Brunch with the family

Today we had a family brunch before Jayne went back to Utah. We had a great time chatting and hanging out. Sophia loved more than anything chasing the cats and being with her cousin. Here are a couple of cute photos from the day:

Abby's Mohawk

Checking each other out

Sophia nose to nose with Bitey the cat

Snow Storm

This post goes out to all of you who are in warm places or are planning to go some place warm soon. Yesterday Old Man Winter, dumped 8 inches of snow on us. This of course made for a fantastic drive home for me.....two hours later I got home.

Sophia was thrilled it was snowing so we ate dinner and then headed outside to play for a bit. When we got outside Hal told us it was quite cold and windy so we didn't last long.

Here are a couple of pictures of our snowy play time:

Choo Choo Train

Over the weekend we went to the Mall of America to do some shopping and go on the rides. We discovered that Sophia is quite limited to certain rides as she is not tall enough even with a chaperon to go on several of them. Good thing she loves the train.

She has become quite fond of the choo-choo train in Nickelodeon Universe. She loves getting on like a big girl and sitting next to us on the train. Last time Hal took her on the train, and this time it was my turn to take her on the train. We had a great time giggling and saying "chugga choo-choo". She also says this when she sees other trains and the light rail. It is amazing how she quickly puts two and two together.

More Teeth

Sophia is currently working on getting four more teeth in. I'm not sure why they all come in at the same time, but she has been her pleasant self like always. I'm so happy that when she gets teeth it is not complete torture on her. I have heard of kids becoming so fussy.

She is getting the two bottom eye teeth and the same two on the top. Pretty soon she is going to have a whole mouth full of teeth! It is so exciting watching her grow up. She continues to amaze me with all of her talking on a daily basis.

Adventures of Super Girl and her Pink Puppy

Sophia is completely in love with three things: her pink blankie, her pink puppy, and running around as she calls it "naked" but we make sure there is a pull-up involved. Tonight when we got home from having dinner on our weekly date with Becca, Sophia told me she wanted to run "naked" and have a blankie cape. So I thought that it would only be appropriate to take a picture of this priceless moment.

I told her to run back and forth so her cape would fly. She thought that this was the funniest thing. So here she is running around tonight back and forth trying to make her cape fly. I had to watch her carefully as she would run and then look back at it to see if it was flying. For those of you who know her well, she doesn't always watch where she is going and got pretty close to the table a couple of times.

Today she also went potty and just missed two potty times in a row by like seconds. I know that she will get it when the time is right. Until then, we just keep praising for one or two successes in a day.

Until next time on the Adventures of Super Girl and her Pink Puppy.......

P.S. An update on the amaryllis, it currently has eight flowers on it and is beautiful. Mommy you would be so proud of me!

The mini plant

Hal bought Sophia this mini plant one night when I was working while shopping at Target. They told me it is a surprise to see what is actually growing. Sophia just loves this little plant. Yesterday she thought that it would be a great idea to pick it up and come and show me. In the process, she tipped it upside down. The plant is still surviving, but I'm not sure how well it grow now. I can't wait to see what is actually growing. Hopefully the secret will be revealed soon!

Swimming in the bath tub

Sophia's new favorite thing to do is "swim" in the bath tub. She gets down on her tummy and moves around like she is swimming in a pool. She even puts her face in and kicks her feet. It is quite funny. I couldn't resist getting a picture of her this morning "swimming".

My mommy time

Sophia and I have had some quality time together the past couple of days. I picked her up early yesterday from daycare as she wasn't feeling well. Today she stayed with Grandma Jayne as Hal was out of town and I had a field trip for school. Thanks Grandma Jayne! When I got home today I was eager to see her and spend time with her.

We played toys and read some books. We also checked out the plant as it is now flowering.

Sophia checking out the plant
Tonight we also tried a tiny ponytail in Sophia's hair. It did work, but it is so tiny it makes me giggle!

Here's a headshot of the tiny ponytail

The tiny ponytail

After having a snack, we headed out to run some errands. We went to Target to get some water and then to Trader Joes to get supplies for my girls party on Saturday night. Sophia was as cute as ever saying hi to people. She even made a cute new boyfriend at Trader Joes.

It was getting late, so we came home to read books and have water. Then she was off to bed. Tomorrow we are spending the day together hanging out. I'm hoping she gets better soon. It isn't fun to see your little one sick.

Easter came early

On Saturday we went to Target and walked through the dollar section. We found these Easter Bunny ears and Sophia wore them the whole shopping trip. It was quite hilarious! She sat in the cart while people smiled and thought nothing of it. When we got home, she wanted to put them back on as we took them off for the car ride. Here's a cute picture of her in the bunny ears:

My first hair clippie!

Today Sophia got to have her very first hair clippie in. I'm not sure how well you can see it, but it is quite small! She was thrilled to have the clippie in and wanted to wear it all day. I was afraid it was going to get lost as it isn't held by much hair, so I told her we would put it back in after Corey's house.

Hangin with Grandpa and Grandma

Tonight we had Hal's parents over for dinner. They were gone in Utah and are back for a bit now. Sophia was thrilled to see them. They brought her the most adorable monkey beanie baby which she just loves and some new pillowcases handmade for her new big girl bed. She loved carrying her monkey and her baby around the in pillowcases. I think she thought that they were mini-blankies. Above is a cute picture of her reading a book with her grandparents.

Valentine's Day Extravaganza!

Sophia celebrated Valentine's Day in style. Yesterday she sported her cute red outfit for her party at Corey's house. She came home with a load of cards, candy, and prizes. Her favorite item was a pink sparkly bouncy ball with a heart in it. At first she wasn't very happy because I wouldn't open it. She thought that I could get the heart out of the middle.

Today we started off the morning with a wonderful Valentine's breakfast that Hal made for us. Sophia was very proud of her daddy's yummy start to the day. After breakfast we played toys a bit and hung around the house. Then we got ready and went to Target. Sophia purchased something from the dollar section that had me giggling around the whole store. Picture of this purchase will be posted this week!

After we went to Target, we stopped at World Market and Circuit City in Woodbury as both of these stores are closing. We found some great champagne glasses at World Market, but nothing at Circuit City. Both stores were quite packed.

We headed home for lunch and some more toys. Then Sophia was off for her nap. While she napped I worked out and Hal stayed home. Then we both get ready and Sophia got up from her nap. We all got dressed and went out to Acapulco for dinner. The Mexican food was wonderful!!

Then we made a quick stop at the grocery and came home to open presents and cards. Sophia loved everything! She got some new summer clothes, a talking Elmo, some money, a Dora book, and her first Playdough set. She had so much fun opening everything.

It was getting late, so I put Sophia to bed and Hal and I opened our cards. Thanks daddy and mommy for the present and the card! We are going out for dinner with it next week!

Tomorrow Sophia and I are headed to church. Then we're going to the Mall of America to have lunch with our friends Andrea and her daughter Adi. Then Hal's family is coming over for dinner. Never a dull moment!

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

Tonight Sophia and I spent the night together hanging out. We had some dinner, and then began to get the Valentine's treat sacks ready for daycare. Sophia was thrilled with the treats she was giving the kids at Corey's; Dora Valentine's cards and packages of Goldfish. She also gave the two baby boys baby applesauce and baby bananas. It was so cute to watch her pack the bags and put her tiny hand in the bags.

Here she is sitting on the floor sorting out all of the Valentine's loot

Here she is putting the Goldfish and the cards in the bags

After getting all of the bags ready it was upstairs for Sophia to take a bath. We laid out her outfit for her party tomorrow: red shirt, cute heart tights, and her jean mini skirt. I can't wait to see her in her little outfit.

Tomorrow should be a fun day for both of us. We're having a party at school. We will be making fancy caramel apples with toppings and watching the movie "The City of Ember". I'm excited to have a fun day with my kids and exchange valentines.

I'm really excited for the weekend and know that we will have a great day together on Saturday. It's my friend Jen's b-day on Saturday and am hoping she has a wonderful time with her family and her new little one that is on the way!

Happy Valentine's School Day!

The plant

We have been watching my mom's amaryllis plant at our house while they are gone. Sophia has taken a huge liking to the plant. She helps me water the plant each day and we turn it to make sure it is getting even sunlight. It has been so much fun watching it grow. Sophia also decided that it would be a good idea to use her watering can to water the plant. Here is a cute picture we got of her helping me water the plant.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

I have been trying to get Sophia on video singing Baa Baa Black Sheep forever! She always sings for me at the most opportune times: driving in the car, sitting on the potty, while we're waiting in line at the store. I can never get her! So tonight, I got some of her singing and had to post this for my parents. Luv you daddy and mommy.

On other notes, Sophia has been doing very well sleeping in her big girl bed and going potty at Corey's house. It is so hard to believe that she is no longer my little baby.

Nickelodeon Universe

Today we got up to another beautiful day of warm weather! For those of you who don't live here, we have had now two days that have been in the upper 30s low 40s. We played toys for a bit and Hal took care of the taxes. Then we decided to go to the Mall of America to check out the rides at Nickelodeon Universe.

The mall was quite packed even getting there early! We had to drive a bit to find a parking spot. When we got inside we had a great time walking around and looking in the stores.

After shopping for a bit and stopping at Sophia's new favorite the Disney Store, we got some tickets for the rides at Nickelodeon Universe. Hal took Sophia on the first ride which was a balloon ride.

Sophia got nervous and decided she would rather try another ride after Hal put her in with him.

The next ride they went on was a Thomas the Train ride. Sophia liked this one a whole bunch better.

Hal and Sophia in the train

The last ride of the day of course had to be the carousel. Sophia really liked this one because it had all different sorts of animals not just horses. We picked a wolf as we got one of the last "moving" guys. Hal said it was really hard to try and get a picture of us as this one moved quite a bit quicker than the one at Maplewood Mall.


Tonight Sophia and I attended her first ever surprise birthday party for one of my friends Amanda. Sophia really enjoyed hanging out there as Amanda's mother has a little dog named Cookie. Sophia wanted to take Cookie home with us, but I convinced her not to.

Amanda, Sophia, and I pose for a picture

I'm not sure what the day will bring tomorrow. There were so many adventures today who knows! Until then.

Happy Birthday!

This morning I lit a candle in the kitchen while making breakfast for Sophia. She got sick last night so I had the pleasure of staying home with her today. After lighting the candle, she proceeded to say, "Happy Birthday Momma". It was the funniest thing ever! We had such a good giggle as I tried to explain that this candle was for making the room smell pretty. It's absolutely amazing at how smart she is!

My new big girl bed

Sophia slept in her new big girl bed for the first time last night and is working on her second night tonight. She is in love with her big girl bed. She couldn't wait to get in it tonight! Here's a cute picture of her in her new bed.

Super Bowl Sunday

Sophia had so much excitement yesterday that she didn't need a huge football game to cause a ruckus!

Yesterday we spent the day together shopping at Albertville Outlet Mall. Sophia had so much fun running around and looking at the clothes. She loved riding in her stroller. She also loved all of the deals mommy got on clothes for her!! Becca was a great entertainer and Sophia was thrilled to spend time with her.

After shopping, we headed home and I put Sophia down for a nap. I thought for sure she would go down as she didn't sleep at all in the car and was rubbing her eyes like crazy. She cried when I put her down which always kills me! Then I went downstairs and read the newspaper. Much to my dismay while reading, I heard a huge thump come from the monitor and crying.

I ran upstairs so fast I almost fell up the stairs. I knew what had happened......Sophia managed to get out of her crib! We knew that this day would come, but I was hoping it wouldn't come so quickly. Lucky for me, she was totally fine.

After some calming and an m&m, Sophia and I went out for dinner with Becca and her Auntie Sarah at Panera. Sophia made a new friend while at dinner.

Here are some cute pictures of the girls dinner:

Sophia with Becca

Sophia with Auntie Sarah

All of the girls together

Tonight I am excited to have a relaxing night at home with Hal. I missed him with all of the antics yesterday!

Hopefully this isn't an indication of how this week is going to come!

She did it!

Sophia got out of her crib today and I about had a heart attack hearing her fall upstairs through the monitor. Yes, she was supposed to be napping. Looks like it's time for a big girl bed!

My new sled

Yesterday Sophia got to try out her new sled. She just loved it! Hal pulled her around the front and back yard. Her most favorite thing to do while daddy pulled her was to pick up the snow as she moved along and then drop it back down again.

We had a great time playing outside and making a snow man. It didn't last very long before it fell apart.

Sophia also met Emmerson yesterday the little girl across the street who is about her age. Emmerson let her use this shovel. Sophia wasn't really into though.

I took so many pictures I couldn't choose just one to put on so I hope you enjoy the slide-show like yesterday!