Thanksgiving weekend in VA

Sophie & Aunt "Eia" (Leia) on the slide

Sophie picking apples

Sophie in a soapbox derby car

In case you were wondering, no we didn't actually visit the North Pole over Thanksgiving. We just had a virtual visit. We actually drove up to Richmond, VA to visit Matt's immediate family. It was a very long drive considering that we had to make frequent bathroom stops for the mama-to-be. Sophie was a good traveller though and we had a great time with Matt's family. Both going and coming we split the trip up over 2 days which made it easier. We were very excited though to be able to pick up Matt's brand new company van just before we left town! =) It's kind of deep gray with a tinge of blue and it's a Toyota Sienna with a lot of cool features on it. Since it's a company car, Matt has to do the driving.

Sophie was very excited to get to play with lots of new toys that Mimi, Matt's mom, had gotten for her while garage saling. Sophie now pretty much has the entire Little People town. (I'll have to take a picture of her with all the stuff in our play room because we brought it home.) It was like Christmas came early for Sophie. Mimi had also gotten a play high chair and baby carrier at a garage sale so Sophie loved putting her baby in the high chair and feeding her. Sophie was very excited to see Mimi, Paw-paw Tom and especially Aunt "Eia". On Thanksgiving Day, it was very warm and so Matt & Leia took Sophie to a nearby playground and they had a lot of fun. We had a nice Thanksgiving spent with Matt's immediate family and a few family friends.

On Friday, although some Christmas shopping was done, we headed to the Richmond Children's Museum. It was really crowded but Sophie had a fun time. They had a play kitchen and grocery store, water play area, big playground, apple picking area, and much more. Santa Claus was also there but there was an hour long wait. We saw Santa later at the mall but Sophie was excited about the concept of seeing him but then too scared to get too close. All in all, we had a very nice Thanksgiving.

North Pole visit

We visited the North Pole during our thanksgiving break. Click here.

Sophie's 1st date?

Sophie & Jackson (with Wilson behind)

Sophie at the wheel

Today, Sophie and I were able to go and visit some good friends of ours from Charleston who lived down the street from us. They are here for a few weeks visiting their grandparents while their dad does a rotation at Vanderbilt for medical school. Christina is one of my very best friends from Charleston and she has three boys. Jackson & Wilson are twins and then they have a baby named Andrew who is 5 months. Andrew has grown so much and is so cute but I didn't get any pictures. Christina's parents have a big field behind their house and the twins each have a jeep or truck. Well, since it was unseasonably warm today, we took advantage of it and let the kids play outside for a while.

Sophie had a blast! First, she rode in the truck with Jackson and then, she tried driving independently. It just took her a couple of minutes to learn how to do the pedal but she was not very good about keeping her eyes on where she was going so that she could steer properly. She was so excited that she was looking behind her and grinning or just looking to one side of her or the other. She tended to drive in circles. Luckily, there wasn't much that she could run into since we were in a big field. This experience made me think of a first date because both of the boys had been showing off for Sophie and then, one asked her if she wanted to ride in his truck. When Sophie was driving, they wanted to help push her truck at times. Later, she rode with Jackson again and he got out to push because the truck was losing steam (low on it's battery charge). After he tried pushing it some, he told Sophie that she could get out and push. Christina told him that you don't ask girls to get out and push the car. Christina and I were both laughing! I said that his dad would have to give him some dating 101 tips but of course I was joking.

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.

More Halloween Fun

Sophie & her Nana
After we trunk or treated, we had dinner outside at our church. Sophie kind of snacked beforehand because I knew she wouldn't care for the food (hot dogs & chili) but when she saw that they had ice cream, she had to have some!

Raggedy Ann

Sophie (A.K.A. Raggedy Ann) and her Daddy

Sophie

full-length view of Sophie's costume

On Halloween night, our church had Trunk or Treat and dinner on the grounds. Before going over there, we stopped by Nana's house to show off Sophie's costume. Sophie didn't mind wearing the wig, but unfortunately it just wouldn't stay on! We added some make-up to Sophie's cheeks later. Sophie had a decent time going trunk or treating but I felt bad for her because she's had a cold/allergies this week and she was coughing the whole time. Plus, she held tight to Mommy's hand because she was scared of a lot of the costumes and decorations that she saw as we walked from car to car. Oh well, there's always next year. =)

Atlanta Zoo/Aquarium

Paula & Sophie on carousel at zoo

Sophie in tunnel at aquarium playground

our family at the aquarium

After going to the zoo on Saturday morning, we came back and took naps that afternoon. Then, we took the subway out to the Ikea store to look around. Sophie had been on the subway in DC, but she was a baby and didn't remember it. She was really excited about it this time. Anyway, after going to Ikea, we headed over to Atlantic Station (an area with lots of stores and restaurants) and we had dinner. Then, we headed back to the hotel. Since we took the subway to Ikea, it reall limited what we could take home with us.

On Sunday morning, we visited the aquarium. It was really nice, but it got really crowded around 11:00. They have some huge whales and sharks there and lots of other fish and sea creatures. Sophie went right up to the glass and would say, "hi, fish". She wanted to know what the otters and other animals names were. One of the workers at the aquarium asked Sophie what her name was. Sophie said "Sophie. My Mommy has a baby girl in her tummy but I not know her name." The lady didn't hear what Sophie said so she asked Matt. Matt explained and they got a laugh out of that. =) For lunch, we were able to see Sophie's great-uncle Bobby's house and go to lunch with him. Then, we headed back to Nash Vegas. We were all totally exhausted that night but we had a wonderful trip!