Discovery Center and Christmas lights

One of the trees at the Discovery Center

Look what Sophie built!

Abbie really loved the grocery store checkout conveyer belt the best!

This picture was just too funny. It really captures Abbie-she's always on the move and she's very mischievous sometimes! She had just come down the 2 story slide at the Discovery Center.

Sophie by the lights at Sunnyside.

The weekend before Christmas, we decided to take the girls out to the Discovery Center. I had finished all of my shopping and we just wanted to do something fun and laid-back. I had bought some passes for the Discovery Center so we decided to go and use them. For a while, it wasn't crowded at all. The girls enjoyed working on the car, doing some art, playing in the grocery store, seeing the trains and some new exhibits. Poor Sophie got quite a bit wet before we left in the water play area! We enjoyed seeing all of the displays that they had about how Christmas is celebrated in different countries. Sophie had a unit at school where they rotated among different teachers and learned about how various countries celebrate at this time of year. That weekend, we also visited the Sunnyside neighborhood which we usually do each year. We love their Christmas lights! We also attempted to make gingerbread houses over the weekend but it didn't go so well. The second time was a charm for us!

Discovery Center and the County Fair

Abbie, Jackson and Sophie are firefighters!

Sophie, Jackson, Caroline, and Abbie

Sophie poses as a cowgirl at the fair

I thought this sign was too funny!

We love to go to the little one's farming area!

Abbie's busy working on the farm.

A couple of days before school started, we met up with the McKissick's at the Discovery Center.  It was pretty busy that day but all of our kids had a good time.  Stephanie and I have been friends for a long time so it was good to be able to get together and catch up.  We played there for a long time and then had a picnic lunch outside.  It was a perfect day for a picnic because it was very cloudy.  As we walked around outside, it started raining a little bit though.

That night, we decided to go to the Williamson County Fair and Stephanie had said that they might be going too.  Although Abbie didn't take an afternoon nap, we decided to go to the fair for a couple of hours.  We watched a clown show, toured the Little One's farming area and saw a lot of different animals.  We were able to meet up with the McKissick's for a while and see the animals so that was fun.  We ran into several people that we knew and the girls were able to have some balloon animals made for them.  It turned out to be a good night to visit the fair because it wasn't near as hot as some years when we've been.

Quick Update

Paula and Sophie at the Valentine's Day party (at school)

Sophie's getting ready to work on the car

February was a good month for us overall but last week was a little rough. Both girls had ear infections and Matt was out of town during part of that time. Abbie was very clingy and just wanted to be held or rocked a lot (which is very unusual for her). However, earlier in the month Sophie had lots of fun decorating Valentine's Day cards and cookies as well as visiting the Discovery Center with the Ice's one day. She discovered the "Shadow Room" on our last trip there and loved it! The girls also enjoyed the big slide, working on the car, playing in the grocery store, etc. Let me tell you though, it's hard to keep up with several kids of different ages in a place with that many different things to do!! We also were able to go mini-bowling for a second time with the Walker's. The kids enjoyed bowling but they really enjoyed running across the lanes while waiting for their turn to bowl. Next time, Sara and I might just save our money!

This past weekend, Matt took Sophie to see "Miss Nelson is Missing" at the Nashville Children's Theater and she loved it!

Christmas is coming soon!

Abbie & Matt

Sophie & Matt

our "elf on the shelf" in our Christmas tree

Abbie & Sophie all dressed up

We've been busy with a little bit of a lot of different things which is common for this time of year I guess. We got the house decorated for Christmas this past week. I REALLY didn't want to put up our big tree this year (which I know is probably terrible if you have a 3 1/2 year old) but I also have a 10 month old who loves to cruise and is walking some too and puts everything in her mouth. Plus, we won't be around much at Christmas this year. However, we went ahead and put the tree up (mostly because Matt just went ahead and assembled it and I felt guilty). After I had finished decorating it the next day, Sophie at some point said, "Mama, I think we have the prettiest tree ever!" That statement made it all worth it! Of course, we have the challenge of keeping things out of Abbie's mouth but this year we have our big plastic corral around our tree to somewhat keep her out of the tree.

Sophie really enjoyed helping me decorate a little bit (not much though) and "helping" me wrap presents. She loves getting out tape, scissors, paper, and all that to create things. As you can see, Abbie likes to stick out her tongue and she has new teeth trying to come through. This year, Matt had seen the "elf on the shelf" set at a local store and told me about it. We thought about getting it but didn't rush right out and buy one. Then, we heard about them from a couple of our friends and we've had so much fun with it! The story tells you about a special elf who comes to your house from the North Pole. He will be watching children all of the time to see if they are naughty or nice. Then, he goes and talks to Santa each night to give him a report. He flies back each night while your children are sleeping. Therefore, each morning the Elf is in a new place. Sophie asks so many questions though and she thinks very analytically like her Daddy so I got a little concerned even the first day that this might not have been such a great idea. She asks a lot of questions trying to figure things out. It's been fun each morning though and if she misbehaves, we say, "the elf is watching you" or Matt just says, "elf on the shelf". It's pretty funny! Today, she told me that the elf would probably come back next year but Abbie would be the only child. I said, "and you, Sophie." She said, "No, I will probably grow up this year." I said, you'll still be a little girl next year. Sometimes Sophie does speak like a little adult.

Also, a fun thing to do with your child even if you don't have an elf on the shelf is to check out this website and it will take you on a tour of the North Pole and let you see Santa's workshop, etc. Thanks to Laura Beth for sharing this. Sophie & I had fun checking it out one day. It's so fun to experience Christmas and anticipate it's coming with a child!

The picture of Matt & Sophie was taken at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro on an old truck. It had been about a year since we had been and they had added some new exhibits. They were having their Holiday Open House so there was free admission (which came as a surprise).

Fall Happenings

This week, we've done a couple of fun things but I've either forgotten to take my camera or the pictures didn't turn out well. On Wednesday, Sophie and I met my friend Stephanie and her boys at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro. It is a children's museum with lots of different things for them to play with and explore. They have a water play area, a big playhouse area (Sophie's favorite) with baby dolls, play kitchens, etc., a fire truck that kids can play on, tables with trains, and lots more. Sophie and Will both had a lot of fun! Jackson observed a lot from his stroller but had fun too. If you get a chance to go out there, it's a lot of fun! They also have some walking trails, a playgrounds and some other outdoor activities! We were able to go and see Stephanie's new home and have lunch with them too.

Then, on Friday, Matt & I picked Sophie up from Mother's Day Out and headed to the zoo for a little bit since we had only been once since moving back. The last time we visited there was a lot that we didn't see. There were very few people there since it was getting close to closing time. We had a good visit even though it was just a short time. We particularly enjoyed seeing the tigers. Sophie was disappointed that there were no pandas like the Atlanta zoo had.

This weekend, Paula's Aunt Mary is visiting from Arkansas so we have been able to visit with her some. It has been nice to see her and she was able to come out and see our house.