April 27

Rayna graciously let Sophie borrow Abby's dress up clothes while they're in the RV. Tonight, Sophie decided that she wanted to be "Seeping Booty" (hee hee). She put the high heels on and danced around the house. It's fun to see her little imagination pop out, and the princess thing is in!

April 26

April showers bring May flowers, and it's been showering a lot today! I grabbed a shot of my lovely tulips with some rain drops on them tonight. I love how one is in focus and one is out.

April 25

To encourage Sophie to drink her milk, I ask her to show me a good milk mustache. She loves it and will guzzle the rest of her milk just to make more mustaches! It's pretty cute!

April 24

Today was Procession of the Species, and Sophie and I went out to see the people of Olympia dressed as animals, foliage, and water among other things. She was excited to hear music and to see the dancers, but wasn't crazy about the costumes and masks. Several times she clung to me saying, "I be scared," but the next second she was happy as a clam. Certain things set her off like the gorillas, but her favorite thing was this sun. She got a huge smile on her face and started singing "You are my Sunshine!"

April 23

I intended to get a picture of my friend, Hung, since we had dinner together tonight. I braved the Seattle traffic, in order to get my dad and Marcia from the airport, but had a little time to kill first. I rarely get to see my old friend, so this turned out to be a perfect opportunity. Well, I left the camera, so here I have a picture of Sophie's new favorite thing instead. These silly pink snow boots. She enjoys wearing them regardless of the outfit or weather. She thinks they are the greatest!

April 22

Sophie and I spent the afternoon and evening with Will and Karen. Karen tried out some of her new camera goodies on the kids and got some amazing shots. The kids kind of played together, but it was hard for them to share toys. After dinner, we took them in the wagon to get a cookie at the San Francisco Bakery. They loved running around and playing with each other. We ended the evening with a bath and Mickey Mouse videos. It was fun to see how much fun these two friends can have together! They are growing up so fast!

April 21

Today was a very long day and I didn't even teach kids! I had a few meetings and my life group tonight. I was glad to end the day with my life group because everyone there is so kind and willing to listen. I hadn't had dinner, and a toasted cheese sandwich seemed just the comfort food I needed!

April 20

Karen and Will inspired Sophie and I to make our own ice cream tonight. We have a little machine that I hadn't used in awhile and opted for vanilla with little chocolate chips. Sophie loved helping me pour in the ingredients and to watch the little paddle stir her ice cream. I wasn't sure if she'd eat it, since she tends to be sensitive to cold, but she enjoyed it. She shivered a few times, but loved her "vaneella i cream with coclat chips!"

April 19

Since Sophie has grown out of her baby dishes, I have added them to her mini kitchen repertoire. Tonight, instead of cooking with them, I showed her how to wear them like hats. She thought it was silly and kept saying, "again, again!" I love being silly with my Sophie, she brings out the kid in me!

April 18

Today was one of the most beautiful ones we've had so far this year. I got a lot accomplished in the yard while Sophie was napping, and then we went for a bike ride to Huntamer Park in the afternoon. Sophie loves being in the bike trailer, and it's so nice to take her places in it. No one was at the park, so Sophie enjoyed playing on the rocks, running in the grass, and singing "You are my sunshine" on the big stage. A blessed day!

April 17

Sophie opted for taking a bath in mommy's big tub tonight. This is when I first noticed the gigantic, ugly, mysterious bruise that is on her forehead. Her bangs cover it up, and with her wet hair, it became very pronounced. I'm not sure where it came from, but my guess is daycare. She'll live, it's just really awful looking!

April 16

No picture to post yet! Karen took one for the both of us since I was hanging out at her house tonight. We enjoyed red wine, homemade ice cream, and conversation. It's always nice to hang out with such a fantastic friend!

April 15

Sophie sure loves her bath time. She particulary enjoys playing with her squirty toys and making the water go all over her. Luckily she rarely gets me wet, but that doesn't mean she hasn't tried!

April 14

I went out and tried to run today since it was a beautiful day and I had taken some more time off. I set off to run a few miles and to meet up with my mom for a walk back. I felt great! I probably only ran 2 miles, but had no calf problems. I thought I'd take it slow and ease back into running so I don't risk injuring myself again. Let's hope it works!

April 13

Sophie cuddled up with Max tonight for a sweet photo opportunity. Some days she loves him and others she can't stand him!

April 12

I have been trying to document Sophie's artwork this year because I'm so worried that it will get lost over the years. This little lion is super cute... they were doing the "In like a lion and out like a lamb" artwork for March and I love it!

April 11

Today was a great day to end spring break. It was beautiful and Sophie and I got to enjoy the Woodland Park Zoo with Mara and Soren! That zoo is amazing, with so many things to do. We could have spent more time there, but figured that 4 hours is enough for the kiddos! Her favorites had to be the gorillas and giraffes, but the silly siamang that was singing at the top of his lungs was a sight too! We will definitely visit again this summer (hopefully when there's a concert at the park!).

April 10

We have had such crummy weather over spring break, but today has made up for it! I got to finish cleaning up my garden and put in my lettuce and carrots. The peas are still creeping their way up, but have a long way to go. I took some shots of the things growing in my yard and one of Guster's favorite sleeping spots outside.

April 9

My little princess!! Since Rayna and her family are moving into an RV in order to build their house, she offered to let Sophie borrow Abby's dress up clothes! We were thrilled because Sophie is just getting excited about dressing up and is gaga over anything princess. She tried on the Cinderella dress (or Cindabella as she calls it!) and let her subjects (Abby and Ethan) adorn her with jewelry and accessories. I think she's going to have a lot of fun dressing up!

April 8

Max the cat drives Sophie crazy with his affection... he constantly wants to sit by her and rub up against her, but she gets annoyed easily. I'm with her, he can definitely be annoying sometimes! Tonight, she got hers though and decided that Max should wear her sunglasses. It was really cute seeing her attempt to put them on his face. For awhile he was okay with it (he's really lazy) but after awhile, he thought it was a game and tried to chew on the glasses. She got frustrated, gave up, and put them on herself!

April 7

Today Karen and I took the kids to Northwest Trek. It was an exhausting day, but the kids seemed to love it! The tram ride was neat since we saw so many animals, but it was a little long for the young ones. I especially enjoyed seeing the big cats, and this lynx here came up close and personal for this shot!

April 6

Sophie and I made cookies for the guys who were installing our new furnace today and for Life Group tomorrow. Of course she had to sample her work, but mostly just licked the chocolate off of the cookie and got it all over her face!

April 5

Since Easter, Sophie has been playing with her eggs non stop. Tonight, she showed off for the camera and was her normal silly self!

April 4

Happy Easter! My munchkin was sick all day yesterday, so we didn't go to church (didn't want to spread to the other kids in the nursery), and saved her energy so she could see her grandparents. We had a great day and Sophie loved getting Easter treats and searching for eggs at Papa's house. We also stopped at Grandma Sue's for a yummy Easter dinner. The Easter Bunny was good to Sophie and Jesus is Risen!

April 3

A busy, busy day today! Furnace problems, a sick child, among other things. Sophie did start to feel better in the evening, so I thought I'd give dyeing eggs a try. I had seen in a Parenting magazine to stick the eggs in a whisk and then the kids could swish them around with less mess. It worked out pretty well! We had one spill, but she had a great time making her eggs "special" as she called them!

April 2

"Laughter is the breast medicine," and that's what I got tonight out with Karen and Becky. We ventured to Seattle to see Karen's brother perform in the Pink Ribbon Comedy Tour to benefit Susan G. Komen at the Comedy Underground. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time, and the guys were so funny that my cheeks hurt afterward! John Keister from Almost Live made a guest appearance, but he wasn't nearly as good as the other guys. We had a lot of fun, and I got home on the late side for once! Good for me!!

April 1

After Sophie's bath tonight, before I combed her hair, she ran around the house shouting, "I have crazy hair!" It was too funny that I asked her to smile and say it for the camera... here's what I got!