Christmas!

This year we spent Christmas Eve at our house with Mom Mom and Pop Pop. Dave made a fabulous dinner (2 fishes, as opposed to 7) and then we opened a few presents. I got a new camera, and so did Sophie! She did a lot of practicing...

 This one was taken with mine...

A science kit! Dad was as excited as Sophie!

We then spent Christmas morning at home, just the 3 of us (well, with Benson, 4) and then headed to the Sharps for the day

 All she asked Santa for Christmas was chocolate. Easy to please I guess. 

 Jumping for joy with her new doll

 And a toy for Benson too

 A doctor kit from Santa at Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house. 

 They were very good patients

 With a butterfly net from her bug catching kit. She caught an ant later in the afternoon. Not much insect activity in Jersey in December.

 Having fun with Zoe

And ending the day with ice cream with Shannon. Goofballs. 

Christmas Cookies

We had a Holiday-filled day today. This morning we made some Christmas cookies (some pics below), then went to Sophies very first Nutcracker, which she was very good for, and then watched Frosty the Snowman. We're ready for Christmas!

 Melting all of the ingredients together

 Rolling the dough

 Cutting out a Christmas tree

 Decorating (where more went in her mouth than on the cookies)

The final product! 

37 Weeks and Counting

Well, we're in the final stretch. I officially hit 37 weeks, and full-term, on Thursday. I'm feeling good, despite some random contractions over the last few weeks. At my last doctor's appointment I was 2 cm dilated, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Looking forward to meeting her soon!

School Update

Three months into school and Sophie is doing great. She's one of the big kids in her class this year (which is from ages 18 months-3 years). I think she likes showing the little ones how to do things. We had our parent-teacher conference last week and we found out that her favorite "work" to do is language work and art work. Not a surprise. We also found out that her and her best friend Claire need to be separated during Circle Time and lunch because they are too distracting to each other. Uh oh....

Here are a few pics from her teachers blog:

This one is from the beginning of the year (pre haircut & cold weather)

Helping to put together some shelves in the classroom

Circle Time with her teacher Laura

Thanksgiving 2012

We were down in Virginia this year for Thanksgiving and for the first time did a deep fried turkey - which was delicious! Doug was the man of the fryer. It only had to cook for 50 minutes, which is my kind of turkey.

 Sophie got to spend a lot of time with her cousins, Quinn & Carley! All she wanted to do was hang out with the big kids all week - and luckily she got to. 

 Sophie hanging in a tree during our hike. The weather was beautiful all week - it was amazing!

 We also got to spend some time with Lexi & Sarah at the Meriweather Lewis playground. The girls had such a good time together. 

 Here's a Christmas card preview...

Halloween!

Yesterday we went trick or treating in our neighborhood with Claire. Sophie the bumble bee had a blast - and ate lots, and lots of candy. We enjoyed a sugar high, and then the inevitable crash. But it was worth it. 

Our Jack-O-Lantern

We finally got around to carving one of the pumpkins we picked last weekend. This was a first for us. I think it turned out pretty well...

Sophie helping Dave empty the pumpkin. Yes, we saved the seeds and toasted them later. 

An eye!

And the final product! Our pumpkin has just one tooth in the front, Sophie has all but two teeth in the front. We thought they complimented each other well :)

Potty Training

Well, it's been about 6 weeks, but I think we've finally got it down! Sophie is potty trained! There's been a lot of conversations about the potty and all things related in our house. Here's a shot of Dave ready "Once Upon a Potty" for what may be the 30th time.

Pumpkin Picking

This weekend we headed out to farm country to do some pumpkin picking with Claire and her family.

 The girls waiting to take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch

 They had some farm animals the kids could pet. This goat took a liking to Soph.

 This one might be a little big...

 Sophie crashed the photo shoot with Claire's little sister, Emma. Claire wouldn't sit down, but Sophie was more than happy to. 

This size is a little more appropriate. 

And for a preview of Sophie's Halloween costume this year, you can check out her Flight of the Bumblebee video on our YouTube channel. 

Haircut!

I gave Sophie her first big haircut right after school started again. It was getting really ratty and unruly, so decided to take matters into my own hands. I cut about 3 inches off the back, and some bangs, and have to say, it turned out pretty well (thank goodness!).

 She seems pretty happy with the results as well

Here's a shot once it's dry. With her BFF Claire of course :)

Dan and Maithili's Wedding

We only had two weddings this year, and they happened about 3 weeks from each other. Dan & Maithili got married just outside of Philadelphia in a beautiful waterfront ceremony. I didn't have my camera, so only have the pictures there were emailed to me. Once I get some of the actual ceremony (and bride & groom!), I'll update this post.

 My 25 week belly

I love this picture! 

Carl Gets Married

When we got back from vacation, we headed straight to Delaware, where Carl & Amanda were getting Married. Dave was the best man in the wedding and the whole college crew was back together again. 

 Carl & Dave

 Steve, Justin, Allie, Don, Amanda, Brooke... and of course the happy groom

All my ladies!

New England Vacation

At the end of August we took a week and headed up to New England to stay on a boat and sail around, visiting a few different places. We started in Newport, sailed to the tip of Cape Cod to Cuttyhunk and then went to Martha's Vineyard where we visited Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. It was an excellent vacation with perfect weather. Sophie got sea sick the first day and then was great for the rest of the week.

Sophie spent a lot of time helping Dave steer the boat. 

We dubbed this hairdo "boat hair." She wouldn't keep her hat on, so this was the only way I could keep it out of her face. I think it might be a new fashion statement. 

We enjoyed a lot of ice cream. This is a spot in Edgartown. 

Heading off to visit the Edgartown Lighthouse. 

We visited a nature sanctuary where they had a kids program. They found lots of little water critters and then the instructors talked about what everything was. I'm not sure who was more into it, Dave or Sophie.