With all of that said, it's been almost five months since I've shared pictures of my crazy (yet completely adorable) toddler so prepare for another overload here. She now knows how to say cheese but usually doesn't stop moving long enough for me to get a good shot. So here's what we've been up to since I last updated the blog in mid-July:
We spent a weekend in Fish Creek Door County where we enjoyed biking through Peninsula State Park, eating delicious food, dipping our toes in the lake (Sophia's first time!), and walking and shopping around town. We made a special stop in Sturgeon Bay on our way home to visit with Sophia's godfather, Jesse, and his family. Sophia got her first "ride" on a horse and enjoyed meeting Uncle Jesse's parents and sisters.
Summer brought a visit from Sophia's godmother, Kelsey, and of course we indulged in a walk downtown Cedarburg, some playtime at the park, and took too many pictures to share! Here are just two of my favorites from the day (and yes, Sophia wore that dress A LOT this summer!)
Sophia LOVES the water! She took swimming lessons at our local pool in August and we visited the free splash park a few times, too. I can't wait to take her again next summer when she'll be able to keep up with all of the big kids.
We went to the zoo a lot this summer thanks to our zoo pass (best present ever!). We made a special trip to the zoo when Aunt Katie came home to visit. My child is fearless and loves making animal noises...she learned it's even better when you can come face-to-face with the animals. Thank goodness for the glass or she would have pet this lion.
We enjoyed many hikes at the Lion's Den Gorge where Sophia loved running the boardwalk, chasing daddy through the woods, and trying to catch the falling leaves. Fall was quickly approaching but the weather was still so nice and warm!
We took a short trip over Labor Day weekend to LaCrosse to celebrate Dave's mom's 60th birthday. Sophia enjoyed exploring the gardens and took her first boat ride.
October sent us to the Pumpkin Patch to pick pumpkins and Sophia enjoyed her first hayride. After the pumpkin patch, we visited my grandma at the farm. It was my great grandparent's old farm but it's not functioning anymore. We walked the corn fields one last time before they starting building the subdivision. Papa used to play here as a child...so fun to see him walking the field with Sophia.
Sophia had fun trick-or-treating this year, although she cared more about petting people's dogs and wanted to throw everyone's pumpkins because clearly they resemble her favorite toy: balls. She dressed as an owl this year and I am proud to say I made her costume. I am so not crafty or creative but I wanted to make something cute, simple, and cheap.
The Wisconsin Fall weather had been unseasonably warm for a while so we spent a lot of time playing outside and at the park. We made one last trip to the park last weekend because we knew the weather was about to turn cold soon.
We celebrated Thanksgiving, although I forgot to take any pictures, and then celebrated Grandpa Irish's and grandma Anderson's birthdays the next few days. These are some lucky, wonderful grandparents if you ask me!
Sophia has become such a fun, spirited little girl. I love being her mommy. She is incredibly sweet, independent, stubborn, and smart. She continually managed to challenge my rules with her smile and "please mamma's", especially when begging for cookies (grandma got her hooked on Chips Ahoy). There is nothing better though as parent than watching your child learn and develop their own personality. Sophia knows all of her colors and shapes, she can tell you (very loudly) what noise every animal says, and she's working on counting and her alphabet, and she now says please and thank you without being asked. She is speaking in simple sentences and always puts mama, dada, papa, or grandma at the end of every sentence. She is obsessed with her stuffed animals - pup-pup is still her favorite but Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, and Piggy now accompany us everywhere (including when we rock to sleep). She loves running in circles, playing chase, throwing balls, swinging, and going down the slide. She has become a little artist and would draw with crayons all day if we let her. She never leaves an inch of the page white. Sophia loves to share which I am thankful for. She is compassionate and gentle, loving to give hugs and kisses to family, friends, random boys at Playgroup, and her stuffed animals. Sometimes I can't believe we only have a few months left before she turns two!
