High Seas Adventure

This week Sophia and I have been quite busy. Sophia attended her first ever vacation bible adventures camp. I volunteered as a crew leader and had a wonderful time. We came home each day feeling quite exhausted from all of the fun.

The kiddos traveled to several different stations throughout the day. Sophia even made a wonderful little friend named Emma. She was such a sweet girl. Sophia looked up to Emma (who is 5) all week.

I took quite a few pictures so I picked some of the best of to share:

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day and we had a great day together as a family. We started off the day by making breakfast and having my parents over to eat. We enjoyed homemade waffles, bacon, sausage, and pineapple. Sophia was a great little helper when making the waffles.

Sophia with Hal making waffles

After breakfast the guys opened their presents. Sophia was also a great helper, but was confused by the fact that she didn't get to open them.

Hal opening his presents

Then we spent some time outside as the day got hot and humid.

Sophia with Hal


My Daddy

We played outside for most of the day and ate our meals out on the deck. This was the first day that it felt like summer in quite a long time. It was so fun to spend the day together as a family and quite relaxing before the busy week ahead.

Sophia starts VBS this week and has gymnastics. Hal will be busy for work and helping with a commercial shoot for his blue tape. I will be volunteering this week at church along with getting ready for the weekend of baby showers.

The tap shoes.....

This week Sophia got a pair of tap shoes from her friend Ava which are too small for her. Sophia took an instant love to them! They are still quite big for her, but she wanted to wear them all over. We told her she could only wear them on the carpet for they will ruin the hardwood floors in the house. She continued to ask me for almost 30 minutes when it was time for her to go to "tap class". I told her we were going to start in the fall, but clearly that was not the answer she wanted to hear.

So she proceeded to put on a show for me. In the video she is tapping her to and singing a song that the tap class at her dance studio performed at the recital. The tapping of the toe and the song are all from this dance. It was amazing that she memorized all of the moves and the song from this dance class after only watching them twice, but seemed not as interested in her dance when it came time to practice before the big recital.

She can clearly remember things quite easily when she likes them. I could only get a little bit of her "performance" so I hope you enjoy!

One Amazing Weekend

I don't think that this weekend will ever compare to getting married or giving birth, but it was right up there!

My day started out on Friday with a phone call, needless to say an important one at that. The job I interviewed for in Fridley as a Fourth Grade teacher was offered to me! I was completely thrilled and couldn't have been happier. I went in to sign my contract and make it official. You're looking at the newest member of the Stevenson Elementary Staff.

The rest of the weekend was spent preparing my body and mind for my first ever marathon. 18 long weeks of training all led up to Sunday. Sunday morning I left with my partner in crime Molly to run my first ever marathon. It was quite steamy outside and there were several hills, but I made it!

Several friends, family, and neighbors came out to cheer me on. It was quite a rush at the finish line. Molly and I were both ecstatic! This was my first finish and her fifth.

Our special treat at the end of the race was a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup! It became a staple on our longer training runs as we stopped at the gas station for a little extra pick-me-up when we were almost done.

The rest of the day on Sunday was spent relaxing, eating, and napping. I recovered much to my surprise very quickly. We had a celebratory pizza dinner that night and then it was off to bed.

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. I couldn't have had a more special day. I had breakfast with my daughter, niece, and sister-in-law. Then it was off to play outside with some of the neighbor children and my friend Michelle. After a bit of play, Sophia and I ventured out for lunch. We met my friend Molly and her kiddos. It was quite the celebration with ice cream for the kids and balloons for me :)

Then I dropped Sophia off at my parents and came home for a little rest and relaxation. I had the most amazing afternoon laying outside with the sun beating down. Hal came home early and we got ready for dinner.

We headed out to Washington Square in White Bear Lake, MN to sit on the patio. It was such a great end to a perfect day with my family. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and then we went back to my parents house for birthday cake.

I opened my presents and cards and then we came back to our house. Everyone was quite tired from the big day and we all fell asleep.

Today has been very relaxing. The rain helps a bit too. We have a busy rest of the week with Hal working nights and me going to meet my kiddos for next year. I don't think I will be able to top last weekend!

Playing piano

I had to catch a short clip of this......Sophia is now teaching her doll how to play the piano. It is just so funny to hear her use the exact same words that I say when teaching her how to play.

Sophia is Three!

This past weekend was quite a whirlwind. I am still trying to recover from all of the activities. I have been playing Sophia's third birthday for months and it came and went so quick.

Friday Sophia had her very first dance recital. She did an amazing job and it was so fun to watch her perform on stage. I couldn't believe how at ease she was in front of all of those people with the lights. I am hoping that there will be many more to come.

Sophia with mommy in her costume


Sophia up on stage with her class during their performance


Sophia with her dance teacher Miss Mary and her dance teacher assistant Miss Erica

Saturday was Sophia's third birthday. I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday she was learning how to walk. Now she is playing with Barbies and riding a big girl bike.
Here is a comparison for you:

Sophia 1 day old


Sophia at 3 years old


She had a wonderful Cinderella party with her friends. They were so cute! They were dressed up in full princess gear and made crowns, wands, and colored Cinderella pictures.

I was proud of how the cake turned out since I made it myself and had this far fetched idea in my head of what I wanted to do.

After cake and ice cream, Sophia opened her presents. She was so excited to play with her new toys. She also got a new big girl bike from my parents. It was so funny to watch her ride it in the garage due to the rain in her Cinderella dress.

The girls left and we cleaned up a bit. Then we all took a little nap before we went out for dinner to the Rainforest Cafe at the Mall of America. It was a pretty chaotic restaurant, but we all had a great time.

Sunday we had friends over to watch the Twins game and then went to my parents for a BBQ before my brother left on Monday.

This week the weather has been beautiful and we have already spent quite a bit of time outside and swimming in the pool. I am looking forward to another weekend full of fun and family!

Every girl's dream

Today Sophia and I spent the day with my friend Molly and her daughter Caroline and we celebrated Sophia's third birthday (which is coming up on Saturday). Molly thought it would be fun to take the girls to the American Girl Cafe at the Mall of America. I never imagined how much fun we would have! From the minute that we walked in they made a big deal about Sophia's birthday. She got a special card, a sticker to wear, and a special place card. All of the servers called the girls princesses. Of course they totally loved that.

The girls each got to begin by picking a doll out to bring along and sit at our table. The dolls got their own high chairs, menus, and meals. It was just adorable.

The girls with their dolls

Both girls loved feeding their dolls and giving the dolls some lemonade to drink (by the way everything was REAL!)

Sophia feeding her doll

The menu at the cafe was amazing. Molly and I were quite impressed by the selections. All adult meals include an appetizer and an entree. The children's menu includes an entree, drink, and treat. Sophia and Caroline both picked chicken fingers and ice cream for the treats. When they brought out the ice cream Sophia's had a candle in it and the severs gathered around so and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Sophia just adored this and loved even more that she got to blow out the candle in her ice cream.

During her birthday song

After we finished treats, we went to ride all of the rides the girls could go on. It was so fun to hear them giggle and have such a great day together.

We got home and Sophia was completely exhausted. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. I can hardly believe my little girl will be three on Saturday, but this was such a great way to spend time with her and create a wonderful memory. I can barely wait to go back for Caroline's birthday in August. If you are looking for something totally girly to do, this is it!