Winter Games

It can be challenging to entertain a toddler all day long, but the task can be even more daunting during the cold dreary winter months. Here are a few winter time activities that Sophia enjoys:

1. Playing under the covers in Mommy and Daddy's bed

2. Blowing spit bubbles in the mirror

3. Making funny faces in the mirror and then trying to get Mommy and Daddy to imitate you (she's good at this one)

4. And you can always bundle up and brave the cold

It's been a great winter, but I think we're all coming down with a little spring fever already!

Snow Day

Last month we decided to spend a day at the condo before our winter leasers moved in. A good storm had just past through leaving about 1 1/2 feet of fresh snow, so we brought a sled and lots of warm clothes. Since it was Sophia's first time sledding, we decided to stick to the bunny slope (aka our driveway) but it worked great!

Sophia was so bundled up that she had a hard time getting around in all the snow, but we got a good laugh watching her!

The snow was so light and fluffy that it wouldn't stick together to make a snow man, so that'll definitely be at the top of our list for our next trip to the snow.

Gingerbread House

This year I decided to build a gingerbread house with Sophia. I'd never built one before, but I saw a kit and thought it looked like fun. While Sophia napped, I put the house together, and when she woke up, I let her do the decorating. She actually did a great job and was really focused on placing each piece of candy in just the right spot.

But once she realized that her building materials were really candy, construction came to a halt!

And here's our finished product:
We had so much fun that I think this will become an annual Christmas tradition.

Dancing Queen

Here's a video Will took of Sophia showing off her best moves.(I apologize for his funky camera work.)

Some of the Many Faces

These pictures were all taken within about a 2 minute time frame.

The Silly Face:

The Excited Face:
The Crazy Face:

The Happy Face:

The Pooping Face!

(No, she can't do this one on command yet!)

And last but not least,

The "I'm Getting Attacked by the Tickle Monster!" Face:

Then and Now

I thought this was a great comparison of how much our little girl has grown this year....and how much more hair she has!

Halloween

This year we let Sophia help us carve the pumpkins. She's not old enough to help Daddy with the actual carving, but she enjoyed helping Mommy scoop out the guts. We decided to do Ernie and Bert, just so we could hear Sophia say it! We thought they turned out pretty cute.


I was a little torn about what to do about Sophie's costume this year. If I left it up to her, she'd probably want to be Elmo, but there was already going to be an Elmo in the neighborhood. I finally decided that since this would be the last year I could dress her up as whatever I wanted without her voicing an opinion, I'd do something cute and girlie. I really wanted a ladybug costume, but the only cute ones I could find had headbands, and there was no way Sophia would do a headband. Eventually I found this cute butterfly costume online and decided it would be perfect. Sophia HATED it at first, but we had her wear it to two Halloween events at local bookstores and to gymnastics, so by the time the big day rolled around, she loved it.

(sorry for the poor quality of the pic)

First she practiced her trick or treating skills with the refrigerator magnets.
Then it was time for the real deal. Sophia picked it up quickly and I tired out long before she did.

She learned to say "trick or treat" (teet-teet) but only after she got the candy. The excitement from all the other kids was contagious and Sophia was thrilled to be included in it this year.

When we got home, she got to enjoy a little of her loot.

And she proudly showed off the result of her blue lollipop: blue teeth!