Sophie Sessions: ELEVEN months!

Closing in on ONE YEAR!!

Lots of developmental leaps and bounds again this month!

* She's said her first words: "Dadadadadada" for Laith and I, and "ball" for her favorite toy of all eternity and back. This little girl is obsessed with any kind of ball!

* She's cruising and pushing our coffee table around the family room as a do-it-yourself walker. :)

* She's also started to become much more animated and clear about what she wants and doesn't want and will protest when she's unhappy about a choice we've made for her (though it's only a one or two second long squawk, so she's still quite easy-going!)

* She initiates games now- like chasing her, peekaboo, etc.

* She loves trying to put hats and shoes on herself- cutest thing ever to watch!

Fire Station Field Trip!

August Misc

Sophie loves rattles and 'shakers'. Here she's playing with a canister of sprinkles!

Lucas' hair is getting so long! We're letting it grow for now to see what it does as it goes past his eyes. I think he'd be really cute rocking a shaggy surfer do! Or...
a mohawk! Ha!
He is absolutely our son... engineer daddy and master-organizer mommy are proud! :)
Sophie says, "I squish your head!"
Singin in the rain!
We got a TON of rain this August/Sept.
I'm in love with Sophie's little pointer finger and pincher grip. I just want to eat those chubby little hands! Here's she is steadily going for a small pebble in the driveway.
Painting is still Lucas' favorite art medium. Water colors and crayon-wax-resist in particular!

Happy Birthday To Me!

I was sick for my birthday this year :( But Laith and the kids made it special all the same. I woke up to my favorite breakfast topped with some special treats: baked oatmeal with strawberries and whipped cream!

Then I slept most of the day and we had my birthday cake after dinner. Lucas was so excited- he picked out my cake and the candles!

Thank you for a wonderful birthday, my awesome family! I'm looking forward to the next 30 days, during which we will have a whirlwind of celebration for Sophie's, Laith's and Lucas' birthdays! (And Ryan's and Samir's and Neko's birthdays too if you count extended family) Yay for Libras (and almost Libras)!

Robinson Woods

Here's our new house! A bunch of college boys had been renting it for the past 2 years so it was definitely in need of some love. We've already had it power-washed, pulled out some overgrown foliage, and plan on pulling up those boxwoods this spring. Here's an "in-progress" photo of the front of the house:

And here's what we saw when we opened the front door and looked to our right:
And here's what it looks like now! It's still "in progress"... I think we want to put up crown molding and curtains, and replace the mantle with something much more substantial.

I love our new street name. Not only is it my best friend's maiden name, but it has the feel of a sylvan hideway. It's no surprise that a street named Robinson Woods ends in a little dirt path with these kiddo-created forts:

We were welcomed to the neighborhood with a huge rainstorm that flooded our backyard and left behind fun puddles for Lucas the next morning.

I think we're going to like it here. :)

A Happy Milestone

A week shy of turning 10 months old, Sophie started clapping her hands. So sweet!

Volcano!

July Misc

Simple pleasures... my mom mailed the kids an envelope full of balloons! We all had so much fun, and Lucas learned how to blow one up for the first time!



My little boy is looking older these days.
It's not until I see him from a distance that I see (with relief) that he's still small. :)
Lucas did a summer series at the Little Gym to burn off the extra energy loads he somehow acquired upon turning 3 1/2. Sophie wanted to join in SO badly.
Here he learns how to hold and swing a bat. He tells me one day (maybe when he's a big 4 year old) he'll be able to play baseball.

Lucas' latest obsession: Making mixtures. This is a summer time-passer I stole from my friend Ravyn. Here are her kids making mixtures :)

Superhero hands!


The toddler room at the Discovery Museum


Sophie still gets VERY happy about drinking water.