Happy Birthday, Sofia!

A few days before her birthday, I asked Sofia what she wanted to do for her big day and threw out a few ideas like visit a museum, go to a movie, have a friend over, etc. Typical Sofia, she said she wanted to wake up and eat biscuits, eggs and bacon then stay at home and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, swim a little bit and then have pizza. She basically loves to hang around the house, play, read, and eat her favorite foods. I wanted to celebrate her birthday by having lunch with CK so I told her we'd meet him for lunch at The Porch and maybe go see a movie. She said that was good, even though she wasn't totally excited about a movie and just wanted to hang around the house.

This morning I made her biscuits, eggs and bacon and then had to wake her up at 9am so Olivia and I could sing "Happy Birthday" to her and we could all eat breakfast together. Usually she's up and ready to eat around 7:30 or 8am, but she stayed up until midnight last night reading so she could "see how it feels to turn 8." Just before leaving for lunch, Sofia received a gorgeous flower arrangement in an owl vase (her favorite) from her Grandparents! It was such a sweet surprise and they smelled amazing along with looking so beautiful. She was so excited to check "who they were for" and who sent them and was so excited when she saw they were from Grandpa and Grandma. We headed downtown and met CK at The Porch for lunch (Sofia was super excited, even if they don't serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches). It was fun to see Papa during the day and spend birthday lunch with him and lunch was delicious, as always. After we said goodbye, we ended up going to see The Minion Movie in Southlake. Of course at the movies the girls had popcorn, water and hot tamales (Sofia and I) and seemed to enjoy the movie which was fun but also a bit overwhelming at times (I thought).

After the movie, we headed home and the girls swam and made up stories about being water dragons and mermaids. After CK got home from work, he grilled steaks and I baked cauliflower and cut up carrots, Sofia's favorites. Just before dinner, Sofia got a call from her Grandpa and Grandma and told them about her day and thanked them for the pretty arrangement and owl vase. We ate outside and enjoyed Sofia's birthday dinner. After, we went inside and sang "Happy Birthday" to Sofia before she blew out her candle and cut the first piece of cake. She had specifically requested a vanilla cake and Market Street makes them with a thick middle section of ice cream. So we had a vanilla cake with vanilla ice cream already in the cake. It was delicious!

Then we moved on to presents! Sofia opened the smallest gift first, which was two books CK and I picked out last weekend. They are "Draw It Dinosaurs" and "Draw It Sea Life" since she enjoys drawing. She loved them and flipped through them for a while before moving on to the next presents to open. She's always been like that and has enjoyed looking at each gift instead of tearing through the wrapping paper and immediately moving on to the next gift. She opened the biggest gift which was from her Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Jay, and cousins and was a magic set. She LOVED it and immediately opened it to check it out. By the end of the evening she had "perfected" a few tricks! Plus, the magician hat looks great on her! We also gave her a chess/checkers set that she was excited about, as well as a bunch of new clothes that will be perfect for the coming school year. When She opened the clothes, she said "just like you give me every birthday." which I didn't know we did, but she seemed really excited by the different tops, skirts and dress. Her final present was from my college friend Sian, who sent a heavy box of stuff a few weeks back addressed to Sofia and Olivia. I figured it included both of their birthday presents and told Sofia to open it and see what was in it. Sian actually sent it as an "Enjoy Summer" gift for the girls and it was full of fun stuff! "It included two mermaids (instant favorites), and several "The Sisters Grim" books, as well as "Little Women" and "Anne of Green Gables." It also had a princess game cd to play on the computer and a few fun packs with drawing pages and crayons. The girls LOVED it!

Sofia and Olivia played with all their new toys and Sofia ended the night by impressing us with her magician skills before she headed off to bed for the first time as an 8 year old. I always tell her she's my favorite 7 year old, but this morning I told her she isn't my favorite 7 year old....but is now my favorite 8 year old! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by!

First breakfast as an 8 year old! Homemade biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon and melon!

Swimming after a fun day.

With her favorite buddy, Olivia.

The cake!

So excited to celebrate!

With her beautiful flower arrangement from her Grandparents!

The first slice on its way!

Presents! Olivia really wanted in the photo too!

Choosing the first one to be opened.

Looking at her new drawing book

More presents! (Clothes from her us)

Reading the note from her Aunt Cynthia's present!

Opening her goodie box with Olivia from Sian!

Sofia at 8 Years Old!

Our big girl is 8 years old today and has grown up so much in the past year. She is now 67 pounds and measures 53 inches and generally wears a kid's large or size 10/12 since she's so tall. Thankfully, as much as she's grown and matured, she still has a very active imagination that she uses all the time. She still loves acting like a horse or pegasus (from reading the "Pegasus" series of books) or that she's a dragon (thanks to watching How to Train Your Dragon), or pretends like she's riding on a horse. She's always making up a story and enacting it at home or when we are out and about. She and Olivia also love to pretend to be dinosaurs and play "Firie and Grapie" which is a made-up game they created a few months ago and play pretty regularly.

She also just lost her 6th tooth (her top right tooth next to the front tooth) while swimming yesterday with Olivia and CK and her front two teeth are taking their sweet time coming in. They have been out for nearly 3 months now and her adult teeth are only about halfway in so far. I'm surprised they don't come in more quickly. Tomorrow she gets her expander which will be put on her top teeth to spread out her palate and allow for her adult teeth to have more room and hopefully will significantly cut down on her time in braces. Although she no longer sucks her thumb, she is still attached to Green Beup Beup and sleeps with him every night. She doesn't cuddle with him or seem to take him around during the day at all, but he has to be there at night with her.

She's really loving summer break although she only sleeps until 7:30 or 8am at the latest. She loves just hanging around the house, reading, swimming first thing in the morning and watching a show or two in the afternoon when it's too hot to do anything else. She and Olivia have gone to a Fairy Fun class at Hurst, as well as a Salt Dough class and a Ceramics class. They are all short classes, mainly 45 minutes, but they enjoy them and it's a good change of pace. Sofia keeps saying that she isn't ready to go back to school, but I think when the time comes in another four weeks, she'll be ready to get back to the routine, friends and learning.

She continues devouring books and has loved reading the "Pegasus" series, Guardians of Ga'hoole, Wings of Fire, Harry Potter and other similar books. She generally will finish one that she likes and then immediately start reading it again. At bedtime, she gets ready for bed and then I come upstairs with my book and we have a "reading party" while we both lay on her bed and read our respective books. After I head back downstairs, she will often stay up another hour or two reading, even though I try to get her to promise me to go to bed at a reasonable time.

Sofia has also really started loving playing the piano. She took around 9 months off and then we started with Mr. James, who has been the best instructor for her! She not only has learned a lot in the past four months she's been playing with him, but she sounds really great and loves it! She will often wake up in the morning and go straight to the piano to play, practice and goof around. She also does the same on her way up to bed or throughout the day. James has told us that she really picks each song up very quickly and does a great job, and she loves it, which is great. She's still not interested in learning a particular sport, playing soccer or riding her bike much. She does love her new Razor scooter that she got about a week after school ended for the summer and she can really zip around on it like a pro. If it's not too hot, we will usually sit out front while the girls and some of the neighbor kids ride around on their scooters and have fun. We are mainly out front to keep a close eye on cars and to socialize. She still loves to swim and has spent over 6 hours in the pool or at the splash park on several occasions. She makes up stories and usually has Olivia or others doing whatever it is that she has in her head at the time.

Our girl is growing up so quickly and maturing into a silly, imaginative young lady who really throws her heart into the things she loves. We still can't believe she's 8 years old!

Her first breakfast as an 8 year old!

She hardly fits in her chair anymore!

The Tooth Fairy #6!

Yesterday Sofia lost her 6th tooth (her top right tooth next to the front tooth) while swimming yesterday afternoon with Olivia and CK. They were horsing around and he accidentally knocked it out and she swallowed it! Her tooth had been loose but not even close to coming out, so it must have been the perfect bump to knock it completely out. She was pretty upset by the blood, but mainly because she didn't think the tooth fairy would come visit her since she wouldn't have a tooth to give. Her top two front teeth are still slowly coming in and I'm surprised at how slow they are to arrive, especially given that she's stopped sucking her thumb.

Sofia calmed down when I told her that all she'd need to do is write the tooth fairy a letter and she'd understand why there was no tooth to pick up. Several of Sofia's classmates swallowed their teeth during this past school year and I know the tooth fairy still visited them.

After dinner, Sofia sat down and wrote a note to the tooth fairy and also drew a picture of what she thought the tooth fairy might look like. I really hoped the tooth fairy would write her back and leave something and she did! This morning, when I went to wake Sofia up for her first breakfast as an 8 year old, I saw that the tooth fairy had visited and that is exactly what got Sofia out of her slumber! The tooth fairy left Sofia a sweet note as well as a small container of red pixie dust and a silver dollar! Sofia thought it was a half dollar at first, but was surprised to see it was an actual silver dollar! She was so happy the tooth fairy visited her and left such cool goodies! Sofia read the note from the tooth fairy and was excited that her drawing looks a lot like the actual tooth fairy! The tooth fairy thought maybe Sofia peeks when she is supposed to be sleeping. After reading her tooth fairy note and looking at her fairy dust and silver dollar, we went downstairs to celebrate Sofia's 8th birthday!!

Sofia's note to the tooth fairy

Her drawing of the tooth fairy

The tooth fairy came!!

Sofia reading the tooth fairy's response

The tooth fairy's note to Sofia

Her new smile!

Pike's Peak

On Saturday we had to wake up early (730am) to get to downtown Colorado Springs and meet for our adventure riding mountain bikes from the top of Pike's Peak. So, this was entirely my idea after seeing a Facebook friend post pictures of her and husband doing it just a few weeks prior to our visit. CK was game to go, although wasn't thrilled about missing out on a morning of sleeping in. When I called to make our reservation, they suggested we bring layers but that they would have extra clothes and things in case we were cold at the top. I brought 3/4 length work out pants, a long sleeve shirt and a jacket and a thin set of cotton gloves as well as an ear covering. CK brought a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and shorts.

We met at the bike shop and were offered bagels, coffee and juice, but we'd had breakfast at the Broadmoor so we waited and tried to avoid the annoying man and his sister who seemed to be totally focused on chatting with CK. We loaded up into three vans and headed to Manitou Springs where the cog train would take us to the top. Manitou Springs is an adorable little town and looked like a fun place to explore. We loaded onto the cog train and headed slowly up the mountain. The views as we went up the hill were really incredible. There was a stream running along the railroad that was gorgeous. We passed along an old mining area and I couldn't imagine what it took to create the structures or live up in that area. I also couldn't imagine how hard it was to build the cog train. We made our way slowly up and watched as the views turned from forest to permafrost. Along the way, we saw bighorn sheep off in the distance and yellow-bellied marmots that looked a lot like cute squirrels. We also learned that we owe the inspiration for the lyrics of the beloved song "America the Beautiful" to the stunning vistas from the summit of Pikes Peak. Very near the top, we came across a building and were told that it was a telegraph station built in 1873 by the U.S. Signal Service (an early Weather Bureau). I couldn't imagine living up this high so long ago and how difficult it would be to get supplies, food and water to to the station.

Just a few minutes later we reached the top and got off the cog train. We stepped out into a very windy and cold day at the top! We were freezing within seconds and got inside to the visitor center where we had donuts and coffee, which is apparently what the top is known for. We weren't entirely sure where and when we were supposed to meet our group of bike riders but I ran into one of the ladies in the bathroom and she told me that we should go outside in 10-15 mintues and would see the vans with bikes.

Finally we headed out and saw what we thought was our group to the left. It was so cold outside and we were so unprepared that the leader had us sit inside the van to stay warm. He showed us the duffle bag filled with the "extra clothes" which was obviously just a bunch of clothes people had left behind in previous visits and there was just about nothing that would fit CK whose legs were going to freeze off! He finally was able to find some pants that fit, although could have been longer. Before long, it was time to go and we loaded onto our bikes. I'd noticed just after we arrived at the top that I really didn't feel great. I felt a mixture of dizzy, headachy and sluggish. I figured it was the altitude, as they described to us on our cog train ride up and thought it would get better in a few minutes.

We started down the hill in a group of 15 or so riders with one of the guides at the front and a van following up at the back to warn car drivers who might be driving behind us. We stopped every mile or so to be sure that everyone felt ok and the bikes were working alright. CK's hands were freezing and the guide gave him his gloves, which was incredibly nice. It remained very windy and freezing cold and I kept telling myself I'd feel better as we went down. After the third time we stopped I actually felt like I was going to either pass out or throw up, so I told the guide I was going to get in the van until we made it down further were it would be warmer. CK decided to join me and keep me company and gave the guide's gloves back, which I know he really enjoyed having. There were actually one or two bike riders who were heading up to the top of Pike's Peak! They must be absolutely crazy!

We stayed in the van with about half of the other riders joining us as we continued. We stopped at the halfway mark to go to the bathroom and rest for a few minutes. CK and I decided to get on our bikes there and it was noticeably warmer and not windy where we were, so seemed perfect. We rode down and it was beautiful and so fun! Our next stop was at a lake where we got off again for another rest and to stretch our legs. At this point, the road had leveled out and after we started riding again we had a hill which wasn't very long but very steep. I actually ended up walking up halfway up because it felt like I couldn't get my breath! I couldn't believe it!

We continued on and rode through he gates that cars drive through to start their journey up to the top. Soon we'd made it to the bottom and stopped right across from a little wine shop/restaurant. We gave our bikes over to our guide who loaded back on top of the van. Meanwhile, another guide came around asking what we wanted to lunch: a Greek Salad, a salmon sandwich or a grilled vegetable sandwich. It all sounded delicious! However, I told the guide that we'd already told the woman at the bike shop that we were going to have a burger and a grilled chicken sandwich and wasn't sure why we weren't told to decide over these options. Finally, CK whispered to me that the annoying man and his sister weren't among the riders and no one else really looked familiar....just as the guide realized that we were with the wrong tour group! We walked outside at the top of Pike's Peak and just walked to the first group of bikes assuming it was our tour group, never even thinking that there would be more than one bike tour group on Pike's Peak! The guides were so understanding and nice about our mix-up and walked us the block to the restaurant where our group was just arriving to eat lunch. Apparently, they had all waited at the top for us for 30 minutes and had paged us and finally left after we never responded....and they were not pleased with our mix-up. It was a rather awkward lunch and drive back to the bike shop.

CK and I laughed and joked about it after we made it inside our car and headed back to the Broadmoor. We were completely spent from the experience and a shower had never felt so good! It was interesting although I think the cog train up and back down would have done it for me.

The views on the way up

One of the old mine camps

The stream

Looking down over Colorado Springs

Getting near the top

The telegraph station built in 1873

We made it to the top!

Freezing at the summit!

Smiling although frozen!

Our group heads out after one of the stops

The two of us at the lake rest break

At the lake

The lake

Off we go again!

10 Years!

I can't believe we've been married 10 years! It went by so quickly, yet thinking of our wedding day does seem like a long time ago. For our anniversary we decided to go to the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for a few days while Grandma and Grandpa took care of the girls. CK and Connie arrived on Monday evening, just hours after we'd returned from Santa Fe. We spent Tuesday together and I packed and got the house and girls ready for our absence. CK and I took off in the Baron on a warm and clear Wednesday morning after saying goodbye to the girls and Grandma and Grandpa. The flight went smoothly although by the time we arrived in Colorado Springs it was cloudy, wet and rainy. CK made a great landing and we got into our rental car, feeling odd not to have car seats and kids luggage, toys, books, etc with us. Our car was so small that we barely fit in it and was funny to drive, but we knew we'd barely use it.

As we left the airport, we asked where we should eat lunch and the young lady told us about The Airplane Restaurant just a mile down the road. It was super cool! The restaurant is actually inside of a 1953 Boeing KC-97 tanker that's been retrofitted with rows of booths where the passenger seats normally would be located. The food was really good and CK had to climb into the cockpit to check it out before we left. It was a very fun lunch place!

From there we headed to the Broadmoor and checked into our room, which was on the other side of the little lake from the original hotel. Our room was comfortable and had a good view and we settled in before heading to the little bar on the other side to read, relax, have some snacks and just hang out. We ended up visiting the Italian restaurant for more appetizers and it was fun way to snack and try out different places rather than have a full meal. It wasn't really a great day to be out walking around and the weather was scheduled to be much nicer the next few days. My Aunt and Uncle had sent up our favorite drink makings to our room which was a great surprise and we sent them a photo of us clinking glasses.

The next day the weather was cloudy but not rainy, so I played tennis in the morning while CK hung out and read in our room. We walked around the grounds, had lunch and spent the afternoon reading and relaxing. It was great to just hang out and not have little ones pestering us over things. We checked in with the girls who were having a ball with Grandma and Grandpa, who spoiled them with ice cream.

For our anniversary I played tennis in the morning and then had dinner at The Penrose Room, which is Colorado's only five star restaurant and offers up a very different and interesting menu. Because it was a Friday night, we ended up being sat at 5:30 when the restaurant was still pretty empty. It filled up by the time our meals came and the food was good, although very different. They decorated our dessert plates with "Happy Anniversary" in chocolate. We left dinner and realized it was pouring rain outside! Although we had huge umbrellas to borrow, we were still getting so wet that I took off my shoes and ran to the other side of the lake. We were both soaked but it was actually pretty fun!

The next day we had plans to visit Pike's Peak and ride down it (see other post).

On our final day, it was nice enough for us to have lunch by the pool and lay out in the sun a little. It wasn't really warm enough to get in the water though. It was so crowded that we had a hard time finding lounge chairs, but finally did and enjoyed reading while warming up in the sun and enjoying the clear, sunny day. It was such a fun few days away and it was fun to just hang out together, talk, read and just be together. Plus, the girls had a great time with their Grandma and Grandpa!

In the Baron and on our way to the Broadmoor!

Coming in for our landing at Colorado Springs

CK "flying" the Boeing KC-97

Inside the restaurant!

We made it!

Cheers to 10 years and many more!

Just can't get tired of this view...even in the crumby weather!

Our dessert!

Heading out to dinner

Just beautiful

The side our room is on

The golf course

The golf/tennis center

Our last day at the pool

Ready to head home...

The card the girls made for us on our return! So sweet!