Fall Fun

What a crazy month it has been! Cory and I have 6 more weeks left in the semester. I hope it goes by fast!

Amongst all the chaos, I'm pretty proud to say that I've gotten Sophie's whole birthday planned :) I can't even wait! We're going to have a party in Indiana on Jan 1 and then a party in Logan on Jan 4. Then on her actual birthday Cory and I get her all to ourselves!

Also, I've done almost all of our Christmas shopping, gotten Cory's anniversary present, and the main gifts for Soph's birthday. Can you blame me? Christmas, our anniversary, and Sophie's birthday are all within 2 weeks of each other! I'd go broke if I waited until December to buy everything! It is so hard for me to not open Sophie's gifts! I just want her to start wearing the clothes and using the toys! But I'll refrain :)

Here's just a few things Soph is doing at 9 months:

-She's still on the move! Walking EVERYWHERE! As long as she's got something to hold on to, its her preferred method of travel.

-She says Mama, Dad (not dada), and Hiiiiiiii!

-Clapping and Waving hi and bye (this is when she says, Hiiiiii!)

I took her to the River Walk last week and every jogger that passed us she would clap and wave at them.

-She gives kisses and hugs.

-She loves Patty Cake and the Itsy Bitsy Spider

-She's completely done with baby food and eats anything we give her.

-She whispers when she see's our dog, Mherra.

-Her favorite foods are avocados and bananas.

-She's becoming a huge daddy's girl. She just adore's Cory.

-She's still sleeping about 13 hours a night. We put her down at 7 and she wakes up around 8ish.

-She can hold the bottle herself.

-We can put her in her bed awake with a bottle and she'll finish the bottle and fall asleep on her own. No fussing, no crying, just conks right out and rolls onto her belly.

-And lastly, she LOVES games. It's so cute cause she'll initiate them. I can't really explain it but there's a game she plays with Cory all the time. He'll be sitting there and she'll go hide behind something (like the recliner) she'll peak her head around the corner and when she see's Cory she takes off until he catches her. She squeals and laughs every time!

At Soph's last doctors appointment our pediatrician decided we try lactose-free milk for her. Well, we made the switch and so far its been helping Sophie. HOWEVER, the cost is ridiculous. Only Similac makes the kind we need and for a little can it's $15.Yes, $15. It lasts us 3 1/2 days! It's killing me. I went to Sam's on Friday and actually found them 6 cans for $60 so that makes it only $10 a can. Goodness gracious. Oh well, I'd spend every last dime on that little girl if I had to.

Here's what we've been up to...

We enjoyed the last warm day at the park and the zoo...

My nieces daughter turned one so we went to her birthday party...

She learned she loves refrigerator magnets...

She went to her first Aggie Football game and was the cutest cheerleader there!

We made over 60 cupcakes and delivered them to friends and family. (I made those spiderwebs by hand!)

We painted pumpkins. Soph was in charge of the paper towels...

Taking her job very seriously.

We went to American West Heritage Center and she rode her first horsey...We walked through the cornmaze

I'm super excited for her first Halloween this week. I'll be sure to post plenty of pictures from our church's party and taking her trick or treating.

Heaven Sent

Be prepared, I'm about to brag. A lot.

Miss Sophie is truly an angel. There really is something special about this little girl. I'm not exaggerating when I say I get stopped multiple times a day by people who tell me they can't even believe how happy she is. She is constantly smiling.

I have to tell these two stories...

A couple weeks ago we were in the grocery store and a little old grandpa came up to me and just said he couldn't believe how special Sophie was. He said he could tell she had a sweet spirit and he wished she could talk to him and tell him all about heaven... because he was so sure thats why she was smiling so much. He recited a cute little poem for her that I wish I would've written down! And then he reached in his coin purse and gave me a $1 coin and asked me to save it for her until she got old enough to spend it. So sweet :) He had me in tears in the store!

A few days later my mom called me after church crying. She said a lady in her ward (who she has only spoken to a few times) got up to bare her testimony. Her whole testimony was about Sophie! We hadn't been there in over 5 weeks! But, she said she was sitting in the congregation when we were visiting and saw Sophie. Sophie was just smiling at everyone around her. She said it made such a big impression on her. That Sophie was so happy, it was like she wanted to exclaim, "I am so happy to be here on earth!" There is much more she said (I'll have to ask my mom again) But basically, she said Sophie was an example to her and that after seeing Sophie she changed her perspective on life. She realized she just needed to be grateful she has this time to be on earth. I couldn't even believe it.

What a great little girl!

Also, (if that just wasn't enough for you to believe me) she has been teething for a couple weeks now- and unless you put your finger in her mouth to feel, you wouldn't even know. She's not fussy, whiny, or grumpy. No snotty nose, no sleepless nights, nothin'. Just a perfect little girl. I love my little peanut!

Cory and I feel honored just to have her in our lives. They say in heaven you choose your parents. I don't know how we got lucky enough for her to choose us.

Happy Fall!

Next week my baby will be 9 months old. However, I can't even process that right now... so I'll just move right along :)

Today we wanted to get out of the house and be outdoors. I know it isn't even October yet but we decided to go pick pumpkins at Paradise Valley Orchard. Sophie just loved the pumpkins on the ground. Everytime she spotted one, it was like it was the first one she's ever seen :) Complete with oooo's and squeals.

Here she is in the wagon

Then she decided maybe she'd lay down in the wagon...

She found her pumpkin...

She posed with the pumpkins...

And she modeled our family's pumpkins...
And then we did a photo shoot :)

I had to take her tights and shoes off cause it was so hot... 85 degrees! I swear, she's not an orphan!

Hmmm... is this edible?

I think I'll try and eat it...

She absolutely, without a doubt, HATED this. She clung to Cory's shirt the rest of the day.

Oh, I just love this picture :)

It was so much fun! And you can't beat $2 and pumpkin! Thats right, any pumpkin, any size, $2. We got 5 pumpkins for $10. My mother would probably buy the whole lot. If you know my mom, you know I'm not even kidding.

Happy Fall everyone! Only 10 more weeks left of the semester :)

Still Chuggin' Along...

Cory and I are both working and going to school this semester. It's pretty hard sometimes with Miss Sophie and working the graveyard shift, but Cory and I are starting to get the hang of things.

Sophie News:

Aug 17- Started crawling

August 31- Started pulling herself up

Sept 16- Walking around while holding onto furniture.

Can you believe it?! One month ago she wasn't even mobile! (Except for rolling, which made her puke, so we put a stop to that!) She isn't fast, but she can sure make her way around on her little tippy toes!

However, STILL no teeth!! I have three friends with babies a month younger than Sophie and their babies already have 3 teeth!

Oh well, I'd love to bottle feed this gummy grin the rest of my life :)

I've already begun thinking about (and buying!) her Christmas and birthday presents! I can't believe in 3.5 months this little cutie will be ONE!

Leave a comment if you have any great toy ideas to get for a 1 year old. She already has a push walker and an activity table (which she plays with 99% of the time). I'm going to get her a little kitchen set... any other ideas??

Aye Carumba. Where has the time gone?

8 months old!

My sweet baby, you're 8 months old today. Where has the time gone? I have loved spending every minute with you. You are going through some minor separation anxiety lately... but I love that I'm the one you reach for. I'm glad you find comfort in me. And, although it can be frustrating, I love when you crawl to my legs and grab in the air for me to pick you up. I love that you smile and snort when I kiss your cheeks. I love walking in your room in the morning and getting a huge grin and flailing arms. You are my perfect peanut. Your daddy and I love you more than you'll ever know.

Don't worry mom... her shoes were in the cart... they kept falling off in the store :)

"They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!" — Dr. Seuss

My little girl is growing up right before my eyes. She is just the cutest thing in the world. She smiles at anything and anyone. She truly is a very happy and good baby. She only cries when she's hungry or tired. She's still sleeping 12-13 hours a night.

In less than 2 weeks she will be 8 months old. This year has gone by so fast. Since I'm going back to school (starting Monday!) I've already planned her first birthday party :) It's going to be magical. We will be having a party for her in Indiana and Logan. I hope she remembers it! Ha!

The most notable thing she has done is crawl. She just woke up one morning and started doing it! I caught it on my cell phone... but I'm not sure if I'll be able to upload it on here.

She jibber jabbers all day long. The girl loves to hear her own voice. She says dada, mama, baba and all sorts of noises that sound like she's a dinosaur or something!

She laughs so hard she snorts.

When the radio is on she continually goes "ahhhhhhh....ahhhhhhhhh.....ahhhhh" really softly. It's adorable.

She had a new silent laugh. It's hilarious. It kind of sounds like she's hyperventilating, though! She kicks her feet and raises her eyebrows really high while she's doing it. She does it to every person she see's in the grocery store. Cory and I just laugh and laugh.

A couple weeks ago we had to lower her crib cause she can pull herself up on her feet. I'm so glad I was in the room the first time she did it. She totally could have gone over the crib had I not been in there.

She will "walk" if you hold onto her hands with her feet on the ground. (Does that make sense??)

She is literally devistated if Cory or I walk out of the room.

She loves the zoo. There is a little one a couple blocks from our house and she just loves the monkeys, turtles, and ducks.

She is a bouncing machine. We have a jumper and an activity gym. That girl could bounce all day. Actually, sometimes, she does.

Food she loves:

Pancakes (no syrup :))

Muffins

Avacado cubes

Mushed Bananas

Sweet Potatoes (real, not jarred)

Little graduates finger foods

Beans

Mashed potatoes

I could just go on and on and on! But I'm sure no one cares about these little facts except me :)

Anyway, I've started keeping a little book. It's supposed to be a sketchbook. I got it from Borders for $5. It's not like a journal or anything, but things I want to do when raising my children.

For example, section one is family traditions. I just jotted down my own family traditions, new ideas and different things I've heard. We're not going to necessarily do them all but I like having them all written down. One I recently heard was Back to School Feast on nieniedialogues.com. The Sunday before school starts they have a Feast and she makes each one of her children a "crown." The homemade crown has pictures and all sorts of things that are interests of that specific child. I think it's a wonderful idea. So, I put it in my book... cause I'm sure in 6 years I'm not going to remember it! Another tradition is keeping a journal for my children. Growing up, every night my mom and dad came into mine and Brooke's bedroom. We would get out our journals and tell our parents what to write in them or my parents would ask us questions and write in our journals what we said. I love looking back and reading them! They are sometimes hilarious and sometimes so sweet. Once I told my mom that I hope one day Satan can have a family of his own. Ha! I was 5!

Section 2 is cute decorating ideas for bedrooms... either for the next baby or when Sophie gets older. Even ideas to make our house more kid friendly/functional...

Section 3 has fun snack ideas. I get parent magazine's in the mail all the time, I flip through them and cut out ideas for food or activities I think would be interesting.

Section 4 has "rules" I have for myself when raising my children.

Anyways, you get my point. I'm very excited about it and I hope I keep it up! If you have any fun family traditions or anything you think I'd like to add to my book... let me know!

P.s. Doesn't this look like a cheesy school picture? Haha :)