Bowling Mania

Paw-paw Tom, Sophie, Abbie and Mimi

Matt and Sophie

Sophie's in her bowling position

This past Monday, since Sophie was out of school and Matt's parents were in town, we thought it would be fun to go bowling. A nearby bowling alley has special lanes for kids that are shorter in length and they use smaller balls. They can also put up the gutter guards. I have been wanting to take the girls and try it but I wanted to go when someone else could go and help me. Mimi bowls in a league so I thought she would enjoy going with us and teaching Sophie how to bowl. Well, we all had a great time! At first, Abbie just wanted to monitor the bowling balls at the ball return but then, she wanted to be a more active participant and actually drop the ball herself. That made it interesting. The adults all bowled in the first game so we let Abbie have a turn too. I think Sophie really enjoyed her first time bowling! We'll definitely have to go again soon though you have to keep a close eye on Abbie.

The night before, the adults had also tried Wii bowling which was a lot of fun too!

After we bowled that morning, Mimi & Paw-paw Tom had to eat lunch and head to the airport for their flight back to VA.

Other Surprises

When we arrived in Richmond last week, Mimi had many new toys for Sophie to play with that she had found at yard sales. She had found lots of cool Little People stuff, a Wiggles microphone, and some other things. Sophie had a great time playing with these toys and going shopping with Mimi and Paw-paw Tom for a new baby doll. Abbie also had some new toys to play with but I don't think I got as many pictures of her.

We celebrated a late birthday for Sophie while in Richmond since Matt's family was unable to come down for Sophie's birthday in May. Sophie had requested a cake with Ariel on it from the Little Mermaid so that's what she got. =) I think Sophie enjoyed getting some late birthday presents and definitely enjoyed having another little party!

Vacationing in VA

The girls are ready to fly away.

This week, we took Abbie on her first plane trip to visit Matt's family. Sophie is a very seasoned flier for a 3 year old, but it's been a long time since she's flown. We flew to North Carolina where Matt's parents met us at the airport, and we drove for two hours to Richmond, Va. Sophie had been so excited about the trip. She had packed her toothbrush in a travel toothbrush holder about three weeks ago, and we had to keep unpacking it every time we needed to brush her teeth at home.

The next day, Mimi took us to the Richmond Children's Museum. Sophie was excited to play in the grocery store and the kitchen at the museum. She also loved making some artwork. Abbie loved people watching (or kid watching) at the museum.

Abbie and Sophie coming out of their shells.

Decorating Pumpkins

Sophie supervises as Daddy punches holes in the pumpkins

Sophie with her pumpkins-a "diva" and a pirate

One of the surprises that Paw-paw Tom & Mimi brought Sophie were some "Potato Head" style decorating kits for pumpkins-a "diva" and a pirate kit. So, on Sunday afternoon, among other household projects, we decorated pumpkins. Actually, Matt did all of the work while the rest of us girls mostly supervised. It was a very non-messy way to decorate a pumpkin. When it gets a little closer to time, maybe we'll have to show Sophie the way we grew up carving pumpkins. =) Sophie loves her Potato Head stuff so she liked helping her daddy decorate the pumpkins. We were also glad to get several projects completed around our house thanks to Matt's parents. Thank you so much for your help!!

Down at Gentry Farm

Paula, Sophie & Matt by the truck at Gentry Farm

Sophie playing with corn

On Friday afternoon, Paw-paw Tom & Mimi arrived from Virginia for a visit. It was really nice to spend the weekend with them. Saturday morning, we headed to Gentry Farm for our first visit. Sophie enjoyed seeing the farm animals, going on a hayride, playing in the kiddie area (they had a kiddie maze, slides, corn in troughs they could play with, etc), and picking out pumpkins. I just wish it had about 10-15 degrees cooler but it's a beautiful farm. As you can see, it has definitely become obvious that I'm pregnant (I'm about 24 weeks now).

Outdoor Fun

Our family returned home from Nashville on Monday after Easter. On Wednesday afternoon, Matt's parents rolled into Charleston for a visit during Matt's mom's Spring Break.

Sophie gets ready to help Mimi and Paw Paw Tom do some heavy duty yard work while they are visiting.

Sophie takes gardening very seriously and she doesn't stay clean doing it either. Here, as you can see she's very wet from watering herself as she waters the plants. Later, she's covered in dirt as well and loving every minute of it. This was Sophie's first experience with planting flowers. Our yard looks much better thanks to everyone's help-especially Paw Paw Tom and Mimi's.

On Saturday, we all visited the Middleton Place plantation and walked around the gardens and visited the farm animals. Everything was so beautiful! Sophie really enjoyed seeing all of the animals!
A monumental occasion occured at our house this week-Sophie used the potty for the 1st time. Yay, Sophie! It's just the beginning but it's still exciting. She gets a couple of M & M's when she's successful.