SUMMER!!!

We certainly had a busy summer and I cannot believe that it is rapidly approaching its end!  We have been super busy and I thought pictures would best explain our summer :)

Mimi came out for a visit the week after Sophie's birthday.  Sophie really loved having her around and all to herself!

We went to a pool party for Pastor Dan's grandson, Cameron.

Sophie has learned how to play dress up.

Sophie and I went to NC while Travis was on a missions trip.  No one knew we were coming except for my older sister Vanessa and her family.  It was such a great surprise and we got to be there for my nephew Duke's 1st birthday!

Sophie really loved Shelby's cows!

Before we had to leave for Wyoming, we had a big cook out!

 We took Sophie to the Big Horn mountains for her first real mountain adventure.  She loved the water!

We've been trying to take advantage of all the warm weather by going on long walks and taking Sophie to the parks.  She loves to slide!

 Sophie road a horse for the first time when we were at camp.  She also turned 14 months old!  

She also really enjoyed playing with our friends Mike and Liz dog.

Just playing at home in between trips!

We decided to drive to NC this Summer instead of fly.  It was quite a long drive, but we got through it and Sophie was great.  We got her a DVD player to help pass the long hours.  I think we watched Curious George the most, I was just glad it kept her happy!

We stopped in VA on the way to NC to see Travis' grandma.

His mom was also there!

On this trip to NC we took Sophie to the beach for the very first time.  She absolutely loved to water and we had to keep a close eye on her as she would often run straight for the ocean.  I'm so glad she wasn't afraid!

She liked to be out far in the water.

We had one rainy day.  She and Duke decided diaper boxes were the best entertainment!

Us on the beach!

Out on the pier, there are always pelicans.  Sophie liked them! 

On our way back to Wyoming, we stopped at Wall Drug and took Sophie to play in their backyard, she really seemed to enjoy that!

Sophie went to the fair for the first time.  It was also the our first time to the fair in Wyoming.  Of course Sophie loved the animals.  Here she is petting a baby goat.

We rearranged when we got back from NC to make Sophie a playroom downstairs and reclaim our living room!  Travis had to give up half of his "man-room," but the new set-up seems to be working great for everyone.  Downstairs is now truly a family room.

Sophie at 15 months!

Snack Time!

Sophie was enjoying a nice snack of Fruity Cheerios and a cup of milk.  I started giving her the cheerios instead of fruit loops because I figured they have less sugar.  They still, however, make her hands sticky and for whatever reason she likes to run her fingers through her hair.  This is the hairstyle that resulted from her sticky fingers!

We are also glad that Summer has finally decided to begin in Wyoming and have been enjoying more time outdoors!

Sophie's 1st Birthday!!!

Sophie's birthday was last Wednesday and was so much fun.  It did however snow on her birthday, but that was okay!   We just had a party with the three of us at lunch to celebrate her birthday, but I wanted the whole day to be special.  I decorated the dining room, which she loved!  For breakfast she had muffins and of course a candle!

Later when daddy came home for lunch we had birthday cake!  She needed help from dad to blow out the candle and then I thought she'd just dig in, but she decided the better approach would be just to stick her face up to the cake and lick the icing off.  She didn't eat much cake!

After lunch she got to open her presents!!!  She got a lot of great things.

It was a Wednesday, so we had youth group that night.  Travis and I decided to take cake so everyone could celebrate afterwards.

It was such a great day and at the end before bed, she got to enjoy her new bath toys!  I think she had a great 1st birthday!

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Where has this past year gone?  It's hard to believe that I was still pregnant with Sophie at this time last year and only a week away from having her.  Now we are only a week away from celebrating her first birthday!!!  Travis always tells everyone that this has been the fastest year of his life, and it truly has. Sophie has been such a blessing to our family and I cannot imagine life without her.  She is so funny and is a lot like her daddy, her personality really shines through and she is such a people person, which is good since she is a pastor's child!  It's so fun watching her grow and discover new things each day.  She is saying new things and trying to do new things;  everyday she changes and it feels like if you blink, you'll definitely miss something!  God has blessed in so many ways with Sophie and I never want to take one second with her for granted.

11 months already.....

I cannot believe that Sophie turned 11 months old last week!  It's just so crazy how fast life seems to go by these days.  During her 11th month she went to the Zoo for the first time and absolutely loved it!  She eats a lot of table food now and really eats anything I give her, which I am so thankful for.  She has also been using a cup a lot more lately.  Sophie loves to read books and brings them to us so we will read to her.  She loves music too and cannot resist to dance when it comes on!

 It's hard to believe that in a few short weeks she'll be a year old and I have already been getting things together for her birthday.  We are not having a huge party, we are just going to do something special, just the three of us!  I'm so excited :)

10 months old!

Sophie is 10 months old today, oh my! I can't believe in just 2 months, we'll be celebrating her first birthday. Time goes by way to fast once children enter your life!

I can't believe it is already March! Travis is up in Portland, OR finishing up his 2nd year of Master's work, only one more year to go!!! Sophie and I will be all alone this week, but we get to pick Travis up at the airport on Friday in Billings, MT and go to our youth camp for a winter retreat Travis is speaking at. This should be a lot of fun and it will be nice to see people we haven't seen in a while. Sophie was sick Saturday and Sunday, but is feeling much better today, which I am very thankful for! God is so amazing for caring for us in so many ways!

I know it is only March, but our summer vacation keeps coming to mind. We are already planning a trip to NC to visit family and go to Kure Beach. I love that place and since I didn't get to go to the beach last year, I'm even more excited! This will also be Sophie's first beach trip, which is very exciting, I think she will love the water, at least I hope she does!

We took Sophie swimming on my birthday a couple of weeks ago and she seemed to enjoy it. She loves water and in the bath she likes to stick her face in it, which is crazy because most babies don't like the water like that. I'm glad she does though and can't wait to go swimming again.

Sophie is going all over the house and getting into everything. She is so funny and I need to get into better shape just to keep up with her. I can't imagine what it will be like when she starts to walk!

Well, I hear her waking up from her nap, so I better go...

Me and Sophie

Sophie and I at the pool.

Sophie and Daddy swimming

In her Valentine's dress, it was mine when I was a baby and was made by my mama.

Sophie crawling!