Phoenix Children's Museum

 Here are some pictures from the last time we went to the Phoenix Children's Museum back in December. What a fun place that is-- for adults and kids!

PAINTING

TANGRAMS

GROCERY SHOPPING

The little boy here was playing the cashier and Sophie was unloading all her groceries for him to check out.

This picture was taken right after the little boy told her that she couldn't get the Gatorade because it was $59 and that was too expensive.

ICE CREAM

Valentine's Day

We had a blast this past Valentine's Day and I believe we have adopted a new family tradition for this special occasion! Have a candlelit family dinner. It was super fun, and I think even more fun than just me and Dave going out by ourselves. I made some delicious bow-tie pasta with pink sauce, rolls, veggies, brownies, and cheesecake filled strawberries.

Check out our fancy dessert!
Fine dining by my standards!

I didn't take any photos, but I did take a couple short video clips to capture the romance of the evening!






 
As we were getting our special dinner ready I remembered that I was going to put on some music to set the mood. I said, "Oh! I forgot! We need romantic music for our dinner."
Sophie responded, "Yeah! Like Star Wars!"

Sophie also really enjoyed our candlelit dinner. We turned off all the lights and Sophie thought that it was "just like the woods." After dinner we were cleaning up and Sophie said, "Okay. Let's turn on the light. Oh wait! Let's still live in the woods." It was a hit to say the least.

Short Stories

While cozying-up Sabrina in some cuddly blankets, Sophie tells her baby sister, "You're baby Jesus." Then she tells me, "And you're Mary."
I say, "Oh. Okay. And who are you?"
"Oh yeah," says Sophie. "I'm the leopard."
I'm pretty sure she meant "shepherd."

* * * * *

After examining the sprouts from the flower seeds we sprinkled in our flower bed, Sophie exclaimed, "Look Mom! Someone else's plant is growing too!" It was a weed growing in the crack of a sidewalk.

* * * * *

I got a perm last week (pictures to come), and if you have ever had one you know that the next few days are some crazy hair days. Here's what Sophie thought of my hair the day after...

"You have a pile on your head."

Later, Sophie wanted to go to the park. I told her, "I'm afraid to go outside because my hair is crazy."
Sophie said, "I'll just go with Daddy. His hair's just fine."

A few days after that....

Sophie is playing with dolls with her friend, Paisley, in the sunroom. I was in the other room straightening up. I hear Sophie in her high-pitched play voice say "...I can't go there. My mom's hair is too different."

Mmm Mmm

You know it's a good day when this is what you see in your trash. :)

Get yo'self into that frame!

So I have come up with a resolution to get into my family pictures. If you're a mom and are like me then most of you're probably not in hardly any of the photos. This is why I have come up with a goal to take self portraits---especially with my kids. My tripod has become my best friend. (Side note: if you want to join me in my quest to take better pictures please join me in my 365project. I would seriously love some company.)

Another side note: These pictures are almost a direct copycat of the amazing Brooke Snow. Love her.

How ya doin!?

Gifts from Grandma

Grandma Joslin has given us lots of goodies this year. 

Here is Sabrina's new blanket. I especially love the little heart stitching around the edges. There was a lot of thought put into the details! (Side note: I tried taking a better picture but this was the best one that came out. I will have to try again later).


Here is Sophie with her blanket from Grandma. (She is 9 months old here).

In this photo you can see the girls with their new adorable owls that they got for Christmas. Grandma even stitched in their names on each one!


Thank you, Grandma!

Like Daddy like Daughter

There are a lot of similarities between Sabrina and her Daddy. As we have gotten to know Sabrina these past 5 months, we have realized that she had inherited a lot of her Daddy's traits.

1. Tongue Tie

I already went into details about that one here.

2. Other Deformities

Dave has a "gnarled" finger. Sabrina has a flat head.

When we went shopping for Christmas gifts we were looking at some cute owl puppets at Ikea to get for Sabrina. Dave picked up one and said smiling "We should get this one." I looked at it. The owl's head was crushed in on one side. Just like Sabrina's. I said no, and got an owl with a perfectly shaped head instead.

Her flat head has gotten significantly better the past couple of months.

3. Head Rubs

When I was dating Dave, I quickly learned that Dave purrs like kitten when his head massaged. Sabrina as well loves head rubs.

So it looks like it's just deformities and head rubs that these two have in common. That's okay. They're both pretty cute.

Awkward Family Photo

We got our family pictures taken awhile back and wanted a "couple photo." When I first saw this photo I burst out laughing. And it still makes me smile every time I see it. Is it me or is this photo just awkward? :)

What are you grateful for?

This is our Thanksgiving Tree:

In order to fill space on a very empty wall, and make our house more Fall-ish, we have begun a new family tradition. The Thanksgiving Tree! We would draw what we were grateful for on little construction paper leaves then hang them on our tree. Having this tree has helped out Sophie's prayers a lot because now she just visualizes the tree and expresses her gratitude for whatever pictures we drew. Her prayers usually go something like this: "We thank thee for Daddy, Sabrina, Mommy, Daddy, the sun, the clouds, Daddy..." (Yes he is mostly always thanked for twice).

Speaking of gratitude....
Click here and you will see my most favorite televised Thanksgiving moment from Chuck.  Maybe it's funnier when you watch the whole episode but I still love it.

Here are a couple authentic Thanksgiving moments:

Sabrina (3 mo) and her cousin Annette (7 mo).

Sophie being occupied by Uncle Abram.

Now we are just getting excited for Christmas!
Here is Sophie shootin' em up over at Bass Pro (AKA "The Christmas Store" according to Sophie).

Seriously. The best Christmas hangout place ever.