September 30

Sophie got a new trike for her birthday last weekend and was dying to get outside and ride tonight. We managed to get a little ride in before the sun went down, although Sophie would have stayed out there anyway!

September 29

A new haircut! I like it, but it's very different for me. We'll see what the real judges (my students) think of it in the morning. They don't hold back their feelings!

September 28

Sophie is two years old today! It seems like yesterday that I was crying in that hospital bed with her in my arms, just seconds old. I took the afternoon off to be with my munchkin and we picked up her free toy at Wind Up Here, played in the mall play place since it was raining, and met up with Grandma, Papa, and Grandma Marcia at Red Robin. Sophie didn't eat any of her dinner (figures) but nibbled off of everyone else's. She did manage to scarf down her free ice cream sundae however (minus the singing, we opted out). We headed home to open some presents, which Sophie is an expert at now! She loved all of her presents, but wanted to take the toy camera to bed with her (so it must be her favorite!).

September 27

Yesterday Sophie received the "Little Mommy" set for her birthday which includes a baby, a crib, a high chair, and a stroller. She was thrilled and spent much of today playing with the set. The babies (she had one already, so now there's twins!)accompanied us at lunch, nap time, a walk, dinner, and bedtime. As you can see in the picture, the baby's high chair sat at the table with us for lunch and dinner and the babies napped in their cribs when it was naptime and bedtime. It's exciting seeing Sophie start to imagine and play with these dolls, but it's exhausting at the same time that they need to be carted everywhere! It's worth it though to see her joy in taking care of her babies.

September 26

Today was Sophie's 2nd birthday party. We celebrated at William A. Bush park because Sophie loves going to the park any chance she gets! We also went with a monkey theme since my little one is such a monkey! We had a nice family party and Sophie seemed to have the time of her life being the center of attention. She got some monkey gifts from mom, a Little Mommy set from dad and Marcia and a new trike from Matt and I. It was a beautiful day!

September 25

Mom came over tonight to help me make cupcakes for Sophie's big 2 year birthday bash. The theme for her party is monkeys, so why not make cute little monkey cupcakes? I think they turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!

September 24

Sophie and I were dancing to REM's "Shiny, Happy, People" this afternoon and she was so cute! I love her little dance moves and how she gets into it.

September 23

I received this gerbera daisy for mother's day back in May, and it's still going strong! I love the bright red orange color of it as it greets me each morning while having breakfast.

September 22

Sophie went pee on the potty for the first time at daycare today! She was very proud to tell me about it too. She used to be really interested in using the potty at home, but has been avoiding it a lot. Hopefully this will get her excited again, because I'd like her to be out of diapers!

September 21

My little camera star, right? After a great dinner that concluded with fresh strawberries, Sophie hammed it up for a photo. Only one week till she's two!

September 20

Sophie went to her first Mariner's game today with daddy. She enjoyed a hot dog and watched a little of the game, but mostly people watched. They tried to get a picture with the Mariner Moose, but Sophie got spooked by his exuberance. All in all, it was a stressful, but fun day for daddy.

September 19

Today I did my first shot at a photo shoot of Sophie. I want to have pictures taken of her for her 2nd birthday, but it's just too costly to get good ones. I took her over to Dad and Marcia's and gave it a try. She moves so much, it's a challenge, but I feel like I got several good shots of her. I'm still learning!

September 18

As usual, Sophie started getting into everything she could reach on the counter, so I satisfied her curiosity with an old pen I have that looks like a giraffe. She thought it was the greatest thing and proceeded to draw with it for quite a long time. In fact, the pen pretty much had to go wherever she went for the rest of the evening!

September 17

Karen and Will came over tonight for dinner and some playtime. The kids did great together, and got really cute and cuddly right before they had to leave. It's always hard to get both kids to smile at the same time, but I got a quick snap here before Sophie blinked.

September 16

My mom's cat Oscar got really sick last night and he passed away. It made me really sad to lose a surrogate pet because I did live with him for awhile. He was a really sweet cat and will be missed. I gave my cats a few extra snuggles tonight to show them my appreciation for being great cats (even though they drive me crazy at times too!).

September 15

Sophie wanted to play outside before bed, and her new trick is to pick up rocks to look for bugs. She tries to pick up the biggest rocks there are, but just ends up doing what she can. She's not great at putting the rocks back to cover up the poor traumatized bugs, but hopefully she'll learn.

September 14

Yep, you guessed it... I caught Sophie... playing all alone!! She really likes to play with me, but tonight she played with her Little People on her own. I was amazed, and spoiled it as soon as I took this picture! She wanted mommy to join in on the fun and I gladly did!

September 13

Sophie "graduated" from her nursery class at church this morning. Now she's one of the big kids in the 2-3 year old's room. She did not want to accept her certificate on her own, so daddy shot some pictures while I went up there with her. She also had a tough time adjusting to her new room, so we played together for a bit. She cried when I left, but had finished crying before I was out of earshot down the hall. Figures!

September 12

The first time I took a picture like this, there were only two pairs of pants. Now, after dropping a second size (yay me!!) there are several more pairs of pants to bid adieu. I love getting smaller, but my wardrobe is getting smaller and smaller. I may have to do a bit of shopping for new pants!

September 11

Sophie and I enjoyed some playtime at Friendly Grove Park this afternoon. Papa met us there to join in on the fun and then Karen and Will showed up too. It was a beautiful September day!

September 10

Today I taught my new students a great game called "Triangle Tag." They really enjoyed it, and I love the smiles I caught in this shot!

September 9

My tired, old running shoes got a workout tonight! For the past several months I have been walking a lot, but tonight I attempted to go out for a run. It felt great! I ran for 30 minutes and didn't have to stop and walk once. I guess losing 27 pounds does make a difference in how running feels! I plan to get stronger and to be able to run more and more. My goal is do the the 1/2 marathon again next May!

September 8

This afternoon I took several pictures of my fellow staff member for our school's website. This one is a picture of our new principal, Alison Shepard. I'm excited for our new school year!!

September 7

I brought a dinner over to some church friends this afternoon since they just adopted a baby. I took a few pictures of their gorgeous new baby girl. It was so fun holding a little one again... so precious!

September 6

This morning Sophie pulled over a bunch of pillows and proceeded to jump into them. She loves it! I had showed her how to do this one time a few week's ago, and she remembered! What a smart little cookie!

September 5

During Sophie's nap today, I thoroughly cleaned the garage which included sweeping and washing down the floor. I wanted to create a play place for Sophie so she could feel like she's going outside once the rains come. She loves going to the park, and I did my best to give her one at home! I bought those large foam pieces (cheap at Costco) and laid them on leftover padding from the laminate flooring. I placed some of her outside toys and favorite big toys on the foamy pad. I left enough room so she could ride her bike around the perimeter. It was a big hit and we played out there for quite awhile today!

September 4

A precious shot of my munchkin, right after I put her down for bed. She has several nighttime rituals now: put on pajamas, brush teeth, Mommy reads 3 books, we say goodnight to several different things in her room and the pets, turn on Bach, say our prayers, sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," give hugs and kisses, and then she's in bed with her 4 blankets, pillow, and various stuffed animals. I'm not quite sure how she fits in there with everything else, but she usually sleeps soundly!

September 3

My new favorite thing is Agave Nectar. For those of you that haven't been enlightened, it is a great sweetener that I use mostly in my coffee, but have cooked with it too. It has a low glycemic index, so you don't have the high and the crash after eating it. It's delicious and sweet too!

September 2

Sophie and I met up with Papa and Grandma for dinner downtown. We walked on the pier to see the big ships, and I caught a simple picture of a sailboat leaving the harbor. I just love my little bit of heaven here in downtown Olympia.

September 1

Oops, I forgot to put this one in! After a long day of class, my wonderful bath tub was calling my name. I lit some candles, grabbed my book, and enjoyed some much needed "me time!"