Potty Regression

This is representative of how we feel about potty regressions...no fun! (This is Sophie at about 1 month old-first big frown). Justin thinks I jinxed us by celebrating our potty success, because the very next day, and several days following, potty training went completely out the window...ugh! It's hard to see your child not doing something that you & they both know that they can do...and well. It's even harder when your pregnant & quite exhausted. Patience is extremely hard to come at that point. May the Lord bless me with more patience...and sleep! You can do it, Soph! We love you!

Fair Fun & Visit from our French Friends

The past few days, we were lucky to have some friends visit us from France (long time friends from Justin's mission to France). They did their bit of touring of downtown D.C., so we decided to give them a taste of Americana witha BBQ dinner one night & then taking them to the county fair the next. We had a blast going on rides, watching the demolition derby, & having good ol' funnel cakes. It was wonderful for us to see them after 4 years. It was also fun for Justin to brush up on his French, and Sophie LOVED her new friends (esp. Nelly, "the girl one," as she called her). She was quite torn up when they had to go, not wanting to say goodbye (I love the puckered lip she gives!). We will miss them dearly!

Cute Daddy-Daughter pic

We met up with some friends from church. Sophie was so happy to be with one of her "best friends," & ride the carousel with her.

Carousel fun

(sorry so dark! I accidentally grabbed our old camera...why has it not been sold/given away/thrown away?)

The group at the Demoiltion Derby.

We had fun choosing our cars to root for & seeing who won.

Go Go Go!

What ended up being Sophie's favorite ride-the Wiggle Worm. She was tall enough this year to go by herself, but she preferred to have somebody with her. I don't blame her-more fun!

Going on the Ferris Wheel. Lauren had to miss out on all the rides-the price to pay for being pregnant...but I got to justify my chocolate funnel cake! mmmm!

Potty Trained!

Do I dare label? I think we can safely say that Sophie is potty trained. Hooray!!! The only rare accidents we've had have been near misses (like when she was running to the potty on her own accord & #2 sneaked out a little before she got there OR when it had been hours at the fair since she'd gone, fell asleep in the car, & the poor girl, half out of it, couldn't hold it while I bent her over to change into her PJ's). She stays dry at nap time conssitently, & I know that she could even stay dry at night time, if she'd go soon enough to the potty in the morning. This mama ain't complainin'! The best was when I noticed she needed to go potty at the fair, and as we're happily going, she holds herself & says, proudly, & straining a bit, "Mama, I'm holding it in!" I love my sweet little girl!

(This picture is of our early days potty training when we had some naked days...thus the edited pic...and Kitty used to join us)

Our little wiggle worm

I had a sonogram today to see just how big our little one was, and, yes, he is a bit bigger. My belly measurements were saying 4 weeks ahead, but the sonogram says only 2 weeks. At this rate, he'll be about 8 1/2 lbs full term-ish, or around 6-7 lbs at 36wks (if he decides to be like his big sister). Either way, Justin & I are guessing he'll come closer to the beginning of Oct., and the doctor is being cautious about me being "at risk" for another "pre-term" baby. 2 months to go! Here's a shot of his little foot. Sophie sure loved that, saying, "Silly little baby!" Every time I rest on my side, his little 1/2 hour dance (or wiggling) begins!

One day I'll actually remember to take a prego pic when I'm cute & not all ready for bed. Oh well! :) Here's the anticipated baby bump, but Justin refers to it as the "mountain." Can you blame him? I'm about 7 mos along, but looking & feeling further...eesh! I have my sonogram in 2 days to find out how big this baby really is. Let's hope he comes early & isn't a monster! We're all excited to see him!

Temple Trip

A ward friend (Shara) & I decided to take our kids up to the temple one day & swap turns going inside (since our normal babysitting swap wasn't working out that month). We made the plans, rushed out one morning, & hit some slow traffic on our long commute, only to find...it was closed! Neither of us has heard in church (or maybe didn't pay close enough attention!) that it was being cleaned that day. Well, at least the Lord knew our intentions & we felt the peace there on the grounds. Plus, this was Sophie's first real visit to an actual temple, which was a special experience. She touched the walls, walked around, & got to see everything inside the visitor's center. No temple work done, but still a good, rewarding morning.

I love her goofy picture faces! She really wanted to go swimming in the fountain.

Sophie loved the statue of Jesus Christ & heard Him "talk" (the played message). We had a good discussion about Jesus with the sister missionary, & she got to see a short video.

Here's our "Junior Missionary" reading the scriptures & telling me ALL about it.

Random Pictures

I finally got these pictures off of my phone (thanks Justin!). SO, I thought I'd share some of the fun I've captured when I didn't have my camera handy.


Sophie's very first fire truck experience (around Sept. 08). We ran into some relaxing firemen at the library & they let her check it out.

We often stop at a nearby McDonald's Playplace while the car is getting an oil change or some repairs (which seems to be a lot lately!). Sophie decided she wanted her picture taken.

Our plane ride out to Reno. The poor girl conked out less then an hour before we landed.

Fall/Winter 08 fun with big sunglasses in the car

Here's Daddy & Sophie at the video games store. She was completely enamored by a large robot-type character. I love the face!