A note from Sofia to Sophia

"I like you Sophia, I want you to have a slumber party with me and my family."

Sofia created this and asked me how she could give it this to Sophia.  Daddy texted it to her dad.

So cute and sweet!

April 2013

In addition to Mom and Dad's trip to Hawaii, there were some other adventures in April!

The girls finished their session of ice skating lessons.  It helped so much during the winter to be able to get them out to go skating.  They had fun learning and practicing too!  On a personal note, it's awesome to have something active for us to do outdoors!

We went to Samantha's school carnival and got goofy!

I took Samantha and a friend to the Mall of America for window shopping and rides.  Best of all, Samantha paid for part of it to get me to do it.  Have I mentioned how proud am I of her for being willing to learn the lesson that the parental bank isn't always open?

Nana and Grammy went to watch Samantha's class play.  She was a narrator and was one of the few who memorized her lines perfectly!


Grammy helped out when Daddy was traveling and stayed to watch a movie with us.  Sofia loved cuddling with her!

A few months ago Samantha wrote a letter to the President of the United States suggesting more searches for dinosaur fossils and flags to mark the places they are found.  (I opted to be supportive and sent her letter.)  She was ecstatic when she got her letter and showed it to everyone!

We finally got to feel some spring warmth in April!  I took Samantha and a friend to a park to play while I walked Ely.  It resulted in a funny picture!

We went to Minnehaha Falls to enjoy the good weather and got to eat at Sea Salt.  The food was awesome and the time as a family was even better!

S_Girl's Camping Adventure

We headed out on the road with Antie She for a camping adventure.  Yes, it was me, my best friend and my daughters.  Thank you to Auntie She for lending her gear and being up for a S_girls adventure!  We haven’t been camping since I was pregnant with Samantha and it was the first experience with the girls.

Thursday – We were a bit delayed getting there and chose to ask a neighbor to assist with fire lighting so the girls didn’t have to wait for s'mores.  It took a while to get set up, but the girls explored and we had fun.  The girls slept well and as the grownups crowded into the tent (we all fit – barely), a storm came through.  It was special for me, because there was nothing to do but listen to the storm.  I marveled at the fact that I had never even thought to do that before.  I was engaged with nature and loved it.  I couldn’t sleep so I made the best of it.  The best part was Sofia sleepily mumbling to us to stop turning on the light.  Unfortunately the lightening she was referring to was out of our hands, but such an innocent request!

Friday – We woke up early and got ourselves going with some breakfast.  There wasn’t any cell reception inside the park, so we made the drive to make our calls.  Eventually we made it to the beach and hiked up to the bluff top.  Sofia kept calling it the “Buffalo-top” which kept the rest of us giggling as we climbed.  Afterwards, the kids played on the beach (the river was FREEZING, but the kids stayed in it!) while the grownups assembled lunch.  All our food was heated via campfire and it was awesome!  Of course, we finished with more s'mores.

By the time Saturday came, we came home since Daddy was finally home from his trip.  It was an adventure and Auntie She and I agreed the trip exceeded our expectations.  They even want to go again!

Sofia's toes

It was dark outside and approaching bedtime for the children. Everyone was feeling worn out and their moods were erratic. I was trying to avert a tantrum from Sofia and in an effort to avoid yelling and use distraction, I told her she had some stuff (i.e. sock lint) between her toes. I didn't realize at the time that I would still be reeling from the consequences of that single statement. Now, Sofia "checks her toes" compulsively, multiple times a day. Without warning, she'll stop whatever she's doing, sit down and say, "I have to check my toes". And yes, she will check between every single toe. It's gotten to the point at daycare that she has to keep her socks on to curb the behavior. We usually just shake our heads at home because trying to convince her it's not necessary has proved to be futile.

We've had discussions with Sofia about this. You check once a day and only at home. That didn't stop her from checking her toes 3 times at her gymnastics class. It's comical and I know it will pass. I just want it written that I didn't mean for this to happen! I was only trying to distract her from a tantrum!

Samantha asks a question

One of Samantha's classmates shared yesterday that his mom is going to have a baby this fall. As she was telling me this, she stopped and asked, "Mom, how do you get a baby?" Thankfully, I didn't have to respond because she continued with, "How do you get the baby out?". I answered her honestly and after she thought about it, Samantha said, "You mean you poop the baby out? I explained a little bit about female anatomy and said, "No. Women do not poop babies out."


I want to be the mom who speaks the truth, I really do. I just struggle with eloquence before I've had my morning caffeine.


I love that she asks though! Samantha confides in me and tells me little "secrets" often. I know it won't always be like that, but I hope that we pass through whatever storms we encounter together.

Sam wonders where the time goes

We started the bedtime routine later than usual tonight. Samantha noticed the clock and said, "It's after 8:00 already!". Once she was in her pajamas and ready for bed she noticed the time and exclaimed, "Jeez, where did the day go?". That's an excellent question sweetheart...

I recently heard a quote that seems to explain the time paradox of parenting. "The days are long, but the years are short.". In the short span of time I've been a mom, I find that to be astonishingly true.

Circus

Today we went to the Circus! It was the first time for me as well as the girls and we all had an adventure! There were tigers, elephants, acrobats, horses and various acts. I especially enjoyed the trained sheepdogs in the car! (C'mon, how often do you get to say that in life?). I think they were the equivalent of the clowns. The girls each got a pony ride during intermission and plenty of snacks too.

There was an act where motorcycles rode along the high wire. As soon as Samantha saw it her mouth dropped open and stayed open until I asked her what she was thinking. It was comical and I wish I could share a picture of it!

As we were walking out, Sofie looked at me beaming and said, "I loved watching the elephants!". Her face was pure joy and that was one reason we went. The other reason was Samantha. I love these adventures with them!

You can see the excitement building in the pictures we took before heading out!

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Differences between boys and girls

I try to demystify anything regarding the physical differences between male and females and Samantha gave me another opportunity to do that recently at Uncle Todd and Aunt Shelly's house. I was changing Dylan's diaper when Samantha looked over and said, "That's a funny looking vagina". Trying to contain my laughter I replied, "Boys don't have vaginas, they have a penis". She promptly told me that everyone has a vagina, but eventually accepted what I said and bounded off to play. On Mother's Day she explained to Aunt Shelly that boys have peanuts... at least Samantha is close!

2nd birthday party for Samantha

The family came over to celebrate the milestone of Samantha's 5th birthday today. Daddy got her a Princess cake that even lit up! Sam opted out of blowing out the candles again, but we'll work on that next year. I'm not arguing with her thought of, "Fire bad, run away!" yet. That's exactly what she's supposed to do in a fire!

Her new cousins made the journey and it was the first time I've seen them both awake! Sam and Sofie fought over holding Jordan, with Sofie telling her to, "RELAX!" when Jordan fussed. Sofie did not want to give Jordan up, which of course meant that Sam wanted to hold only her and not Dylan. Poor little guy, he's outnumbered being the only boy.

Sofia ready for a world without diapers?

I don't think we're there yet, but I like that Sofia is showing interest in using the potty, at least more serious than our experience at Emma Krumbees earlier this year. She told me she had to poop so I took her diaper off and put her on the toilet. What does she do? Sofia promptly farted and proudly said, "There's poop in there!". I told her there was no poop in the toilet and that she had just farted. She thought for a moment and said, "The poop is not coming out of my butt! It is still in there!". So far Sofia has not achieved anything but gas in the toilet. There is no rush, at least not a bad one!


This is one of the cutest picture to date of Miss Sofia.

Orchard trips

Today I chaperoned Sam's first preschool field trip of the year. It was chilly, but not raining thankfully. I got both Ellas and Sam to supervise, but I inherited Thomas and Ahmed along the way. The "Ellas" and Sam especially enjoyed picking the apples and hiding in the maze from me the most!

Last Sunday I grabbed the girls for a "quick trip" to Emma Krumbees. Daddy was at the football game, but Nana and Papa joined us. Sam took Sofie on the train ride, we watched the girls perform in the instrument tent and run around. Then we all rode the wagon to the pumpkin patch and checked out their selection. We headed inside for a treat, ice cream for the girls, cocoa for Nana and caramel apple dippers for me.

The aftermath of Sofie's cone before Sam finished it...


Nana and Papa had to leave and I told the girls we were going to clean up, go potty and head for home. Sofie's eyes twinkled and she ran off, stopped and pulled her pants down to "go potty". I recognized the twinkle and intercepted her. I turned my back and in a second she was gone to the center of the market and pulled her pants down again with the same look in her eyes. I was paralyzed by laughter in my attempts to catch her, so it took awhile to pick her up and get her pants up. Sam and I took a few minutes to calm ourselves down and stop giggling while our spectators had their own laugh too. It's definitely a great memory for us!

When we finally made it to the car, we stopped to look at pumpkins. Sam relished the opportunity to control the wagon.

Antie and Uncie's visit

Antie and Uncie came to visit us last weekend! We loved seeing them, but there just wasn't enough time to spend with them. The visit began when they came by our house for Papa's infamous ribs, which was fun. The next day we met everyone (except Antie who needed some rest) at the Mall of America where I caught on camera Sofie discussing something that looked very important with her Papa. The picture with Nana, Uncie and the girls walking by Lego land just had to be included because it was a great moment!

Sam recently suggested that we move to St. Louis so we could see Antie and Uncie every day. Both Daddy and I agree that would be wonderful and have even checked into moving there. We love them so much!

One of the other things the adults did was head out for dinner, sans kids. Grammy came to watch the girls so we could escape for a "grownup dinner" and the kids both stayed up waiting for us. Everyone came to the house after dinner to say goodbye and Sam was so exhausted that she was a wreck. She had a sore throat and acted as if the world were ending as I did my best to remain calm, reassure her that she would feel better in the morning. I tried not to laugh in her face as she screamed, "I WILL NEVER FEEL BETTER!". Poor kid, poor funny kid! I tried to explain to her that everything would seem better in the morning because life generally seems easier after some quality rest.

Sam is a bit of a drama queen, not unlike every other little girl I know. I'm working on teaching the lesson of "emotional empowerment", meaning you and you alone are responsible for your reactions and emotional state. In other words, the only thing you have control over in this entire world is yourself!

Say what?

Yesterday I took Sam to Target for supplies to make her jumbuck (a.k.a. sheep) costume. (The preschool program is Friday.) We crossed paths with a man who had noticeably longer hair than she is used to seeing. Sam pointed and said, "Look Mommy, it's a Daddy-Mommy!" I acknowledged what she said, stifled giggles and averted my eyes.

This morning Daddy asked Sam about it, specifically why she thought the man was a "Daddy-Mommy". She replied, "Because he wasn't bald like you". Daddy took it well and started naming uncles who have less hair than he does before leaving the room.

Also at Target... I was selecting a shirt for her when she came up to me holding a girl's bra on the hanger. She asked me when she would get to wear one. I casually replied that she would get one when she fits into one. Then I noticed a clerk standing nearby grinning. I asked her if that was the strangest thing she has ever heard. She just smirked and giggled, so I let it go. All in all, it was very cute!

You gotta love her!

Grammy's birthday and rambling

Grammy's birthday was yesterday so we took her out for brunch. Since Sam was still with Nana and Papa, it was just Sofie and I. Auntie "She" met us there and came by the house afterwards. Sofie loved playing with her while Sam performed some of her songs. I think Grammy had a good day!

Last Friday Sam found a vase at a garage sale to give Grammy for her birthday. Leslie helped Sam pick some lilacs to put in the vase and then gave it to Grammy to take home. As she was leaving, Sam explained that Grammy should replace the lilacs with fresh ones and made sure she knew how to get to Leslie's house. Grammy said that she would take care of it because there are lilac bushes near her house, but Sam clarified a few times where she could get the blossoms. It was very entertaining to watch!

We capped off the day with a lot of playing outside. I love the weekends because I get my "kid-fix". We set up an obstacle course to dribble the soccer balls through and I was amazed at how well Samantha did... she's pretty good!

A recent change I've noticed in myself is that I'm much more focused on them when I'm around. Sam and I keep talking about teamwork and she is helpful with chores. Sofia's fascination of throwing things on the floor in defiance (or plain old frustration) is no longer being tolerated. I'm trying to teach them that we get more playtime if we all pitch in to help with the stuff that needs to get done in the house. Overall the message seems to be getting through so I have no complaints!

The week is over!

This week we didn't have daycare since Leslie went to Mexico for her own spring break adventure. Samantha had preschool and Sofia started with a fever on Tuesday which finally broke early Thursday. Since I'm not currently working, it was an adventure to stay home with Sofia being ill. She did not appreciate having so much mommy time, especially sequestered in our home. I think the combination of not sleeping well from the fever, the constant runny nose, not seeing Leslie and her buds, and Sam being gone led to her extremely loud and long-lasting protests.

Yesterday we hosted a playgroup, which was fun! There were 9 kids running around the house and I personally managed to get a little validation and encouragement from the other moms. I was a bit overwhelmed and as I tried to get Sofie down for a nap, laundry switched, Sam settled down, etc. Once I got Sofie down, I said I was sorry to Sam if I was stressed and her reply put things into perspective to me. Sam looked at me and said, "Someday we'll both learn how to hold it together." It's enlightening when I get things that I say to her and she gives it right back!

Thankfully, Daddy and I got a little break from Nana and Papa as the girls went to their house last night. It is hard to express our gratitude to them as the occasional uninterrupted 7 hours of sleep has a wonderful restorative effect on the human psyche. The birds are singing, the sun is shining and it's a lovely day!



Here is a shot with Nana, Papa, Sam, Daddy, Mommy and Sofia... good times!

The stink is back

Daddy (being the boy that he is) has decided to indoctrinate Sam into the joys of toilet humor. He is the drama king about all things poop-related and constantly telling the girls about how much their poop stinks. At one point, I noticed Sam was becoming self-conscious about it so Daddy and I had a talk about how it can be mortifying for a little girl to stink, especially since she seemed to think it was just her. We had to have many discussions with her about how every one's poop stinks. (Notice the life lesson?) Since then we've returned to a degree of silliness about the subject.

One recent day...

Sam (giggling): "Does my poop stink?"
Dad (incredulous) "No, I think you lost your stink!"

She then decided to alert Nana and Papa about this sudden change with phone calls and updates. They of course reciprocated by asking if her stink had come back.

We have confirmation even with Daddy's allergies - the stink is back. Upon receiving the confirmation, Sam said, "Sofie's butt said, 'Here you go Sammy, you can have your stink back'". That is a direct quote from Sam that I'm sure we'll use to torture her when she's a teenager!

A first for us

Recently I begin giving the girls a shower instead of baths. In a first for us tonight, Sam was already out drying off and I saw "the look" on Sofie's face... yup, she pooped in the tub. For those of you who know Daddy, he handled it well. I'm just glad it happened in an easy place to clean. We all giggled because Sam was very interested in what was happening saying, "Wow, that has never happened before! Why did she do that?" I quoted a current favorite book of hers (The Beranstain Bears Week at Grandma's), "There has got to be a first time for everything!"

Sofia talking

Here's a short video of Sofia talking... no, I don't know where the accent came from, but it's funny!

Here's a list of words as of today: Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, milk, more, done, bottle (baba), baby, book and something else that may be "doll" though that hasn't been confirmed.

Birthday parties

With Jason and Sofia's birthdays coming up, we were discussing plans and options we would like. Then we asked Samantha what she would like to do for her next birthday.

Dad: Would you like to have a party this year?

Sam: Yes!

Dad: Who would you like to invite?

Sam: Ella, Ava, Naamah, Angelica...

Dad: What about Clay?

Sam: No boys Dad. Only girls can come to my party!

Dad: Oh, really? What about Papa?

This went on for some time. Sam finally relented that her dad could stay, but he would be the only boy.

Is it just me, or is she really growing up fast?

Sam's song

I couldn't resist this one! Watch for Sofia!

Sam is singing a sing that goes like this...

5 little monkeys hanging from a tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator, quiet as could be
then SNAP goes the monkey right out of the tree.