Sofia's Winter Program

We went with all the grandparents to watch Sofia perform in her program tonight.  While there was some argument over whether Sofia would wear a costume to play "Jack Frost", she decided that the dress she found on a shopping trip with her dad was better.  (I agreed.)

Sofia was poised and very excited for her parts.  We are so proud of her!

December 2012

We started off the month with Daddy and I planning a trip, me holiday shopping with Sofia while Samantha had a friend over, followed by Daddy getting sick and me taking the girls to meet friends downtown for the Holidazzle parade.  It was chaotic navigating due to my interpretation of Daddy's directions, but we got where we needed to go.  The grownups didn't see much of the parade, but the kids all enjoyed it!

There was wacky hair day at Samantha's school so we twisted her hair up.

We also had a lot of leisure time when Ely would cuddle with whomever was lying around. 

During our first big snowstorm of the season, the girls and I played outside for hours.  Ely's reaction was funny and playful.  I made a snowman that turned into a gymnast when the weather warmed up.  "Frosty" (as Sofia calls it), is now stuck in a back bend/bridge since he fell over.

Both of our girls participated in their gymnastics winter meet.  They are scored on their routines and compete against all other kids in their level.  Our girls performed very well and we are so proud of them!  Nana and Papa came to watch, which the girls really appreciated.  We recorded all of their events so we can watch them whenever we want.

Samantha is very proud of her gingerbread house that she made at school.  She even shared it with Sofia when it was time to eat it!

Happy Hanukkah!

It was a crazy 8 days for us!

Hanukkah started with a snowstorm, which kept us outside for hours sledding, building a snow castle and snowman and clearing the walk/driveways.  We also managed to bake cookies.

Everyone enjoyed their gifts throughout the holiday and capped it off with dinner and a gift free-for-all at Uncle Todd's and Aunt Shelly's house.

On Friday Daddy went to both Samantha and Sofia's  classrooms to talk about the holiday.  He explained the history and talked about being Jewish.  The kids in both classes were engaged asking questions.  Daddy even brought tootsie rolls to use as gelt for the dreidel game.  I'm proud of Daddy for doing it and happy that everyone had fun!

From Samantha: Me and my Classmates had so much FUN playing dreidel!

Sofia's field trip with Grammy chaperoning

Sofia's school went to see Disney On Ice and Grammy chaperoned!  Sofia was so excited about seeing her favorite characters and had fun with her Grammy!  I'm grateful that Grammy was able to go to continue our tradition of having at least one family member chaperon the girl's field trips.

Sofia's also entered a new stage in her speech: the "And guess what" phase.  She is hilarious to listen to because everything begins with, "and guess what".  This will probably pass quickly, but for now it is comical and sweet.

November 2012

We began the month with conferences at Samantha's school.  Daddy made it home just in time.  It's obvious to everyone that Samantha loves school and is doing very well!

Happy Birthday to Bill!  We hope you liked your video song from the girls!

Grammy stayed late to be a character in a play that Samantha needed performers for.  As Samantha was explaining the plot, she looked me in the eyes and affirmed that she was in charge.  Thankfully she wasn't mean about it, it was very sweet!  I recorded some video that showcases her directing ability that we've been watching over and over again.  It's a great memory!

I started my new job!  I keep reminding myself to be patient and that it takes energy to process change.  It's necessary that I make an effort to take some time for myself.  I got a little time with some friends and I appreciate that, even though I'm sad I missed time at the zoo with Jordan and Dylan.  Daddy took pictures though and everyone wore themselves out!

The girls and I went to a fundraiser at Samantha's school.  There was plenty of music for dancing and running around!  Everyone was exhausted by the end of the night.  This is the best shot from the night since they couldn't stand still for a decent picture!

Daddy took some time with Sofia and they hung out at an arcade with a friend of Daddy's and his 2 sons.  Sofia loved it and came home with lots of stuff from the claw game.

We had conferences at preschool for Sofia too!  She is a leader and is progressing a lot on reading.  We are so proud of her!

The photo above is Sofia holding a friend's new baby.  Mazel tov to Adam!  Daddy finally got to take both girls to see the baby.  I think they've been enjoying spending more time with Daddy lately and I'm glad to see it!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2012

Daddy cooked a wonderful meal for us yet again!  Papa grilled the lamb to perfection.  We had a small group, but it was good company.  Sofia had spent the night at Grammy's so she was home later.  Samantha helped Daddy and I get the house ready and made the Pumpkin pie mostly on her own.  I'm so proud of how independent she is and her constant desire to learn.

Here she is enjoying some time with her cousins.  It was a treat for her to play with them without her sister.

Since the family was over and there wasn't another date available, we all sang, "Happy Birthday" to Sofia and she got even more presents.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks with birthdays!

I had to work the day after the holiday, so Daddy was on his own.  He took the girls to finally see a friend's baby and we had a leisurely evening of Thanksgiving leftovers.

On Saturday, we had a relaxed morning before taking the girls for gymnastics practice while Daddy and I discussed a trip to celebrate our upcoming milestone anniversary.  Then we picked Ely up from his grooming adventure and came home to snack for a bit.  The girls had requested we go swimming and Daddy finally got to work with Samantha at the pool.  Sofia got some time too and is now able to go down the waterslides herself!  This was a huge moment for her and an extra blessing now that she is 5 years old.  It was a beautiful sight to see Sofia so happy with herself.  Both girls loved having Daddy in the pool with us!

We spent Sunday alternating between relaxing and preparing for the upcoming week.  Our family has so much to be grateful for since we are blessed both in circumstance and because we have each other.

Sofia's 5th Birthday

Sofia is 5!

We had her "friend" birthday party yesterday.  The kids went wild on the inflatables and had a blast!  I think they enjoyed making the "scary face" picture you see below!

Daddy brought cookies to preschool to help celebrate her actual birthday.  The kids managed to consume all the treats and Sofia loved the extra attention for her special day.  Then we went out to dinner with Grammy to eat fries and get another present.

Thank you to all for the cards and for sharing this day with our beautiful girl.  Sofia had a wonderful series of celebrations!

Daddy's Birthday

Daddy said I got the coolest birthday gift ever by taking him to see Bruce Springsteen, a.k.a. The Boss.  This was a huge compliment since I always thought Legos were the best gifts for him.

We continued the celebration with a dinner out by ourselves.

Happy Birthday!  You are so loved!

Mommy trying to make up for Daddy traveling

The girls have been vocal about their dislike of Daddy traveling and both Daddy and I appreciate their honesty.  I'm sure it's hard to hear for Daddy, but he is missed by all of us.  I go into overdrive because it's hard on the kids and like most parents, I want to help my kids with their pain.  It's a different dynamic when he's gone and I do my best.

Since it is noticeably harder whenever Daddy has to leave on a Sunday and will be gone all week, I compensated by taking them out for a junk food lunch followed by a trip to the zoo.  It was chilly, but we got to see the leopard and tiger cubs.  We made banana muffins, took Ely for a long walk and ate dinner downstairs to watch some TV for a bit before playing some games.  There was some resistance to taking Ely, but I took a break to stay calm and I'm grateful both Samantha and Sofia respected me.  It's okay that I need a minute here and there. I'm human and more importantly, they're seeing coping skills in action.  They see my persevere and recover.  And I remember that these days are special in part because I'm so focused on them trying to meet every need and also because I'm mindful how precious the time is that I have with them.

I relish these moments and marvel at how lucky I am to have these wonderful girls as my daughters.

Halloween 2012

The weekend before Halloween we went to a local park for trick or treating and a puppet show.  It was fun and we also managed to finally get our pumpkins carved!

Our cutie kitty...

Tinkerbell...

Halloween was busy and very fun!  Daddy was out of town and Nana was sick, but Papa kept the tradition of joining us for trick or treating in spite of being up since 4:30am.  (He's back to being a working man now.)  I'm still trying to dig out from the ridiculous amount of candy they acquired.

Before leaving...

Afterwards with Papa and candy...

Happy Halloween!

October 2012

One of my favorite activities is simply spending time with friends, though we missed our annual Sever's tradition due to finally getting some rainy weather.  Next year we'll have to see the pig races twice to make up for it!  We did manage to meet our friends at a local indoor park followed by a gluttonous dinner of junk.  It was so good and I'm glad we got some time with our friends.  It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day schedule and forget the important things (like friends).

We kept busy with all our regular activities and managed to squeeze some other things in like planting bulbs for flowers next year and a nighttime hiking adventure. Daddy got to hang with Samantha exclusively for the first day of MEA weekend and even took her to a Vikings game.  This time they lasted until halftime before leaving, a 50% improvement.  Daddy got some special time with Sofia by taking her to Red Robin for dinner while I took Samantha and a friend out. It's good that the girls have been getting separate time (and it makes for fewer fights)!  We have all been appreciating it!

More time with other friends...

I managed to keep all 4 kids busy baking.  We sang a mixing song while they made their own frosting.

I took the girls to synagogue to celebrate Simchat Torah.

I got a special note from Sofia.  It says, "Thank you for teaching me how to make banana bread.  I love you!  Sofia".  It was unexpected and very sweet.

Daddy and I took some time to go out while the girls went to a local Parent's Night Out event.  They were both kicked accidentally by other kids and marveled at how dangerous it was.  In the next breath, they both said they can't wait to do it again.  Hmmm, of course they're my daughters so I'll appreciate the humor and irony.  

Grammy stayed for dinner on a night so I managed to get pictures...

We let the kids skip swimming lessons so I could take them to the nature center for a nighttime hike.  It's a little spooky, but Sofia made friends with the instructor.  Her name is Lindsay and I was impressed that she remembered Samantha by name!

The month flew by.  I accepted a new job that found me and was busy trying to wrap up my old job.  I worked with wonderful people there and appreciate all the time spent there.

Golden Dragon Acrobats with Rene'

We went to see the Golden Dragon Acrobats with Rene' today.  First we got lunch at one of our new favorite restaurants.  All of us enjoyed the show and clapped enthusiastically!  Samantha told me how cool she thought it was and managed to get an autograph after the show.  

Sofia's Loses Her First Tooth

Just as Daddy was leaving the driveway for another trip, Sofia took a bite of food and lost her first tooth.  It was comical mayhem as both girls ran to catch Daddy to show him.  Thankfully he got to see it.  Sofia really wanted to take the tooth to preschool the next day to show everyone her "lost toothes" so we hatched a plan.  We wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking her to come back the next night.  The tooth fairy granted our request and all went well the following evening.