Como Zoo/Baby Shower

On Friday Sophia had a playdate with her friends Logan and Jenna at Como Zoo. They had a great time looking at the animals. Her favorite still will always be the monkeys and the penguins. All of the kids really enjoyed looking at the snow leopard.

Here are the three amigos checking it out

Here is my little zoo goer

After a big day at the zoo, we came home to relax in the air conditioning as it was super hot outside. Friday night, Sophia got to hang with Papa and Nana while Hal and I went to race tracks with our friends Kelly and Shane. We had a fantastic time!

Today Sophia got to attend her first ever baby shower for my friend Heather. She loved watching her open the presents and had a wonderful lunch. Sophia's favorite part of the shower was getting tickled by my friend Courtney who she calls Cookie.

YMCA Carnival

Tonight I took Sophia to the carnival at my work. She had a great time getting her hand painted (she was too scared to have it on her cheek), playing games, and jumping in the jumpee.

The highlight of the evening was going in the firetruck. I couldn't get her out of it. After being in the firetruck on 3 different occasions, I finally had to tell her that the firetruck was closed for the evening.

Here are a couple of pictures of her adventures from the evening:

Puppet Wagon

Today we had a playdate with Sophia's friend Petyon and her mommy Rana. We had a great time at the park watching the puppet wagon. The girls just loved it and can barely wait to go again. Stupid 4th of July ruins next week, but hopefully again soon. Here are the girls enjoying the show and the puppets after the show:

The girls watching the show

Playing with the puppets after the show

We went to the park for a bit and then it started to rain so we all headed back to our house. The girls played while Rana and I chatted. Then we all played several games of hide-and-go-seek together and Duck, Duck, Gray, Duck. The girls had a fantastic time playing and Rana and I had a great time chatting like always.

Rana and Peyton headed out and Sophia and I had the rest of the day to play toys and hang out at home. We played outside and colored with chalk and also played golf.

After nap, we went outside to take a picture with the flowers.



Then Sophia went to my parents while I went to the Y for a workout and to teach my class. We came home and got ready for bed and then it was off to bed for Sophia.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Y to meet up with our friend Lesley and her son Luke. Tomorrow evening we are going to our first time of Market Fest for the season. Should be a great time.

I leave you with this funny picture of my little wild child after bath!

Another first

Sunday night we had Hal's dad over to celebrate Father's Day. We had a fantastic dinner of chicken on the grill, corn on the cob, and cheesy potatoes. Sophia had not yet seen corn on the cob and just adores corn. So we decided to give it a try. needless to say she ate all of my corn and finished a whole ear of her own corn. It was just hysterical!

Yesterday after spending most of the day at the pool we decided that Sophia should have her first time running through the sprinklers. Hal turned them on out front and she was a bit scared at first. The water was quite cold. After getting Hal to run with her, we couldn't get her out. She was having a wonderful time.

Today we're off to the Y so that I can get a good run in this morning. Then we're going to spend the rest of the day by the pool.

Grandma's Marathon/Father's Day

This weekend Sophia hung out with Papa and Nana while Hal and I traveled up to Duluth so that I could run the half-marathon for Grandma's Marathon. We got up Friday and the weather was quite cold. After getting my race packet and sweat bag, we checked into the hotel. Then we went out to dinner with Hal's sister Sarah and her husband Nate at Blackwoods. Dinner was great! When we got done, we headed back to the hotel and watched tv for a bit. Then it was off to bed as tomorrow was going to be a big day!

Saturday we got up at 4:20am. I hadn't been up that early in forever! Hal dropped me off with Sarah and we walked down to the shuttle bus at the DECC. We caught the bus and the nerves kicked in. It was extremely humid that morning and we really didn't realize how hot it was actually going to get. The race started at 6:30. I had a great run despite the heat! It got up to 84. In the paper they said it was hottest race they have had since like 1995. I finished with a 2:09 which was faster than my time from 3 weeks ago by 8 full minutes! After the race we enjoyed Duluth.

We went out for dinner and had some great Mexican food. Then we stopped at the Portland Malt shop which is my favorite place ever! It was just as good as I remember it being.

Today we got up early and headed home. We picked up Sophia and then spent the day hanging out as a family for Father's Day. Sophia got some new golf clubs and Hal tried to teach her how to play golf. It was so cute! Here are a couple of pictures of them golfing:

Sophia's first golf lesson from her daddy

Taking a practice swing before the "real" game

After several rounds of golf, Sophia went down for her big girl nap. While she is napping, I got things ready for dinner and some laundry started. We're having Hal's father over tonight for dinner which should be fun. Tomorrow it is back to the normal schedule.

Happy Father's Day!

Sophia's very big day

We started off Sophia's very big day by heading to the doctor for her 2 year well check. Of course she went ballistic and wanted nothing to do with being there. Once Dr. Strong gave her some princess stickers she was much better. She is currently in the 25th (33 1/2 inches) percentile for height, the 20th percentile for weight (23 pounds), and the 40th percentile for head circumference. The doctor was impressed with how well she was growing and with her talking. She kept commenting on how smart she was for being 2. Being the proud mommy that I am, I was quite excited to hear all of these wonderful things! Then Sophia had her last shot for a while. She did surprisingly well. I told Hal this was the best part of the whole appointment which lasted less than 40 minutes.

After we left the doctor, we headed over to Target to get her big girl panties. Hal and I promised her that if she could stay dry for several days in a row without any accidents she could start wearing her big girl panties. We are going to try a couple of hours at a time.
Here's a picture of her with her new big girl Ariel and Minnie Mouse panties!


Then we went out to Woodbury Lakes with my mom to do a little shopping. I got a shirt at the Buckle which I can't wait to wear! It started to get quite warm outside and it was close to lunch so we went back home. Sophia and my mom ate lunch together. Then my mom left and Sophia and I got ready for the pool.

Here she is all ready to go to the pool.

It was our first time at the pool and she totally loved it. I loved it even more because the water was really warm and there were hardly any people there. We stayed at the pool for the afternoon. Then Sophia started to wear out so we headed home for a nap.

Taking a break on the pool chair

Sophia went right to sleep after her bath. I went back outside to the deck to soak up some more sun. Then Hal came home and we all got ready and went out for dinner. I got my much needed carbs for the weekend. Great Waters was quite busy with all of the events going on downtown St. Paul.

After dinner Sophia and I went on a walk and Hal mowed the lawn. Then we came inside and I put Sophia to bed. I'm just waiting for my banana bread and muffins to cool now.

I'm getting quite excited for my race this weekend. I'm sure the nerves will set in even more tomorrow.

Happy almost Friday!

Sophia's first dance class

Tonight we went to Sophia's first ever dance class. I took dance for several years at Larkin so deep down in my hear I hope she likes it as much as I did. If not, I will not be heart broken at all, but maybe a little sad.

She just loved getting into her dance outfit and posing for pictures before we left.

Here she is in her pretty purple dance outfit

They did several fun dances with beanie babies, tambourines, and maracas. Sophia loved every second of it. They also did the freeze dance with scarves which she loved.

I think her favorite part of the night was crawling through the tunnel and doing somersaults.

Hanging out waiting for her directions on the dance

She was so thrilled at the end of class to get an Ariel stamp on her hand. She had a great time dancing with her friend Peyton and is already talking about going back.

Counting with breakfast

This morning while having breakfast, Sophia began counting her grapes. I have seen her count objects before, but sometimes skips over one. Not today! She successfully counted several times the different amounts of grapes that I placed on her plate. It was pretty exciting to see her actually count the correct amounts. Yet another milestone in her world.

She has also been into dipping her foods lately. This weekend she dipped her granola bar in her yogurt. Yesterday she dipped her french toast sticks in her applesauce. Yet again this morning another dipping incident, grapes in applesauce. Interesting combinations!

Not sure what the days holds today. We're hoping to get outside to play if the weather holds out. It has been a couple of gloomy days lately. Lots of inside play, swimming at the Y, and going to the library.

Sophia's first library card

This morning we started off the day by having breakfast and then heading to the Y. I got 6 miles in. Then I got Sophia from kidstuff and we went swimming. It was really fun. I could hardly believe that we spent over an hour in the pool. Sophia is getting more daring each time we go in. When she jumps in she will go completely under. Sometimes though she forgets to hold her breath I think. One time she got a little water up the nose. She looked up at me and then I smiled at her. It made it all better.

After swimming, we headed over the library. We colored pictures and Sophia got her very own library card.

Here she is with all of the books that she checked out

We had a wonderful time reading books and hanging out at the library. Then we came home to have some lunch. After lunch we went on a walk and played with the neighbor girls Hathaway and Delaney.

Now that Sophia is napping, we have a little time to both relax. I know that we both wore each other out this morning. We will see what the plan is for tonight. Hal is out of town so it's just the girls!

Weekend Recap

What a busy weekend for our first weekend off for the summer. Saturday we got up and went to Sams Club. After coming back, Sophia had a play date with her friends Peyton and Gavin. The kids had a great time playing toys, playdough, and coloring pictures. The moms had a great time chatting. Rana and I fixed the kids some lunch and let them eat and be silly together. Then the kids made cookies. It was quite funny! Here is some documentation of this adventure:

Gavin cutting his cookie out

Peyton adding sprinkles

Sophia decorating her cookie
The kids ate their masterpiece cookies and then Peyton and Gavin headed home. Sophia was exhausted and went down for a nap. What a great rainy day play date!

Saturday night we didn't do very much. I went to work out and Hal went out with his friend Nic. Sophia and I spent the rest of the evening hanging out. We made some beautiful art in the tub with her tub crayons. She just loves those. She spent over an hour in the bath tub!

Yesterday Hal woke me up bright and early and sang Happy Birthday to me! I could hardly believe that I turned 30 yesterday! We all had some breakfast and then Sophia watched her weekend treat Mickey's Clubhouse. Here's a cute pic of her watching with her friends.


Then I opened my present and cards from Sophia and Hal. They got me the coolest gift ever! I got this Nike IPOD system to keep track of my mileage, calories, and such when I work out. I can even set custom workouts. It's awesome! When we got home from shopping with Becca who we met at the Mall of America I just had to try it out. Well, we didn't read directions very carefully and I didn't push the right thing to calibrate it. So I will have to try it again today.

we all got ready and headed out for dinner with my parents to Lucky 13 in Mendota. It was fantastic! We all have at least another meal leftover for a day or two! Then we went back to my parents house for cake.

I got to open my gifts and cards at my parents house too. My mom and dad gave me a charm necklace that I had picked out. I just love it!!

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and a great birthday! I'm looking forward to tonight when I head out for dinner with my friend Amanda.
Turning 30 isn't so bad.......

Last Day Hooray!

Today was my last day of school for the year and Sophia's last day at Corey's for the summer. It was a great treat to see all of my girls this morning at school and have a hot cocoa treat from Jen. After working in my room, I went to officially check out for the school year. It was a great feeling.

Then I came home and went on a 10 mile run with my sister-in-law Sarah. We're gearing up for Grandma's Half-Marathon which is coming up very soon. I can hardly believe it is almost finally here. It seems like forever ago that I got my confirmation e-mail that I got in.

I picked up Sophia today and Corey was sad to see her go. I assured her we would meet up with them at the park. Sophia also got a present from Corey. She picked out this cute little horse. She just loves it. We haven't named it yet.

Tonight we're just relaxing and Hal finished painting the deck. It looks just beautiful. Now he's on to mowing the lawn.

Tomorrow we're supposed to be going to the zoo, but it sounds as though it won't be very nice outside. We will have to see.

Happy Friday!

Dancing Queen vs. the Icee

I'm not sure what Sophia loved more about my school bbq yesterday....dancing or her very first icee. I know.....lots of first so far to start the week that include sugar. I feel it is her right as my child to earn my sweet tooth too!

We played lots yesterday and Sophia had such a great time hanging with Laney one of the girls from school. Laney took her all over and was such a wonderful role model. I'm quite sad that their family is moving to Atlanta. Laney, her older sister Kaley and her older brother Casey, have been a huge part of my life since being at Tesseract. The girls have gifted her several things and Casey even brought back some shoes for her from China. Their family is a blessing!

Here are a couple of cute pictures from yesterday:

Sophia hanging with the girls


Dance party with the big kids


Sophia and the icee