A Little Bit of Randomness...

So, I have not blogged lately for several reasons.... we were out of town (more on that later in the post), Sophia is teething and walking (which means I am either holding her or chasing her around the house), and I have been a card making MACHINE for the last week. I'm working on Sophia's birthday invitations and thank-you cards. I absolutely love to make cards. I usually pick 1-2 stamps, one card design and then make 20-30 cards from that design. Unfortunately I don't start until 7:30ish and then stay up to midnight trying to finish. Here's a sneak peek (sorry about the picture lighting - it's a cupcake with glittery sprinkles if you can't tell). I'll post a picture of the invitation when I finish.

Well thanks to Hurricane Ike, we had an extended trip to Hondo and San Antonio two weeks ago. The occasion was Tony's dad's surprise birthday party. And boy was he surprised! It was great. Sophia met several new relatives and mingled well with all the guests. She even let Grandpa James love on her for awhile. If only she completely understood that this is the guy who bought her the beloved pink leather Harley chair. She adores it and would shower Grandpa James with kisses if she could make the association. A few more visits and I'm sure the deep voice, tall stature, and goatee will no longer be intimidating. The party was great and staying out in Hondo was a real treat. Tony and I love the country. How dark and quiet it gets at night. Long walks. Sitting on the porch. Solitude. We were not planning to see friends since it was to be such a short visit but our flight home was cancelled two times (after our flight there was cancelled once) due to Hurricane Ike. San Antonio was having great weather so we used the opportunity to see several of our friends...

Relaxing by the pool in the country

Mimi introduces Sophia to the fish.

Breakfast with Marshall and Laura at our favorite breakfast spot, The Magnolia House. This is the restaurant where Laura and I were asked to leave because we had stayed there talking for too long. This incident does not stop us from going back. Can you say chocolate chip pancakes and the best coffee ever!!

Sic 'Em Bears! My dear friend Christy joined us for dinner. We had to get a Baylor grad and future grad (Sophia :)) shot. Christy and I became fast friends while working together as speech therapists in the public schools where we shared a tiny portable building. Since then we've been caught laughing during many an inservice and many other not so appropriate situations.

The flight home was a real milestone for Sophia. She lost her stranger anxiety issues and decided that all people in the terminal were friends. We were stuck in Dallas for over two hours so Sophia used the time to practice walking to new people, waving, and squealing with delight. She charmed quite a few passengers, I must say. Sophia also discovered one of her mommy's greatest weaknesses: Starbucks vanilla lattes (no I did not actually let her drink my coffee - the cup was empty :)). One of our friends, who does not like coffee, refers to coffee cups as adult sippy cups. Sophia must think so too...

Speaking of sippy cups, we are still fighting that battle here in our household. Sophia absolutely refuses. She looks at the cup, sticks her bottom lip out and cries like I've taken away her Lambie. So we are now implementing Operation Sippy Cup. I bought three sippy cups today that have straws instead of a spout (thanks for the suggestion Taryn and Gloria). One for me, one for Tony, and one for Mama Jean. Oh yes, they are ours. We now walk around the house drinking from them pretending like they are the best thing since sliced bread. Yes I feel completely idiotic but I'm desperate. Today's lunch was the first attempt. Sophia looked over at me, and I kid you not, laughed. It may be funny, sweet girl, but I'm not giving up!

And in summary, I leave you with these thoughts: pumpkin spice lattes, cool breezes, costumes, Friday night football, leaves on the brink of changing colors, pumpkins, Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters, brown, orange, red, yellow, sweat free walks, and finally pumpkin spice lattes. FALL IS HERE!