Coussirat Clan

High Chair Acrobatics and Getting Ready for School

2012-02-09T13:38:00.005-06:00

Ana loves to squirm around in her highchair so I took some shots of this crazy little girl. She's so fun!

And while Ana's busy in her chair, Sofia is busy bundling herself up for school. She loves to add her own accessories, hats or scarfs each day - it doesn't really matter how cold or warm it is outside.

I love watching these girls express themselves! They're such cuties - we're really loving these days...

Halloween 2011

2012-02-02T17:02:00.009-06:00

Well, even though I took some time off of blogging it doesn't mean we didn't do some really cool things in 2011. For instance, Halloween!

Sofia has a lot of good ideas - but too many sometimes. She came up with a new idea for a costume at least once a day. So, we set a deadline of October 21 and started journaling all of her ideas. I wish I would have kept the list but it ranged from princess to Spiderman and I think there were about ten ideas on the list. One of which was Menchie,

the frozen yogurt mascot from the shop up the street. That would have been fun to figure that one out!

But she ended up surprising me and choosing an idea that I had come up with - a butterfly. I loved the idea because we could coordinate Ana's costume. I took inspiration from one of our favorite children's books, Eric Carle's A Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Ana would be the hungry caterpillar,

and Sofia would be the beautiful butterfly.

Ever since the success we had making Dan's robot costume the year before I've felt compelled to make the Halloween costumes when I can. The butterfly wings were pretty easy - just a ModPodge project with colored tissue paper. But for the caterpillar I attempted my first sewing project on my own. I started it by hand and thankfully my friend intervened and showed me how to use her sewing machine! I purchased some crocheted caps from an Etsy seller and we had our little caterpillar,

and a grown up butterfly!

It was a special year because not only was it Ana's first Halloween but it was also Sofia's first time to trick-or-treat with her classmates. We live on the same street as her teacher, Mrs. Kuhnen so I thought it would be fun to invite the class over for a little party and trick or treating on our street. It was a blast! I'm so glad we did it - Sofia had so much fun having everyone over and we had so much fun seeing her in her element with all of her buddies.

I think normally she would have been shy approaching each house but with the added security of all her friends around she just loved running from house to house screaming, "Trick or treat!" What a joy!

Happy Birthday, Little Button!

2012-01-24T14:49:00.009-06:00

Who, me?

Well, yeah, you! You were responsible for tearing up the place today at your one year check up at the doctor's office. But it's ok. We expect nothing less from our CrazyAna!

She had a good time, up until her shots. But before that we found out that she weighs 18 pounds 15 ounces so compared to her birth weight of 6 pounds 15 ounces she gained about a pound a month in her short little life!

She's getting her two top teeth finally, to match the two bottom ones which have been there lonely for about six months. She's growing just beautifully and we're so blessed to have a healthy baby girl.

We celebrated her birthday over the weekend at Grandma's house with her godparents, Ann and Eric. It was a very nice time! I made a little cake for our little button that was decorated with little button sugar cookies. It was so fun to make. Sofia and I have taken to calling Ana our "Li'l Butt'n" and Sofia had the idea of making her a button cake and so we did. Just so she could tear right into it.

There were a variety of emotions as you can see in these pictures. She went from confusion, to joy, to terror and back to joy. Once she got a good bite of that cake she was happy.

It was a wonderful day! I was so overwhelmed by how far we have come in the last year. Ana has been such a wonderful addition to our family but it was not without it's challenges to adjust to adding another little one. So spending a day devoted to sweet Ana was so cathartic. Dan, Sofia and I would go into her room after she woke up from her naps singing Happy Birthday to her and you could just see the pure joy radiating from her smile and coming from her clapping hands at all of the attention. We all just love her so much. Especially her big Sis. The other day in the car Sofia was making funny noises that would make Ana laugh. It's like music for my heart to hear that and then I hear Sofia say, almost as if to herself, "I love hearing Ana laugh." There is so much love in our family and it's grown even more since Ana has joined us.

We are so very blessed. Happy first birthday, our Li'l Butt'n!

January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T18:08:00.002-06:00

Poor sweet baby Ana is sick. Have you seen a more pathetic face?

She's on an antibiotic for the first time in her life and hopefully she'll be feeling better soon. Next week is her first birthday and we want her to be well for her celebration!

Grandma was nice enough to take Sofia last night so she wouldn't be cooped inside all day with her poor sick sissy. When I went to pick her up though she was hiding from me.

Can anybody find Sofia?

Oh - there she is!

A Weekend With Dad

2012-01-15T09:38:00.013-06:00

I am the luckiest girl! I got to spend a last weekend in New Orleans with these girls,

our friend Tracey and my sister.

I love that city, it was my fourth visit and I never get tired of it. We spent some time in the Garden District, ate a fancy lunch at Commander's Palace and walked around the French Quarter. All the while, Dan was home getting some one on two time with our sweet girls who, despite my elation about my alone time, I missed like crazy. I kept begging him to text me photos and videos. I'll share some of them here so you can see what a weekend with Daddy is like.

So while I shared with him pictures like this,

he would send me sweet shots like this. Quite a contrast, huh!?

I was sad to miss Russian Christmas this year while I was away, but I thought of the kids as we passed by the nativity scene at the St. Louis Cathedral. I sent this picture to Sofia since she has such a fascination with baby Jesus and the nativity. Notice on the face of the church the shadow that is cast from a statue of Jesus in the courtyard. Our tour guide called it a Before and After scene of Jesus. I thought it was pretty cool.

Dan sent me pictures from Grandma's house of Sofia wearing Aunt Mac's red hat,

and video of her playing with a new Christmas present from the Henkes.

and video of Ana being Ana... crazy.

I sent them video of the street music on Bourbon Street. (Turn down your volume; it's kind of loud.)

It was also a big football weekend so they laid around in their pjs watching the game,

and Sofia got her puppy ready for the Dog Show

before heading out to the park.

They're so sweet - all three of them. We sure are lucky we have such a great daddy! I know they probably had even more fun than I did with these girls - and that's saying a lot.

But it's true what they say... "distance makes the heart grow fonder," ...I came back loving my kids even more than I did before. Thanks, Daddy!

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T09:09:00.016-06:00

It is 2012. I can hardly believe it.

2011 was a whirlwind. I could barely catch my breath! But things around here are settling down.

Sofia settled into school well. She is four now and already counting the days down until she's five. We keep reminding her to enjoy four.

Ana has settled into her own as well. We can hardly believe she will be ONE in just a few short weeks. She is still full of smiles and laughs. She's started to stand on her own and she's picking up on the sign language for "milk" and "all done." She can clap and blow kisses but still has only two little bottom teeth.

Dan and I have settled down too. Now that Sofia is in school our nights are spent quietly in the home, eating dinner as a family and enjoying our routines. We've succumbed to the truth that the home just won't always look perfect and that these kids sometimes get the best of us but we're really, really happy so it's ok.

It's my earnest hope to keep this blog updated so we have our memories logged. These are precious and important years and I want our girls to be able to look back and know how much they are loved.

One year ago, 2011. This was our first family portrait; taken the day Ana came into our lives.

And here are the most recent family portraits from November. What a difference a year makes - what a fun time!

Ana Mercedes Coussirat, seven months

2011-08-31T22:17:00.009-05:00

It seems a lifetime since I've updated this blog regularly. Actually, quite literally a lifetime - Ana's. I've posted a few pics here and there but I've really neglected updating and I feel terribly guilty for it.

Sweet Crazy Ana has added so much joy and laughter to our lives and I've failed to mark it all down. So, let me tell you a bit of what I know about this girl.

1. She's crazy.

This may not be a fair statement since I have no photographic or video proof but I swear it's true. She's crazy and we love it. She will be perfectly calm one minute and the next she's screaming and grunting and flailing like a crazy baby. She loves life - that is for sure!

2. She loves to laugh. And anyone can make her smile.

3. Her tongue is always sticking out.

4. She loves her Big Sis - she spends entire car rides with her head raised so she can lean over and see Sofia.

5. She's positively precious.

My sweet Ana Banana - Ana B.,
Your big Sis started school last week and I now have the joy of spending quality alone time with you. I am so happy to have some uninterrupted hours of the day to focus on you. You're getting so big so fast and I just want to enjoy this fleeting time of your life. I so love holding you tight in my arms - you are a cuddly thing - kissing your cheeks a million times and making you laugh. You are such a sweet baby and your mommy and daddy love you oh so much!

And for the rest of us reading this I promise more pictures and better updates! Love, Angie

Ana B

2011-05-30T12:50:00.002-05:00

I don't have much time these days for blogging but I had just enough time right now to show you what a happy little baby our Ana B is. (Ana B. is short for Ana Banana. She is also called Baby A quite a bit.) She's four months old now, weighs 13 pounds and is 24 inches long.

Anyway, we're happy she's happy. Things are going well and we love her so!

Dan's Birthday Weekend and Galveston

2011-04-20T10:43:00.009-05:00

Dan turned 39 this year. Can you believe a man who thinks that a sock monkey with a precariously placed tail is worth taking a photo of can possibly be on the brink of turning 40?

Well, it's true. And I gathered all his friends to meet us downtown at our old stomping grounds for a surprise celebration. And he was indeed surprised. It was a wonderful time and I think he was touched with how many people came. People from different times of his life and people who traveled from other cities just to wish him well. It was really, really fun. And he really, really deserved a fun night to celebrate!

We had a great time. And Emi came in with a surprise for Sofia - Matthew! Sofia was so surprised that she was literally speechless. But they had a great time. Unfortunately, I somehow managed to not get a single photo of the two of them.

The next day, after everyone left, Dan spontaneously decided we should spend a night in Galveston. So we did. We stayed at the Harbor House right on the bay. It was so nice to be together, just the four of us.

We relaxed in the hotel room,

walked along the Strand,

and ate dinner outside right on the bay.

The next morning after getting ready

we walked to Sunflower Bakery for breakfast.

On the way we strolled down Postoffice Street,

and went right past the house where Dan and I lived for the first three years of our marriage. It brought back so many memories.

Here you can see our house with the ANICO building, where I worked so miserably, in the background.

We haven't really been back to Galveston since Hurricane Ike came through in 2008 and the most noticeable changes were how clean everything looked since being put back together and the lack of trees. We remembered Postoffice Street being lined with big, old trees. And now there are mostly small new trees or old stumps. It was still a beautiful walk. The old houses really look great for having survived so much over the past 100 plus years. I liked this one.

After breakfast we went back to the hotel, packed up

and headed to the beach. Luckily for me a storm was blowing in so the beach trip was short. Galveston beaches have not changed - they're still full of seaweed and brown water. But Sofia didn't care. She and Dad had fun playing in the sand.

And Ana enjoyed her first trip to the beach. I promised her we'd show her a better beach trip this summer.

It was a wonderful short trip to Galveston. It will be nice to go back again soon.

Lunch With a Three Year Old

2011-04-15T13:56:00.005-05:00

I had lunch with Sofia today. Ana was at Grandma's house so Dan and I could get a much needed night of uninterrupted sleep. Of course, for Grandma she slept from 11:15 straight to 6:15 but whatever, I won't hold it against her!

Anyway, Sofia and I had an unusual moment alone and over pizza and bananas (and wearing pjs and a sun hat) she told me some interesting stories.

One about when she was cooking and her pot fell off the edge and broke on the floor into "a million pieces," and then she "never cooked again," but that was okay because she bought another one. She told that story with occasional glances over to the dutch oven that was sitting on our stove top.

Then she told me about how she was going to grow up and she'd be one, and two, and I'm already three, then four, then five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eweven, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen and twenty! (She has a penchant for leaving out the odd numbers.) I told her I couldn't believe it but that yes, one day she'd be 20 years old. And I told her that when she was 20 she'd be such a big girl that she'd probably live all by herself. And the sweet thing got a sad face and said in a scared voice, "But I might need your help!"

I promised her that one day I'd remind her of that and I vowed that Daddy and I would be there, always, to help her. It was so sweet how concerned she was. And I was reminded just how much she relies on us for her comfort and confidence. She's in that sweet stage where she randomly blurts out that she loves us and gives us kisses and hugs at the spur of the moment. She's so sweet and I love her so much. I don't ever want to forget these days!

March 2011

2011-04-13T22:53:00.036-05:00

The days fly by so fast lately. It's go, go, go around here. And boy do Dan and I wish it would be more like, sleep, sleep, go! We are loving our girls and when it's good, it's good. But it's also been quite an adjustment. Ana likes to be heard and Sofia like to play nonstop and that leaves little room for rest. But we are adjusting and I am so lucky to be able to stay home with them. I love them so much!

But life goes on, no matter how tired you are. And March was a lot of fun. Here are some of the things we were up to.

Crazy Shoe Day
Sofia had silly shoe day at her Mother's Day Out program. She thought it was so cool to wear mismatched shoes.

Seven Weeks Old
At 7 weeks old Ana and I had an impromptu photo shoot where she showed me some of her silly faces.

Visitors
Then something wonderful happened - we had visitors! First Papi came and spent a few days with his girls,

and we took Sofia to see her first real ballet, Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty at the Houston Ballet. She did great at the show, and it was a long ballet - three acts - almost three hours. But the poor thing didn't quite understand that she wasn't going to get to dance! I had to explain to her it was like watching a movie but that if she liked it then we can sign her up for lessons. So ballet lessons are coming this summer - because she loved it!

Then finally Ana got to meet her boy cousins when Tio David and Aunt Julie came to town.

We were so happy to have them here, we had so much fun! It was a rainy day so we hung out with the kids at the Galleria where they acted like monkeys,

and palled around.

Sofia got to have Matthew sleep over one night and the next night she stayed at the hotel with them. She's such a big girl - it was her first "sleep over" but that kid would do anything to hang out with Matthew. She looks up to him so much - it's so sweet!

We had such a nice time! I love having family in town.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
The month of March brings a Houston tradition - the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. It's like a rite of passage and since Sofia was old enough to enjoy the Carnival this year we spent a day doing just that.

And we learned something about our girl that day. She's more adventurous than we knew.

She wanted to ride the Dragon Roller Coaster so Dan took her

but as you can see by her face she was not happy to share a seat with him,

and she actually MADE him get off. Take a look how happy she is to be doing it "all by myself."

I was a nervous Mommy off to the side watching her on there all alone and I couldn't believe Dan let her ride alone but he said she insisted and he obliged. And to my surprise she LOVED it! She was putting her hands in the air, and you could hear her the whole way screaming, "Woo hoo!" It was hilarious!

It was such a fun day! She rode rides with Mom,

picked out a cowboy hat, pink of course,

rode a camel with her friend, Molly. I love the look on her face!

She ate her first turkey leg,

and quite enjoyed it!

Oh, and remember Ana? She was there too. In between naps she got a diaper change but she wasn't quite in the rodeo spirit even though I made sure she had a Cowboy Heart with a lasso on her shirt.

There was a really cool Agriculture exhibit,

where she petted a fake sheep

and looked at some real ones.

She milked a cow,

picked some peaches,

and drove a John Deere.

Then we headed inside to get out of the sun. It was a hot day! Sofia and I got in a barrel and pretended to be rodeo clowns,

and then Sofs hung out with Dad

and checked out actual Livestock.

We headed back out so Sofia could get a cupcake painted on her face,

play some games with Daddy,

and win herself a pink duck.

Ana took a nap.

And then we came across this monster of an obstacle course. There was no way I'd let her do it alone.

I just knew she'd panic up on that bridge and then surely she'd be too paralyzed with fear to make it down that long slide. So, again I told Dan he better go with her. And again, she refused to allow him. And there she went, as confident as could be. She completed the entire thing - without hesitation or reservation. And she did it fast.

Dan was proud! It was pretty cool. We are realizing what a big girl she has become. Even more so now that her sister is here.

Sofia ended her first Rodeo Carnival with a great big chocolate covered strawberry.

And Ana ended it with - you guessed it - a nap!

Something to be Happy About
Ana celebrated her second month on this planet with her first smile. A real one. She looked right at me and flashed me the biggest, goofiest grin! I love it and managed to get it on camera. So sweet!

A Day at the Park
March always promises some beautiful weather in Houston so we took advantage and went to our favorite park for dinner,

relaxing,

and some soccer. Dan and Sofia play together a lot and she's getting pretty good.

We also played at the playground and as I was snapping this picture of Sofia,

I was remembering vividly the day these were taken.

And I realize it's true what they say, it does go by fast.

A New Bike
We got a knock on the door one day and there was a bike for Sofia!

Our sweet neighbors, John and Manuel bought this bike for their niece to play with while she was in town. And since she lives far away and doesn't visit often they figured the best place for it to go was to Sofia. She loves it but still needs some practice with pedaling.

So to say thanks my little Cowgirl

painted a little thank you message for them. Now we just have to remember to walk over and give it to them!

Our Girls
I really love having this blog. It captures and narrates our family's special memories. Ones that may fade away because of the stress of every day life. If you were to ask me an hour ago how things are going I probably would have complained about how tired I am and how I can't keep up with housework or get to the gym. But after spending time poring over our family's photos and memories I'm reminded about how blessed Dan and I are to have each other, to have these girls and to have our friends and family who care enough about us to read about the adventures of the Coussirat Clan.

I love these kids!

Still So Little

2011-04-07T10:12:00.002-05:00

Sometimes Ana hangs out on my bed while I'm busy getting ready for the day. On this day I propped her up on a pillow and as I took a look at her she looked so tiny on our bed.

I think she's getting so big, and she is, she is 11.5 pounds now, but sometimes you need a King size bed to see things from a different perspective. She's still so little.

Ana's Swing

2011-04-04T23:31:00.002-05:00

Ana Mercedes, 6 weeks.

This little baby likes to cry. And sometimes a little time in her swing makes her feel all better. And when Sofia hears her sister's cries she offers her stuffed animals. On this day it worked.

Our Special Sofia

2011-03-18T09:27:00.006-05:00

These days things have pretty much revolved around little Ana. And although Sofia shows no signs of resentment or jealousy we still try to make some special time for her.

One day Dan stayed home with Ana while Sofia and I went to get a Mommy-Daughter mani-pedi. It was her first time and she was so cute.

The lady cut her nails and painted them the perfect pink which Sofia picked out herself. They even painted a little flower on her big toe nails. She loved it!

Another day we told Sofia she could chose an activity of her choice and it was the cutest answer. She said she wanted to go on a date. It must be because she knows sometimes Dan and I go on "dates" and she stays with Grandma. So we agreed, we would go on a Family Date. We threw out some options and her pick was to go to the Galleria and jump on the "jumpy thing." She has been itching to jump on the bungee trampoline there for quite some time. They'll strap on anyone who weighs more than 20 pounds but we decided that she is old enough now to try it out.

It was amazing. She had no fear whatsoever. Not even shyness with all these people watching her. She loved it and did great! If you listen, you can hear her screaming, "Whoa! Woohoo!" It was fun to watch her be so fearless and have so much fun but I think I was more nervous than she was. No matter though, she did great!

Ana wasn't worried though. She slept through the whole thing,

while her sister soared up high.

Then we went to dinner at "The Jungle," which is what Sofia calls the Rainforest Cafe. It was a really great Family Date!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-03-03T09:45:00.005-06:00

Sofia had a little party at her new school this year. I had hoped to do the same Sucker Valentine that we had done for her last year but this Mommy couldn't muster up the energy for a photo shoot. Actually, taking the picture would have been easier than doing Sofia's hair and making her look presentable.

So instead we decided on a craft project. I drew the Valentine and Sofia water colored them. It made for a nice little activity for us. Even though I had to draw some of these with a screaming baby in my arms we made it work and Sofia was so proud of her artwork. And then we tied heart-shaped suckers to each little card.

Once she got home from school she was so excited about her Valentine's box and couldn't wait to open up all the little treats from her friends.

But not before showing it off to Daddy and baby A!

She's Growing

2011-03-03T09:20:00.005-06:00

Just like a plant, if you water babies enough they'll grow. So it's a good thing Sofia has her watering can.

Sofia loves her little sister more than I could have imagined. She's so sweet with her and Dan and I love watching them together.

And now that she's filling out it's also been fun to put Ana in clothes that I vividly remember Sofia wearing. Sofia wore this little striped number on her first outing with us to Onion Creek. And now it's Ana's turn to wear it.

Nap Time

2011-03-02T12:15:00.004-06:00

Sofia knows Mom and Dad sometimes just can't help but fall asleep when we have pure sweetness in our arms.

And since she loves to do what we do she has begged to nap with her sweet baby sister. And since we all know that can't happen she's then begged to "pretend to nap" with her sweet baby sister. So, of course I couldn't resist... Here are some shots of Sofia and Ana "napping."

It's Only Been Three Weeks

2011-02-10T22:36:00.007-06:00

It's only been three weeks but it feels like Ana has been here forever. I can already barely remember a time without her.

Sofia joined us for Ana's two week pediatrician appointment. Poor Ana did all the work and suffered through the exam, while Sofia reaped the reward of the lollipop.

Ana weighed 7 lbs. 6.5 oz. - she's up 7% of her birth weight which is great! And she had grown already 1.5 inches and is now 20.5 inches long. It is pretty remarkable how fast these little babies grow. And I'm not surprised because she's a great little eater - and far hungrier than I remember Sofia being as a newborn.

She's changing everyday and I swear I can see her little head growing before my very eyes. One of the first things I noticed about her was that she was a spitting image of her big sister. But in this short time she's changed so much already and I don't think she favors Sofia so much anymore. Her hair is much lighter and her complexion is more pink. It also seems that she has her Mommy's ears and her Daddy's nose, which is funny since Sofia seems to have her Mommy's nose and her Daddy's ears. But then again, who knows? She will continue to change and no matter what she's just going to be her - our little Ana!

We took our first family outing to visit Grandma's house.

Sofia loved showing Ana the baby toys she used to play with while at Grandma's and insisted upon putting together this play mat for Ana.

It was nice to see Grandma and very nice for me to finally get out of the house!

A couple of days later we took Ana on her first public outing to the Houston Museum of Natural Science so Sofia could visit the Butterfly Museum exhibit. (The camera was dead so I got no pics of it.) It was nice to get out again and I'm feeling better every day. I think it's sort of funny that Sofia's first outing was to the Galleria for a shopping trip and Ana's was to a museum.

We have loved having Daddy home so much during his break from work. Not only has he been so helpful to me but Sofia has had a blast playing with him. They're so fun - they even built the coolest fort in her bedroom which she kept up for three days. She even slept in it!

I looked at Sofia today and it actually dawned on me that she's not a baby anymore. She's getting so big - she's thick and strong and so, so smart. We started her in a new school, Immanuel Lutheran, just before baby Ana was born and she settled in right away. It's only been a month and she already talks about her new friends, sings new songs and comes home talking about all the new things she's learning there. She colors in the lines and is learning more and more Spanish. She's confident and self assured and we are so proud of her.

She's also a little crazy. She loves to sing and she loves to yell and run around like a crazy person. She's just a fun, little 3 year old - full of spunk. Here she is singing her new favorite song, Skima Rinky Dinky Dink.

She's like a little mommy, too. She's so proud of her little sister and takes the greatest care of her. She's constantly stroking her cheeks

and giving her kisses and she loves nothing more than to hold her and cuddle with her and she holds her every night before bed during story time.

She helped me give Ana a bath

and helps to change her diaper and I'm always astounded at how capable she is at such a young age. Can you tell how proud we are?

Now, not to say she hasn't had her moments of adjustment. In fact tonight when Ana's cries were interfering with her being able to hear her Olivia show she informed me, ever-so-seriously, that if I put Ana back in my tummy that she would stop crying.

She has also had a few moments of wanting to be a baby herself. I know she's trying to sort this all out so sometimes we playfully indulge her. I'll hold her and rock her and tell her stories of when she was my littlest baby. But sometimes we really have fun with her - like the day when Dan decided to swaddle her like a baby and even put her in Ana's bassinet. We were cracking up. Notice her sad face, that's to say that she's crying like a baby. She's so funny!

We've also had lots more visitors come to welcome Ana. We are so blessed to be so loved by some wonderful people.

My dear friend Lindsey came in from Tyler to visit her,

our family friend Ann stopped by too,

even the Ready twins came for a visit.

Things are good!

She's Here!

2011-02-04T17:24:00.017-06:00

We welcome to the world, Ana Mercedes Coussirat.

This photo was taken by her proud Grandma when she was exactly one week old. But she made her debut on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 2:34pm,

weighing in at 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 inches long.

Her mommy was so relieved to hold her after nine long months,

and she is so loved by her proud Daddy and big sister.

So, if are you wondering why Dan's donning that sexy mask - he had the flu. He got it the day before Ana was born, which stressed me out beyond belief and made him feel not just sick and miserable, but sad and worried too. Luckily, we caught it in time and we were both so relieved that he could be there with me during the C-section to witness the birth of our second daughter.

Here's video of the first time Sofia got to see her. She celebrates around the one minute mark by eating a booger. I'm not kidding - but wish I was!

Lots of other family were there to welcome her as well. Thankfully, her Tia Emily was in town and able to accompany me to the hospital until Dan felt well enough to join us.

Grandma, Tio Louis and Emi were all on hand to meet her too.

She's two weeks old today and we've been home and enjoying every minute of this new little creature. She's eating well and every one is getting along great. I've felt progressively better with each day but have had lots of help from Daddy and Grandma and have yet to feel just what life will be like juggling these two little ones but I think we'll be just fine.

We've had lots of people come to visit. She finally got to meet her Bobo and Tio Louis came back to visit again.

Our friends Mel and Dee came by to see her,

and so did our friends Kendra and Bryant (who are having their own little baby girl any day now) which Sofia loved because they brought Ella!

Aunt Betty also came by but I somehow didn't get a picture of her. My former boss, Michael Strickland came by to meet her, as did Liuda and Gustavo. Sofia loved seeing Gustavo especially as he brought his harmonica and they played a little duet.

Besides feeding and changing diapers the rest of our time has been spent playing with Sofia and loving on our newest addition

snuggling in bed, reading stories

and trying on hats and bows.

We even took her on a short little walk one day before the ice storm blew in.

And taking lots of pictures. Even Sofia ran to get her camera out!

We are beyond happy and oh so blessed!

Happy Birthday, Isaiah!

2010-11-01T10:06:00.006-05:00

In June Sofia's little friend Isaiah celebrated his second birthday and since we would be out of town for his party we decided to meet up at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate the day before.

I had been feeling a little crafty and since Isaiah is all about Mickey Mouse I made him a little bag with his initial 'I' on it but gave it a bit of Mickey flair.

Sofia was very excited to give it to him.

He thanked her with a sweet hug, and while they looked on at his baby sister, Evie, we joked that they looked like loving parents admiring their baby.

But when he went in for the kiss we really felt like we were chaperoning a first date! They had so much fun.

Sofia also loved feeding the Ticket Monster

and especially loved her Mickey party favors.

It was sort of bittersweet because Lindsey and Nathan were moving to Tyler, Texas soon. Lindsey, our other friend Bobby and I had grown so close over the past couple of years over our weekly girl's lunches. We were there for each other when our bosses or husbands annoyed us, when we dealt with all things pregnancy and all things baby, we bought each other presents and never judged when we ate one too many pieces of bread at Collina's. It's November now and we miss Lindsey and her sweet kids more than we thought!

So back in June we had one last lunch with everyone, except I think Sofia must have been in daycare because she's not in any of the pictures. But Isaiah sure loved the Chick-fil-a cow

and I loved seeing these two sweet babies!

Baby's First Manicure

2010-11-01T10:02:00.002-05:00

Back in June Sofia had noticed when my nails had been painted so we decided she was ready for her own little pedicure. Pink little nails for our sweet little girl.

It's Time?

2010-10-05T12:55:00.003-05:00

It's my guess that the Texas Rangers have done something good. Whatever it is, it's put Sofia's cousins in a Rangers tizzy. I think they may be in the playoffs or something, but all I know for sure is that I keep getting pictures of adorable kids adorned in Rangers gear with excited proclamations claiming, "It's time!"

"I Love My Cousin Ella"

2010-10-02T19:45:00.004-05:00

Tia Emily sent me this sweet picture of baby Ella today. She's two and a half months and oh so cute!

I called Sofia over to the computer to show her and asked, "Sofia, look at baby Ella; isn't she cute!?"

To which she responds in the sweetest little girl voice, "Awww. I lub her."

I lub them both!

Beach Trip 2010

2010-09-29T10:59:00.021-05:00

There's nothing I love more than having an annual trip. And there's no better trip than a trip spent with great friends at a great beach. Sofia has gone on this trip every summer of her short life.

Here she is at six months with Tia Sara,

and again at a year and a half,

and finally this year in all her two and a half years.

I can't tell you how important this trip is to us. It is like a recharge, it is so relaxing and best of all it is spent with some of our dearest friends in the world, Sara and Kevin. They live in Laredo so we try to tack on a trip to Laredo so we can visit there first. In July we rented a car and drove on down.

Their family owns a really cool restaurant, bar and gaming place in Laredo called Hal's Landing and we went to check it out. Sofia loved running around playing every game she could. She even tried miniature bowling.

We visited with Sara's parents and Sofia got to take a dip in the pool.

She then made herself comfortable in front of some Nick Jr.

while we dined and discussed the details of the ashes we'd be spreading over the ocean.

No, I'm not kidding. Here's the very strange side story:

Michael Strickland, the man I work for asked me one day if I was going on my annual beach trip. When I said yes he asked if the water was blue in South Padre. When I again said yes he asked if I would spread some ashes in the blue water for a friend of a friend.
Seriously? Seriously.

I thought there was no way I would ask Sara and Kevin if I could bring a dead guy with us to the beach this year. But when they came for a visit to Houston and we brought up this crazy story I should have known that Kevin would love the idea. He's as odd a sort as Michael Strickland. Did I mention I love odd sorts?

Apparently this man, James, who died left his last request to a dear friend of his that his remains be left in blue water. Since his friend couldn't make that happen for whatever reason, we did. Over that dinner in Laredo, and over the course of the week we came up with several plans on how to make it happen. The plan ranged from the reserved to the absurd (think Viking Funeral). We settled on the guys renting jet skis, taking James out and spreading his ashes as far out in the ocean as they could.

This is the short version of the story. For all the details you must ask Dan about it, preferably over a couple of beers. It really ended up being a very comical story over all, but in the end James was treated with respect and his final wishes were fulfilled. As Kevin spread his remains he very fittingly said, "James, we're just trying our best just as I'm sure you did."

So after a few lovely days in Laredo off to the beach we went!

The beach is the same every year. These are the constants...

Pool time,

and beach time, of course!

No one needed this trip more than Dan.

It had been an emotionally draining couple of months for him and this week-long vacation was a much-needed respite. John was such a wonderful father to him and obviously he quietly taught Dan how to be a wonderful father as well. Sofia and Dan had so much fun together. She's a lucky girl to have such a great daddy.

She especially loved it when Daddy would help her fill up her little beach pool. They are such a cute pair!

Some other constants of our annual trip:

Resting,

Mexican house dresses,

eating,

being cute,

and Sofia's bathing suit fashion shows.

And one thing that will always be constant about our annual trip is how sad it is to say goodbye.

Until next year... xoxo

Identical Cousins

2010-09-18T12:19:00.004-05:00

I found this cute pic while editing photos from our beach trip in June. So stay tuned for a beach trip post soon.

Doesn't it remind you of the intro to the Patty Duke Show?

Here it is again in case you forgot.

The Things That Happen When I'm Not in the Room

2010-09-17T22:08:00.008-05:00

I don't quite know what possesses this kid to leave me these piles of like items but every once in awhile I'll walk in a room and find something like this,

a pile in the middle of the kitchen floor of all her plastic cups on top of a folded up dish rack.

Or the time we went into her room after a bath and I found a pile like this,

all her Crocs lined up like little soldiers. But while I ran to grab the camera to document these mysterious piles she'd decided she needed to wear the yellow ones. Ok, maybe she has too many Crocs.

I don't know what it is about her little lined up piles of stuff but it is quite curious.

-----

Every parent knows of the dreaded moment where it gets too quiet in the other room. You know, so quiet that she must be up to something. Today when the quiet loomed in the air I walked in the living room to this.

Seems as if somebody had discovered a Fisher Price toy catalog which came in the mail that day. She later had me tear out the page with the humongous pink dollhouse because as she explained to me, "I need that. Do you think we should buy it, please? I need it. Should we get it at the store?" So cute, right?

But I told her that if she was a really good girl maybe she'd get it for her birthday. To which she responded, not like my sweet little baby girl would, but instead how a full-blown KID would. "Not for my birthday! I want it today! I neeeeeed more toys."

What the hell? When did that happen? Where did my baby go?

And speaking of babies it looks like we're going to have to keep a careful eye on Sofia after the new baby gets here. Because this is how she thinks baby dolls should sleep.

She does this every time she puts her dollies to sleep; she covers their faces. And every time I tell her the babies can't breathe that way. Don't worry, when she wasn't looking I removed the dishtowel, I mean baby blanket, and saved them from suffocation.

This little Sofia is so much fun! She's talking more and more these days. And full, complete, long sentences too. And she's always making us laugh. Here are some funny things she has said of late...

"When my boobies grow up and I have a baby in my tummy I'll be a mommy just like you!"

"Mommy, are you going to your-ami's house?" I've been telling her about our upcoming trip to Miami and I've just realized that she thinks I'm saying "my ami!" I'm not sure how to explain that one to her!

When Dan asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she answered like this. "A doctor to help animals. And a doctor to help people. And a giraffe. I want to be a giraffe when I grow up."

Some Things from May

2010-09-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

We did a lot in May. Here's what...

We spent time with friends at the park

spent time with Dan's friends from work at Dave & Busters,

and Sofia got to bring home a new friend, Cookie Monster.

We spent time with friends at Cedar Creek,

where Sofia made us all laugh while wearing Mr. Potato Head's glasses.

We showed off a new hairstyle that one of Sofia's daycare teachers gave her,

then we visited Bobby's new baby, little Jake.

We took Grandma to the mall to celebrate Mother's Day,

and Sofia made me this um, beautiful? flower pot for Mother's Day. Which she then told me she wanted to give to Grandma. I let her.

We tried on some bathing suits,

and a cover up,

and took our very first swim lessons at the YMCA.

We spent some time in Dallas swimming with Bobo in Tio David and Aunt Julie's new pool,

and modeling Bobo's cool shades.

We celebrated with Tia Emily and Uncle Jeff at their Couples Baby Shower.

We threw a big party and celebrated Tio Louis' big 4-0.

Earlier that same day we celebrated Emily's Ladies Baby Shower,

where Sofia refused to model her sweet, lacy dress

but had no problem rifling through Baby K's presents after her nap.

And on that same day we called Grandma and Grandpa to wish them a happy 45th wedding anniversary,

and thought about how sad we were that we couldn't be there to celebrate with them.

We spent lots of time with cousins in Dallas,

and cousins visiting Houston.

By the end of May we were spending most of our days at Grandma and Grandpa's house,

distracting Grandma with a smile,

playing with cousins,

and Aunt Madelon,

healing our breaking hearts with hugs and love,

and trying to keep Grandpa as happy and comfortable as we could.

It was during these last days of May when I took a pregnancy test and realized we'd be adding another baby to our happy family. The best part is we got to share the news with Grandpa.

We had lots of happy days in May but in June we would lose Grandpa to cancer. We will be forever missing him. Sofia took home the pink ball she and Grandpa played with all the time. She wanted to sleep with it for a long time but I finally put it away somewhere safe so she could keep it forever. I don't think she really processed what happened but she knows Grandpa is in Heaven and one day out of the blue without ever being told this by us, she told us that Grandpa was all better. And we know it's true.

Note from Tia Emily

2010-09-06T20:29:00.004-05:00

I got a sweet e-mail today from Emily.

It reads:
Subject: Ella & Baba

Went to the cemetery today to visit Mom. We forgot flowers, but brought something way better. It was a beautiful day.

Love, Emily, Jeff, and Ella
Sent from my iPhone

And it had this beautiful photo attached.

Remember Us?

2010-08-20T14:20:00.003-05:00

As a family we are slowly recuperating. Slowly healing after an overwhelming loss. Slowly feeling better after an exhausting and sickly first trimester. Slowly getting back to a life we recognize.

I stepped away from our family chronicle, this blog, to take care of myself and my family. But thankfully I did not step away from the camera. I have months of memories to share.

Sofia has grown so much in these past long months. She has welcomed a "so tiny," as she refers to her, baby cousin. She knows where her Grandpa is and she knows that he feels better. She has spent lots of time with Grandma, reminding her to smile. She has learned her first curse word. It was "damnit" in case you're wondering, but luckily the thrill of saying it has gone. She vacationed in South Padre with her Tia Sara and Tio Kevin; her third visit to their beautiful beach home. She took her first swim lesson at the YMCA. She, without much fanfare, gave up her beloved paci. She visited my OB and listened to the new baby's heartbeat with us for the first time. She has been to her first movie, Toy Story 3, where she sat in awe eating popcorn. She rode on a camel named Isaac with Emi and Matthew at the Dallas Zoo. She bonded with all her cousins this summer. But more than anything she's made us laugh. She's becoming her own person and her personality, which is funny, selectively sweet, kind and thoughtful, has really been on display.

She is, above all, a joy and we love her.

I have a lot of work to do in uploading months of photos to our computer with the intention of sharing them here along with the stories of our family. While I get to work doing just that I leave you with a serenade of Sofia's current favorites.

And if you liked that, here's some more... as long as she's not too busy!

A Peace Offering

2010-07-12T16:16:00.005-05:00

As most of you know it's been a life changing, couple of months for us and quite frankly the blog has been neglected. But as a pledge to two of my most loyal readers, Papi and Nan here is a short series of very adorable photos of Sofia which were taken by her Grandmother back in June...

and a promise that I will very soon get this cherished online document of our lives updated.

Love, Angie

We Think Sofia is Cute

2010-05-11T20:52:00.004-05:00

We think Sofia is cute because...

1. She lets Mommy give her a side ponytail and then patiently forces a smile for the camera even though she'd rather be coloring.

2. She loves to ride the horsies at the Fiesta up the street. At 50 cents a ride we're going to go broke one quarter at a time!

and

3. She just is! She loves her new duck shower cap.

New Furniture

2010-05-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

I've been helping Emily scour craigslist for a rocker for Baby K's nursery and I stumbled upon one that she loved. I agreed I'd go take a look at it since it was here in Houston. Well, northwest Houston. I dragged Dan and baby Sofs in the middle of rush hour and we headed out to take a look.

The longer it took to get out there the more frustrated Dan became. He declared he must really love me to agree to this. By the time we got there he said he didn't care what the damn chair looked like, we were buying it.

So, oops! When I saw it I realized that it was really too small for Emily's use but we forked over the 30 bucks and brought it home anyway. Because we thought it may one day be great (with a paint job and new fabric) for Sofia's big girl room one day. She loves it!

I couldn't believe I ended up with another rocking chair in my house. I had just ordered myself a rocking chair for our bedroom.

It's an Eames style rocker and I've been drooling over them since I studied Mid-century modern furniture during my two year stint as an interior design major in college. And I say "Eames style" because it's a total knock-off but I'm still happy with it and will happily keep the $600 dollars in my pocket. Ok, really. Dan wouldn't let me get a real one. Well, I didn't even ask. But I digress.

So it came in. And I love it as much as I thought I would. Sofia loves it too; she loved it more than I thought she would. She loves to climb in it and sing, "rock, rock, rock!" She drags it from room to room, saying how much she loves her rocking chair. "Mommy give it to me," she'll explain. The best part is no matter where in the house I find it, it looks good!

But what Sofia loved even more than the chair itself is the fact that they packed it with a 5 foot strip of bubble pop! It was her first introduction to bubble pop that's not on the iPhone game and I think she's spoiled for life. She even let us in on the action. It really made for a fun family activity.

We did lots of jumping. It was as much fun for us as it was for her. It was a lot of noise. And a lot of cute. Need proof of just how cute?

And for a final furniture story...

As I was doing some housekeeping the other day (no, I still don't have a housekeeper!) I cleared off the coffee table, wiped it down and then moved on. As I'm in the kitchen Dan and I hear Sofia laughing and then she screams,

"Yook, guys, yook!" (She doesn't pronounce her L sound yet.)

We go into the living room and this is what we see.

and instead of snapping at her to get off the table, we don't climb on furniture in this house, blah, blah blah. I said, "Wait! I need to take a picture."

I had to take a picture because it reminded me of this.

Remember this post from September of 2008 with Sofia as that 10-month old cutie?

The only downside is that now she gets really confused when we tell her to stay off the coffee table. I know she's thinking, "but you guys thought it was so cute before..."

The Park with Daddy

2010-05-03T18:31:00.004-05:00

Daddy took Sofia to play at Memorial Park. Can you believe how big she looks or is it just me?

I loved this series of pictures. Sofia can get easily distracted and it could take quite a few tries before you can get a remotely decent smile from this kid.

But he managed to get this sweet one which captures her pretty well...

Happy Birthday, Bobo!

2010-05-02T10:26:00.003-05:00

Today Bobo turns 73! Can you believe it?

So yesterday, in preparation for Bobo's birthday Sofia colored a party hat and got her toy birthday cake all ready. And she prepared a little message for Bobo.

Happy birthday, Bobo! We love you.

By the way, take a look back at the first birthday message Sofia ever recorded for Bobo here.

Overheard, April 29, 2010

2010-05-01T09:33:00.003-05:00

I explained to Sofia how I had painted the mobile which hangs above her bed for her before she was born. "When you were in Mommy's tummy," I explained.

She looked at the mobile for a second, then turned to me, "I want to go back in Mommy's tummy," she requested. Very seriously.

"Aww, my sweet girl. You can't go back."

It reminded me of my Mom, especially on this day, April 29, what would have been her 65th birthday.

I can't go back either.

Happy birthday, Mom! We miss you and love you.

Disney on Ice

2010-04-29T20:06:00.006-05:00

I was invited by one of the mom's at daycare to take Sofia to see Disney on Ice.

And I'm so glad I said yes because it was fun to see her witness something of this magnitude for the first time. She was pretty much in awe of it all.

I somehow managed to resist all the money traps and all of her little girl's requests. This really captures what she looks like when she asks for something,

"Mahhhhh-meeeee? Can I...?"

I bought nothing. Not even a pair of Mickey ears, but her friend Nolan let her try on his pair.

And then Kyle tried them on.

And then Sofia chased Nolan trying to get him to try them on; even his dad helped, we wanted to get a picture,

but this is the best we could get!

These three are so sweet and such good friends, even at this young age. Sofia had a really great time. She loved seeing all the princesses, this was really her first introduction to princesses and she loved seeing Mickey. But most of all she loved playing with her buddies.

And before we even left Reliant Stadium parking she was worn out!

Kansas City Trip

2010-04-27T21:37:00.028-05:00

Uncle Jeff's family lives in Olathe, Kansas and they're some of the funnest (I so-want that to be a word) people we know. So as soon as we heard there was to be a shower for Emily and Jeff in Kansas City we knew we'd pack up the fam' and head on up!

It was Sofia's first flight as a paying customer which means ~~she~~ I got my very own seat! She did great on the flight.

Jeff's parents, John and Nancy were so accommodating. Their house is awesome. It has a full bar downstairs and we were allowed to get a fresh cold mug every single time we opened a beer. And Sofia loved bouncing down the stairs one step at a time on her booty. They even remembered Dan's birthday and Nancy even made him a cake (she bakes in the fridge - it's awesome!) and they showered Sofia with presents. The neighbors gave us full access to their backyard swingset which was great! Sofia kept asking to go to the park!

Sofia has just recently gotten over the worst of her shy phase so this trip was nice to see her open up to new people. She kept calling John, Jeff. I think she was confused. She'd play coy when he was around and the minute he left the room we would be inundated with the same question over. And over. And over.

"Where'd Jeff go?"

"It's John, Sofia. His name is John," we'd explain.

"Where'd John go? Where'd John go?" Every five minutes.

He intrigued her. But it's no surprse - she's the same way with Uncle Jeff.

She loved Aunt Nancy too. Aunt Nancy let Sofia help her make pancakes the first morning we were there.

Kansas City was so beautiful too. I guess I just didn't know what to expect but I was blown away by how beautiful the whole city and surrounding area is. We spent the afternoon at Country Club Plaza, or as the locals call it, The Plaza. The weather was fantastic and all the Bradford Pears were in bloom. I could have spent all day there!

Emily and I spent some time shopping while Sofia, Daddy and the others relaxed at a bar with a beer. No, Sofia did not have a beer.

Sofia colored,

and played some online bar games.

Then we all headed to dinner.

Outside of the restaurant Sofia posed with a bull.

We were at Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue and were about to experience Burnt Ends. It was so good!

The next day was the couples baby shower. It was so beautiful and so much fun - even with a two year old in tow!

Emily and Jeff opened a ton of gifts. Baby K sure is loved!

I knew something was up when John sneaked his head around the corner.

Looks like Uncle Jeff's favorite Sesame Street character growing up was Grover and he was making an appearance!

Of course it didn't take Sofia long before she wanted to check him out.

It took a bit of coaxing but I finally got Jeff to pose with his old pal, Grogie.

And then a family portrait. I sure hope Baby K won't be that big anytime soon!

We all had so much fun at the shower. It was such a nice time. But I don't think any of us had as much fun as Sofia did. She was such a trooper. We kept her up waaay later than she needed to be and she still managed to avoid any meltdowns or spill anyone's drink!

Whether she was hiding in the bathrooms,

playing with her Tia Emily,

coloring quietly in the backyard,

or posing with her new friend (maybe my new favorite picture of our little Sofia Monkey),

no matter what she was doing, she was having fun!

But I don't think anyone made quite as big an impression on her as Hobbs. Hobbs is a bullmastiff. Hobbs is unlike any dog I've ever seen. Hobbs is as big as a horse.

Sofia really loves all animals, especially dogs. And this dog was just as cuddly and sweet as a teddy bear but I'm not going to lie his sheer size was intimidating. But Hobbs was Sofia's new best friend and she had no fear.

A side note for those of you who knew my mom and her fear of dogs. It was as if I could feel her poking me from heaven. I could hear her voice asking me in Spanish what the hell I was doing letting Sofia get that close to this animal. Heck, I could practically imagine her actually peeing her pants. I couldn't help but laugh.

Anyway, Sofia loved giving Hobbs treats,

and shaking his paw.

I'm telling you, she couldn't get enough of Hobbs. It was really sweet.

And I couldn't resist this shot of Hobb's two-year old paws next to Sofia's two-year old feet. So cute!

The whole weekend was so great. Everyone was so nice and Kansas City was so beautiful. And Sofia can't wait to get back ... Aunt Nancy, she misses your cooking!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2010-04-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Dan's birthday two days early, on April 7th, with a cupcake. The next day we would head to Kansas City to visit Uncle Jeff's family...

Happy birthday, Daddy! You're the best.

Overheard

2010-04-23T07:16:00.003-05:00

This morning while getting on her Pull-Ups (with princesses on them) Sofia stands naked, crouches down and jumps up and screams,

"Sofia a princess, Mom. Sofia a princess."

She then runs around like a crazy person. Stops suddenly in front of me. Pauses and uses both hands to move the hair from her eyes and declares,

"Sofia's funny, Mom. Sofia's funny."

I concur.

Easter 2010

2010-04-16T09:59:00.023-05:00

Easter started early for us. The weekend before Easter our neighborhood held it's annual egg hunt at Proctor Plaza. It was a great way to introduce Sofia to an egg hunt since it was her first one. We showed up just as it started so of course by the time we ran out to the field there weren't any eggs left So instead we played on the playground and I found some empty, discarded plastic eggs and she put them in her basket and she was so happy with her empty eggs. Ignorance is bliss!

After awhile they did another hunt for a few of the late kids. But the other kids were too big and too fast. Every time she would spot an egg it would be snatched up by the time she made it there.

We walked the perimeter of the park though and she did find a few. She's such a happy laid-back kid and was more than content with that.

And even more content to realize that these eggs had candy and stickers in them. No longer ignorant Sofia was ready to enjoy all the candy that Easter had to offer.

Daycare Egg Hunt
On Holy Thursday Sofia's school held an egg hunt. One of the other mom's sent me some pics. I love that we have a picture of all the friends in her class with her teacher, Ms. Claudia.

Bobo is Here
Good Friday was really good for us. Bobo came to visit! Sofia was so excited to pick him up at the airport.

We took Bobo to the mall,

and played at the indoor park.

When we got home Sofia had a gift waiting for her from Emi. There was a beautiful basket purse for Easter Sunday and a ceramic bunny that belonged to Baba which we will take out every Easter and treasure. But Sofia was really more intrigued with the chocolate carrot and the baby chick.

On Saturday Sofia showed off her cute little bunny basket (and the new shirt Bobo gave her) she made at school. It's the bottom part of a 2-liter coke bottle painted white and decorated to look like a bunny. It was so cute!

We went out for a nice dinner, after which Sofia had the biggest bowl of ice cream she's ever seen,

and Bobo made Sofia an accomplice in his Splenda theft ring.

Easter Sunday
I put the finishing touches on my coconut cupcakes

and we headed out the door for church.

After church we headed to Spring to spend Easter Sunday with the Henkes. Aunt Betty and Uncle Bob have the best yard for an egg hunt and we always have so much fun visiting with them. Grandma and Grandpa were there

and lots of the Henke's family, including Margaret and her family. Sofia was especially excited to see Nathan who's just one week younger than her and his little brother Matthew who is just a few months old and as cute as a button!

It was nice for Sofia to have a day with all her grandparents.

Even if she wasn't particularly excited about posing with her Grandpas.

Check out that pout!

And it was nice to have Papi there who found some political allies in the Henkes. He wanted to take a picture with the Tea Party sign in their front yard. I thought he was kidding.

He wasn't.

After a delicious brunch the kids went out back for yet another egg hunt. This one was great because the competition wasn't quite as stiff and there were about a hundred eggs. Plus, Sofia unknowingly made it a perpetual egg hunt. Sofia would run with her basket full of eggs and some would fall out without her even noticing so then when she turned around there were more eggs to find. She and Nathan had a lot of fun and all the adults followed them around like paparazzi.

If there was one thing Sofia learned during the past two egg hunts it's that Easter eggs should be filled with candy. But thankfully (for me) these eggs didn't have any candy. They were filled with prizes and coins.

She was all business while opening her eggs. She would shake the egg to see if there was something inside. Then she'd open the egg, realize it was just money and quickly close and discard it. She had zero interest in the ones with "mundy" in them. But was finally appeased once she eventually stumbled upon one with a fruit snack.

The whole afternoon was so much fun. Aunt Betty gave Sofia some great toys and bubbles and books. She especially loved the beach basket and shovel. The fountain in the backyard was probably filled up with dirt from all of Sofia's digging. Both the kids loved playing in the fountain and in the dirt.

Sofia discovered this little doggy statue which is just the back half of a dog. It's meant to look like a dog who has stuck his head underground. She lifted the little guy up and said, "Doggie broken."

The kids enjoyed the backyard and sat down together for a cupcake.

I think they were a hit.

Nathan and Sofia seemed to like playing together. It's fun to get them together every year and see how much they change.

It was such a lovely end to a lovely Easter weekend. We are so blessed!

"Greengrass is fun!"

2010-04-15T15:12:00.002-05:00

Wednesday night. There's sort of a gloom hanging in the air. Sofia is tired and grouchy. Dan is fighting a cold, Grandpa has cancer and is headed to surgery the next day. The house is a mess, I haven't even unpacked from our weekend trip. The smell of heated up leftovers and grilled cheese sandwiches is doing nothing for the mood. So I did the only thing I could think of.

I put some Bluegrass music on our television's digital music channel and we ate dinner to some Patsy Cline. The mood slowly lifted.

Sofia declares she's finished. "I want to see Bluegrass on tv," she requests. I explain to her that it was only music to listen to, not to watch but that we could go in there and dance. "Daddy too." Another request. We oblige.

And for a few moments all is okay with our world again. We dance a silly jig as a family, Jax jumping in excitement with us.

After the music is over and we're on to the rest of our evening routine Sofia exclaims, "Greengrass is fun!"

Easter Candy

2010-04-14T19:50:00.004-05:00

When I think of the Easter holidays of my youth I think of frilly dresses and hats, Papi chasing a young "Easter Emily" around the backyard (that's a story for another day!) I think of Easter baskets and eggs and Mom's Easter ham.

But what I remember most are the Cadbury eggs.

Mom loved them. She would buy them the minute they went on sale. For me a Cadbury egg is as essential to Easter as the Easter bunny. And Jesus, of course, but you know what I mean!

So I had to buy them for Sofia's basket. I actually don't even like them but I figured maybe she would and as I've already pointed out, Easter just isn't the same without a Cadbury egg.

I think there was more candy in this house this Easter than even during Halloween. Between the neighborhood egg hunt, the party at daycare and the family Easter gifts we had more candy than any one two-year old (and her Mommy) need. So I had to heed my mother-in-law's advice when she told me to just throw it away because it would just keep on coming. She was right!

By the end of the day on Sunday, after dinner, I told Sofia she could pick one thing - whatever she wanted - as her final treat because I was throwing the rest of it away. So I was so confused when she kept saying, "obu." I held out baskets and bags and bowls full of candy, I paraded chocolate ducks and bunnies and even cupcakes before her in an attempt to decipher just what "obu" meant. Then Dan figured it out. And asked her, "Oval? You want an egg?"

Yes!

And she went after it with a serious gusto. I think it would seriously take me about 10 minutes to finish one of those things. Hers was gone in about 60 seconds flat.

Enjoy!

Holding Hands

2010-04-03T23:13:00.003-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa escort Sofia and Monkey to church last week, holding hands all the way.

Happy Easter to all. We're headed to Mass and brunch at the Henke's. I'll post all our Easter festivities soon.

Together Again

2010-03-30T21:06:00.001-05:00

This is Sofia at Petsmart picking up her beloved Thathy Boy. We dropped him off to be groomed all the while discussing how Jax was being dropped off to take a bath and then we'd go to the park and then we would come back to pick him up. Sofia stood by quietly confused as I passed him over but as we were leaving the store she was telling anyone who would listen that Thathy Boy getting a bath. Thathy Boy allll clean!

So imagine my surprise when we get in the car and my sweet little girl's face drops and her chin protrudes and her cry is a new one. It's a truly sad one. There's desperation in her voice, Where'd Thathy Boy go?

It was so sad. I'm used to the whiny, annoying cry when something doesn't go her way. Not this sad, sad cry that tugs my heart. I explained to her that Jaxy was ok and that we'd pick him up soon.

By the time we made it to the park she was fine. And when we returned as promised to pick him up she was so happy and again announced to anyone who would listen that Thathy Boy got a bath. Thathy Boy alll clean!

Trip to Dallas, March 19-21

2010-03-30T20:39:00.006-05:00

We went to Dallas to celebrate Emily's birthday. Sofia got to have her first sleep-over with Matthew and Jakey and she got to spend some time with Banka, Matthew and Jakey's Grandma. She loved Banka and talked about her a lot when we got home. She also LOVED playing with the boys and finally learned to call Julie Dewey which is better than David which is what she used to call her!

It was a great weekend but it seems I was having too much fun to take pictures. These photos of our lunch on a patio in Flower Mound on a ridiculously beautiful day are my only real proof of our visit.

Oh! And after the gorgeous weather on Friday that was perfect for drinking on patios all day it proceeded to snow on Saturday! Talk about schizophrenic weather. Poor Sofia didn't really get to play in it since our suitcases were not equipped with any warm clothes. Oops! I guess I should check the weather better next time, but c'mon who would have guessed snow! Oh well... that was her first snow.

Overheard

2010-03-27T21:12:00.003-05:00

Tonight was perfect. The weather is warming up. Sofia and I welcomed Daddy home from work on this Saturday night on the front porch blowing bubbles. The three of us waited on the porch until the pizza came.

Inside I grab myself a beer and one for Dan and our sweet little two-year old says, "Mommy, a beeeer, peez?"

Seems she is listening. Oops.

Two Years, Three Months

2010-03-27T20:58:00.003-05:00

I jotted down some cute things this kid does that I don't ever want to forget... along with a sprinkle of some recent cute pics.

counts to twenty but usually skips 12-16; counts to ten in Spanish but skips 6 and seven but loves to say "ocho"

sings Twinkle, Twinkle; Baa Baa Black Sheep, some Backyardigans songs, B-I-N-G-O, Where is Thumbkin and very clearly sings I Love You (Barney song). Uncle Jeff asked her what her favorite song was and she responded, "Uhhh, ABCs" and then sang it.

always picks the "boo one" - her favorite color must be blue

pronounces things cute like: o-tay for okay; yook for look; buddy waddit for bunny rabbit; wahwee pop for lollipop, adds an few extra syllables to alligator so it sounds something like awahwaha-agtor

loves to play itsy sahwer on daddy's phone peez!

lists things and draws out the word: ... aaaaand... aaaaaand... aaaaaand... aaaaaand

laughing too hard gives her the hiccups. she has the hiccups a lot.

first answer to a question starts with: "uhhhh"

finally made friends with the old guy at Berryhill and even gives him hugs whereas she used to cry at the mere sight of him.

talks on the "phone" with her fist a lot, usually to Bobo. The other day on the phone she said "Hi Bobo. Nice to meet you," to her fist. Nice to meet you sounds more like "Machu Picchu" but to my knowledge she knows nothing about Peru.

she looks so funny when she closes her eyes on purpose

sings her ABCs but gets stuck in a loop at the end "WXY and Z. Now I know my ABCs," but instead of saying "next time won't you sing with me," she accidentally repeats, "HIJKLMNOP, QRST..." and so on until she decides she's done and celebrates by saying "Yea!" as she does at the end of almost all songs.

washes her hands obsessively

likes to cook, help, laundry, clean

calls me "Mommy-Mommy" which I find so endearing. Sometimes I'll call her "Fia-Fia" back to her.

can spell her name and drags out each letter "Esssss" "ohhhhhh" "ef" "iiiiii" "a" and then very largely and dramatically sings, "So-fia!!!!!"

We are so proud of our little girl. My heart just bursts with joy when I think about how much she's grown and learned in her short little life!

March 24, 2010

2010-03-27T15:21:00.001-05:00

Sofia's become more and more dexterous and increasingly interested in dressing and undressing herself. So now in the morning (within reason) I've been letting her pick out her outfits and get herself dressed. I usually let her pick one thing and then we'll build an outfit together based on her first choice.

On this day she picked the purple shirt / dress that Tio Louis gave her for Christmas. It's a little big but it's ok. Then I gave her a choice between jeans and brown leggings and she picked leggings. Then I told her she had to wear her pink crocs because those are my preferred choice of shoe for play/getting dirty at school. But as you can see she had another idea. She was very insistent on her moccasin boots. I gave in.

It was so cute and she was so proud of herself that I had to take a picture. I'm interested to see what things she puts together in the future and I hope she doesn't get confused or throw a tantrum when I force her to wear the dress that I pick out for Easter - that's my day!

Autumn Rhythm No. 30

2010-03-23T19:57:00.003-05:00

Sofia is still really easy to put to bed. Bath, books, prayers and she's down. No fuss. We turn off the light and walk out.

Lately though she's doing more things that a kid her age would do. Stalling tactics. The usual stuff. She asks for water, asks for a kiss, asks where Grandma went. But tonight was a classic.

Tonight she says, "Mommy, where'd Jackson Pollock go?"

We've been reading the book, Olivia, to her in which she visits an art museum and sees the painting above, Autumn Rhythm No. 30. And every time, I tell her the artist's name. She never seems too interested in the painting or Pollock but it seems she's listening.

I didn't have the heart to tell her he died young, an alcoholic, while driving drunk. I'll let her learn that on her own...

Parties, Parties, Parties!

2010-03-18T20:50:00.011-05:00

My party adventures started late last month when my (pregnant) friend Bobby and I threw a very casual shower for our other (pregnant) friend, Lindsey.

Lindsey has an almost-two year old, Isaiah, who's cuteness has been featured on this blog before, so she didn't need too much stuff in the baby department. But since the next baby was to be a girl we had to shower her with pink stuff and dresses! We had a lot of fun.

Bobby, Lindsey and I all met while working at ANICO in Galveston and we've remained close. We have lunch once a week and were sad to see Lindsey put on bed rest a couple of weeks before Evie's birth. And soon Bobby will be giving birth to her little man and I'll be left all alone with no one but Michael Strickland to lunch with... I'm already missing my friends!!!!

March 13, 2010 - An Over-Scheduled Mommy Calendar Day
On this day, Sofia had been invited to two birthday parties, and me a baby shower. Funny, Dan had been scheduled to work in the ER that day. Coincidence? Doubt it. It didn't matter though, Sofia was a trooper, nary a meltdown and we ended up having a really fun day. I mean, cake three times in one day, how can any kid complain?

10:30 am - We head to a joint birthday party at a Bouncy House place for two of Sofia's friends from school, Kyle and Aiden. It was at the same place we'd been to before for another birthday party and Sofia was rather scared of the bounce house but this time she was far more adventurous. I didn't get any pictures that weren't big blurs of bouncing kids but I can tell you, she had fun!

She got to sit next to the birthday-boy, Aiden, who got his cake first. I noticed what a polite little girl she is as she sat next to him and his big serving of cake. She waited patiently for her own cupcake but I swear to you her gaze did not move from Aiden's cake for a second.

Here's a shot of Sofia's version of a hug. She walks up to Aiden and puts her cheek on him.

Here she is crying when Kyle decides he doesn't want a hug.

Sofia's favorite teacher from her old classroom who she affectionately calls, Fluffy, was there too.

11:30 am - the party is over and I have to drive 30 minutes south to get to Bobby's 2:00 baby shower. In hopes that Sofia would nap on the way I gave her the forbidden-except-in-your-crib-paci. It worked! And she got in a 20 minute nap.

We still had some time to kill. So I headed to Babies R Us to get some more presents for Bobby and then Sofia and I stopped at McDonald's for a mommy-daughter lunch. It was fun!

2:00 - Bobby's shower. Sofia had fun bringing all of the presents to Bobby

and playing with all of baby Hodge's new toys,

and helping herself to the snack table.

5:00 - we headed even further south to celebrate Mackenzie's 4th birthday. Mackenzie's mom, Kristy, is yet another one of the ANICO girls I worked with. She and her family live in San Antonio now but were in town visiting her in-laws where the birthday party was held.

We walked in and both of her girls were wearing the exact same shirt as Sofia. It was completely unplanned and completely hilarious! It was impossible to get 3 children under the age of 4 in one picture but here are Sofia and Mackenzie in their matching shirts,

and Sofia and Cameron, who are only 9 days apart, in their matching shirts. So cute!

Sofia had a blast with the girls! It was a backyard dream for her too with swings and bubbles and yet another bouncy house.

Baby Nolan had fun too,

and even let Bobby practice holding a little boy.

And Sofia got to eat her third piece of cake in one day!

Sofia fell straight to sleep when we got home and I fell straight onto the couch with a nice, cold adult beverage. It was a fun day, from 10am - 9pm, nonstop! I wasn't sure what to expect out of Sofia but she was really great all day. All in all it was a fun mommy-daughter day!!!

Welcome Baby Evie

2010-03-15T21:12:00.005-05:00

One look at this little doll and it's easy to see why I now have baby fever. Isn't she perfect?!

My friend Lindsey and her husband welcomed their baby girl last week and I couldn't wait to get to meet little Evelyn! It will be so fun to watch her grow up and see what a good big brother Isaiah will be.

Congratulations, my friend!

Cowboys, Cowgirls Won't Ya Come Out Tonight...

2010-03-15T20:58:00.006-05:00

... and dance by the light of the moon.

The Houston Rodeo is in town. I have never been so when a group of my neighbors invited me I couldn't turn down the invitation,

or the opportunity to get Sofia a pink cowboy hat.

Yeeha!

There was a farmer...

2010-03-03T19:23:00.004-06:00

Baby's New Shoes

2010-03-03T11:22:00.002-06:00

Every once in awhile when I'm at Marshall's I think Mom and Abuela are in heaven looking down on me with joy. I imagine they're so proud that they've raised a savvy shopper who can appreciate good quality items at beyond reasonable prices.

Every once in awhile I imagine maybe they are so proud of me that they ordain an especially exciting deal. This happened today. Thank you, Mom and Abuela.

I've seen this $75 brand of shoes for my dear Sofia at boutiques and I always hold them for awhile and examine them and think "Oh! How cute Sofia's little feet would look in a pair." I look at the price tag and I get mixed emotions. Usually the first emotion is related to how ridiculously priced these shoes are, the second is usually a bit of envious disdain for the mothers who can justify the price, or I mean afford, to buy them for their little girls and the third is something like, "Who knows? Maybe one day."

Well my day has come. My Marshall's angels, Mom and Abuela, had one pair (in Sofia's next size up, no less) on sale for $20. I indulged.

Sofia was so excited to model them she wouldn't even let me put her pants back on.

Oh! And I showed them to Michael and told him I worried they may get too dirty too fast and his brilliant suggestion was to Scotch Guard them. The smallest twinge of guilt I had is now gone! Now we just have to wait for her feet to grow into them - should be perfect for Summer.

8 Years Strong

2010-03-02T09:32:00.003-06:00

Eight years ago today we married.

We are so happy. Truly happy.

We shared a lot of fun years together before Sofia came along. And since she came along we have still managed to have a lot fun and our marriage has been enriched.

So, to my amazing husband and our wonderful marriage, Happy Anniversary!

Or as Sofia said this morning,

"Happy birthday gers-ary!"

Getting Well Soon

2010-02-27T16:07:00.006-06:00

As many of you know I've been dealing with complications from one of the few stitches I had to fix a small tear that happened during Sofia's birth two-plus years ago. Last Thursday I had what I hope to be the last of three surgeries for what has turned out to be an anal fistula.

Don't know what that is? Google it. Actually, don't; it's not worth knowing. Ick.

Anyway, I was so touched yesterday when these arrived.

I couldn't imagine who had sent them to me. Until I read the card and I laughed my culo off.

Don't know what culo is? Google it.

Thank you to my brothers and sisters. It really made my day!!!

Uncle Bob Log - First Entry

2010-02-27T16:04:00.002-06:00

This is Uncle Bob. He's Dan's godfather and a close family friend. He met Sofia when she was just a few weeks old but since then she's only had a handful of visits with him.

But you wouldn't know that by how much she talks about him.

I've mentioned it once before about how out of the blue one night asked for him before bed. And then she'll just sporadically say his name every once in awhile. I never really know what prompts it.

So then a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of my sister's visit I asked Sofia if she knew who was coming soon. No answer, of course.

So I say in an Oprah-esque introduction kind of way, "Tiaaaa Emmm-ahhhh-lyyyyyyyyy!"

And she gets excited and responds, "Yeah! Emeee!" And then very somberly and matter-of-factly says,

"Uncle Bob, no Uncle Bob."

These little stories really make me laugh so I've decided to start an Uncle Bob Log. Maybe we'll determine a pattern...

Uncle Bob Log 1: February 24, 2010
Just when I think she's got Uncle Bob out of her system she surprises me again. Last weekend I bought Sofia this cute little strawberry bib

and so on this day I put it on her for the first time. When I pulled it out of the bib drawer and went to put it on her and she squealed with delight, "Strawberry bib!"

"Yeah," I responded, "don't you love your new bib?" And she answers,

"Oh! Strawberry bib. Uncle Bob give to me."

And then I'm left as I usually am when she brings him up out of the blue, completely confused and thoroughly amused.

Grandpas are the Best

2010-02-26T11:49:00.009-06:00

Bobo's Visit

Bobo came to visit and Sofia was beyond thrilled. She talks about her Bobo often and pretends to talk to him on the phone quite a bit. She sings Bobo's song, "Sofia es linda. Sofia es linda!" It's so cute.

I'm beyond thrilled that even though they have always lived apart that they have always shared a special bond. I remember last year for Papi's birthday when we went out to lunch Sofia insisted on holding his hand the entire meal.

This time was not much different. We had a fabulous dinner at Shade and Sofia sat at the end of the table in between Papi and me and periodically she would lean over to Papi, grab his arm or lean her head on his arm. It was as if to give him a hug from her confined high chair and I could imagine through her body language she was thinking, "How wonderful that my Bobo is here!"

And the love is reciprocated. Because as we all know coffee is a very important part of Bobo's meal, and only this girl would get away with feeding him cold sips from a tiny spoon.

Bobo's visit was short and we already miss him, but we're hoping to see him again soon.

Car Shopping with Grandpa
The day Sofia was born our beloved Jetta shrunk. So since then we've coveted a bigger car. And mostly because Dan's BMW has crossed the line of embarrassment (he has to start it with a screwdriver, people!) but also in anticipation of having two carseats in our cars one day we're opting for something bigger. We're looking mainly at the Honda Pilot and the GMC Acadia. So it was time to get some test driving done.

Since our usual babysitter, Grandma was away on a retreat we guilted Grandpa into accompanying us. We figured with three adults and one kid we could get it done and Grandpa could serve as part-babysitter, part-educated-opinion-giver.

I underestimated just how much fun Sofia would have in a car show room. She had so much fun driving and so much fun with Grandpa. She even stayed with him while we test drove a car and just waved her sweet little hand as we drove away, content to stay with Grandpa and test drive her own little heart out.

She hopped in the back of pick up trucks.

And she and Grandpa even had a little heart-to-heart in the show room

in which she convinced him that those cookies belonged to her. Check out that smile!

Sofia had a great weekend with her Grandpas. She is so lucky to have two Grandpas who love her so much.

Hand Me Downs for Baby K

2010-02-23T22:12:00.007-06:00

Tia Emily came to visit last week so we could go to Babies R Us and complete a daunting task for a first-time mother: picking items for a baby registry. It was very fun, especially for me since I love to dispense advice and opinions and for once, Emily didn't mind hearing it!

I also had Dan go up to our attic and retrieve all the baby things we've been saving for whichever baby came next. And lucky for Emily and Jeff, it's Baby K.

Those are six entirely full boxes (double Sofia's height as you can see) full of little girl clothes, sizes 0-18 months. In my defense and before you deem me a shopping addict, I had three full bins donated to me by my generous sister-in-law during my pregnancy.

There are three smaller boxes full of tiny baby shoes and socks, a large tub full of baby toys and a couple of medium tubs full of bottles and other feeding items.

We also packed up Emily's car with Sofia's old bassinet. It's a miracle it all fit.

It was exciting to pass it along but part of me was sad to think that I may never need those little girl clothes again. You see, I have already determined that our next child will be a boy. This worked for my sister-in-law, Julie. She just said she was having boys and she did. So maybe it will work for me. Plus, last summer in Laredo a bruja dangled a necklace over my palm and told me I was having a girl (Sofia), then a boy and then later another girl.

I choose to believe her.

But that's only because I liked what she said! Although I'm not quite sure where that last little girl is coming from because I think I have to close up shop after the next ~~boy~~ baby.

We shall see...

Anyway, we are very excited for Baby K and can't wait to see her in all those cute little outfits. My sister has the boxes stacked in their home office and when she brought her friend over to see all her hand-me-downs her friend exclaimed, "Wow! How many kids does your sister have?!"

One, just one. One very lucky little girl who has a generous aunt, loving friends and family and a Mom who loves to use Gymbucks.

Brushing and Braids

2010-02-18T14:48:00.006-06:00

Last night before bed while Sofia was busy doing this...

I was playing with her hair. She was having so much fun ~~playing with the water~~ brushing her teeth that I was able to give her a french braid. It looked so cute! I'll have to try it for real one day.

By the way, that first picture up there is her giving me a full-on pose. I can get some real posing out of her when she wants to. She completely understands how to smile for the camera and she already asks to "see 'fia" on the camera. She's my little ham!

Beauty and Brains

2010-02-15T19:57:00.005-06:00

So we'll start with the brains...

Sofia's new classroom at daycare stresses potty training. Today marks her second week there and while she's been very good at sitting on the potty she has yet to be successful at going in the potty. This past weekend I purchased her first Pull-Up pants. Tonight right after dinner I heard her say, "No poopy." Which is usually a sign that something is coming out of her booty so I hurried her along and said, "C'mon, let's get on the potty!!!" She ran, I yanked off her pants and JUST IN TIME the poop landed in the potty.

Lucky you, I resisted all temptation to take a picture of it!

I was so proud of her. Really, I don't think she knew what she was doing, but I'm excited because I think now she'll be able to make the connection.

And if that wasn't enough... after the successful potty incident we were reading this cool book we bought in NYC called Good Night New York City.

They sell them for several cities and I highly recommend them because it's been a great way for her to remember where she's been and what she's seen. And she recognizes and says the Statue of Liberty and the Staten Island Ferry. But back to tonight...

tonight on the museum page she pointed to Van Gogh's Starry Night and she says, "Men Goh."

She's a crap-going genius. I love her!

Now to the beauty part...

Sofia's been doing some fun and silly things lately. But one that I find particulary funny is that she's been crossing her legs. Like a lady. I finally got a picture of it. So funny...

She also is going through a band-aid phase. Baby's first nose job.

Celebrating Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T10:27:00.011-06:00

There's Sofia in one of the cute heart outfits she wore to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. Unfortunately she was feeling a little sick this week but she got to spend extra days at home with Mommy and Daddy and even a whole day with Grandma and Grandpa. Luckily after that she was well enough on Friday to go to her school party.

I read about this great idea for kid's valentines on a friend's blog and I just HAD to make some for Sofia. They turned out so cute! It was so fun to pass them to all her friends and teachers at school. We also sent some to her grandparents and all her cousins.

I got Dan a workout book he's been wanting and some chocolates.

And Dan helped Sofia make Mommy a Valentine's Day breakfast. She stirred up the pancake batter...

helped crack the eggs...

and helped to scramble them!

She even helped clean up.

Mommy made heart-shaped pancakes for Sofia.

It's been a fun morning so far. It's cold outside today and Sofia's still a little congested so we'll probably just spend the rest of the afternoon at the house playing and napping. Hope your Valentine's Day was a special one!! Love to all...

**UPDATE**

Dan came home later in the day with some sweet Valentine staples for his two favorite girls... heart-shaped box o' chocolates...

beautiful flowers...

a heart-shaped balloon, or as Sofia says, "ah-boon" ...

and a sweet little Dr. (of love) Snoopy doll.

And since the weather turned out to be beautiful I ended up forgoing a day of laundry and instead went to Discovery Green with these two cuties.

Sofia loved the park!

It was a beautiful day spent as a happy family...

Happy Valentine's Day from Sofia

2010-02-14T10:09:00.005-06:00

Sofia's a real SUCKER for a friend like YOU!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Baby K has a blog!

2010-02-11T14:37:00.003-06:00

It's written by my sister Emily. Check it out here.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Em.

Days with Daddy

2010-02-11T08:29:00.009-06:00

I had some minor surgery a couple of weeks ago. Sofia spent a Friday with Grandma and Grandpa but the weekend she got to spend with Daddy while I rested on the couch.

So here's Sofia's day with Daddy.

Daddy wakes up to find a naked baby...

Daddy gets her pjs back on and gives her and her "mah-kah-ney" some quiet time with Barney.

Daddy bundles Sofia up and takes her for a jog.

Daddy lets her play at the park...

but then decides it's too cold so he lets her warm up and explore unfounded territory in the front seat of the car before heading back out.

Daddy gets her dressed up for church (I did her hair, he still has yet to master that) and lets her pick out some quiet toys to take with her.

After church Daddy puts her in an outfit of his choosing...

and she's ready for some play time!

She decides she'll make some dinner for Daddy ...

once dinner is ready, Daddy joins and they say a nice toast before their meal.

Daddy bundles Sofia up again so she can take her doggy on a walk...

and Jaxy-boy too!

Daddy waits patiently while Sofia rejects about a hundred rocks on her quest for the perfect one.

Found it!

Sofia and I both are so lucky she has the greatest Daddy a girl could ask for. We love you, Daddy!!!

January Happenings

2010-02-09T11:15:00.016-06:00

Here are some of the fun things Sofia was up to in January...

Happy Birthday ... Again!

Having a child born on December 25th will probably prove to be complicated the older this little girl gets. I absolutely loved the idea that she was born on Christmas day. Her birth, a surprise happening on Chirstmas day, had so much meaning to me and it was a beautiful way to end a horrible year. So it always bugged me a bit when strangers would lament the fact that her birthday was on Christmas. "Poor girl," they would say, "she'll get gypped on presents," or "she'll get lost in the shuffle, etc."

On the way to the hospital in total shock and surprise I said to Dan, "I can't believe she'll be born on Christmas Day." and his immediate response was, "Well, we'll have to give her a birthday party in the summer with her friends." Who knows if that's what we'll end up doing; I think every year will depend on the circumstances and her own wishes. The first year it didn't matter - she was too young to care - and we had a big bash at Bobo's house. This year was a bit more low-key. It did prove to be more work since there is so much going on with Christmas preparations too, so that's partly why it was more low-key.

I think we'll always celebrate it on Christmas night but as she gets older and makes friends we'll decide how to celebrate it with her friends. This year I just decided to put her cute little birthday cake dress back on and bring some cupcakes to day care. I left the camera with Sherry, one of her favorite teachers from her old classroom and let her document the "party." I also sent a little present so she'd have something to open. It was very impromptu and last minute but I'm guessing it will be the last year I can get away with that!

Children's Museum with Isaiah

Thursday nights at the Children's Museum is free so my friend Lindsey and I decided to take the kids to play. The Museum District is right by the Texas Medical Center and since both our husbands work there we had a little family date night. Sofia absolutely adores Isaiah so it was a lot of fun for all of us.

They had these cool chairs you could sit in and pulley the kids up. Sofia cried bloody murder so this is as far up as she got. Isaiah is a brave little boy though and went way high.

Afterward we went to dinner together where the kids went crazy...

and the dads showed off their dorkiness. It was a really fun night!

Nolan's Birthday Party

Sofia's favorite friends at school are all little boys: Kyle, Nolan, Aaden and Bennett especially. So when she was invited to Nolan's 2nd birthday party I knew it was something we couldn't miss. The party was at a Bounce House facility and I thought she'd LOVE it but alas our little princess was scared. I thought maybe forcing her to go down the slide would prove to her just how fun this place was. But that didn't really work. Check out her face in these pics. She's like, "Get me outta here!"

It was funny though that once we got her around her friends and she saw that they were having fun she was alright. Already succumbing to peer pressure... at such a young age. But, whatever works! Notice how much happier she is in these pics.

She looked like such a big girl sitting around the birthday table. This was the first birthday party she'd been invited to and I felt like she was such a big kid now.

Her boys, Aaden, Nolan and Kyle.

Her sweet daddy helping her with her cupcake.

More cupcake, mommy?

Riding the Train at Hermann Park

It was a beautiful day one Sunday so we decided to take Sofia to ride the train at Hermann Park. I underestimated just how much she'd love it. She cried when we left, talked about it for days after (the crying and the train - she always talks about when she cries) and is now in love with trains. So the other day, sick of Barney, I put Thomas the Train on for her and it seems she now has a favorite show. She calls it Phomas. The only problem is that the entire episode all she does is point to the screen and say, "Train, mommy, train. Green train, mommy, blue train, blue train, mommy. Blue train sad. Train has a boo-boo. Elephant! Oooh, train, mommy. Train!" So it looks like we may be back to Barney soon since he's like a hypnotist who keeps my kid quiet. Mother of the year, I know!

I digress; here are the cute pics from the train...

And On a Final Note...

Why would Snoopy need that tiny ol' cowboy hat when it would look so cute on little Sofs? I love that smile!

Pee pah of Changes

2010-02-08T22:49:00.004-06:00

"We wah wosie. Pee pah posie."

This is what I heard coming from the backseat of the car from my sweet Sofia. I turned back to see just what she was up to and I see Barney and Kitty Cat mashed against each other, Sofia choreographing them in a dance to Ring Around the Rosies, sung by none other than herself.

I had never heard her sing the whole song by herself before and was so grateful to be stopped at a red light long enough to capture this little gem!

My favorite part is how she says "Pee pah posie!" How ever she gets that out of "pocket full of posies" I have no idea, but it is the cutest. This video was taken about a month ago, and it was a little sad for me just last week to hear her sing it again and actually use the word, "pocket."

One of the hardest adjustments with her growing so fast is realizing that she's leaving behind a little bit of baby every day. I heard somewhere the other day that life is change. And while it's such a simple, maybe even cliche thought, it really stuck with me. With so much that has changed in my life over the last few years it was comforting to remind myself that we will forever be evolving and not to be sad about it but to embrace the changes.

Luckily for us we have this blog, it's photos, videos and memories to remember the days when "pee pah" meant "pocket full of." And while it's bittersweet to watch my little baby become a toddler we're so excited for the changes she's making and the true joy she brings to our lives every day.

It's A Girl!

2010-02-08T22:03:00.006-06:00

Sofia has no idea yet but we were so excited to find out today that Tia Emily and her favorite Uncle Jeff are having a baby GIRL!!!! They found out back in late November that they were expecting but today we found out just exactly where all of Sofia's cute baby outfits are going.

I know Sofia is going to have so much fun playing with her new little cousin and we can't wait to welcome her into the world in July!

Have you ever...

2010-02-07T14:56:00.004-06:00

seen a kid more happy to be sitting on a toilet?

(I know that's a huge smile on her face, because I was there. Dan argues that it looks more like she's grunting.)

Sofia moved up to the 2-3 Year Classroom at daycare, also known as the Potty Classroom. She's fascinated. Yesterday she asked about 10-15 times to sit on the potty. And since I didn't want to discourage her I obliged each time. Nothing actually flushed down the toilet except toilet paper but I'm sure before too long we'll be getting rid of those diapers!

Happy New Year and Russian Christmas

2010-02-03T10:24:00.018-06:00

This year's holiday breaks were great. We had two weeks in a row of 3-day work weeks. Sofia came home from daycare with this celebratory hat to kick off the New Year. We also had a visit from Tia Emily and Uncle Jeff who were in town for a friend's party. Emily helped keep Sofia busy doing crafts with the craft kit she gave her for Christmas.

We had a fun day at the mall with Emily and Sofia seemed to have picked up on my purse obsession. Here she is at the Coach store at Memorial City Mall. She's a natural! And check out my Kate Spade diaper bag in the background. That diaper bag has it's own story I'll have to share another time...

We were excited to get home though because Emi was coming to spend the New Year with us! She was planning on coming for Chirstmas but Dallas had an unusual snow storm which kept her from traveling. But it was perfect because this way we got to spend more time with her. It was fun for Dan too since she was his Secret Santa he got to open his gifts. Sofia also got to open all her Christmas and Birthday presents from Emi and her cousins too. She loved all her presents!!!

We spent New Year's Eve with our friends Mel and Dee. Sofia stayed up practically the whole time and we were in bed by the time midnight struck in Houston but celebrated the ball drop in NYC on tv. My, how things change once a kid is in your life! We had fun nonetheless.

The next day we would treat ourselves to a yummy lunch at Houston's and Sofia would take this sweet picture with her Daddy.

We ended up later at Discovery Green park downtown. Sofia brought the twins.

She was a bit perplexed by the fruit and veggie face man...

and had fun at the park with Emi.

She was dying to get in the water like we let her do in the Summer and really didn't seem to care about how cold it was.

The park's Christmas decorations were beautiful.

Sofia loved running with her twins. And as most new moms know, it's hard getting all that extra baby-weight off. Maybe we should get her a baby jogging stroller!

I asked Sofia to take a picture with her babies and instead of posing with them she kneeled over just like a real mommy would and said, "Say cheese!" It was pretty hilarious.

So, we said, "No, Sofia, take a picture with them. Next to the stroller." She must have heard something like, "No, Sofia throw your babies on the ground and try and sit your big-kid-self in that stroller."

Don't worry, we called CPS. Dan and I now have full custody.

The rest of Emi's visit was spent taking Jax on numerous walks, playing with new toys, eating and shopping. What a great start to 2010!

Russian Christmas

Every year Dan's parents try to celebrate Russian Christmas just like Grandma used to do when she was a kid. We get together with family and friends and celebrate the traditions from Grandma's youth. Grandma makes the traditional meal of saurkraut and potato perogis with kidney beans and mushrooms. She also makes homemade bread and serves her poppy seed and nut rolls. It's a wonderful tradition that will serve as a reminder to Sofia of how culturally diverse her ancestry is.

Aunt Betty and Uncle Bob were there. Sofia acted very shy toward everyone but especially Uncle Bob since when he asked her so kindly if he could read her a story she cried. Somehow though he made quite an impression seeing as she talks about him all. the. time. For instance the other night (like a month later) as we were putting our sweet girl to bed I asked her if she needed anything and her response was, "Uncle Bob?" Dan and I walked out of the room quite perplexed. But really, she says his name all the time. She even talks about how he made her cry.

Anyway...

Ann and Eric Keibler and the Coussirat's friend, Mrs. Cotton, all joined. It was a really nice night.

It took Sofia a while to warm up to everyone. She is pretty shy around adults but she had a good time too and was comfortable and herself at dinner. Toward the end of the night as I took her back in another room to change into her pjs she got ahold of Big Frog and dragged him out to where everyone else was.

And she put on a quite entertaining little show for us all. Luckily Grandma documented it. She's our little clown!

Happy New Year to all. We hope 2010 is a great year!!!!

Daddy's Little Sous Chef

2010-01-23T19:47:00.008-06:00

Since Dan gets off of work some days as early as 3pm he usually picks Sofia up from daycare and they have fun evenings together doing cool things before I get home. The other day he pulled up a stepstool to the kitchen counter and put her to work cooking! Well, really putting vegetables in a bowl ...

and helping to spread tomato sauce on pita bread. She loved it and luckily Dan had his iPhone handy to capture the cuteness.

She looks so happy and comfortable up there hopefully she'll get the cooking-gene that somehow skipped me!

When I got home she was so proud of herself and so excited to tell me that she cooked dinner for Mommy. She's such a sweetie!

And it seems that being involved in the preparation of the food gave her more courage to try different vegetables, even broccoli...

which doesn't seem to be a favorite!

Note to Little Sofs

2010-01-22T22:19:00.004-06:00

You are such a joy.

Many nights, like tonight, your Daddy and I put you to bed and we walk away from your dark room, after prayers and sweet goodnights and we say outloud to each other how lucky we are, as parents, to have you.

Thank you for being such an amazing little girl.

Coussirat Clan

High Chair Acrobatics and Getting Ready for School

Halloween 2011

Happy Birthday, Little Button!

January 15, 2012

A Weekend With Dad

Happy New Year

Ana Mercedes Coussirat, seven months

Ana B

Dan's Birthday Weekend and Galveston

Lunch With a Three Year Old

March 2011

Still So Little

Ana's Swing

Our Special Sofia

Happy Valentine's Day

She's Growing

Nap Time

It's Only Been Three Weeks

She's Here!

Happy Birthday, Isaiah!

Baby's First Manicure

It's Time?

"I Love My Cousin Ella"

Beach Trip 2010

Identical Cousins

The Things That Happen When I'm Not in the Room

Some Things from May

Note from Tia Emily

Remember Us?

A Peace Offering

We Think Sofia is Cute

New Furniture

The Park with Daddy

Happy Birthday, Bobo!

Overheard, April 29, 2010

Disney on Ice

Kansas City Trip

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Overheard

Easter 2010

"Greengrass is fun!"

Easter Candy

Holding Hands

Together Again

Trip to Dallas, March 19-21

Overheard

Two Years, Three Months

March 24, 2010

Autumn Rhythm No. 30

Parties, Parties, Parties!

Welcome Baby Evie

Cowboys, Cowgirls Won't Ya Come Out Tonight...

There was a farmer...

Baby's New Shoes

8 Years Strong

Getting Well Soon

Uncle Bob Log - First Entry

Grandpas are the Best

Hand Me Downs for Baby K

Brushing and Braids

Beauty *and* Brains

Celebrating Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from Sofia

Baby K has a blog!

Days with Daddy

January Happenings

Pee pah of Changes

It's A Girl!

Have you ever...

Happy New Year and Russian Christmas

Daddy's Little Sous Chef

Note to Little Sofs

Beauty and Brains