9 Months

Dear Sophia,

Today, you are nine months old and I can't believe my eyes. Just a short while ago, you were a tiny little baby snuggled up in my arms, content to stare up into my eyes for hours on end. Today, the world is full of excitement for you, a place ready to be explored and conquered, one drawer or cupboard at a time!

No corner of the house is safe now that you have discovered your ability to walk! That's right, the day before you turned 9 months you began walking! We are still amazed at your desire to get from place to place, however wobbly it may be, you get there!

Your love of exploring has been made easier since you discovered that you aren't limited to the floor. Several days ago just as Daddy and I were leaving for our small group, you stood up in the living room. Something you have been doing since you learned to crawl. But watching you, and the look on your face, we just knew you were going to take your first step. And you did. Right towards Bandit! We were so excited at your accomplishment!

These days, trouble is never far from those hands as you wobble and explore our home. Countless times each day, you hear me utter the word "That is not for Sophia" as you attempt to demolish the floor lamp, pull electrical cords from the outlets, or swan dive from your high chair. And you have a lot to say about things too. Just two weeks ago, you began the oh-so-fun routine of dropping your toys and bottles while in your highchair, just to watch us pick them up for you. And then you said it, "Uh-Oh!" And so that has continued, about 100 times a day! And as tiring as it gets to bend down and pick up every item that is dropped, hearing you use those words, "Uh-oh" in the right context, just blows our minds!

We know that we are going to be busy from here on out, and have pretty much given up all hope of sitting for the next 18 years. And while that sounds terribly exhausting, we really can't wait to see what things you find of interest while exploring your world.

We love you tons,
Mommy & Daddy

Look at me! I'm 9 Months Old! My shirt says so!

And just like everything these days...the shirt goes in the mouth!

Sophia and Mommy before bedtime!

Changing time of year...

Sophia in a barrel of pumpkins!

Sunflower Labyrinth

It's finally Fall! Though some days it is still feeling like summer around these parts! All the clues are here to tell us it really is Fall; The leaves are beginning to change color, the pumpkin candles are burning, we can finally leave the doors open during the day to let in the nice fresh air(without melting), and when we wake up in the morning, the air is so crisp and cold I just want to cuddle under the blankets a little longer. But the biggest clue that Fall is here: Trips to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm.

Sophia, and I, have been lucky enough to experience this Fall Wonderland two times already in the past couple weeks! The first time, a few weeks ago, was opening weekend! Grandma Mary had Bishop's Bucks and we couldn't let them go to waste! So Grandma Mary, Aunt Carly, Sophia and I headed out bright and early on opening day. Upon arriving, we trudged the stroller through the field parking lot, and were immediately greeted at the gates by barrels full of pumpkins of all colors, bright orange, almost pink, green and even white.

Sophia picking her sunflower

Sophia, Mommy and Auntie Carly

We first found the sunflower labyrinth. A brightly colored maze full of yellow, orange and red sunflowers, and buzzing with bees. After roaming around the flowers, we each got to cut one and bring it home with us. They made a perfect autumn bouquet for Aunt Carly's kitchen! Next we wandered over to the gift shops. The gift shops make me want to decorate my home with all of the cute decorations and wall hangings, for EVERY season. Such cute things...but the price tags bring me back to reality. So we wandered around, savoring in the fact that Sophia is in a stroller this year, sure that next year we will be having entirely different conversations while in there...probably something along the lines of "Keep your hands down. These brightly colored beautiful things do not belong to Sophia!"

Stepping out of the gift shop we could smell all the tell-tale smells of Fall; Cinnamon, carmel, pumpkin and apple sweetness. So we wandered over to Mrs. B's Bakery, where we watched the women in the bakery rolling the giant balls of caramel corn, pulling the pumpkin loafs out of the oven, placing cookies on trays for the windows, and we just had to have a taste! So we got a couple of the pumpkin-apple muffins, thanks to Grandma Mary's Bishop Bucks. Sophia had her first taste of pumpkin muffin and loved it!

From there, we wandered over to the train and took a ride. Sophia did such a good job sitting on my lap through the whole ride. We rode the train around the farm, and the only time I sensed a little nervousness from Sophia was when we entered the tunnel. She gripped both of my hands tight and sat still. Then we were in the clear. She watched as we passed the walnut orchard, the ponies, the pumpkin fields, and scarecrow contests, very inquisitive to each of the approaching scenes.

And then we were done. But I know the obvious question is looming. "Why go to Bishop's if you're not getting a pumpkin? And you missed the baby animals." But we didn't. Matthew was participating in the Craftsman for Christ Golf Tournament that morning and wasn't able to join us. So, we promised no pumpkins, and no petting the animals without him. That was to wait for another time!Measuring how tall Sophia is!

Mae-Mae & Sophia

So, we waited! And Sophia and I got our second trip to Bishop's this weekend! After having such an easy time going in the morning, we decided we'd do the same this weekend. So we packed up bright and early, and waited for Grandma Sue, Grandpa Whit and Auntie Alisha (aka-our photographer for the day!). This morning, the parking lot had their signs up so we would remember where we parked, and we were guided to Goose Bump Lane! So we loaded up the stroller, and again trudged through the field to the entrance. We took almost the same course, going first to the sunflower labyrinth. But with two full weeks between the first trip and this, the sunflowers had lost their brilliance. They were still there, and still beautiful, but beginning to wilt, and not swarming with as many bees! So we hunted and hunted for our flowers, looking for just the right color combination to make the beautiful fall bouquet! There's just something about fresh flowers on the table that make me feel happy!

Grandpa Whit, Sophia and Daddy looking for the perfect sunflower!

Exploring the petals!

We then strolled over to train ride, and took some pictures with a big pumpkin while Matthew got our tickets for the train. Sophia was so interested in the grass that it was hard to get her attention, but she finally discovered the giant pumpkin! We parked the stroller and boarded the train. This time, Sophia sat with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Whit. And just as before, she was very content watching each new scene as it approached.

On the train ride

Playing with the giant pumpkin

From the train we wondered over to the farm animal petting area. Mama pig had her piglets about two weeks ago so we watched the babies lounging in a big pile on top of eachother! They were so cute. And we saw the baby goats jumping into the feeding troughs chowing down on the straw. But the animal that caught Sophia's attention the most were the two geese. I know, geese?! Not the cutest, but watching her sit up in the stroller and stare at these geese was so cute. And then it was apparent at why she liked these strange animals. She began her talking, her mouth tried so hard, and she muttered "dck" That's right, her love for the rubber ducky transfered to these strange, long necked birds. And how she made that association, I will never know...I'm constantly amazed at how her brain works!

And then it was pumpkin time! So we headed over to the hay ride! I was a little nervous about how Sophia would do on the back of the flatbed, hay covered tractor. So we grabbed the whole diaper bag in case of a meltdown. She sat very content in my lap, bouncing her legs up and down in the hay. She was totally calm the whole way out to the field; bouncing past all of the orchards, past the fields of pumpkins not quite ready for pickin' and then it happened; She concked out. That's right, just as we came rolling to a stop, her head flopped over and she was out. So...the pumpkin hunting was left up to Matthew as I held Sophia trudging through the field. (But I'll be honest, I soaked up every second of it, becuase, as we all know, the times that she will sit still in our arms are long, long gone!) Auntie Alisha, Grandma Sue and Grandpa Whit all hunted through the thousands of pumpkins to find the right "Sophia Pumpkin." Which sounds like an easy task, but after a little bit of rain earlier in the week, many of the pumpkins had softened from sitting on the wet ground, and were deceiving until you rolled them over! But the hunt was successful, Auntie found a big one acorss the patch and carried the big thing back to us! So, Sophia got a big pumpkin for our house and a tiny, baby sized pumpkin for Grandma Sue and Grandpa Whit's house. Even Auntie found a pumpkin to bring home.

So, I'm sure you'll be seeing pictures of Sophia and the pumpkin carving in the coming weeks! Stay tuned!

First Quarter Update

Ok folks here's your update through the first quarter of the season. You might recall that I finally managed to convince Katie to try out fantasy football this year. We'll I wanted to keep true to my word and give you an update of how she's doing and how our league is going.

Katie's team, Sacks in the City, has had an up and down start through the first four games of the season. She began the year with a solid win, but then followed it up in Week 2 with a tough loss to Josh (Katie maintains it was for his birthday). However, in Week 3 Sacks in the City had a big win over one of the only unbeaten teams left in the league. The team she beat is managed by my sister Alisha's boyfriend, Scott. This is his first year to play fantasy football too and he was flying a little too high after his first two victories. I was happy to see Katie bring him back down to earth for a bit. It's a long season buddy, trust me.

And then came Week 4. You might recall in my celebratory announcement of the glorious moment when Katie agreed to participate in a league that I was not looking forward to facing her in Week 4. Upon arriving at Week 4 I discovered that no truer words would ever leave my mouth. I'm a little embarrassed to say, but yours truly stumbled out of the gate to an 0-3 start. That's right........even a fantasy sports genius such as myself gets things wrong once in a while. Mine just happened to be three weeks in a row. Typical stuff really: my number two running back, Ryan Grant of the Packers, goes down with an ankle injury in the first half of the first game. He's done for the year. Week 3 I managed to leave 137 points sitting on my bench. My starters got me 101 points. Case in point, through Week 4 I am second to last overall in total points scored and second overall in total points scored against me. Not a good combination.

However, the Sacks in the City were dealing with some major injuries as well coming into Week 4. Three of the five running backs that Katie drafted dealt with some kind of injury. Two of those guys actually missed a game. And these three that were dealing with injuries were Katie's top three running backs. Pretty daunting when you have to complete a starting lineup when you have your top guys on the shelf. So our two teams limped into the ring to duke it out and see who could survive without losing anymore stars to injury. I unfortunately lost another quarterback but still managed to squeak out a win by 8 points. I felt a little bad about defeating my wife after she finally agreed to give this thing a shot, but there are no friends in fantasy football. Especially when there's money on the line.

So after four weeks, the Sacks in the City are sitting at a respectable 2-2 and in 5th place; currently one game out of the playoffs. And Romosexual Tendencies (cue my mother, and Katie, and Carly, and any other woman in my life rolling their eyes) are currently at 1-3 sitting in 7th place. Just to clarify on my team name, I've been holding on to this name for a couple years now but didn't want to use it until I had Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys on my team. Well, back on draft day Romo was sitting there when I wanted to take a quarterback and I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. I'll let you figure out the obvious play on words yourself.

For those of you who are curious; Josh's team (he changes his team name from week to week depending on who he is playing) is currently at 2-2 sitting in 6th place and Scotty's team, Tough Actin' Tinactin's, are currently 3-1 and sitting in 2nd place overall. There's still a lot of football left to be played and a lot can change even in the next four weeks. Stay tuned for the next update halfway through the season.

Eight Months.... & Some Change

Dear Sophia,

On September 12th you turned eight months old. Every time we look at you, we can't help beaming with pride at all you have accomplished this last month and how much you've changed from the little baby who slept peacefully in our arms to the little girl who explores our home nonstop. Literally.

This month you mastered your balance. Two days after you began crawling you were pulling yourself up on everything. Now that you know you can stand on your own two feet, our house has become your exploration zone. You crawl at the speed of light, and pull yourself up on anything and everything within reach! Your enthusiasm for this newest hobby is infectious, especially as your daddy and I watch you discover your world in bits and pieces.

Besides your never-ending movement, you have become quite interactive with us! It's amazing to watch that little mind of yours work and imitate what we do. You wave at us when we wave to you. You clap with us when we clap with you! And it melts our hearts. Each and everyday it seems that you are becoming more and more of a little kid, and losing your baby side. Which really, and truly breaks our heart.

This month also brought about a few challenges for you; You had your first sick-day at daycare. When I got the phone call at school about a fever of 103', I wanted nothing more than to be there with you. But having the kind of job I have, I did not have the luxury of taking the rest of the day off. Luckily Daddy was on lunch and he was able to scoop you up, take you home and take care of you. And you shared! Daddy got sick too. However, Daddy's flu lasted over a week! (Hence the late 8 month blog post!)

Another challenge this month has been 2 more teeth. Two weeks ago they were making their way through your gums, right next to the tiny pearly whites you already have. Gums swollen and puffy, we could see the two little white beads. Of course, this comes with no small amount of discomfort on your behalf. It's been so hard to watch you cry your way through those days and nights of pain when all your daddy and I want to do is to make it better. And sleep through the night again!

Watching you go through this teething experience and get some of your very first bumps and bruises as you began to crawl and stand up has taught us what it means to be good parents. We've learned that we can't protect you from everything. We can do our best to keep you from nibbling on electrical cords and sticking your fingers into light sockets. We can protect you from falling down stairs and discovering the bottle of toilet cleaner under the sink. But we can't protect you from everything.

To be good parents, we have to let go, knowing that you will get hurt. When you learn to walk, you will stumble and fall down. When you begin to run, you will trip and bump your head. When you learn to ride a bike, you will fall and scrape your knees.

Through it all, we will be here waiting for you with open arms. We will pick you up when you stumble, kiss your boo-boos when you fall, and always be prepared for those skinned knees with a stockpile of band aids.

We love you tons baby girl,
Mama and Daddy

A little preview of our Life in the Fast Lane:
(Excuse some of the blurry pictures, but I think it accurately portrays a day in our life!)

Sophia sitting in Grandpa Don's highchair!

Making footprint stepping stones for Grandparent's Day

Sophia's Footprints

Climbing around!

This was as still as I could manage for her "8 Month" picture!

Our big girl!

Hammin' it up for the camera!

Playing with the walker!

Trying new foods again!

...and she's out...

Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen

Hi everyone. Katie is typically the one who updates our blog with pictures of Sophia and things that we've been up to as a family. However, I know that she would be hesitant to update the blog with her newest hobby: fantasy football!!!! That's right, after six years I finally managed to get Katie to participate in a fantasy football league. As most of you know, I love football season and I love fantasy football just as much if not more. So when it came time to start thinking about some good team names, I do what I always do and ask Katie to brainstorm with me. We were doing just that on our way up to Eureka for her cousin's wedding when Katie stumbled across the above team name on the internet. For those of you who don't know, the name is a reference to the TV show "Sex and the City." Like all great fantasy team names, this one plays on the football terminology beautifully. Katie, being a fan of that show when it was on, loved this team name. She tried to convince me to use it for one of my many teams, but I had to decline. I told her that, although this team name has everything a great fantasy football team name should have, it was more suited for a fantasy team managed by a girl. I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it if I used that name in a league with my buddies. Knowing that she would only try a fantasy league if it was super casual, I suggested that she manage a team in my work league. I have to tell you people, my jaw hit the floor when, without any hesitation, my wife, the woman who loathes football season, agreed that her new found team name could not be wasted and that she would give it a go. I never thought I'd see the day. Needless to say, I was very excited.

So, Katie signed up, and yesterday we had our league draft. Despite what people would probably suspect, Katie picked her team with very little help from me. I guess all those years of listening to me ramble on about draft strategies, point settings, and position importance finally paid off. Katie drafted like a seasoned veteran. And to tell you the honest truth, I'm not looking forward to facing her in Week 4. She has a scary team. For those of you who play fantasy or just know a little bit about football might be interested to see her team. Here you go:

Starters:
QB - Phillip Rivers (Chargers)
RB - Michael Turner (Falcons)
RB - Ryan Mathews (Chargers)
RB/WR - Knowshon Moreno (Broncos)
WR - Miles Austin (Cowboys)
WR - Anquan Boldin (Ravens)
TE - Jason Witten (Cowboys)
DEF - Green Bay Packers
K - Nate Kaeding (Chargers)

Bench:
QB - Ben Rothlisberger (Steelers)
RB - Tim Hightower (Cardinals)
RB - Cadillac Williams (Buccaneers)
WR - Hines Ward (Steelers)
WR - Jeremy Maclin (Eagles)
TE - Visanthe Shiancoe (Vikings)
DEF - Minnesota Vikings

The reason for this blog was twofold. One, we are trying to use the logo above for her team logo in the league. You can only reference pictures from the internet and not from your computer. Therefore, we needed the picture to be online somewhere. Second, I just wanted everyone else to be just as shocked as me that Katie has decided to give it a try. I know you all will join me in wishing her luck with her rookie season. I'll be sure to post some updates throughout the season and let you all know how she's doing! Until then, enjoy opening weekend.

GO BRONCOS!!!!

 


 

...And just like that......it's gone.

Summer vacation that is.

For those of us living here, it is definitely still summer...100 degree days, you are welcome to leave anytime!

I can't believe how fast this summer went by. It seems like just yesterday I was in my classroom counting down the days until I had my unlimited Sophia time. And now we're back to the grind.

But it was a good summer. The best summer.

I am so fortunate to have a job that allows for so much time at home with our little munchkin. And we think she is just perfect. It was so amazing to get up each day and wonder what new thing Sophia would be exploring, or what new milestone she might hit. And it honestly felt like everyday something new was happening.

She went on her first camping trip, her first swim, got her first teeth, began crawling, just days later began pulling herself up, and is trying so hard to stand on her own (for longer than 10 seconds that is!)

We went on countless errands, shopped, visited friends out of town, accompanied us to restaurants for breakfasts, lunches and dinners, but perhaps the most anticipated event of the summer was her first wedding! We had been waiting for my cousin Erin and her fiance (well, now husband) Matt's wedding from the minute they got engaged! The "Save the Date" came in the mail, and we got even more excited, and then the invite came and it all started to feel like it was almost here. And before we knew it, the big day was here.

I don't know if it has anything to do with friends getting married, or experiencing the most amazing day of my life on my wedding day, or just being a girl, but I LOVE weddings. I talked to Sophia for days about the wedding and what would happen. We talked about how Daddy and I pray every night that someday she finds herself an amazing man that she will fall in love with, and how special the day was going to be for Matt and and Erin. I told her all about the plans it takes and the fun that it would be, hoping that in that little tiny mind of hers, she was as excited about this big day as we were. And it was beautiful. Special thanks to Carly and Josh for the great pictures!

And an extra special thanks for including us in your big day, Matt and Erin, we love you guys and we are so happy for you!


Now we're all looking forward to the next big event! Another big congrats to my cousin Dan and his new fiance Melinda! We love you guys, and we can't wait for your big day now!

Daddy doing what he does best! He was so good with Sophia so that I could enjoy the wedding. I am so lucky to have a caring hubby!

Welcome to the family Matt! Cousins!

Meet the Gray's!

Beautiful centerpieces!

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million."

Yep, She's standing now!

Very much unlike her Daddy, she LOVES peas!

Matthew and I often sit back and watch Sophia as she explores the surroundings of our home. To us, these things she is seeing are just things. But to Sophia each and every new find catches her attention for long bouts of time. I found this quote this morning; "There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." and it just seemed too perfect.

We can watch her crawl into the kitchen and pull open the bottom drawer. Pull it open. How does she know to put her hand on the handle and pull it open???! We are constantly amazed at just how much she learns from observation. She truly is a little sponge, soaking up everything that is around her.

We watched her this month begin to crawl, progressed to pulling herself up (just 2 days later!) and now she is standing on her own. Seriously. How does this happen so fast? There is something about seeing this tiny little girl standing on her own two feet that really makes it feel like it's all happening too, too fast.

Last night Sophia had a rough time getting to bed, and at 9:30, when she's normally been asleep for two hours, she needed a bottle. I held her while she drank, which is something I have not been able to do for a long time. I sat there with my little girl in my arms and cried. I seriously can't explain how much love I have for her, and I can't help but think it's all happening too quickly. We've got to find a way to slow time down. and quick.

She's amazing, this little girl. She's learning so much, she's growing so quickly, and we are having so much fun with her. Everyday she finds a new "wonder of her world" and we learn to take a timeout of life. We learn to sit down and explore each new find with her. There is no way to describe the excitement she has on her face when she discovers something new, or tries to stand in a new place, or discovers that she is capable of something new. And taking time to really, really appreciate each moment with her is perfect.

So the baby-proofing has commenced.

Spending some time trying to feed Daddy her rice puffs!

One of Sophia's Seven Million Wonders of our world.