Hangin' with the Boys

When I got my job at Ishikawa, I never expected to meet such great friends. My girl friends, Amber and Amanda, are super sweet and it has been so great getting to know them better. Last week we all go together and the kids played while we chatted. We are sad that our summer break is almost over because we really enjoyed hanging out with our friends!

Amanda and Brody made some delicious cookies for all of us to eat after lunch....


YUM YUM!

Garden Update

Well, having a garden has certainly been a learning experience. Our tomato plants have just about kicked the bucket. We have tried a couple of things to help those guys to produce some edible tomatoes but we haven't had any luck. Our watermelons on the other hand seem to be doing well. Here are pictures of the five that are growing... check out how big they are getting to be.




Lastly, we picked our onions. We planted them too close together so they didn't grow to be very big. However, we read that they can be replanted so I picked out some of the really small ones to replant. This time I spaced them out and I am saying my prayers that we have some luck with them.

14 Months Old

* Sophie's front two teeth are just starting to peek through.
* She can now walk backwards and has learned how to "run"
* Words she can say... more, please (sounds like peaz), all done (sounds like ahh da), dog, stop, dada, mama, pop pop, duck, baby, off, out
* She will repeat a lot of animal sounds
* Favorite foods: blueberries, watermelon, bananas, pizza, hot dogs, mac and cheese, spaghetti
* Foods she dislikes: MEAT
* Sophie loves to play with her baby and blankets. She usually holds them and walks laps around our kitchen.
* Funny Sophie Story: While I was making our bed one morning, Sophie came into our room, opened a drawer in our dresser, pulled out one of Josh's t-shirts, and headed out to the living room. Josh was working on his Fantasy Baseball stuff on the couch and Sophie walked over and started tugging on his shirt and saying, "Off, off, off..." Then she handed Josh the other shirt that she pulled out of the drawer and made him change. Once he changed she took the old shirt and brought it back to our bedroom. She is already becoming a little fashionista.
* She sleeps from 7:30 at night to about 6:30 or 7 in the morning. Soph also takes 2 naps during the day for about an hour and a half.
* Sophie spends most of her day reading. Her favorite books are her word books and books by Sandra Boyton.
* She does the actions to the song, If You're Happy and You Know It. She also tries to do the hands for Itsy Bitsy Spider.
* Sophie learned how to pucker her lips and make a kissy sound.


We could just watch Sophie for hours... she is pure entertainment. Josh and I love everything about her and couldn't imagine our lives without our baby girl.

Swimming Lessons

Sophie had so much fun at her swimming lessons. She loved watching the other kids around her and playing in the water. She did really well paddling, kicking, and climbing out of the water. Sophie even started to figure out how to jump into the pool from the sitting position. One of her swimming instructors told us that she was a "sipper" because she likes to drink the pool water. We were told that boys are most likely to be sippers but occasionally they meet little girls who do it too. So, it has been a bit difficult trying to teach Sophie how to blow bubbles in the water because she just wants to drink it. Overall, pool time is so much fun with Sophie.

The Ogles!

From Left to RIght: Josh, Sophie, Me, Alexandra, John, Zack, Aunt Annette, and Uncle Don

We couldn't be more appreciative of my Aunt and Uncle for letting us stay with them. It was so nice to be able to hang out with them, laugh around the dinner table, and hear stories of the things going on in their lives. They all were so great with Sophie, We loved watching them play, dance, and walk around with her. After such a great trip to NEW JERSEY, we are already talking about going back!!!!

Summer Vacation 2011... Day 6

The beach was only about an hour away from my aunts so we took full advantage of it. Sophie loved the sand and had so much fun playing in it. She didn't mind the water when it touched her toes but if the waves got her any higher she would make a funny grunting sound. Our adorable bumblebee even found a BOYFRIEND on the beach! As we were strolling the beach this little blonde haired cutie walked right up to her and gave her a hug and kiss. He kept saying, "Baby! Baby!" even as we were walking away. When we walked back towards our towels he was there again and got right in front of Sophie to try and stop her and give her another hug. This time we let go of her hands to see what she would do and she walked right up to him and he put his arm around her and they started walking away together. Since it was difficult to walk in the very wet sand she toppled over but her BF was right there to help her up. I wish I had a video or even pictures of the two of them together because it was just the funniest/cutest thing ever! On the other hand... Josh is now very worried because even at the age of ONE, Sophie is picking up boys on the beach! YIKES!

Summer Vacation 2011... Day 5

Tuesday was a LAZY day since we traveled so much on Monday. We caught up on some needed rest and took 2 naps with Sophie. In between our naps we visited Pop Pop! We brought him lunch and got to hear some stories that my Pop Pop told us. It was so cute because he loved talking to Josh. Sophie was a bit shy at first but really warmed up to him. She gave him tons of kisses and little head bumps.






My Pop Pop is 92 and is as sharp as a tack!!!! We wish he lived closer because we truly valued the time that we got to spend with him.

Summer Vacation 2011... Day 4

Monday was a full day of sightseeing. We went back into Philly to check off a couple more things off our list that we wanted to see, such as, Independance Hall, the United States Mint, and the LOVE monument. Sophie crashed seconds after getting into the car after touring the Mint and visiting Benjamin Frankin's grave site. She slept through our family photo with the LOVE monument and the whole car ride to Lancaster, PA.






We got to Bird In Hand, PA around noon and decided to get lunch first. My dad recommended the restaurant, Plain and Fancy, and it was sure delicious! We had ourselves a mini feast! We wrapped up our time in the Amish country by driving around admiring their farms, quilts, and wagons.






Before heading back to my aunt and uncle's house we went to see my Pop Pop. The GPS on Josh's iphone took us through Delaware! Josh was pretty excited because on his first trip back east he had been through THREE different states!

Summer Vacation 2011... Day 3

Shortly after we booked our flights for our vacation, Josh realized that the All Star Game was going to be in town while we were away. He was absolutely DEVASTATED!!! How could we plan to be away when the All Star Game is here in AZ!??! Well, Josh got over it and figured out that the Phillies were hosting the Braves while we were there. He spent hours searching craigslist and various other internet sites to find tickets and luckily he found some. So... Sunday we headed back to Philly ready to watch some baseball!

Summer Vacation 2011... Day 2

On Saturday, we went sightseeing in Philly. Our first stop was to get Philly Cheesesteaks! Josh said that it wasn't fair that Sophie is only a year old and got her first Cheesesteak and he had to wait almost 30 years. Better late than never... Right?!?!?! After that we walked around in the Independance Hall Mall and saw the Liberty Bell. To wrap up our day we took a tour bus around the city. The city is beautiful and so interesting as it is full of history.
Cheesesteak... Yes please!
Sophie loves it too... especially when it is dipped in ketchup!
City Hall

The Liberty Bell
Betsy Ross's House

Summer Vacation 2011... Day 1

Josh, Sophie, and I packed our bags and headed to New Jersey for a week. We had the greatest time sight seeing, spending quality time together, and hanging out with my family. We spent part of our first day toodling around Gibbstown, NJ where my dad grew up.

Mom Mom and Pop Pop's House


Next we went to see my Pop Pop. It had been way too long since I had last seen him and Josh and Sophie got to meet him for the first time (in person and not on Skype).
Waking up Pop Pop
Playing tickle, tickle with Alex and Zack

While we were in New Jersey we stayed with my aunt and uncle. Their kindness and generosity was more than we could have ever expected.
Walking up and down the drive way at Aunt Annettes and Uncle Don's house