Sweet Saturdays

Here is a video from our morning on Saturday. Sophia has tucked Erick in on the floor with all of her animals: Oso, Sam the Dog, Lulu and Rawr Rawr. This is one of her very favorite games, and of course we love to oblige because somewhere in the process, usually after a book and a song, the tucked-in gets about a nano-second of snuggling . . . entirely worth pretending to sleep.

God Bless the Irish

The Irish bring us lots of good things: Bono, Gabriel Byrne, Guiness, leprechauns, red hair, and the list goes on.

I just hope you're wearing green and dancing like heck.

Just Too Much

Here is Sophia testing out her new helmet and pads. She wanted a round one like Tony Hawk, instead of the usual bicycle helmet. So, we obliged.

I think she wanted a plain or boyish one, but she seemed pretty pleased with Dora once it was on. Please note, her pants are not that short, but they are being pulled up by the ever-so-stylish kneepads.

The skateboarding itself didn't last very long again, but she thought the helmet and pads would help keep her safe at the playground too.

Artistic Genius

I may be just a tad biased, but I happen to think this is a pretty good face, considering the artist is a mere 2 1/2 years old. . . . I'm just saying.

Friends

This weekend, we had a great visit with my college roommate and her family. Risha and Paul have 3-year-old Lilly and in November welcomed another beautiful girl named Nora.

Erick and I have always looked forward to our time with Paul and Risha, but Sophia has been young enough that she forgets from visit to visit. I have a pretty good feeling that Sophia will not be forgetting this particular visit for a very long time.

From the moment we arrived, she and Lilly were attached at the hip. Lilly welcomed Sophia with a crown and they started right in.

Saturday was a pleasant, although very windy, day. On a nice day, Sophia swings.

The girls also decided to go on a treasure hunt in the yard. Lilly liked helping Sophia all weekend. Here she is giving her some of her own treasures.

Isn't Lilly beautiful? All that curly hair!

When we came inside, they decided to practice posing. This picture makes me wish I had brown eyes. These two are going to be heartbreakers.

I can't do a post about the Gaines family without a picture of their newest beauty. Here is Nora in a giggly and chattery mood this morning.

It was a terrific visit and I am, as always, very grateful for old friends.

Communicating in a New Era

I am often amazed at the changes the Internet has made in our culture. It really is amazing. Of course it is both a source of pleasure and disappointment, as any other tool that is operated by people - some of whom are tools themselves.

Anyway, Sophia is already learning the pleasures of being connected. Here she is typing an email to Daddy.

Another Week

Here we are starting the first week of March. I can't decide if I'm amazed at how quickly or how slowly we arrived here. Either way, I am SO excited about the forecast for this week. Temps above 60 from Wednesday on? Woo hoo! Look for plenty of outdoor fun photos here at the end of the week.

With the current weather, we've been having lots of indoor fun. Hanging out with friends, playing, reading, watching movies - the usual winter diversions. I need to get to the store this week and buy some knee and elbow pads and a helmet for Sophia. I am sure she'll want to try the skateboard outside. She's still practicing her indoor technique, so I can only imagine how crazy it will get outside.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great week. Sorry our life is not more exciting.