Although she was born in Tennessee she is quickly turning into a true Wisconsinite.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
You know your child is growing up in Wisconsin when....
she participates in a cow chip throwing contest at age 2. I wasn't able to do this post for a while since the video was on my sweet hubby's phone. Over Labor Day weekend we traveled to Baraboo to visit with family. While we were there we went to Sauk City for what we thought was going to be an art fair. It turned out to be the Cow Chip Throwing Festival and parade. The highlights included some pretty amazing food, the petting zoo, and Sofia participating in the contest. We didn't let the boys try because the cow chips are real cow chips and I'm sure the boys would've put it straight in their mouths.
Although she was born in Tennessee she is quickly turning into a true Wisconsinite.
Although she was born in Tennessee she is quickly turning into a true Wisconsinite.
Family Fun
This weekend was incredibly busy. We kicked off our weekend with some of our friends and neighbors. We just happened to move onto a street that has about 8 teachers, principals, school board members and lots of families that go to our church. It's a small church too, so it's interesting that so many of us live on the same street. Anyways, after the first week of school we were all ready to kick back and relax. So we ordered pizzas and let the kids play while we all enjoyed some wine and beer. It's so nice to hang out with other families who understand the chaos involved with little kids and it's even better having friends with kids who are of a similar age. Our kids literally occupy themselves when they are all playing together. It's awesome to enjoy some adult conversation and watch your kids have a blast with other kids from the neighborhood.
On Saturday morning Sofia had her first ballet/tap class. I almost cried watching her class, it was just so sweet an innocent watching the girls dance around with their teacher. At the end of the class the teacher opened the double doors of the studio and Sofia walked out, stopped, opened her arms and proclaimed, "Wow Mama, I had fun!" Tim's parents had arrived that morning to hang out with the boys so I was able to run downtown with Sofia to make a trip to the bank and farmer's market. I really treasure my one on one time with each child. A simple trip to the grocery store with one baby really becomes and event for me. For the rest of the weekend our house was basically a revolving door for family. We had a ton of Tim's family over because they were all doing the Tough Mudder together on Sunday. Tim's Uncle Craig was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a year ago and has battled it like a true warrior. He really wanted to do a Tough Mudder race so he flew into Wisconsin from Colorado to compete with other guys from the family. My parents arrived early Sunday morning to watch the kids so I could go photograph the race for the guys. I would like to participate someday but this race is one pricey little event. The Tough Mudder is basically a 12 mile obstacle course race. The obstacles are absolutely crazy, the craziest one in my mind was running through live electrical wires. The guys said when they got shocked it felt like someone was punching them in the head. The guys finished in about 3 hours and then we all raced home to watch the first Packers game of the season. We also got to sing Happy Birthday to Andy.
I feel so incredibly happy with where Tim and I are at. We live in a beautiful community that truly looks out for one another. Sometimes we think it'd be fun to live in the Pacific Northwest or California but I can't explain the joy my children have when they are with their extended family and grandparents. Every time Tim and I see our kids with their family we are so happy we live in Wisconsin. We live about 45 minutes from my parents and over two hours from Tim's parents, so we would love to be closer but it would be tough to leave this amazing little community that has grabbed a hold on our hearts. And there is something really neat about raising kids in the same state you grew up in, especially a state like Wisconsin that has such a rich history, hard working people, and so many fun traditions. I absolutely LOVE my job (details to come in a future post).
 |
| Mia and Sofia with Tyson, Everett & Sully |
On Saturday morning Sofia had her first ballet/tap class. I almost cried watching her class, it was just so sweet an innocent watching the girls dance around with their teacher. At the end of the class the teacher opened the double doors of the studio and Sofia walked out, stopped, opened her arms and proclaimed, "Wow Mama, I had fun!" Tim's parents had arrived that morning to hang out with the boys so I was able to run downtown with Sofia to make a trip to the bank and farmer's market. I really treasure my one on one time with each child. A simple trip to the grocery store with one baby really becomes and event for me. For the rest of the weekend our house was basically a revolving door for family. We had a ton of Tim's family over because they were all doing the Tough Mudder together on Sunday. Tim's Uncle Craig was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a year ago and has battled it like a true warrior. He really wanted to do a Tough Mudder race so he flew into Wisconsin from Colorado to compete with other guys from the family. My parents arrived early Sunday morning to watch the kids so I could go photograph the race for the guys. I would like to participate someday but this race is one pricey little event. The Tough Mudder is basically a 12 mile obstacle course race. The obstacles are absolutely crazy, the craziest one in my mind was running through live electrical wires. The guys said when they got shocked it felt like someone was punching them in the head. The guys finished in about 3 hours and then we all raced home to watch the first Packers game of the season. We also got to sing Happy Birthday to Andy.
 |
| Jim going through the live wires. |
 |
| Post race |
 |
| Sofia and her Godfather/Uncle Andy |
 |
| Ev relaxing with Uncle Craig |
 |
| Blowing out Andy's birthday candles |
I feel so incredibly happy with where Tim and I are at. We live in a beautiful community that truly looks out for one another. Sometimes we think it'd be fun to live in the Pacific Northwest or California but I can't explain the joy my children have when they are with their extended family and grandparents. Every time Tim and I see our kids with their family we are so happy we live in Wisconsin. We live about 45 minutes from my parents and over two hours from Tim's parents, so we would love to be closer but it would be tough to leave this amazing little community that has grabbed a hold on our hearts. And there is something really neat about raising kids in the same state you grew up in, especially a state like Wisconsin that has such a rich history, hard working people, and so many fun traditions. I absolutely LOVE my job (details to come in a future post).
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Checking in on Miss Sofia...
It's been a while since Sofia has had her own little update. She is now 2.5 years old! Sofia is definitely a little girl, she loves to rough house and play sports but she also loves to dance, do art projects, sing, color, and go shopping with me. She is really enjoying her morning play time at our neighbor's house during the in between time of Tim going to work and me getting home from school. Last night she saw all of the neighborhood kids outside and begged me to go out one more time. As soon as I opened the door she went running to the sidewalk waving and smiling saying, "Hi friends!".
Here are just a few random but funny stories about her from the past month...
-Sofia has four purses. She has a small collection of coins that she has gotten from family members and she saves her money in her purses. If you ask her what it's for she'll tell you that she's saving her money to feed the goats at the zoo.
-I went shopping for some new bras and brought Sofia with me. On the way to the bras Sofia found some little boy clothes and held them, smiled, and said, "Oh Mama, this would be cute on Sully Bear". Then she found another outfit and said, "This is cute for Everett (although she still pronounces his name like she's saying Edgar). Then she found an outfit for herself and for Daddy. We didn't buy any of them but it was adorable to see her pick things out for other people. She also insisted on trying on a few bras while I was trying mine on. It was hysterical, I explained to her that she wouldn't need a bra for a long, long time.
-We took a break from swimming lessons over the summer and I recently signed Sofia up for fall lessons. She brings out her swimming suit almost every day and asks me if we have class today. She must have noticed the break between sessions because she has really been asking about her music class a lot too, lately. I told her she has a class starting on Monday and she has been walking around all day saying, "Monday I start class, Monday is a fun day".
-Sofia likes to help bring in ripe vegetables from the garden. I picked one tomato that didn't look good so I tossed it into our prairie. Sofia promptly started to throw the good tomatos into the prairie until I explained to her which tomatos go and which ones we keep.
-Lately she has spent a few minutes every day just singing to herself in the mirror in our bathroom. She is one musical little kid, she frequently will break into song while talking about something ordinary. She will sing about anything and everything.
-We got to the park almost every night after dinner and Sofia loves to bring her soccer ball and practice kicking and throwing it with her brothers. Her soccer ball was a gift from her Tio who is a soccer coach for one of the elite clubs in our area, North Shore Arsenal. Sofia keeps track of most gifts she receives and she will tell you who gave her what.
-Sofia is still obsessed with reading and books. She definitely misses our summer library time, I do too. It was so nice to get one morning a week with just her and I. She frequently asks when we'll do it again.
-Sofia has figured out how to call people on my iPhone and will call most of her grandparents, aunts, and uncles every few days. Sometimes she needs help from me but she recognizes a lot of the names on my phone and can figure out how to call who she wants.
-Last story, we went to the zoo last Friday and decided to visit the special dinosaur exhibit. We went up to the first dinosaur and within seconds it kind of growled and turned it's head towards her and Sofia was terrified. We tried a few more dinosaurs but eventually my Mom just had to take her out of the special exhibit. The boys just loved the dinosaurs and laughed and giggled when the dinosaurs made noises or came close to them.
Here are just a few random but funny stories about her from the past month...
-Sofia has four purses. She has a small collection of coins that she has gotten from family members and she saves her money in her purses. If you ask her what it's for she'll tell you that she's saving her money to feed the goats at the zoo.
-I went shopping for some new bras and brought Sofia with me. On the way to the bras Sofia found some little boy clothes and held them, smiled, and said, "Oh Mama, this would be cute on Sully Bear". Then she found another outfit and said, "This is cute for Everett (although she still pronounces his name like she's saying Edgar). Then she found an outfit for herself and for Daddy. We didn't buy any of them but it was adorable to see her pick things out for other people. She also insisted on trying on a few bras while I was trying mine on. It was hysterical, I explained to her that she wouldn't need a bra for a long, long time.
-We took a break from swimming lessons over the summer and I recently signed Sofia up for fall lessons. She brings out her swimming suit almost every day and asks me if we have class today. She must have noticed the break between sessions because she has really been asking about her music class a lot too, lately. I told her she has a class starting on Monday and she has been walking around all day saying, "Monday I start class, Monday is a fun day".
-Sofia likes to help bring in ripe vegetables from the garden. I picked one tomato that didn't look good so I tossed it into our prairie. Sofia promptly started to throw the good tomatos into the prairie until I explained to her which tomatos go and which ones we keep.
-Lately she has spent a few minutes every day just singing to herself in the mirror in our bathroom. She is one musical little kid, she frequently will break into song while talking about something ordinary. She will sing about anything and everything.
-We got to the park almost every night after dinner and Sofia loves to bring her soccer ball and practice kicking and throwing it with her brothers. Her soccer ball was a gift from her Tio who is a soccer coach for one of the elite clubs in our area, North Shore Arsenal. Sofia keeps track of most gifts she receives and she will tell you who gave her what.
-Sofia is still obsessed with reading and books. She definitely misses our summer library time, I do too. It was so nice to get one morning a week with just her and I. She frequently asks when we'll do it again.
-Sofia has figured out how to call people on my iPhone and will call most of her grandparents, aunts, and uncles every few days. Sometimes she needs help from me but she recognizes a lot of the names on my phone and can figure out how to call who she wants.
-Last story, we went to the zoo last Friday and decided to visit the special dinosaur exhibit. We went up to the first dinosaur and within seconds it kind of growled and turned it's head towards her and Sofia was terrified. We tried a few more dinosaurs but eventually my Mom just had to take her out of the special exhibit. The boys just loved the dinosaurs and laughed and giggled when the dinosaurs made noises or came close to them.
 |
| The kids on my first day of school and their first day going to our neighbor's house. |
 |
| Watching Mr. Lion at the zoo. |
 |
| Hanging out in the paddle boat in Pardeeville. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)