On Monday afternoon, the girls and I drove to Ft Worth and met up with three of my friends and their kiddos to watch a traveling opera troupe perform "The Three Little Pigs." The tickets were each $5 and first come, so we actually sat in the very front row! There were 11 of us and all the kids sat next to each other while Olivia sat on my lap. When the opera began Olivia clung to me and started to cry - three people singing while dressed like pigs and a piano playing was a bit overwhelming. I took her and moved to a higher row in the theater until the wolf appeared and explained to her what was going on, then returned to our seats. She actually watched it and seemed really interested. Sofia was completely transfixed! She loved it and her eyes were glued to the activity. The opera was only 45 minutes long and was followed by a question and answer period which was really great since the troupe's effort is to get kids interested in opera. It was a fantastic performance and I just wish it was offered more regularly. After, we hung out in the lobby while the kids played on the floor with little plastic animals I have in my purse for restaurant entertainment. We started to head home and decided to go to my favorite coffee shop, Boun Giorno, for a cup of coffee and milk for the girls. I absolutely love their hot chocolate, but I couldn't do it justice so decided on the coffee instead. Sofia saw their bookcase full of games and pulled out Candy Land, so we played a few games while Olivia sat on my lap and watched. It was a very fun afternoon.
We were VERY close to the stage!
The kiddos loved it!
On Tuesday, we met one of Sofia's classmates, Piper and her sister Whitaker and their mom Bonnie at the North Richland Hills Centre to use their great indoor pool that includes a huge outdoor enclosed slide, a lazy river, a climbing wall above a pool, a huge hot tub and a great toddler area. Sofia disappeared with her friends to the hot tub and we saw them rotate from there to the slide, lazy river, pool, etc. I don't think they stopped moving for more than 5 minutes! Olivia was happy as a clam too. She was a little tentative at first and only wanted to put her feet in, but after about five minutes she was cruising around the toddler area and having a great time! The water felt great and they keep the indoor temperature very comfortable, so Bonnie and I enjoyed chatting with our feet in the toddler pool area. After a few hours, we all got dressed and headed out toward the entrance where we found a table and chairs and shared much-needed snacks. Everyone was starving! Once we got home, both girls took long naps.
On Wednesday, with Olivia still not feeling great, we decided to hang out in our pjs and eat breakfast late. It was a great morning to relax and both girls played with their animals and barns and had fun. I asked Sofia what she wanted to do since it's really her week off, and she wanted to paint, so we got out all the supplies and the girls had fun painting. Olivia was a lot neater than I expected too. In the early afternoon they got dressed and we headed over to the Keller-Smithfield Park to meet Sofia's friend Camila and her little brother. It was a beautiful day out, so the park was popular. The kids had fun and Olivia enjoyed it except for her nasty run-in with Sofia on the swing! Ouch! Poor thing had a nasty bump on her forehead and needed an extra long cuddle. After a few hours, we headed out and I went to look at, and ultimately purchase, a great kids table and chairs from a craigslist ad. It's a perfect table for Sofia's homework and craft/art projects and both girls can use it together. The table is a solid wood top with two wide metal legs and is incredibly sturdy. The chairs are both metal with wood seat and backing. It was the best $65 ever spent, I think. We also happened to buy a plastic sandbox for $20 which the man was getting rid of as well. Once we got home, CK was home early so we all headed to Lowe's to buy sand and CK needed a few things for the airplane. Once we got home, we filled up the sandbox and Sofia loves it! Olivia isn't a fan of being in the sand, but is happy to stand outside the box and play with a shovel in the sand. I imagine her feelings will change over time. At 5:00, we headed over to Sofia's soccer practice which included only four girls since so many of the others were out of town. Sofia had fun and Olivia kicked her little soccer ball all over the field too!
Getting started
A true artist gets paint on her face...
Sofia having fun painting
The "new" sandbox
On Thursday, we had plans to fly to Fredericksburg and spend the day browsing and enjoying the cute town. At the last minute, CK wanted to take Buddy to test his flying "comfort level"...so he jumped in the car, excited to go along. We drove to the Baron and loaded up and it was a quick, routine flight. Buddy was fine. He was a little unsure while we were taxiing, but after take-off, he curled up in the back compartment and slept. Olivia fell asleep at take-off and we had to wake her once we landed, and Sofia was getting settled to nap just as we were landing....We tied Buddy up outside the airport cafe and had lunch. While we ate, we watched as various families would walk by, notice Buddy, pet him and sometimes have their picture taken with him! Unfortunately, we decided to head home instead of trekking into town since the cab we called was busy and Olivia was clearly not feeling well and was very crabby. So, we hung out, enjoyed a delicious banana split and then loaded up and headed home. Although not exactly the day we planned, it was a nice trip.
Buddy gets settled into the back of the plane
In the air
Sofia playing a game on my Iphone with Olivia trying to watch
Our little napper....she slept on both legs of the trip
Sofia, Olivia and Buddy play in the back of the old truck
The amazing banana split we shared. Yum!
On Friday, we decided to go to the Dallas Zoo.....along with half of Texas! Luckily, we decided to drive - we usually take the TRE there, which is fun and easy, although not as fast as driving. We made it to the off-ramp of the zoo and sat in crazy traffic leading into the parking lot! There were so many people trying to go that we inched along and after about 30 minutes we decided to go to lunch at our favorite place - The Porch, and then go eat our favorite cupcakes at Sprinkles! Sofia was completely on board (thank you, Sprinkles) and we zoomed away from the crazy line of cars. As usual, lunch at The Porch was outstanding! We headed over to get Sprinkles and Olivia was asleep, so CK and Sofia went in and got a delicious cupcake for the three of us. From there, we decided to go to the Galleria Mall so CK could buy some new clothes. After he was done, we walked around and Sofia and I decided to go ice skating. Sofia wasn't exactly dressed for it in her sequined skirt and no socks, but CK bought socks for her and I and off we went across the ice. It was actually a lot of fun and I'm surprised I didn't fall - even though it's literally been over 10 years since I've been on the ice. Sofia fell a few times but had fun, although she ended up getting fairly wet. We returned our rented skates and walked over to Old Navy where we bought new panties and a sun dress for Sofia to change into. Then, we headed home. It was a full and fun day!
It was a fun and interesting week and I loved having our sweet Sofia home! I'm so happy she loves Kindergarden and her friends there, but I miss her and having her around this week made me excited for summer!
At The Porch
Sprinkles Cupcakes!
Sofia is all set to skate
Ready to go!
On the ice
A little unsteady at times, but having fun!
Sofia's new outfit after skating
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