Sophie's 9 Year Old Birthday Interview

Wow, I feel like 2015 was a big year for Sophie.  She started 3rd grade in September and I learned immediately that 3rd grade is NO JOKE.  We just happen to go to a very competitive school that pushes students hard.  While I'm grateful to live in an area with such an awesome public school, I can see all the problems with this style of education.  And, of course, this just means more work for me.  Sophie & I work on homework for at least an hour every night AND THIS IS 3rd GRADE!  

Last Spring she also tried out for and gained a spot on a competitive soccer team.  This means 4 days of soccer every week.  Now you know why I haven't been blogging!   It's been a whirlwind since school started.  I spend a lot of time thinking about how kids grow up these days and, the majority of the time, I'm thinking I don't like it at all.  When I was nine, I was playing in the creek and building forts in the woods.  Sophie goes from one activity to the next and every single activity requires hard work from her.  I am constantly wondering which activities to continue and which to drop.  This might possibly be her first and last year on the competitive soccer team.  We shall see.  

Sophie also came home a few weeks into school and told us she wanted to run for Student Council.  As someone who always took part in Student Council and loved it, I was excited.  She wrote her own speech, made her own poster and spoke in front of ALL the 3rd, 4th & 5th graders.  And she made it!  Alain & I were both so proud of her!  It was also obvious that she was very proud of herself.  Her teacher confided to me that Sophie won "by a landslide".  I wasn't surprised.  Sophie is a social butterfly if there ever was one!

 As you'll see, when I interviewed Sophie, she said she hated school.   This broke my heart.  I always loved school.  Still do....even when I'm not the student.  And I know it's because she is being pushed constantly.  Learn more, be more, do more.  One of my goals for 2016 is to slow this ship down some.....if it's even possible.  

Anyway, I could talk about my Sophie all day, so without further ado, here is the birthday interview for our lovely, colorful, lively, passionate Sophie:

What's your favorite color? 
Seafoam Green & Turquoise

What's your favorite food?
Mac & Cheese, Burritos, Spaghetti, Rice & Beans

Who are your favorite friends?
Kaylie & Summer

{I failed to mention that we also do Girl Scouts.  I say "we"because I'm the troop leader.  Our troop went to a local hockey game in January.  Sophie is here in the center with two of her friends.}

What's your favorite thing to play?

With Millie, with friends.

What's your favorite animal?

A puppy/dog, dolphin, elephant, black-footed cat.

{I adore this picture and it was just one example of many, many where she was being a wonderful big sister to Clara.}

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New York City & Hilton Head

What's your favorite letter?

S, C, H, N

What's your favorite number?

9, 2, 5, 12 & 22

{One of our favorite events of the year is the St. Patrick's Day parade where we march with The Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte.}

Do you like school? 

Hate, hate, hate

What's your favorite subject in school?
All the "specials" (Art, Music, PE, etc.)

{At a friend's roller skating birthday party.}

What's your favorite book?
Magic Treehouse, Puppy Place

What's your favorite word?

Flexible

What's your favorite song?

Anything by Taylor Swift, Adele or Katy Perry.

{Watching the women's final in the World Cup.  We were beyond elated at the outcome!}

What's your favorite thing to do?

Swimming, Soccer, Tennis

What makes you happy?

Grandma, Crystal, ,my puppy and you Mom.

{In at least half the photos I took of Sophie this year she was wearing her soccer clothes.  I had to include one here.}

What would you like to be when you grow up?
A puppy trainer/sitter.

When you close your eyes, what do you see?

Darkness & Hubbell.

{First day of 3rd grade}

What is your favorite pet?

Dog, kitten, bunny.

What's your favorite treat?
Reeses, Ice Cream Sundae, Banana Split

{We took a group of Sophie's friends rock climbing for her birthday.  Wow, Sophie is an awesome climber}

What five words would you use to describe yourself?

Playful, restless, girl, flexible, joyful.

{Without question, my favorite photo of Sophie from 2015.  I took this while we were sitting on these rocks watching the dolphins feeding at Sunset.  It was an intensely beautiful moment.}

I can't wait to see what my beautiful girl accomplishes in 2016.  She recently expressed a strong interest in tennis.  That's MY sport and I feel so at home and very much myself on the tennis court.  My intention is to play a lot more tennis with Sophie in 2016!  I look forward to it.  The tennis and everything else!!!

XOXOXO,

Audrey 

Hilton Head Weekend

Before too much time goes by, I wanted to post some of my favorite photos from our weekend in Hilton Head.  We went primarily to celebrate Sophie's birthday.  

{A live starfish.  No worries....we put her right back in the water.}

{These wine charms were in the townhome we rented for the weekend.  Aren't they SO ME?}

{Our patio had lots of lizards.  A big hit with the girls!}

{My mom was able to join us for the weekend. I managed to get an action shot while she played with Clara at the pool.}

{An extremely rare family shot.  On my favorite beach at sunset.  Thanks, Mom!}

{After blowing out the EIGHT! candles on her birthday cake, Sophie asked me to take this photo of her.}

Alain & I took Sophie kayaking for the first time as one of her birthday presents.  It was so great and we got to see dolphins (we were really hoping for this)!  I lucked out and came within about ten feet of two who were swimming close by.  One tilted his head up out of the water to look at me and we locked eyes for a moment.  You know what that is?  PURE MAGIC. It's the second time in my life that's happened and, I'm telling you, there really isn't much else like it. He wasn't a tortured dolphin locked up in a tank that I had to pay money to swim with and touch.  He was wild and free and perfect.  I know it was a 'he' because our guide told us.  He's been living in that particular area for at least twenty years.  The people who work for the kayaking company see him almost every day. The kayaking may have been Sophie's present but I left feeling like it was mine as well.   

Lulu & Goose in D.C.

Our family spent last week in Washington, D.C.  One of my favorites places.  I've spent a lot of time there in my life (being a Virginia girl and going to college only 45 minutes away) but this was the first time our girls visited the city.  I'm not really sure what took us so long!

Honestly, it was too hot to take pictures. It was too hot to breathe.  Plus I was sick and/or recovering the entire trip. But I managed to squeak out a few photos. Here are some of my favorites....

  

  

{My nickname for Sophie has always been 'Goose' so I'm quite fond of this picture!}

{I gave Clara a dime and told her she could put it in her pocket.  She rarely took her hand out of her pocket the remainder of the day!}

{Alain found an awesome place called The Swiss Bakery.  Pretty authentic and SO delicious!  We may or may not have gone there three times during our visit...  On this particular day, I had Clara wear her "Heidi"/Switzerland shirt that was a present from her Tio Iggy and Tia Bianca (originally Sophie's present but it's now fitting Clara perfectly)!  Tio Iggy is always with us.  Always.}

Alain agrees with me that we will only return to D.C. during the cooler months of the year.  I'm looking forward to it already and I know the girls are too!

4th of July

The 4th of July is truly one of my favorite holidays.  That and Thanksgiving.  This year we spent the 4th of July at my parents' house in Virginia.  With a lot of work, we prepped a nice little July 4th cookout for family members and neighbors, 25 of us in all.  I was running a fever all day and spent part of it in bed but I managed to hang through the entire party.  Thank goodness....   Here are some of my favorite details and moments:

I couldn't bear that my Snoopy 4th of July flag wouldn't be flown this year so, to remedy that, I brought it with me and hung it at my parents. I mean, honestly, who on Earth is more fabulous than Snoopy?

The neighbors' dog, Riley, crashed the party.  Smile.

Kids enjoying Pop Its in the driveway.

When it comes to the 4th of July, I'm all about a traditional menu.....burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, chips & dip, brownies, cupcakes.  It won't be your most nutritious meal but it sure is good!  And, it never fails, the deviled eggs and brownies are always the foods that completely disappear!  Is that just a Southern thing?

My favorite part of all is that both of my 82-year-old grandmothers were at the party.  My grandma Nellie (above) is always willing to dress up and have a good time!  And my grandma Barbara (below) is indispensable when throwing a party.  I borrowed so many platters and dishes and chairs, etc from her.  She even called us early in the day to remind us to charge our camera batteries!  Trust me that having her two blocks away when you're planning an event is a godsend.

I hope all of you had a fun, safe, happy 4th of July!

PS ~ Any World Cup fans out there?  Did you watch the game on Tuesday?  Sophie & I dressed up in our finest USA gear and went to a local, family-friendly bar and watched the entire game.  We were there for four hours!  To say that we were crushed the US lost would be an understatement.  By the end of the game, Sophie was screaming at the TV along with everyone else.  My man, Tim Howard.....WOW.  He is a BEAST.  I remembered this post I wrote about him back in 2010.  I'd go crazy if he could play in one more World Cup!!! I remain his biggest fan!

A Sneak Peek Inside Sophie's Dollhouse

Sophie's dollhouse is your run-of-the-mill dollhouse.  Alain and I gave it to her for her 3rd birthday.  Over time it's been filled with a family and several rooms of furniture but that is not what makes it special.  I don't remember how it started but every so often Sophie provides my Dad with a Dollhouse Wish List.  The lists are really quite amusing.  Some of the items that come to mind are birthday cake, cheese plate, car rug, birdcage, flower bouquet, and a toilet.  But one thing you need to know is that my dear father is quite creative and imaginative and he's provided her with several doll house items that even Sophie couldn't think of herself.  As  I was straightening the dollhouse a couple of days ago, I took a few photos of my favorite items to share.....

My second favorite dollhouse detail. An easel and paint palette. Not too crazy, right?  EXCEPT that my Dad took Sophie's actual artwork, shrunk it down to dollhouse size and added it to the easel.  So adorable!  Sophie was very excited when she opened this on her birthday!

Of course this one is my favorite.  I think Sophie may have even asked for a picture frame but my Dad upped the ante by shrinking down a photo of Sophie & Hubbell to put in the frame (she was about Clara's age at the time). As you can see, this has been well-loved and is starting to come apart a little. After I saw the photo, I promised myself to fix it up a little.

What dollhouse would be complete without its own dollhouse inside? So cute. Where does my Dad find this stuff?

And the car rug?  Sophie LOVES this even though we don't have any miniature Matchbox cars (good thing because I'm sure they'd be lost in 2.2 seconds!).  When Soph was little, she was obsessed with Matchbox cars and played with them DAILY.  I always adored that about her! I'm sad to report that she's outgrown her love of cars and Clara didn't inherit the same interest in Matchbox.  Pooh! We still have a huge Matchbox collection languishing in a cute bag inside one of our toy boxes.  They only get pulled out when we have boy friends over for playdates....

It wasn't long after we adopted Scout and Atticus that Sophie requested a birdcage for her dollhouse. Dad did not disappoint!  It's really quite pretty. Oh and I just noticed the little fruit basket seen in this photo on the kitchen counter ~ that was also courtesy of my Dad.

One of my favorite things about Sophie's dollhouse is the fact that the chicken coop resides right in the kitchen (that's it to the right, behind Grandpa, in the above photo)!  The rabbits are usually hanging out in the living room. And every once in a while a horse can be found up in the attic. Clearly, it's my kind of place!

Anyway, I'm pretty sure Dad doesn't read my blog but Mom may share this with him.....so THANK YOU DAD for giving Sophie's dollhouse so much soul and character.  You know it wouldn't be the same without all of your loving and special additions!

XOXO

Because Hanukkah.....

 To all of our Jewish family and friends, here's wishing you a bright, peaceful, happy Festival of Lights.

As I went through last year's Hanukkah photos to find some for this post, I was taken aback by how much the girls have grown.

I love these two photos. For me, they capture the essence of the holiday. The last night of Hanukkah is always my favorite because ALL the candles being lit is SO beautiful!

Alain's chocolate cherry Dreidel Cake has become one of our family traditions.

Last year Sophie insisted that we make some crafts for Tio Iggy.  I LOVED THAT. We will surely be doing that again this year!  It feels good to include him in our celebrations, even in this small way.

Dreidels are BIG in our family.  Sophie loves to play.  We usually play with nuts rather than gelt.

I didn't get to do nearly as much as I would've liked because Hanukkah is SO danged early this year......and coincides with Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday).  I've grown to really love Hanukkah and I look forward to finding new ways to make it special.  

This craft we did last year made it to Pinterest and my blog has gotten many hits over the last few weeks from people searching for a Hanukkah craft. I have a new craft planned for this year and I'm just hoping I have time to pull it off.  We're in Lynchburg now for Thanksgiving and I'm soaking up this time with my family and my lovely, lovely Kenzie!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!!!

XOXO

PS ~ I decided to use "Because Hanukkah" for my post title after reading this.....the evolution of the English language is rather fascinating!!!

Memories of Summer 2013

The summer of 2013.  I don't know where to begin. I will always think of it as a hard summer. The realization that we would lose Hubbell before summer's end overshadowed everything else.  I can't help it ~ that's just how I roll.  Because we'd paid for two surgeries for our furry guy earlier in the year, I decided to keep both girls at home for the bulk of the summer to save funds that we would've used to pay for summer camps.  Yeah.  Not easy.  There were days I was sure I'd lose my mind before summer ended.  But, as with most things in life, when I look back at photos afterward, I see all the amazingly beautiful moments.  Even today, after uploading all the summer photos from my phone, I see only fun, smiles, giggles, happiness and love.  I tried my very best to make summer memorable for my girls even though I was sad and lost inside.  After looking at these, I'm overwhelmed and sentimental.  I did good, I think.

For Sophie's first day of summer, Clara was still finishing up her last week of school.  I was so happy to have some time alone with my Goose.  I'd missed her during her first year of Kindergarten.  I dubbed that first week "Butterfly Week" (more to come on that) so, for her first day of summer, we went to Discovery Place.  One of the things we did there was watch two 3D films.  Soph looked so adorable in her 3D glasses! 

When Clara finished school, we celebrated the first full day of summer by having breakfast together at one of our favorite restaurants.

And I realized how good it would be for my two girls to get to spend some real time together again!

I did my best to keep them outside as much as possible, and away from the screens, and often this was accomplished by just throwing pebbles/rocks into the creek at one of our favorite parks.

Oh and there was ART.  Lots and lots of art.  Sometimes we even invited friends over to join us.  My favorite thing about Soph's age now is that I don't hesitate EVER to bring out the art supplies.

I was finally able to take Sophie to the SK8 Park which was so much fun.  A highlight for both of us, I think.  And it's one of my top ten blog post favorites.

Mom joined Sophie in the art projects most days. It was nice to tap into my own creative energy too!

  

We spent a lot of time with Soph's closest friend, Aiden.  They are so sweet together!

We went to story time here and there.

And, once, this guy made an appearance!!!!

Sometimes Aiden's little sister, Alyssa, joined us too.

When Daddy returned home after a week in Switzerland, we made a Welcome Home sign to give to him when we picked him up from the airport.

We had lunch at Mac's, Mommy's favorite lunch spot, a couple of times.

And there was more art.

We went through some paint.

Even though I tried to avoid it, sometimes this happened.....

We checked out a few parts of town that aren't frequent haunts of ours. And it was in one of those places that I took what is probably my favorite picture of the summer.

We made our own star-shaped crayons.

We gardened and ate tomatoes until they came out of our ears.

Sophie finished the reading program at Barnes & Noble and got to pick out a free book.

We lingered in places longer than normal.

And Mom may have had a few of these here and there when the going got rough.

I took the girls to Discovery Place KIDS for the first time.  A big, big hit.

Sophie stayed in the restaurant play area for over an hour......

....while Clara played in the pretend grocery store.

They had a blast while I wore a path in the carpet between both areas.

Clara also enjoyed the tractor there.

Sometimes, the big one fell asleep too.

Clara went for her two year doctor's appointment.  During the hour wait (!!!), Clara tried to entertain me with games of Peek-A-Boo.

I took Sophie and her friend, Addie, to the movies to see Smurfs 2.

And our friends, Ethan & Jacob, came to visit from Florida!!!

The highlight for me personally was our trip to Big Meadows. I still can't get over the nature and the beauty and the wildness of the place.

In my Big Meadows post, I mentioned we didn't see any bears.  Somehow I TOTALLY forgot about this one.  So cute.

Before I knew it, it was time for this.....

.....and school supply shopping.

Oh, these girls.  On the last day of summer, we hung out in the driveway for our last afternoon together. I was so happy I took this picture.  We had some hard moments but I wouldn't trade the three months of the Summer of 2013 for ANYTHING.  Not one moment.

Life was good.