Determined

Sofia was concentrating on something here..I think she may have been drawing. I like this candid shot of Max!

Favorite Trip Quote

" Mommy, I can't carry me any longer".

Mmmm!

Fresh berries in Siena, Italy

Amsterdam!

We made it to Amsterdam! We had just an afternoon or two to explore due to rain. Fortunately our hotel was on Signal and close to just about everything we wanted to see!

Friends are for Squeezing!

Swim!

My little fish, er, um, girl is so excited on swim lessons days. She doesn't question her outfit...shoes...or debate which toys she can bring in the car, she just marches to the door and is ready to go! She gets right into the water; she listens intently, and does exactly what the instructor says. She holds her breath while underwater and fearlessly dives in when prompted. On the days where I have been lucky enough to be there, I am petrified.

Beach Beauty

My work schedule has been crazy the past few months and once the weather got warm Dan started taking Sofia to the beach on the weekends while I was working. So, sadly, I wasn't there for this picture, but I love the photographic updates.

5 Minutes of Fame

Sofia's little, stuffed, Blue Footed Boobie from the Galapagos Islands took a trip to Saturday Night Live in April. We heard he had a very good time! While watching the music performance on Tivo, Sofia stood next to the screen in disbelief.

Bumble Bees Paint

Seriously?

Meet, "Blueberry".

Blueberry came home with us for three nights last week; he is a Blue-footed Booby from the Galapagos Islands. Blueberry will go home with each child in Sofia's class. Each family writes in a journal about all of the fun things they did with Blueberry during his visit.

Happy Valentine's Day

80 Valentine's for 80 kids. I'm glad our school isn't any larger! (Oh, wait, I ordered mine online...phew, I would have NEVER gotten 80 done all by myself.) Kudos to all the moms and dads who made their children's Valentine's Day cards.

A Little About Sofia

Dear Sofia,

You are three years and two months now and you couldn’t be a sweeter little girl. How did your dad and I get so incredibly lucky? I hope there isn’t a giant payback when you are, say, 13 - which sends you on a rebellious, out-of-control tailspin. For now, I will continue to be grateful for all the love you bring me and our family.

You had your 3-year check up back in December and you are in the 50^th percentile for your weight and 80^th percentile for your height. You have been drawing circles since before you were 2 and a half, and when prompted by Dr. Roberts you spelled “S” “O” “T” “I” “A” for your name. Really close!!

You have made friends very easily at school and it’s no surprise to us that you like hanging out with the older girls because you are very independent…Ariana is 4 and Ella is 4 and a half. The other young lady you like is Blu (Teal’s older sister) she must be around nine.

Your favorite songs include the “Railroad” song (a.k.a I’ve been working on the railroad) and the “Chinese Dragon” song from your school cd. You like pink and purple and you insist on doing everything all on your own. You’re favorite TV show is “Olivia” and the movie you have been asking for is the “mermaid” movie…which funny enough is NOT “The Little Mermaid” but happens to be “Splash” starring Daryl Hannah. You are also fond of, “Coraline” and “Nightmare before Christmas”. While scary, you still tell us you WANT to watch them.

You love drawing, painting, making shapes with clay, and anything else art related. You play soccer on Saturdays with two of your school friends and of course, we watch Max play whenever we can. You are not yet focusing on the finer moments of Max’s play but I can tell you are interested.

We read three stories before bed and you take joy in helping me make the nightly picks. Your favorite book is, The Way I Feel. Some of our other favorites include, "Hannah Duck", "A Sick Day for Amos", I Can Help", Toot and Puddle and all three of the Knuffle Bunny books!

The things you say make me laugh like, "I want to SEE it with my hands", and you are very affectionate...you are quick with hugs and kisses to express emotion. You ask to cuddle almost every morning and you like to give Molly BIG good morning hugs. How much Molly enjoys her hugs is to be determined.

You are the most special little girl, I love you to the moon and back!

Mommy

Sofia and Evan

Sofia and Evan had their first "playdate" when Evan was 3 months old. We all met at Pinkberry, and the rest is history. A dedicated pair of mom's (who just happen to be close, close friends!) made twice a week playdates for one and a half years bonding their children indefinitely. They steel kisses in this picture one after another (okay, okay, they were prompted by me but they listened!).

Barcelonaaaaaaaa

We had a great trip to Barcelona! Sofia was an angel on the plane and was so excited to see "towers" and walk around the city. We stayed in the old town and walked nearly every inch. Dan and I were able to get away for the world architecture festival and had a nice evening at the Barcelona Pavilion. We also enjoyed a dinner out with a few of Dan's co-workers at an amazing restaurant (where you walk through the kitchen to get to your table). It was our best meal in Barcelona!

Halloween

Sofia was a princess for her pre-halloween party, but when it came time to go trick-or-treating she decided her dress was "TOO Sparkly" and she wore last year's bee costume. We had fun walking around the block with all of her "baby friends" as she calls them, or our previous mom's group friends. So much fun!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch to pick out pumpkins with friends, Sofia had her face painted and enjoyed riding this giant rocking horse with her friend Isabell.

Happy

It has been a whirlwind Fall, but Sofia is rolling with the punches and loving life. Having been in preschool a whole five weeks now I can honestly say she has loved it from day one. In September our little sponge learned about Georgia O'Keeffe, Joseph Cornell, Jackson Pollack and Mark Rothko. (And that was just the first month!) Sofia has come home with delightful paintings, a sculpture and a beautiful cigar box-top filled with sand and seaglass.

We couldn't be happier with her school, the community of parents and of course the wonderful day to day experiences she is having with her new teachers and friends.

Discussion

"What's this mom?"

"That's a yard stick, we use it for measuring."

Sofia holds the stick in one hand, reaches high over her head, and attempts to touch the ceiling. (She is a few feet short.)

"It's too hard for me to reach up there!" exclaims Sofia.

Heavy Sigh, "I need wings."

London

Summer

Dear Sofia,
The last few months have been full of travel, play and work. We began our summer with our annual trip to Italy. This year's trip took us to Dublin, London, Berlin, Paris and of course Tuscany. You were up for 18 hours straight with a small 2 hour nap that first day, but you hardly complained. You seem to love planes and traveling in general. I think your favorite part of our trip was the villa in Italy (Il Trebbio in Castellina in Chianti). You loved the pool and despite that this year was cooler than normal, you still splashed, kicked your legs and had fun. We took long afternoon walks around the property (we call them adventures) and collected wild flowers to put in a vase for our dining table. We also found snail shells, leaves and rocks worthy of collection. In each city we found playgrounds, the nicest being in Berlin. This playground had multiple wooden structures; a treehouse, three bridges, a zip line, a wooden castle, sandpit, water play area and swings that kept kids of all ages busy while we were there. You loved the Berlin zoo (we all did), you ran from enclosure to enclosure yelling "LOOK AT THIS ONE!" The elephants fascinated you. In Paris we ate at our favorite "butter steak" restaurant Le Relais, we are happy you like it because we go at least two times every trip. In London we found the cutest traditional pub, you fell asleep and sadly missed a delicious dinner. Since we were there during the World Cup (and were all part of Max's pool) we watched a lot of soccer. You and Max were giving each other "Red Cards" for misbehavior.

We went to Yosemite in the airstream two weeks ago and you thoroughly enjoyed our three days of camping. (You didn't ask to go home once! Unlike last year's trip.) You laid on Molly's blanket with her and then played freely in the dirt. You liked playing in the river with your dad and thought it was funny when you would splash him. The water was freezing and he would let out a high scream of disapproval. Molly loved the river too, but refused to swim. Max and Mark hung on the edge and didn't venture into the water.

The biggest news of the summer is that we are getting ready for a major transition. I have found a full time job and will be starting in two weeks. We have been extremely fortunate in having found a wonderful pre-school for you to attend. The program is five days a week. This school is focused on the arts and I think it will feel like taking you to wonderland everyday.

I feel so fortunate to have been home with you for as long as I have and I will cherish these memories for an eternity. It makes me sad to think I won't be with you each day, but I know you will thrive in your new environment. I am excited for you in so many ways; new friends, new teachers, new play, a new place to explore...and I will only be 1 mile away. The school encourages parents to participate (it actually is required!) so I will be there as much as I possibly can, which translates to no less than once a week. This next chapter will be exciting and I look forward to our journey.

I love you Sofia.
Mommy

Summer

Quips

Lorraine to Sofia: "You are talking so well today".
Sofia: "I like to talk, I like to talk ALOT!"

Sofia: "I want to put on my jammies". (Note: it's 11am)
Mommy: "Ok, I would like to put on my jammies too!"
Sofia: "Ok, but NO sleep!"

Pretty Girl

Zoo Day

Sofia and I had fun exploring the Los Angeles Zoo two weeks ago. She loved the animals and birds. I can't wait to go back.

YUM

I just found this site and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. The simplicity of the design, the minimal photos, and wow...it makes me want a cupcake!

http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/

Fall 2009

I love Facebook. This is one of the photos from Max's dance last Fall, he was invited by his friend from The Willows. I found this picture a week or two back, what a fun memory!

Seeing RED

Sofia just woke up and as soon as I lifted her out of the bed she said,

"Mom?"

"Yes Sofia."

"I want to have a party."

"What kind of party?"

"A pink party."

"Ooo, that sounds like fun, what sort of things should we have at a pink party?"

"Cakes."

"What color will your cupcakes be?"

"Red."

"(laughing)...you would like RED cupcakes at you PINK party?"

"(laughing)...that's silly mom!"

"What else will we have at your pink party?"

"Candles."

"And...what color candles would you like to have?"

"Red and Orange."

"Will you have anything else at your party?"

"MY FRIENDS!"

So...there you have it. Our next party will be a pink party (with the theme color being red) and of course Sofia's friends will be there.

All Smiles

Roppongi

From left to right: Jamison, Marc, Max

Max asked us back in October if we could do something special for Spring break...like...take he and his friends to Tokyo. Each of us have had our own personal connections with this city and decided it would be a great trip for all.

I think to appreciate the expansive nature of Tokyo you need to climb as high as possible, so we took the boys to Roppongi to the top of Mori Tower. Not only is the view fantastic, but you will also find the Mori Art Museum occupying the 53rd floor.

Imperial Gardens

From left to right: Jamison, Marc, Max

Imperial Gardens

Even though I have visited the Imperial gardens on three previous trips, I somehow completely missed the MOST IMPORTANT section of gardens open to the public. We went in search of "cherry blossom island" but found this beautiful expanse of lawn on the Northern end of the palace. Sofia had a blast running around and after I tired of chasing her, Max took a turn. It was a nice place to catch our breath after waking so early for our Tsukiji fish market experience.

In search of...

...a park, we found this shrine. On our last day I ventured out with Sofia to find a place for her to run around safely before taking the 2 hour bus ride to Narita airport. I found a swing set and a jungle-gym with this shrine in the background, what a pleasant surprise!

Upside down

Sofia has just about mastered the "bars". She jumps from the ladder onto the first bar and easily pulls her legs up and over. She will go hand over hand with a little help...and then she will drop to the mats after she has finished. This new fascination with bars really happened around February after seeing an older girl quickly maneuver the hand over hand bars and finish by pulling herself up on TOP of the structure. Sofia was SO impressed. She instantly wanted to copy the girl.

A Star is born...

I think all kids are cute in their sunglasses! Sofia likes to wear hers inside and outside.

Sofia is asking to use the paints every day. We are having so much fun! It was recommended that we only give her the primary colors so she can learn how to mix all of the other colors on her own. She is doing a great job so far, we are so proud of her.

I caught Corbu in mid yawn yesterday...tired kitty.

Shoes

After Sofia got her shoes on she started twirling around the tennis court, she soon announced," I'm rina". This is her word for ballerina. As long as she's having fun!

Toes

Daddy and Sofia

Soccer

I'm sure you will be seeing plenty more soccer pictures. Club started up again today and Max will be back to his two evening practices a week and weekend tournaments. You will also start seeing volleyball pictures! Max has never played but is going to give it a shot this season. He will have volleyball practice after school Monday through Friday and Saturdays for the month of March. Ouch.

Teeny Tiny

Dinner

Sofia just had spaghetti for dinner, a favorite dish.
She says innocently, "Mommy, hands dirty".
This was an understatement considering it looked as if she had spaghetti sauce eyeshadow on.
I cleaned her hands and face and as I was walking to the sink Sofia says,
"I feel dirty".
I reply, "...I just wiped your hands".
"I FEEL DIRTY".
I walked over to Sofia to see why she still felt dirty and realized I had misunderstood her....
"Floor Dirty" and "Feel Dirty" sound very similar.

Valentine's Weekend

Not only did we go to the beach, but we went to Sofia's favorite park at the beach. She had a blast on the swings, Dan pushes her SO much higher than I ever have...it was a great lesson for me. I was nervous the entire time but as Sofia would scream, "higher, higher", I realized I needed to just let go. She was having so much fun.

Sofia loves playing on the bars.

Beach Fun

Sofia is slowly falling in love with the beach. I try to take her at least once a week and, whether intentional or not, we always seem to end up drenched.

Sofia really likes building sand castles and last weekend she actually let Dan take a nap!

Running Track

Max played Brentwood at Brentwood this week. The soccer field is surrounded by a track and Sofia loved running back and forth...of course the runners didn't look very happy.