So Cool

We LOVE Spring!

With the recent relief from rain, Sophie and I have been able to enjoy fresh air. Our house is located in an amazing neighborhood. A 5 minute walk leads us to the lake to throw sticks and rocks. There are playgrounds and parks all around us too, so we can "go go go" on the "wee" (slide or swing) and climb and run and jump. Sophie labels EVERYTHING she knows and is becoming quite the chatterbox. She shows curiosity, a sense of humor, and independence. Despite her level of activity and engagement, she still loves to cuddle and to sit "pie" (up high) in her chair to read books.

We are lucky to have a running farm 5 minutes from our house, too. Kelsey Creek Farm has all of Sophie's favorite animals. I took her there today and she announced every animal's name and their sound. She said "hi" to them, tried to feed them rocks, and imitated their movements. I've been taking her here for almost a year, but today was the best visit of them all because of her interactions and conversations with the animals. She definitely threw a tantrum when it was time to get back in the car (after 1.5 hours running around!). I've been lazy in bringing my camera on our adventures, so here are some cell phone shots of my smart, sassy Sophie.

(She was playing "boo" (peek-a-boo) with the "chin" (chickens) who say "cc-doo-doo" (cock-a-doodle-doo!)

Look at that pose!

The farm also has a great playground. Here, Soph was in "ophie hou" (Sophie's house).

Yesterday, we were finally able to bring the sidewalk chalk outside, as opposed to using it on the easel. We wrote messages to Daddy. When he drove home and saw the scribbles, he decided not to park his car on top of them :) Very sweet.

Here's hoping the rain continues to rest so that we can continue to play!!

xoxo, E

This Week's Outtakes

This week included:

Several naps in the car....

A Sunday breakfast, walk on the pier, and spontaneous visit to the aquarium...

And more of this...

Please note that these photos did occur on different days. But, Babydoll travels with us on a regular basis. Sophie also prefers to wear her pink, PUMA leisure suit any chance she gets. Oh, and the giraffe hat and boots are essential. She may be little, but her opinions are massive!!

Remember these two??!!

It's Doug and Elizabeth! At Home Depot! Early on a weekend morning! With their Starbucks drinks!!

Long before our sweet little girl arrived, we spent weekend after weekend doing home projects. We had the same routine: swing by Starbucks to get our favorite drinks (and often a pastry) and then wander the aisles of Home Depot to stock up for the day's projects. After a day of hard work, we would head to The Pumphouse for beers and ham dip sandwiches. Well, D and E and our HGTV-ish makeovers are back!

In the 16 months of Sophie's life, I have only spent 1 night away from her and that was to celebrate my 30th birthday. In order to complete some major home improvement projects, Sophie is spending this week with her Grandma and PaPa in Spokane. Doug and I are both still working during the days, but the weekend and weeknights are devoted to projects.

We miss our baby girl like crazy (I may have shed some tears....) but it's so fun to just spend this time as a couple and watch our house transform.

Plus, we know Sophie is in amazing hands in Spokane. I mean, look how I turned out?!!!

Daddy's Girl

When Doug returned from this work trip,

...Sophie was thrilled!!

I love these two. xoxox

Snow!!!

One more video! As the snow ("noooo!!") started to fall in Spokane last week, we bundled up to play!

(PS. I apologize for my mommy-voice in this video and the last seconds that sound like we're submerged under water.)

SSSHHHHHH

Sophie loves to make the sounds for sleeping--she combines "ssssshhhh" with a snoring sound.

Today, I told her it was nap-nap time. She grabbed her binky in preparation for nap-nap time and then she got busy. She doesn't talk very much in this video, but she puts her animals to sleep and makes their sleeping sounds..."ssshhhhhh".... She says a couple animal sounds and then gets a bit silly. Listen carefully (between the home renovation sounds in the background) to hear the snoring...

The Comings and Goings of The Whitfield Three

This winter has proved to be busy for us. I'm sorry for the lapses in frequent blog updates. Even when the three of us are all at home, there isn't much down time with a little girl calling the shots. We've also got a few home improvement projects occurring (photos to come later). Once Sophie goes to bed in the evening, Doug and I usually collapse!

OO-phie (as she calls herself) continues to learn new words, but the greatest development is her made up language. She "speaks" in continuous sentences of made up jargon. She opens books and "reads" them to herself. She will grab a piece of paper, scan it, and then make eye contact with me while "talking". Doug says it sounds like Farsi...

During my mid-winter break, Sophie and I headed to snowy Spokane for some major playtime with Grandma and Papa. I was too busy relaxing (!) to take a lot of photos, but here are some snowy highlights.

Catching snowflakes on her tongue as the snow started to fall...

Seriously contemplating the amount of snow that fell so quickly...

All bundled up with Grandma...

And, as stated in our last blog post, Sophie doesn't like to get dressed after bathtime. Last night, she found the flashlight which provided just the after-bath-entertainment that she craved...