Tuesday, May 18, 2010

In The Hood

Why do we insist on putting hoods on these cute girls and making them cry?

Olivia, 2001

Sophia, 2010

I think the glasses were just insult to injury for poor little Sophia, but she does look pretty cute, don't you think?

If there was ever any question...

...that Sophia belongs to our family, just look at these photos:

Olivia, 2001

Coleman, 2003
Sophia, 2010

**Notice any resemblance?

Is it crazy...


...that this recent purchase (with my "play money" of course) makes me giddy?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Dear World

Dear World,

Hi there, I'm Sophia. I've been here for almost two months, so I thought I'd tell you a little about myself.

My family is infatuated with me. I have each one of them wrapped around my adorable little fingers and toes.

I have recently started to smile on purpose. My mom is especially delighted with this.

A few weeks ago I got a package in the mail from my mom's amazing cousin. It had a cute ball in it (shown in the photo above) that matches my room. Janene made one of these for my cute cousin David Joseph, but my mom had no hope of being able to make one on her own. I think my mom was even guilty of coveting the ball that David Joseph had. When Janene mailed this one to me, my mom was almost crying she was so excited.

Really, could I be any cuter? And could my hat be any bigger? It matches my cute nightgown though, so my mom made me wear it anyway. I showed her. I spit up in it a few minutes later.

I have started to make baby noises that make my mom's heart melt.

I smell really good. I smell so good that I catch my mom inhaling my scent every chance she gets.

I have a love hate relationships with baths. Sometimes I really love the water and smile and coo and am extremely happy. Other times I scream and scream so that my mom and dad have to frantically wash me and get me out before I give them a headache. It's kind of humorous.

My older brother REALLY loves to give me kisses. My mom keeps telling him to do it softly or to just kiss my forehead or toes, but he can't resist my cheeks. Maybe he'll grow out of it, but I guess for now I just have to live with it.

I really, really hate my car seat and going for car rides. I am usually pretty laid back, but get me in the car seat, and I can make some noise. I haven't even gone on very long car rides yet... only to Provo and Salt Lake... but I have definitely convinced my parents that I won't do very well on a road trip this summer. In fact, I cry so much in the car that my parents decided to buy a plane ticket for my mom and me!

I really, really like being in the swing. The picture above is when I was exactly one month old. My brother and sister like to turn on the music and get the animals going and that's pretty cool too. Sometimes I fall asleep in my swing.

Speaking of sleep, I like to play a really funny trick on my mom and dad. My mom feeds me and I'll drift off to sleep. I pretend I'm REALLY asleep so she lays me down somewhere safe. I wait just long enough for her to think she is going to get something done, and right when she stands up or reaches for her book or computer I open my eyes and start wailing. It's really fun.

Mother's Day was a few days ago. I didn't get a present for my mom like my brother and sister did, but I'm pretty sure that just being here was enough for my mom. She seems overjoyed to have me here, so I'll just keep doing what I do and we should be good.

Love,
Sophia

Mother's Day Goodness

I was spoiled rotten on Mother's Day... starting with a made-by-Ryan breakfast of french toast and bacon served on a super cute plate made by Coleman with fruit smoothies... we had chocolate covered strawberries for dessert (I love having dessert for breakfast!).


Olivia made an awesome book all about me, including this fabulous portrait...
...information about me (I love her assessment of my weight--Ryan said she was bound and determined to get me on the scale, but he recommended writing what she did--"less than my dad"--I got taller too!)...

...and her depiction of our kitchen counter below is scarily accurate. Someday, I will tame it. Today is not that day.

Ryan's gift was that he is making our blog into a book! I feel more motivated to blog more often so that we can record all the happenings in our family. I also feel a weight of guilt lifted off for not scrapbooking anything in the last 7 or 8 years.

More than great gifts and yummy food I am just so grateful to have three wonderful kiddos and an incredible partner to help me raise them. They are a joy and fill my life with wonder each day.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Third Grade Time Machine

Liv was assigned to read a biography and present a report about a historical figure. She was supposed to dress up as the person, so naturally we encouraged her to choose someone that we already had a costume for--she suggested Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, or Harriet Tubman, but of course we didn't have any costumes for those upstanding and inspiring women. Ryan brought home some great, authentic Egyptian clothing so we felt we were brilliant in steering her toward Cleopatra.

After she started reading the biography and asking some, well, interesting questions, I decided I needed to read it myself. It quickly became apparent that my knowledge of Cleopatra was limited (where was I during that lecture in World History?) and that I did not know (or had forgotten) about Cleopatra's partying, adulterous, murderous ways. I'm pretty sure the third grade teachers didn't mean for the parents to have to find selections from the biography that were safe for her to read. Oh well, we already had the costume, right?

She ended up giving an age-appropriate report on Cleopatra and looked fabulous!

She got to make a poster about Cleopatra too and was able to use some of the fab photos that Ryan took on his trip to Egypt a few years ago.

Her speech was quite funny sandwiched in between 25 other kids who were dressed up as inspiring people who actually made the world better instead of murdering family members and committing all sorts of other unthinkable acts... that said, Liv did a great job with memorizing her report and managed to put a positive spin on a pretty bad chick. Here's a short video if you are inclined to listen and watch:



Way to go Olivia!

Mother's Day Wisdom

Mother's Day always causes me to reflect on what a great mom, mother-in-law, and set of grandmothers I was blessed with.

As most women do, I am also prone to thinking about what I need to do better as a woman and mother. I read a great article recommended by my dear cousin Linn on Facebook (Lighten up on yourself to have a better life) that got me thinking, then a friend sent an email with lots of quotes by this dear lady whom I admire. One of the quotes summed it all up.

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."
--Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Hope your Mother's Day was wonderful!




Midgie Man

Coleman has been taking a gymnastics class from our local Rec Center for a little while now and loves it. A few weeks ago they had a little exhibition where they could show proud parents and grandparents what they've been working on.

My mom came down to see him perform.

His favorite thing to do on the balance beam is this little "Midgie Man" which he made up when his teachers told him he could do anything he wanted on the beam. I must say, I'm amazed at his ability to stay upright and keep his balance in this position. His teachers just laugh every time he does this. He has started to learn to do a handstand on the beam (with a good solid spot from his teacher).

They are also working on straddle swings, skin the cat, and other fun things on the bar. Coleman really loves swinging on the rope because he feels like he's Indiana Jones :). He loves bouncing on the trampoline and he's working on landing on his feet doing cartwheels, back handsprings, and he has already perfected the forward roll.

We're proud of you Coleman!

Monday, May 3, 2010

I'm no Angela Lansbury, but...


We came upon this building on the way to my mom's house... and wondered what could have happened to the window... Ryan pointed out the marks on the road and grass and solved the mystery... I only wonder what kind of Toyota it was!

(Post title courtesy of Stephen Colbert)