Sophia honors her Kindergarten teacher

We have made no secret of our love for Sophia's school. Captain is a marvelous place that encourages kids to be kind to one another and themselves. Of course, they teach many things for the mind as well as the spirit. All that started, for us, with Mrs. Wilson, Sophia's Kindergarten teacher.

She is a lovely person who gets to know and care for each of the kids that comes through her doors. Sunday was a reception for her and three other members of the Captain community. Sophia got to do the speech for Mrs. Wilson. As with everything she does, she took it very seriously and went at it with gusto. The result is just right. 

The Singer

She writes her own songs. Then sings them with feeling.

She said, "I have hope in my dream of one day having a band. That makes my voice sound even better."

I'm back

It may not seem like that long since I've posted a blog. To me, though, it seems like it's been weeks.

Erick was sick last Monday when we were traveling. He really didn't feel better until about Thursday, mostly because he still had to go to work because he had things to catch up on from our vacation. Thursday was the first day that Sophia had a fever. So I had just finished putting away all of the vacation stuff and the laundry in order to spend the rest of the week and weekend snuggled up to my sweet and sad little princess. I'm not complaining. It's just been quite a roller coaster start to our year.

Anyway, I've still been looking through our pictures from the trip. Sophia was a little less willing to be on camera than usual. I'm really not sure why. No, really, I don't know.

I got a lot of pictures like this. She's smiling into Erick's shirt. And it's not even like I'd been snapping them all day like I do sometimes! 

Honestly, I don't know where she learned it. Erick and I are always ready for our pictures to be taken. We happily obliged when it was her turn behind the camera...

Always ready with a smiling face. That's us!

        
Maybe next trip I'll have a camera that doesn't need a flash so I can be more sneaky...

The Best Day of Her Life

This weekend has been long awaited in our house, but not nearly as much as for our friends Nick and Hillary. They are officially Mr. and Mrs. Frey. I have never witnessed a couple that radiated happiness and love as much as those two did last night.

The truth is that it was a day that will live forever in Sophia's memory. I fully believe that. I'm about to tell you why.

The day started early at the salon. Sophia and I both had our hair done. It took about ten minutes for Sophia to get her hair done. The rest of the nearly four hours that we were there, Sophia was entertaining the wedding party and the other patrons with feats of magical skill. It was just the beginning of her day in the sun. Fortunately, Hillary was generous to allow Sophia some spotlight on her day.

Sophia isn't the first young lady that Hillary has become very attached to. The first was Sarah, seen here witnessing Sophia's magic. If Hillary has half the positive influence on Sophia that she has had in this incredible young lady's life, then I will be thrilled and grateful. Sophia said that Sarah was her favorite bridesmaid to play with. (Sorry, Clare. You, of course, were mine.)

This woman wasn't with us, but she had spent enough time admiring Sophia's tricks, that finally she got one of her very own. 

Here is Sophia practicing in her wedding shoes and giving the bride some tips.

I may be biased. Well, I am. But I love Hillary's friends. Here we are just before she got decked out in her stunning gown.

Nick Frey. Sophia's a fan of his, too, but this is about as close as she gets to touching him. Still a little bit of awe or shyness or something there.

Sophia, Hillary and Anna after the wedding. Such beautiful ladies. Full of love and life!

Jonathan was the ring bearer. And of her friendship with him she said, "Sometimes the world puts us where we find people who were meant to be our friends."

All weekend, Sophia was bringing little gifts to give to Hillary. She understood better than anyone, I think, how this was the biggest event of Hillary's life. This particular gift was Sophia's placecard with, "I love you" and part of her flowers inside.

Another unbelievable but true anecdote. As Sophia watched Hillary and her dad dance from here, she began to get some tears. When I looked at her with a question on my face, she said, "I'm crying happy tears."

Oh, and then started the dancing. Nick's aunt Pattie was the first to take Sophia onto the dance floor. She would not be the last.

Especially after the costume change.

Sophia literally danced the night away. She so enjoyed the dancing, but she liked being the center of attention even more. I hope she never forgets how much fun she had last night. Dancing, dancing and dancing.

Erick and I were so proud of our girl last night. She was fun, respectful, sweet. She seemed to understand what was happening, as much as any six-year-old can. Hillary's day was beautiful and perfect. I'm so grateful to have been able to share that with her and that she also shared it with Sophia. 

Now we have to try to recover for a normal week ahead... And hope that Sophia isn't too disappointed at not having an audience.

Sophia says...

When Sophia got out of the bath the other day, she immediately put on footie pajama's even though it was 2:00 in the afternoon. While playing in her room, she came across some makeup, put it on and decided she needed to be dressed more appropriately. As she stood in front of her closet, she put her hands on her hips and said, "Hmmmm, sparkles or sequins?" I realized immediately that I have never once posed that question to myself.


We have been reading more Bible stories lately, which is a great conversation starter with a five-year-old, especially one who freaks out over obscure injury and illness. So, after reading about when Jesus healed the ten lepers, I could tell she was thinking more about the disease, even though we had talked about how little possibility there was to get it, etc. Still, she lifted her shirt to look at her belly and said, "You know what looks a lot like leprosy? Bug bites when they're healing. Look." Sure. Just like it.

She called Erick on his way home earlier because she had some things to tell him. Once she was through, she said, "Okay, I'm just gonna let you go now because we can talk when you get here."

The other day, I said, "I love you, Goober." She was right behind me with an, "I love you, Schmoober." Then today, as I was leaving the room after a particularly funny conversation, I told her she was awesome. Sophia followed with "Right back atcha."

I love being around Sophia. It's not going to be much longer till she's too cool for me. Still, hopefully I have a while till she figures that out for herself.

Storyteller

Last night in the St. Louis area, we had some really strange weather. Tornado sirens, a couple rounds of hail and lots of lightning and thunder made for a long night for us and many others.

It was the topic of conversation at lunch with some friends after school. The other moms and I were discussing how we responded to the sirens and such, and at every round, Sophia added the night's story from her perspective. I guess telling that story got her storytelling mojo going because after that she couldn't be distracted.

Every time a mom took a breath, Sophia said, "I have a story." Until she finished her lunch, I kept reminding her to eat. By the time she was finished with her lunch, she was up to three stories, and she told me so. Just before we cleaned up the table from the meal, I released her on the audience. There were, in fact, three stories, ranging from the fact that she had jaundice as baby to our decision to let her sleep in our bed through the storm.

I love this about her. She is so confident in her ability to hold people's attention, and for the most part, she is right. I enjoy her stories immensely, even when they revolve around personal information - sometimes mine. I hope she keeps that ability to hold onto a good story and share it. That's something that I've had to work on in life. I have great stories to tell, but my mouth and my mind tend to operate at different speeds, while hers is always in sync. I should have her start contributing to the blog...

Sophia's Story

I'd explain this if I could, but I'm not sure it would help...

Sophia's First Day

I finally plugged in my camera to show you the pictures from Sophia's first day of school. I wasn't in a hurry to do so, and I'll show you why.

Sometimes, Sophia insists that she doesn't like having her picture taken. Well, that's probably because sometimes she doesn't like having her picture taken. But that's beside the point. Other times, she's begging me to take her picture so she can run through a few poses. I guess I was hoping the first day of school would be the latter.

It wasn't.

 

I talked her out from behind the pole and got this.

 

I asked if she was sad to leave her mama and go to school. "No, just don't want to smile for this picture."

 

Got to school and tried again for naught.

 

Later this week, she put on this outfit, and I simply had to snap a shot of it. She's so darn cute! This time, we reached a compromise. She would smile as long as she could close her eyes...

 

Have I mentioned lately that I'm the one who asked for an interesting child? 'Cause I did.

Reading Stories to the Princess

This scene just amused me immensely. Gabriella is behaving like a mad kitty chasing her tail and paper (and my foot) while Sophia reads her a story with facial and body expression galore. I have no idea what Sophia's story is about. Even after hearing it again. I think it was more about saying words while flinging her head than making sense. So, it's perfect...

True Enough

I have been a bit worn down these past few days, finally giving in to the cough that has been trying to claim me since we moved here. Fortunately for Sophia, she does a relatively good job of entertaining herself.

We have both worn pj's for days now. As soon as she got her clothes on today, she felt like dancing. So I cranked up the tunes and she broke it down. She's been working on her moves.

A Few Sophisms

 

It's been a while since I wrote down any Sophisms, so I figured I better share a couple before I forget.

This morning in the van, Sophia informed me that Barney (the purple dinosaur) is a teacher because he teaches kids things like how to hug and show each other they love each other. Then she followed it with, "But I'm already really good at love." Of course I agreed because that's a true statement. "My love reaches to people all around the world..." Impressive and admirable "...except for to people I don't know yet. But once I know them, I'll love them too." A great philosophy, Sophia.

Way back on Mother's Day, we were out to lunch with Mary. Erick and Sophia were sitting across from us in a booth, and a family was sitting behind them. Normal conversation ensued. During a lull in our conversation, Sophia said, relatively loudly, "Whose mom?" I looked at Erick, who also had a questioning (albeit guilty) look on his face, and asked if they were listening to the other table's conversation. Yep. Eavesdroppers. I tried to help Sophia understand that you only listen to conversations you're involved in. Erick was (probably rightly) more concerned about making sure she didn't ask follow up questions out loud... You just have to hope the answers come in time.

The final story is actually second hand. Last week when Sophia was hanging out at Mary's, Mary suggested they go for a walk around the block. Sophia thought about it and agreed. As they passed a couple of houses, Sophia told Mary, "I don't really like to walk, but I didn't want you to leave." Of course Mary assured her that if she had stayed home from the walk, Mary would have stayed too. "Oh, well, can we go back then? I don't want to walk."


Take what you will from these stories. She is who she is and I love her. There are plenty of other stories that I will not record for posterity because they involve her stubbornness or being disrespectful. It's a phase of extremes. I just push through, working hard for patience, waiting for the brilliance of the good moments.

Lucky for me...

...I don't mind talking to strangers.

Sophia and I buzzed around town this morning. Went to some garage sales, Macy's, the grocery store, downtown. We were busy girls. I set out a t-shirt and shorts for her to wear on our outing. The shirt was acceptable, but the rest of her outfit apparently needed some tweaking.


(I took this on my phone. Click to see larger)

As we went here and there, Sophia got a few, "Love the hat!"s and more than a handful of chuckles and references to the diva, princess or "star." At one point in Macy's, the guy who was helping us out raved about her style then asked, "Did you pick out your outfit this morning?" Sophia didn't answer. **She only looked over her sunglasses and lifted her hat with her index finger. She made eye contact with him with eyebrows raised, and she let her hat back down.** He and I were speechless. I actually blushed. Finally, I shrugged as he laughed and said, "She doesn't get that from you?" Nope. In that moment, she surpassed any need for my involvement in her conversations with the public.

That brings me to my point. As we walked around and garnered attention from the young, old and in between, I thought about how stressed I would be if I were in introvert. I enjoy talking with lots of people, and Sophia does too. She's always quick with a "Thanks!" when someone compliments her style, so at least I don't have to intervene. Still, enough people want to connect with the spectacle's mother that it's a good thing I don't mind talking with strangers.

Many Hats; One Head

For the weeks following Easter, Sophia nearly wore that dress out. She put it on almost every day, whether she was planning to be home, at the park, in the dirt, no matter. I decided to let that happen with the hope that she would get over it. She has, for the most part, gotten over that.

The current phase is - accessorizing - bracelets, necklaces, makeup, heels and hats. Lots of hats.

This hat has seen better days, but she pulled it out one day in order to be a farmer. The rubber boots behind her in this picture had been on her most of the day. Then she decided they weren't fancy enough. So she became a farmer in heels...

 

Today, Sophia decided she wanted to look like me, so she started with my hat. It's a hat from a winery that we visited on our first trip to California. I fully recognize the irony in allowing my preschooler to support a vineyard. But I just view it as supporting agriculture.

Maybe I do that when I fix my hair, too, I'm not sure.

 

While we were at the gym this morning, my friend Michelle returned Sophia's crown, which had been left at their house in a moment of dreadful oversight. It was immediately set in its rightful place. (Notice the necklace? It's mine too...)

 

Why there aren't as many pictures...

 

This is Sophia's idea of her best side. Here, Mommy, let me stand halfway on the arm and the back of the couch while making a silly face. Even this is an improvement, to be honest. Typically, if I get the camera out, she begins to twirl and say cheese while closing her eyes and never looking in my direction. Have I mentioned that she's three?

She thought it would be even better if I got a closeup of her crazy face.

 

Then she wanted one of just her lips, but I couldn't get it without highlighting the runny nose. She also wouldn't get off the side of the couch, even though she knew the rest of her wasn't in the picture anymore. Somehow that added to the silliness of her face.

Since we are spending so much time inside, and the flash becomes necessary for a shot, it's nearly impossible to capture anything in a natural state of sweetness. I promise that she's had lots of those moments, though. You'll just have to take my word for it until the Spring, I suppose...

Playing Catch Up

I have been pretty disconnected from the blog lately. I have been pretty distractable lately, so it's hard to pin me down to write too much. Sophia has been downright hilarious lately. She's also been full of vim and vinegar and huge amounts of 3-year-old energy and chatter. It takes some getting used to, and I'm still adjusting...

We've been busy with celebrating and preparing for Christmas. Now I'm excited for the big day to get here.

We made another batch of Christmas cookies. Sophia has been really trying to "help" with everything, and if not helping she wants to do it all by herself. I'm surprised at all she can do on her own, but it still takes a lot of patience to allow her to try new things.

 

One morning we took some cookies across the street so Aaron, William and Sophia could decorate and enjoy their own cookies.

 

Here she is displaying her edible art.

 

We have been enjoying our friends. Some stranger than others.

That's my fondue up there. Oh, so good.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Or today, I guess. We get to go to Grandmary's to open gifts and hang out. Sophia is SO pumped for it. Then Christmas Day will be the three of us. Breakfast casserole. Snacks. Going to see Princess and the Frog. It should all be a good time. I can't wait. Have I mentioned that I love Christmas?

I hope you are all enjoying the time to celebrate this time of year in your own ways. Traditions are great. New traditions are wonderful. Memories are made in lots of ways.

 

The things Sophia says

I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but our family likes the words. Sophia loves them too. She can make me snort with laughter and then catch my breath because of her sweet spirit in a moment's notice.

Today, we were playing the whispering game, where you don't actually whisper anything but just make the whisper sound in order to tickle each other. Then she leaned over with another secret, only this one was, "Mommy, I love you so much because you're so special to me." Wow. Sweet.

Yesterday, after going on the potty, she said, "So I said to myself, 'Let's get that poo poo out of there!'" Funny.

She's a little crazy on the medicine right now. The stuff that we have to give her for the cough has some steroids in it, and it shows. So I need to remind myself that she is a sweet and funny girl. Not just the hyped up preschooler trying to tackle me at every turn.

Just because

 

I was looking through pictures on the computer, and I found that each time I scrolled past this one, I couldn't help but smile.

Thought a smile might be worth sharing.

It's from Jacob's birthday party in February.

Dance Class Open House

 

This is Sophia's dance class with their instructor Miss Hallie. Today was the big day I've been waiting for. I got my camera batteries all charged up for the Open House. Sophia was so excited that Erick and I would get to actually watch her dance today. It was so sweet. At first, she was really distracted by our being there, but it didn't take long for her to get into the groove.

Getting to see it in person makes me SO pleased that we signed her up for this on my whim. Her face just beams with pure delight at every moment! Even when she has no idea what Miss Hallie is asking of her, she is just beside herself with happiness at giving it a shot.

She works really hard at everything, although her lack of coordination does show a bit. She's the second youngest in the class, and she has my gracefulness...

 

It's also fun to watch the other kids flit about and look so thrilled just to be doing something on their own, so grown up.

 

Really, though, I still think that for Sophia, at least, it comes down to the fact that she loves, loves, loves being a ballerina. As evidenced by her constantly checking herself out in the mirror...

 

There are other videos on my YouTube channel from today's class too. Check them out if you like!

Hip Parents

Erick and I happen to think we're cool. Okay, we know that we're borderline, but we're willing to assume that we're cool enough to throw around some hip language from a mere three to five years ago. Sophia occasionally pops up with one of these phrases at the appropriate time. Sometimes I remember to write it down. Today was one of those.

As we left the farmer's market this morning, Sophia said she wanted to watch some Barnyard when we got home. Receiving no response from us, she added, "Can I get a what what?!" We laughed so hard that she repeated it all the way home. I just love when that happens. I also love that she so enjoys making us laugh. Again, she pushes the line now and then on being the funniest one here...

Favorite Parts

As I said, this was the best vacation ever. Each trip gets more fun as Sophia gets older, having lots more opinions and ideas about what to do. Since we went with pretty much every idea she had, we all had more fun. Spoiled a little, maybe, but we had few arguments. The ones we did have were usually because she was exhausted, and when she got a little rest in the stroller, she was as good as new.

All that to say, we each had different favorite parts of our trip.

I loved each aspect of this trip: swimming constantly, dancing, shopping, eating and playing. Still, my favorite part was a brand new tradition that I started our first night just to keep Sophia entertained for a couple of minutes.

Each night, as we wound down together in our room, we took the camera and looked through the day's pictures. That mostly involved Sophia saying "It's me! What am I doing?" But it was still a perfect way to end each day. After we looked through the pictures, we always took a family self portrait like this one:



After the family shot, Sophia got a chance to take a picture or two with the camera. That whole little routine was definitely my favorite part of our vacation. I hope that is a tradition that will stick, but I know her interest level will decrease as the years go along.



Erick enjoyed each part of our vacation too. His very favorite part was swimming with Sophia and watching her be so proud of herself for doing big girl things. She had no fear in the water and would just jump right in there. The first night in the pool, she insisted that she could do it herself. In a 4' pool, that wasn't an option, but the thought was endearing.




Sophia and Daddy really did have a lot of fun together in the pools over the week.



Sophia's favorite part is a little harder nail down. When I asked her what it was, she replied, "The airplane ride," and we all know how that ended. So I can hardly take that seriously. After that, I began giving her choices, and each time she picked the last one. For example: the airplane or swimming? Swimming. Swimming or dancing? Dancing. After a while, we caught on and began asking other questions. Erick: Who do you like better - mommy or daddy? Daddy. Of course I followed it up with the reverse and was rewarded with a "Mommy." So I guess we'll just have to take our best guess.

I think it was dancing. In Downtown Disney, which was a few blocks from our hotel, there was a stage with a dance lesson each night. One lady directed all the kids in their steps on dances. Sophia loved this. It was so much fun to watch. The first night, we just stopped the stroller at the back to check it out. Before we could say anything, Sophia had hopped out and walked up front with all the kids.

She paid attention and kept up as best as she could. I was pretty impressed with her ability to follow dance instructions.



She was one of the littlest ones out there, especially on the first night. She definitely stuck with it longer than any of the other little ones. She also stuck close.



The next night was the same thing. She had been asking about dancing all day. So when she got down there, she concentrated and listened carefully.



Then jumped right in.



Here's a little sampling of her talent...