Quote of the day

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful lately, but just a few days ago the temperature dropped quite a bit, and with pre-season football on in the background, I grabbed a sweatshirt and suddenly felt quite excited about the return of fall. It is by far my favorite time of year. And so, when I read this quote the other day, it instantly spoke to me and I felt compelled to share....

"For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously."
~ George Gissing

Grandma Visits

Tim's mom came out to visit earlier this month, and we filled the nine days with lots of fun activities. Day one was a trip out to Newport to see the aquarium... Sophie's first time. It was crazily crowded, and not as much of a hit all around as we were hoping for, but it was a good start to our touristy week.
More stories and pictures of Judy's visit coming soon....

4th of July

We had a low key 4th of July as Sophie was just getting over being sick. Went to the St Paul parade in the morning and saw lots of horses - Sophie was thrilled. Then home for a nap and back to my parents house in Canby for a barbeque and to watch fireworks from their front porch. As you can see, she wasn't very happy about sitting still for the fireworks, much less a picture. But we had a great time and loved spending it with family.

Out and About

We've been up to a lot this summer, but on a few of the outings we actually took pictures. :) One of the trips was hiking at Silver Creek Falls, and then we were fortunate enough to spend a weekend at the beach with our friends the Harris'. We have so much fun experiencing these adventures through Sophie's eyes! Here are some pictures...

Sophie and Halle

Andy and Janel brought along their game of dingleberry, and Tim and I decided to play. We tied, then Tim beat me in sudden death... of course. :) That's pretty much how it always happens!

Catching Up, Again

It appears we have a habit of doing this... not posting anything for months on end and then realizing there's a lot to catch up on. 'Tis life I suppose. Or you could just call us seasonal bloggers. In any case, here's the cliff notes version of what we (or mostly Sophie) has been up to lately.

Easter at Nani & Papa's house

Have you met "Momma Gorilla" yet? She and Sophie are pretty much inseparable. The first Disney movie she watched was Tarzan, and from then on the love affair with gorillas has not subsided. Throw in a stuffed animal that's as big as her and you have one VERY happy girl. (And yes, we know this is actually a chimpanzee, but please oh please do not break the girl's heart with this information.)

Took Sophie to her first circus. She loved it! When asked what she liked about it, she'd say "big" (for the big elephant), clap (yes, she was thrilled that when she was clapping, so were hundreds of other people...all in unison), and "balloon-balloon" (Don't ask me why she repeats this word. Must be so fun to say she can't stop herself.) She talked about the circus for days afterward. I just love experiencing the world through her eyes. Such a joy.

Thanks to our neighbors, Sophie was introduced to sidewalk chalk and quickly became a fan. She wants nothing more on nice days (okay, even in the rain too) than to go outside and draw "goggies" on the sidewalk.

This girl adores books. Every day, at some point or another (mostly right after mealtime), I can find her in a corner of the living room with a pile of books surrounding her. My mom keeps reminiscing about this, saying I did exactly the same thing at her age.

You're going to think I'm crazy when I say this, but the "Your Baby Can Read" stuff really does work. Have you seen the infomercials on tv? Well, my mom purchased it for her and I was skeptical to say the least at first. But Sophie took to it right away and LOVES the word cards and books. She'll often choose to read one of these books instead of a story book at bedtime. She can read so many words that it shocks us. Oh yeah...and once in a while, Tim and I get out and do something grown-up like (sans child). Like wine tasting with our good friends Stacey and Greg. We're so lucky to live next to an incredible amount of great wineries.

Happiness

I know, I know.... we haven't posted anything in way too long. And trust me, there's much to share. But that's for another time. It's mother's day, the sun is shining, and I want to be soaking up as much of it as I can get, but I need to pass along this.... If you haven't read The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's overdue and I have to return it to the library tomorrow, but I couldn't bear to not tell anyone about it before turning it in. If you like travel writing, humor and analyses of life, people, places, etc, you must read this. I don't often feel this passionate about books, but apparently this one struck a cord in me. I hope it does in you too.

Here's a quote from the book's Epilogue:

"Of all the places I visited, of all the people I met, one keeps coming back to me again and again: Karma Ura, the Bhutanese scholar and cancer survivor. "There is no such thing as personal happiness," he told me. "Happiness is one hundred percent relational." At the time, I didn't take him literally. I thought he was exaggerating to make his point: that our relationships with other people are more important than we think. But now I realize Karma meant exactly what he said. Our happiness is completely and utterly intertwined with other people: family and friends and neighbors and the woman you hardly notice who cleans your office. Happiness is not a noun or a verb. It's a conjunctive. Connective tissue."

Thanks to those of you out there whose lives and happiness intertwine with mine. And to you moms...happy mother's day. :)

Melissa

A Relaxing Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year, and spent the whole day in our holiday pj's. I love this new tradition with our family!