My Baby Sofia is 1

My Dearest Doo Tweet-ums Baby Sofia,

I am overcome with love and bewilderment that you are a year old today.  Time has sped by and my heart is full.  I am so grateful that I was given the privilege of being your mom.  I remember holding you when you were so new and straight from heaven.  With your dark mohawk hair,  your gorgeous eyelashes  and all your parts so perfect and beautiful.  I was full of wonder and a bit afraid of my responsibilities of raising you to be a confident, strong, regal, spiritual and responsible girl.  I examined and touched every inch of your tiny body.  Thanking my Heavenly Father that all was well and that my body had not destroyed yours.  I felt as if you knew me instantly and our hearts connected and were bound forever in that instant.  I am so glad I have a daughter.  Not just to fuss and dress up and play but to teach and love and be bound together as women.  I do love you so my sweet daughter.

From day one, you have not been content to just hang out.  You are so busy and have to be doing something, learning something or studying something all the time.  That is why we call you Baby Doo.  You want to learn everything all at once.  I know you have a great purpose on this earth and your spirit yearns to just get on with it.  We have found so much joy in watching you learn and develop your body and personality.  You are definitely going to keep me on my toes.

You have a huge heart.  You love being out and about with lots of people to watch and see.  You brighten up and acknowledge the people that you love and know.  You also respond greatly to people you know love you even if you don't know them well.  I love this about you.  Always strive to expand this love you have for everyone it will make your life richer and happier and full of great meaning.  

Your personality is starting to leap out at us.  Your laugh is contagious,  and your brother can get you to laugh more than anyone.  You are a very happy baby now.  I feel as if you have finally excepted the timeline of being here on earth and now you have chosen just to enjoy the ride.  Everyday we learn new and marvelous traits  that you have.  You have been called, a serious baby, but your really not at all.  You are maticulous, tenacious, calculating and driven.  Not just for knowledge but experiences, feelings and life.  And you find joy in so many little things.  

Thank you my sweet baby Sofia Caroline, for coming to our family. And making us whole and complete.   I am so looking forward to watching you grow.  I love you with all my heart can hold

Love you forever,

Mom

Our Christmas in Pictures 2008

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!  

Grateful Sunday 12-21-08

A Very Busy Fun Weekend:  To hear more read the last three posts.  We also went to Bonzai on Friday night for dinner, which was delicious.  It was a fun and tiring weekend.  Would not have it any other way.  

My Grandmas:  I visited both my Grandmas today with my two kids.  I love going into their homes.  It reminds me when I was young and all the memories there are sweet.  I love these women.  I am very blessed.

Noah:   Even in the last three months he is just excelling in everything.  It is like he finally gets so many things we have been working on.  His speech is a bit better,  he is trying and gets more frustrated when we don't get it.  We do get it more than we used to also.  He has been pooping in the potty for almost 2 weeks and now wears his big boy underwears to bed.  Tonight it will be 5 nights in a row.  Hooray, save $ no more pull ups.  He is so joyful and helpful.  He comes up with so many fun ideas and he is starting to get a sense of humor and tries to tell jokes.  I just love him.  

Christmas Tree Twinkle Lights:  I was nursing Sofia before bed the other night and my heart leaped back a year.  And I have come full circle.  Last year I started feeding my daughter under the glow of the Christmas tree and now a year later the magic is still there.  It was a sweet moment with my baby,  who is my last. (sniff sniff).  I love the way that Christmas lights put a magic glow around the room.  I remember playing house underneath our Tree as a child and I still play house under my tree now.  

A Night with Annie and Peter

Last night my dear friend Annie and I went to the Peter Breinholt Christmas concert downtown.   We had the best time.  This summer we went to an outdoor festival where I introduced Annie to Peter and when she called and said we should go.  I jumped at the chance.  Usually when we hang out we have Lily, Noah, Jacob and Sofia.  It was really lovely just being us girls.  She has become a very dear friend,  we talk every single day.  She picked me up a bit early.  So we had time to go to Squatters and get wings and salad.  It was so yummy and it was fun to talk and talk.  It is what we do best.  We had great seats up on the balcony right in the middle.  She is fun to go to concerts with, for she wears her emotions on her sleeve.   It was a lovely evening.

I realized last night how much I miss music.  I have neglected this part of myself since college.  As a child I took violin, mandolin and piano lessons.  I took singing lessons in high school and sang in groups through college.  I loved watching the instruments and how their hands flew across the keys or strings.  You could see their love and passion for music as they sang.  My heart was full and I came away with so much more of the Christmas spirit and ready for the week ahead.  Perfect way to bring in the week of Christmas.  Thanks Annie

Babes In Toyland

My dad is in a play this Holiday season.  He plays the Toymaker and Santa Claus in "Babes in Toyland" at the Children's Theatre downtown.  Noah and I decided to make it a date.  So  we went to the Matinee with Nik and Lena.  It was a really cute play.  Full of lots of colors and fun for the kids.  Noah laughed and got upset at the bad guys and said he loved it.  He kept asking when we would see Santa Claus.  We had talked about it all day. 

So he was jumping with excitement when we were able to stand in line to sit on his lap again.

It was a perfect Santa moment.

When "Santa" saw  my son,  he exclaimed "Noah, come sit on my lap".  They talked about what he liked "Star Wars, guns etc.  When Noah came back to me afterwards,  he said "MOm,  he knew my name and what I wanted."  I exclaimed "Well, of course,  he is Santa Claus".  I could tell that got Noah thinking 
We waited until all the kids were able to sit on Santa's lap.  Then I took my turn.  This is the Santa I sat on since I was a kid.  I have pictures dating from the late 70's on this Santa.  As a kid I use to think I was really special for My dad was a special Santa helper since he could not be everywhere.  He could talk to Santa and let him know what was going on.  I knew the secret that my dad was the one under the Santa suit and he told the real Santa about all the little kids.   My brother Nik took his turn also.  It was really fun.  You did  a fabulous job, Daddy.  

Now a Yellow Belt

We have had a wide weekend starting on thursday night where Noah went to his karate graduation.    I was so proud and impressed that a four year old advanced from a white to a yellow belt.  The week before at his test,  once he focused he did all of the moves on his own and proved that he knew his stuff.  I was a bit emotional watching him accomplish this feat.  He is obviously the youngest in his class and he earned a perfect attendance star.  

Noah showing his old white belt and his new yellow belt

Spencer and Noah congratulating each other for getting their new upper belt

This fuzzy pic is Noah receiving his certificate and his yellow belt, with Sensai Gearold and Sensai Colton

Here he is with his teachers and new uncle and cousin.  They are really proud of him.

He is pretty young to advance so quickly.  Yeah,  I need to brag just a bit.  

Potty Time

There are a lot of potty happenings going on at our house.  These pictures say it all.  I have a girl that is obsessed with playing in the toilet.  She seems to have a sixth sense when the lid has not been put down and makes a beeline for it.  Luckily, I have a boy who helps me keep her out of trouble.  We laugh at how funny she is.  

In other potty news,  it has been almost two weeks that my boy has poopt and pee in the potty.  After the long, long road of toilet training my heart is hopeful but cautious.  He is doing so well.  I am a very proud mama.  Who does a celebratory dance everyday that we get to flush.  Hooray!

Zoo Lights...

The first Wednesday of the month, we went to the Hogle Zoo for the exciting event of Zoo Lights.  We paid the $1.50 for the exciting hologram glasses.   What happened when you put them on was that all the lights had hidden snowman glowing around them.  It was hilarious to watch Noah walking  around pointing and yelling all around "Snowman".  There was even a snowman on the Moon.  Worth every penny.  We now use them to see snowmen on our own  Christmas tree.  
It was cold that night or more cold than we were used to.   I prepared for all my kids to be warm and the husband but forgot my own hat.  So I now own a new brown, very stylish fleece Hogle Zoo snow cap.  I am pretty excited about it.  

There was these two cute men that would singing Christmas songs  in one of the pavilions.  We went over to warm up our hands.  When these two girls started dancing.  Noah my cute boy then asked me to dance.  It was so fun to twirl him in my arms.   A s Noah danced it was funny to see him incorporate in his dancing all his lightsaber and Jedi moves.  It made Kersten and I laugh a lot.  I danced with Sofia.  And finally my sweet husband requested a dance.  He teased that I kept leading.  I haven't danced for awhile.  It made me laugh.  We saw some fun friends from our ward and their kids asked if they would dance too and it made us all laugh.  

The lights were so fun and entertaining.  All of the animal displays were a big hit and being at the zoo made it so much more fun and exciting.  

Visiting Santa

Yes, we did it.  We ventured out to the Fashion Place Mall and stood in line, paid for pictures 

(forgot our own camera, left on counter,  seem to do that a lot lately I wonder why)  and our children got to sit on Santa's lap and let him know what they wanted for Christmas.  Noah has been so much more interested in Santa this year than ever before.  He was giddy with excitement.  He practiced what he was going to say in the car.  I reassured him that Santa understood all kids.  He also practiced what Sofia wanted since she can't talk yet.  It was good to hear what he told Jolly Old St' Nick.  He informed him that he wanted the Plo Koon Star Wars action figure (Sofia got it for him)  and the General Grievous Starship (oh, good we got it yesterday).  And apparently Sofia really wants a My Little Pony (who knew,  we had no idea,  it's a good thing that Noah told Santa).  It was successful and Noah was thrilled.  We check out ornaments at Hallmark,  shared an Orange Julius and looked at all the festive shops in the mall.  It was thoroughly enjoyable.  

Time Out

I said a bad word.  Yes, it's true.  I have been struggling a bit with my potty mouth.  I've challenged myself to stop and I am working on it.  It's really not horrible just more than I want.  But when the baby woke up after a half hour into her nap.  I was reading books with Noah and a naughty word just spewed from my mouth.  I was ashamed.  Noah pointed it out.  So I was put in Time Out by my four year old.  Our time out spot is in the corner by the front door.  Noah said I had to be in, time out, for 10 minutes.  He stood guard with his arms folded, making sure that I stayed where I was suppose too.  It was really cold in the time out spot.  I guess it is good to know that if he is there for a long time he will get cold.  I told him I was getting really cold.  So he went and got me his towel from his shower that morning to help keep me warm.  What a nice son.  He was watching Imagination Movers on Disney Channel so he kept getting distracted with watching it.  I was in time out for the entire show.  I asked him several times if I could get out and come talk to him about what I had done wrong.  His response was always "5 more minutes".  His sense of time is really off.  I finally just stood up and left time out.  He was really upset with me.  I apologized for saying my naughty word and that I would not do it again.  And then gave him a hug.  He pouted for a minute that I did not stay in time out as long as he thought was appropriate.  I have noticed that when he puts his animals or toys in time out,  they are there all day.  He is a tough task master.  Oh, the lessons we learn from our children.

St. Nicholas

Probably the most popular of Thomas Nast’s drawings of Santa Claus, “

Merry Old Santa Claus,” Harper’s Weekly, January 1, 1881. 

From The Ohio State University Library’s Thomas Nast Portfolio.

Tonight we had an Enrichment Meeting in our ward that centered around the 

myths, legends, facts and evolution of Santa Claus.

It was such a lovely evening with really yummy food

the most delicious cupcake I have had in awhile made with a Santa face.

It was lovely being with the women in my ward and visiting.

Our Enrichment leader had her brother come speak to us about St Nicholas.

He has researched an studying all facts containing to Santa his entire lifetime. 

 It is fun when you can tell someone is passionate about something.

It was really fascinating and inspiring.

I loved learning about St Nicholas who was born in the 3rd century

and all of his great works and his life.

And how he evolved through the centuries to what we know now.

Coca-Cola has a lot to do with that and bored housewives.

I could wax poetic about what I learned tonight but I don't want to bore you

You really should look into it if you feel so inclined.

It really got me thinking about this season and the feelings it evokes.

Not all those feelings are warm and fuzzy either.

Santa can really help you get into the spirit of the season 

and the real reason we celebrate this joyous holiday.

The real St Nic whole life revolved around Christ 

and doing good works in his name.  

If we take what Nicholas was really about and try to take the commercialism out of the holiday.

I think that it would be easier to focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas. 

I find it easier to focus on Christ this year because of my young children.

They remind what it really is about.

Noah gets more excited to find the baby Jesus and talks about being good and kind.

I am just so grateful to have my two sweet kids in my life.

It makes this season so much more magical and reminds me what is really important.

Letters, Hair and Cuteness

This post is just about some random things.  I posted this picture just because Sofia is so darn cute in it.  And she is wearing the cute outfit that Achim and Louise E* gave her. She adores climbing into this chair.  She just chills in it thinking she is so big.  Because she is getting so big
I have been experimenting with my flat iron.  I have always had curly hair since at least 6th grade.  So that my hair is straight is quite different to me.  Kersten likes it and Amy, my sister, the hair genius, said I did a great job and I am now quite trendy.  Who knew?  I have not been trendy for  most of my mom years.  
I finally hung the cute letters I made for Sofia's wall.  I love the way they turned out.  Better than I thought.  So feminine and beautiful.  Noah now wants to put paper on his name in their room.  I told him we would look into it after Christmas.  Sofia has already tried to eat the letter A.  I had to fix it a bit but I don't think it looks to bad.   I love the ribbon hanging from each letter.  Someday their will be a colored wall behind these but until we own our house that will not be happening.  

Temple Square Christmas Lights

Every year, well at least since before Kersten and I got married,  Kersten's parents have rented a room at the Plaza hotel across from Temple Square the day after Thanksgiving.  It is one of my favorite traditions that they have.  We all gather together and have food in the hotel room and yummy desserts and then bundle up to see the "twinkle lights" at temple square afterwards.  As always the lights were beautiful.  Unfortunately for us we lost the rest of the family when we went around to actually see the baby Jesus.  
We ventured out on our own to see the rest of the lights.  Noah begged to see the Christus statue.  He said it looked like Jesus was giving him a hug.  It was a really special spiritual experience for me and him.  We walked all around with Noah pointing out all the colors around and Sofia kicking her legs and looking at all the people. My kids were in heaven.
The highlights were the reflection pond to see the temple and all the different navities to point out the babies. Noah informed us that he wanted to get married in the temple too so that he can be with his family forever.   That was good to hear.  It seems like we were a bit more hard core than the rest of the family.  When we returned to the hotel everyone had left.  So we chatted with the parents and took off for home.  Overall it was a beautiful evening.