Sweet Little Sophie

Ideally, I would have posted this a little closer to my actual birthday, but the sentiment is still the same. Here's a video of Sophie's beautiful singing voice. This is all a Mommy really needs on her birthday (well, that and maybe a day at the spa).

On the Next "Project Runway"......

We did a little shopping this weekend, which included buying fall and winter pajamas for both Noah and Sophie. Any sort of shopping seems to be a big deal now since Sophie insists on providing her input on just about everything. Tonight, she put her pajamas on herself and kept thinking her shirt was on incorrectly because the horse (as you can see in the pic) sits on the side of her shirt. Consequently, this caused a mini-meltdown because the horse, according to Sophie, is not properly centered on the shirt. After trying to explain to her a million times that this is how the shirt is meant to be worn and how it was made, the look on her face became more and more perplexed (again, you can see in the pic). She was so upset she was ready to throw the pajamas away, but instead I convinced her to keep them and I promised to take a picture of her with the off-centered horse and write a letter to Carter's asking them why they made such a horrible design decision and plead that they correct this error. Apparently, Carter's forgot to consult with Type A toddlers.

Diva Pose

I am slowly losing control over this little girl. I find myself following her orders and succumbing in power struggles. The latest is her need to completely omit naps from her day. Just when Noah is able to go down daily at a regular time, the other is ready to give them up altogether.

And then there's this look that wraps Daddy around her little finger. Amazing how the cuteness in a child can be so darn powerful!!!

My 30th Year

I'm looking at the clock, finally acknowledging the fact that I will officially say good-bye to my 20's in roughly 55 minutes. Ask me ten years ago and I would have never thought I'd be excited to turn 30. New adventures, new experiences, a little more grounded. Everyone keeps telling me your 30's are a blast....I'm counting on them being right!! Here we go!!!!

Is it Bedtime Yet?

It's been a while since I've been this tired. After working until 8:30 pm twice this week and having an all day conference in the city, I was wiped out. I'm not kidding when I say I had the kids fed and bathed by 5:30 for the last three nights. Not only that, but I had them both in bed by 8 and I was down for the count no later than 9:30 this whole weekend. Typically, I function somewhat normally on 6 hours, but working more than 40 hours this week was too much to handle!!

With this new schedule as of late, Tim has no idea what is going on. The last few nights I've even showered before 7pm and tonight I asked Tim why he was showering so early. He said, "I don't know. I thought we had to shower before the sun went down." I desperately need to go back to a normal work week where I'm home by 3:30. I'm not cut out for this overtime crap!

I Do Not Heart Fantasy Football

First, the preface. I am most definitely a big Buckeye fan and cheer them on with great pride every single Saturday during football season. Also a fan of Buckeye basketball as well. I don't even mind sporting a little red on Saturdays too. No problem; triple enjoy it.

Why, however, has the NFL and other outlets (cbssportsline, I'm talking to you) decided to throw in Fantasy Football as well? And why does everyone I know out there belong to a league? Tim is involved in a league with his buddies in Ohio, his co-workers here, and God knows who else. And then there's the league at my school that I am not involved with, but yet every single male on campus is. I remember when football was limited to Sundays. And then there was the one Monday night football game. Now, football (whether college or pro) pretty much begins on Thursday and doesn't end until Tuesday. I need to identify the geniuses behind this money-making scheme. It's not about cheering on a team anymore; it's about making sure your kicker gets a certain amount of field goals and making sure your quarterback throws to this receiver for this many yards so that you can earn so many points.

All I know is Sophie and I are sick of football season already....she's boycotted her Buckeye jersey. She tells her Daddy adamantly, "No more football!!" It's no longer about going to Sportscenter to get the highlights on the games. Now it's about earning points for every play, every down, during every quarter. Uggghhhh! Maybe I don't understand the addiction or maybe I just don't care. Maybe I just want to watch a football game to just enjoy a football game? How about that? Whatever the case, I loathe Fantasy Football.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Today is Sophie's 3rd birthday. I thought it would never arrive since we've been celebrating it all week! This week we took a trip to Superfranks (similar to Chuck E. Cheese), had a birthday party at her school, had another party with family yesterday, and capped off the night with fireworks at the park! Now that today is her actual birthday, I think I'm ready for a nap! It's hard to believe Sophie has been in our lives for 3 years already. She has amazed us on a daily basis with her developing personality. She is shy at first around others, but in a matter of moments, she opens up and is the life of the party. She has flourished at pre-school and is learning to make wonderful connections with others. Her relationship with her brother so far is breathtaking to watch. She is kind, caring, and thoughtful. She may be timid at trying new things at first, but after one try, she is hooked and gets more and more fearless. In three years, she has taught Tim and I so much as parents. She is my sun on rainy days, she is my spark on tired days, she is my comfort on tough days. I'm praying for yet another blessed and adventurous year with my little Sophie!

Happy Birthday Sophie!!! This is her first of two outfits she decided to wear at her party!

Her princess cake fit for a princess.

Showing off one of her many gifts!

Life-size Dora. I think Dora must make an appearance at every toddler party!

Mama and Papa made it out for the big event!

Sophie's Birthday Party

Sophie celebrated her birthday at school yesterday (her actual birthday is not until Sunday, the 16th). They do so many special things for the children on their birthday and I was glad I could be there to capture some of it!! She absolutely loved being in the spotlight and even wore her tiara to school (I was totally unaware until I showed up to her classroom). The teachers thought it was the cutest thing and I just kept thinking, "My goodness, this is so my child."

Sophie had a Winnie the Pooh cookie cake for snack. Here's some of the kiddies enjoying the sugar!

Here's Sophie with one of her new friends, Catherine. The kids in the class are so darn cute; I swear, I could have taken all of them home!!

What's Happened to My Ohio Boy???

I am thinking the weather in California has spoiled Tim to the point of no return. Today, Tim and I were talking on the phone while we were at work and he mentioned how he had some work to do in the backyard. I had a few errands to run after school and he asked me to hurry home so he could go outside and work. I kinda wondered why he couldn't just take Sophie and Noah outside with him while he worked since that is what he usually does if I'm not home yet or if I'm cooking dinner. And then he responded, "It's really cold out there today. I don't think Sophie and Noah should be out in this weather." Huh? Is there a hurricane outside and I just didn't notice? Maybe there's a lightning storm? Who knows, but apparently I missed the memo or newscast that advised everyone to stay indoors. Tim proceeds to tell me the temperature outside hasn't reached higher than 62 degrees and says it is really COLD outside. Granted, we dealt with high 90s heat last week so I could see how 60 degrees could seem relatively cold, but to shelter the children over it?

What happens if we ever move to a place where we have to experience an actual winter? At this rate, I think we might be hibernating as a family if the temperature drops below 60!

Twin Peaks

After taking the kids to the park, we went for a drive around the city to kill some time. We ended up going to Twin Peaks and getting a couple of great pictures of the city. As usual, it was pretty foggy and chilly, but we enjoyed the brisk weather because it actually started to feel like fall!

These pictures really do not do it justice. It was an amazing view from the top of the world. You could see the city and whole bay from one angle and the bridge and ocean from another.