What We've Been Up To ...

We seem to be fitting a lot of activites into our schedule lately.  I suspect that it has something to do with the weather becoming a little bit warmer and the itch to fill the seemingly longer days.  I don't really mind because it seems that the busier we stay, the happier the girls seem to be.

Last week, we went over to my sister's house to see of the new foals that had just been born.  Sam was overjoyed to say the least.

It wasn't long before she reached out to pet one of them:

And even better than that: She got to sit on Fire, one of her favorite horses on the farm:

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Steve brought home an old basketball hoop for Sam.  The net needs a little bit of work, but Sam doesn't know the difference and is thrilled about it.

She's gotten pretty good at it already.  Sometimes, I just sit back in amazement over how quickly she grasps a concept.

Even Sophia has had a chance to get in on the action:

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Samanatha helped me plant some bulbs that were given to us by Steve's parents.  They smelled wonderful the whole time that they were in our house, and I am hopeful that they will come up nicely next Spring.

She was such a good helper.

She even went and got her own watering can so that we could make sure that they were well-watered.

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While Sophia was finishing up her afternoon nap last week, Sam and I snuck outside to play a few games of hopscotch.

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Steve showed Samantha that she can play some games on the computer and she really enjoys it.  All of the games are educational, and she is learning good coordination skills as she manipulates the mouse.

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And finally, just because I want to remember this ...

On Friday, I announced to Sam that we were going to be going to Sam's Club that morning because we needed to get a few items.  She started in with the usual, "I don't want to go to my club, etc. (which is what she refers to the store because it bears the same name as her).  After listing the few items that we needed, she eventually gave in and we got ready to go.

We were driving on the highway and I got behind a semi-truck, and was patiently waiting my turn to pass him.  All of a sudden, from the back seat, I hear Sam declare, "Momma!  You said that we were going to Sam's Club, not Meijer!  That truck says, "Meijer!"  It was written across the back of the semi-truck.

Yup, that's right.  She recognized her first word (well, her second word actually -- she recognizes her name, Sam).  I was absolutely amazed, to say the least.

I guess the recognition came from the fact that we go to Meijer once a week and she always says, "I found it, Momma!" as we pull into the parking lot.  Now I know that she actually recognizes the name/word, not just the parking lot.  This is one of the first steps to being able to read ...

Sophia is 14 Months Old

Sophia is 14 months old today. Sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago when she was just a little newborn, cuddling in my arms. And sometimes, it feels like time is moving so fast.

The last couple of weeks have been really difficult. Within a week's time, Sophia cut three teeth (two on the top and one of the bottom). That makes for a grand total of eight teeth now. With the teething, came the usual irritability associated with it, and also a runny nose and a chapped bottom (also common with teething). During that time, Sophia became fussy about eating (who can blame her?), and I found myself struggling to keep her somewhat satisfied. I am hoping that we are moving past that stage now ...

Sophia still goes to bed around 7:15 pm, immediately following her nightly bath. She's very good about going down without a peep, and will sleep until about 7:30 am - 8 :00 am. I have been trying to cut back on her morning nap (sometimes we skip it all together) so that she will take a nice, long nap at the same time as Sam in the afternoon. This seems to be working pretty well for us.

There is still no walking yet, and I am ok with this. Sam was a "late walker" too (15 months), and I feel a little safer knowing that she is limited on her mobility still. She does occasionally pull up on things, but doesn't stay there for too long. She has also been liking to ride on her car a lot these days. She doesn't understand how to go forward with it yet (Samantha often pushes her), but she just recently figured out how to go backwards.

She says a few words, "ball, "book" "bye-bye" and "kitty." She also says "mom" and "dad." She points at everything, and we make a constant effort to tell her what those things are. I think that she will start talking before Sam did.

Her latest thing to do right now is immediately clap whenever Sam sings the song, "BINGO," and to use her fingers to motion the twinkling of lights whenever Sam sings "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." She picked up on these motions very quickly and now uses them repeatedly whenever she hears those songs.

Also, whenever we ask Sophia if she is "full" after eating, she always grabs her belly and says, "ooohhhh!" About a month ago, she saw me doing that with Sam and now she imitates it.

She knows where her hair, ears, mouth, belly and teeth are. We are still working on other body parts.

Just a couple of days ago, we taught her how to use a fork to put her own food in her mouth. She is so proud whenever she does it by herself now. (Nevermind the large cup on her tray; she wanted a closer look at my cup with fish on it and then would not relinquish it!).

Mission accomplished!

Just a couple of days ago, I joked with Steve that "the heavens had opened up and I was sure that I heard angels singing."  Yes, that was my reaction to the fact that Sophia FINALLY started holding her own sippee cup.  We have been using one for months now, but she would flat-out refuse to hold it herself; in fact, she would blatantly hand it to one of us and cry for it.  For two days now, she has successfully used it herself.

She is so observant, and never wants to be left out of anything. Steve caught a little rabbit in his trap the other morning, and she was the first one in line to check him out!

She has been liking to sit in her chair (once Sam's chair) a lot now. She still struggles to get up in it properly, but once she is situated, she will sit in it for a little while so she can read her books.

She won't watch Sesame Street for too long though -- Sam loved it at this age, but Sophia doesn't quite have the attention span and patience for it. She would rather be moving and exploring.

Taking a quick glance at the television:

Right now, I feel so lucky to have two little girls that are happy and healthy.  By doing these monthly posts, I have noticed so many differences in their developments, but I like that it makes each one unique and special.

I can't wait to see what the next month brings ...

Time for Tea

My brother (Uncle Jake) came over today to spend a little time with the girls.  Sam was in her glory, as she got a lot of attention from him.  They played together down in the basement (some basketball and some building), but her most favorite thing was to have a "tea party" with him.  And Uncle Jake gladly obliged.

Sophia wanted in on the action, of course:

She couldn't resist peering over the edge of the table:

It wasn't long before Uncle Jake let her join in ...

Pausing for a picture at the end of the tea party:



And a picture of the trio:

It was a great party!

A Girl and Her Fishing Pole

Steve bought Samantha a fishing pole a few weeks ago, and ever since then, she has been actively practicing her casting and reeling every chance that she gets. I think that she has gotten pretty good at it ...

Yesterday, Steve announced that they were going to go buy some worms. I figured that some real fishing would be taking place in the near future, and I was right. They even dug up a few from the ground before they took off down the road to fish in the lake.

Together, they managed to catch a few blue gills. I guess that Sam even touched one of them (and then told me all about its gills when she came home).

Yup, she was one proud little girl:

They weren't gone for too long; it was pretty windy and cold outside yesterday. But, with the excitement that she came home with afterwards, I have a stong suspicion that there will be a lot of fishing this summer.

Samantha's First Haircut

I've never cut/trimmed Samantha's hair ... in 3 1/2 years. Part of the reason is that it isn't very long, and the other part is that with her curls, there isn't a real need to keep the ends all trimmed up as nicely; they just curl up anyway.

Well, I decided today that I was going to get my own hair trimmed, and I thought that it would be a good time to take Sam with me and get her ends trimmed up. If nothing else, it would make her hair a little healthier and give us a little special one-on-one time today.

I prepped her for the whole scenario -- the stylist, the scissors, etc. She was very excited to go, but made sure that I knew that she wanted me to go first. She did great!

Sitting in the chair while her stylist, Cathy, removed the barrette that she was wearing:

All ready to begin:

In mid-trim:

When Cathy was all done trimming the ends, I nearly fell over in disbelief when Samantha asked Cathy if she could blow-dry her hair.

You see, Sam has a breakdown whenever I try to run the vacuum or whenever she hears her daddy using the leaf blower. She has made it abundantly clear that she doesn't like loud noises; and I would consider a blowdryer to fall in that category. Nonetheless, my girl let Cathy use the blowdryer on her!

Sure, she closed her eyes during the whole experience ... but maybe that was for relaxation purposes. I don't know.

All done!

Not a huge change by any means. But her hair is softer already and the curls seem to all bob at the same length. I am very pleased. And Sam was even more pleased when she overheard Cathy ask me if Sam could have a sucker.

Amd finally, one last picture, taken after we arrived home and got to show Grammy (and Sophia) the new 'do!

And now I am off to record this momentous day in Samantha's baby book. Yup, I've been waiting for 3 1/2 years to do that. And somehow, I think that it may be even longer for Sophia's first haircut!

Outside Pictures

A couple of nights ago, we let the girls play out in the yard so that they could burn off some extra energy before theirs baths/bedtimes.

Samantha immediately found this tree and decided that she wanted to climb it. Steve helped her up (because it is pretty far from the ground) and she posed for a quick picture; afterall, she knows her Momma is not going to miss a photo opportunity!

Then the girls did a little wrestling in the yard:

And finally, I took some random pictures of Sophia. Her eyes always look so blue whenever we are outside.

One of my favorites, her in a casual pose:

Playing with a dandelion:

And one last picture of her cuteness:

Weekend Randoms

After our Easter Egg Hunt last weekend, we took advantage of the nice weather and let the girls play outside for a while.

Steve got out Sam's jeep so that she could ride around in it, but it wasn't long before her little sister was begging for a ride:

Eventually, we gave in and let her have a little ride (with Momma close by, of course).

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Sophia took some time to play with the flowers on one of my blooming bushes:

Even Samantha liked smelling some of the daffodils:

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It has been a week since Easter, but I have decided to keep the plastic eggs out so that the girls can continue to play with them. There is something so fascinating about them, and both of the girls seem to enjoy taking them in and out of the egg cartons, especially Sophia.

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I have been working with Samantha lately on coloring inside the lines. I have found that it is easier if we practice using these paintbrush markers. She really takes her job quite seriously, and I think that she is getting the hang of it.

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We have started going for daily bike/stroller rides and the girls seem to enjoy it. It's good for all of us to get some fresh air.

Sophia is particularly fascinated with the streamers on Sam's bicycle:

Waiting patiently for our ride to begin:

Picking dandelions on our nature walk:

And sharing them with Sophia:

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A few days ago, Steve surprised Sam and came home from work with a bat and ball set for her. She was SO thrilled!

Here she is posing in her new bathing suit (that she got that same day) with her new bat and ball:

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And finally, yesterday, the girls had on matching outfits. I don't do that too often, but just enough to capture some fun pictures once in a while.

Sophia prefers to be casual during our photo shoots!