Tiger Reintroduction

Last weekend, we happened into some tickets to the first football game of the Mizzou season. That hasn't happened to us since we moved in 2010. Erick and I have been over for a couple games, but even that was years ago.

So we were so happy to get to reintroduce Sophia to the culture that is Mizzou football. She also had a guide closer to her age. These two are about the sweetest 8-year-olds I know. I feel lucky to get to hang around them.

Sophia got into it quickly. In spite of the heat and the big score gap (thankfully), we managed to make it through three quarters. If you were still allowed to leave at halftime and come back, we probably could have made the whole thing. That's neither here nor there.

I'm not saying that Sophia's going to go to Mizzou when she grows up. We do sing the Alma Mater at bed every night. All that matters is that we all had a great time, and Sophia knows when to stand and cheer and how to follow up an M - I - Z !!!

Girls

Last weekend was packed full of family, friends and celebrations. This weekend will be more of the same - only different. Sophia and I went to Columbia for a quick visit. Our main reason for choosing the weekend was to celebrate the impending (sounds ominous) arrival of a baby girl into the family of some great friends. 

This little girl is going to be so loved and well taken care of. She's also going to be cute. I cannot wait to meet her. Sophia's excited about it, too. 

At the baby shower, Sophia was befriended by an adorable and charming little girl. The two of them had a wonderful time walking that delicate sparkly line between being girly and being wacky.

I was so happy to get to celebrate with my friend. I could not be happier for them to get to start this new book (too big to be a chapter) in their lives.

At some point in the celebration, I got a little distracted by my own feelings. Maybe because we're reaching the end of another school year. Maybe because Sophia made me tell her the story of her baby shower. Maybe just because thinking about my friend mothering a daughter makes me think about my own daughter. Whatever the reason, I just couldn't help but be a little distracted by my gratitude for my own girl.

I love her to distraction.

Beautiful Weekend

It was such a beautiful spring weekend! Saturday, we were in Columbia visiting Mary. Because the day was so perfect, we had to get out and enjoy nature. We were not the only ones with the idea, but the park is big enough that we weren't tripping over one another anyway.

Sophia loved it! She doesn't remember being there before, but she was happy to lead us on a different trail around the park.

And, even though she was a little anxious about it, she went into the cave at Devil's Icebox. She wanted to explore deeper into the cave. I was very surprised at how much she liked it in there. It was just just a beautiful day!

Spring Break, so far

Spring Break will end with Easter. I'll post about that when it happens. So far, our break has been fun and full, combined with lazy and quiet.

It started with this. Sledding and slogging through the snow.

Lucky for us, they cleared the roads well so we could get to this. An egg hunting good time with lots of friends.

And a lot of fun with a couple of Sophias.

Sophia has her own special way of enjoying snow melt. Mixed with dirt. I imagine there will be more of that today.

I hope everyone else's spring break has been as great and fun-filled as ours. Still more to come with Easter back in Columbia!

Hanging with the Cousins

This weekend, we got to hang out with Aaron, William and Henri all weekend. The three of us had a blast with them, and we didn't even leave their house once - although Erick did leave on Sunday morning to get donuts... We all spent lots of time on the couches together.

There was also lots of noise. Henri enjoyed being the entertainer now and then. This was a big finish to one of his songs. Notice the intense rock star gaze.

Once David and Casey got home on Sunday, we went to William's piano recital. Well, we thought it was his piano recital, but it turned out to be a private performance. The recital changed, but their calendar hadn't. Still, it worked out great for us to get to hear him regardless. Sophia was very proud of her cousin. Isn't he handsome?

It was a fantastic weekend for all of us. Full of laughs and random yelling. Who could ask for more?

Easter

Food, candy, family. That was our weekend. A fantastic time was had by all. Now I'm coming down off my sugar high. Headed to bed early.

Hola

It's been an uncharacteristically long time since my last post. I keep starting posts about the fact that it's been almost a year since we've been in St. Louis. Each post has been different and each one is unfinished.

Maybe if I keep it short, rather than comprehensive, I can get one published. In just four days, it will be an entire year since we moved into this apartment. That feels weird on many levels. A year is a long time, but it's still only an eighth of the time we lived and invested in Columbia.

We miss our friends. All three of us miss them. We miss our house, mostly because, as Sophia says, "It was so close to the boysies." I think I may have mentioned this before, but there are definitely days that I wish I were in Columbia, but, so far, I haven't wished that I lived there again. That's not to say I won't have that feeling in the future, but I'm happy to hold onto my contentment for now.

We love our friends in St. Louis. I'm grateful every day for the relative ease of this transition for all of us. Erick loves his job. I love the possibilities in St. Louis. I love the food and the walks.

Sophia loves her school, the parks, her friends. Everything that matters to her about St. Louis is a win.

A year later. Sophia, Erick and I have all grown and changed individually. Our relationships to each other have changed, too, as outside dynamics shift. A year later, and I can still say with absolute certainty that my favorite thing in life is the three of us - together.

Celebrating Sophia

 

Tomorrow, Sophia turns five. It's a very big deal, and especially given the year we've had since her last birthday, I wanted to be sure that her birthday was a big deal. Sophia, of course, helped that happen. My original plan was two small parties: one in Columbia, and one in St. Louis. Just a few friends at each so we could spread the love. The Columbia party stayed small as planned, but the St. Louis party guest list was expanded - by Sophia. She kept inviting people that we'd see until I finally had to give in and invite the whole preschool class (fifteen kids!). Her class is pretty close to one another. They all go to every kid's party. It's a good problem, but not when the party is planned for the park and rain is a threat....

So the birthday weekend started at Mary's house, where Sophia received the above Rapunzel doll.

Next came the party at Bonkers. A great time that wore everyone out.

 

After we left the party, we headed to David and Casey's so we could celebrate with family and also celebrate Henri's second birthday! The cousins had a blast.

 

We headed home Saturday night so we could finish preparations for the party in the park, which came off without a single hitch. I have never been so happy for a rainless day in my life. It would have been a tight squeeze in our apartment, to say the least!!

The party was lots of fun, and the park turned out to be a great location. Again, the kids went home wiped out. All the parents grateful for the promise of a good night's sleep...

 

Anyway, it was a great weekend. Tomorrow, she'll get to choose our after-school activities. I can't believe I'm almost the mommy of a 5-year-old!

It was a good night

Last night, we were in Columbia to celebrate David's 40th birthday. Difficult to believe, yes. Impossible, no. At his insistence, we also had to acknowledge the other four August birthdays (one of which is Erick's tomorrow) All stops on our walking party train were planned and strategized by our friend JP. Anyway, it was a fantastic time. Way too many laughs to recall. I'm so glad we got to celebrate with our friends. They're fun.

Starting the Week with a Smile

This weekend, we went to Columbia to spend the night with Aaron, William and Henri while David and Casey got a much needed and long awaited night away. It couldn't have gone better for us.

There is no way to describe how much we miss the boys since we moved. It has been the biggest adjustment by far - to go from walking next door to see them to scheduling and waiting for visits when we can make it happen. So we were very excited to have a chance to spend some extended time with the boys this weekend.

The most surprising thing I can say after the weekend is that it was actually relaxing. We just hung out all weekend. The boys read, they all played, watched some TV and we played some games together. It was a very good time. The thing Sophia came away with is an obsession with Harry Potter. Allow me to brag on my nephews for a moment. My 8-year-old second grade nephew is halfway through the third book of Harry Potter. My 6-year-old kindergarten nephew just finished the second book. Seriously. Anyway, now Sophia has an intense desire to "learn everything about Harry Potter." To which end, she came home with the first book that she and Erick are reading together. This evening as they sat on the couch, Erick would get through one or two lines before being stopped with some very pointed questions about Harry's family, his name and why isn't he a wizard yet? So it could be an interesting (and potentially frustrating) undertaking. I will keep you informed if it gets dicey.

Laundry's going. Erick's entering receipts and we're getting ready for the week. I am looking forward to this week. Some of my friends are coming on Tuesday evening for a mall outing, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Hope everyone else has a fun week ahead as well!