a professional cake for her when it would just be eaten/destroyed anyways.  This gigantic cupcake turned out well, I thought (except for the icing that kept sliding off!)

Aaah!  Can you believe it?  A picture with all three of us in it???

By the way, I just love the "happy birthday" banner hanging from the mantle.  In fact, I may keep it there for awhile :)

My girl trying out some of her cake.  I was not surprised when she refused to lose all inhibitions and dig into the cake.  She's rather prissy when it comes to getting food on her hands.  Hmmm, wonder where she gets that? :)

All in all it was a great day.  Thank you to all the family members who came up to celebrate with us!

(End note:  looking at these pictures I now realize how grainy they look.  I REALLY need to read my camera manual and learn how to use it properly.  Maybe I'll take a photography class this summer?!)

Sophie is 10 months old!

Only one week late this time!  Yesssss, I'm getting better at these monthly birthday posts:)

In addition to all her old hijinks, Sophie's learned to do a lot this month.  Here's a rundown:

Loves to hand me things.  She'll pick up a toy or food or whatever she can hold on to and then I'll say "give it to momma" and she politely hands it to me.  Adorable.  When she gives me her food, she likes to put it in my mouth.  Also adorable.

Now says "momma", "dada", and "dock-dock" which means dog-dog (aka Roxie).

Has been standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time. 

She's developed the best sense of humor!  She loves to suddenly throw her hands up in the air and scream "ahhhh!" and then fall back on the bed giggling. 

She's also been pointing at EVERYTHING and then waiting for me to name it.  Like the other day she kept pointing to my ear and I said "ear" and I swear she tried to say it.

New foods tried this month include strawberries, blueberries, ham, turkey, and pasta. 

She's slooooowly learning to put her self to sleep at night.  We'll be working on this one for awhile....

Is loud!  This kid has some serious pipes.  In fact, her new nickname reflects her loud, rough-and-tumble attitude--we affectionately call her "wild thing".

Is the most fun, sweetest, prettiest baby we know!

 

Waiting....

She's waiting....

And watching...

And ready for her doggy to come inside and play!

Snow Day!

This morning we woke up to our first snow of the new year.  I've been waiting for it to snow all winter, and this first one didn't disappoint!  We got about 6-7 inches last night and today and should get another 1-2 tonight. 

Here are some pics of the unblemished snow in our backyard.

Roxie had a blast frolicking in the white stuff.  She's definitely a snow dog!

Sophie stayed inside with Momma today and kept warm by the fire while I cleaned.  Speaking of cleaning, say hello to my (new) little friend:

I got myself a new Bissell steam and mop.  LOVE this thing.  It's so much easier to clean my hardwoods with this thing.  (Sidenote:  isn't it sad what floats my boat now?)  Guess what Sophie was doing while I used it? 

Busted!