Our Sophie-girl

Sophie just recently turned three, so I thought it fitting to capture a glimpse of our girlie. From her strut-

to her silly faces,

and her adult mannerisms,

she has personality plus.

Clothing optional, of course.

She loves her 'betchables,' always cleaning up all the leftovers,

and to snuggle with Daddy when hurt.

A moment of contemplation.

Here, Sophie is completing the obstacle course at her party. Though she was youngest to compete, she finished well and cheered others on.

She asked for a June cake this year- 'June' being a character from "Little Einsteins," not the month. (Though I did propose a calendar as a potential design- I was shot down.)

Someone asked her after her party what kind of cake she had, and she said, "Red and blue Jello and a June cake." I think the person was a bit confused... but to Sophie it made perfect sense. (She had Jello at her birthday celebration in Vancouver earlier in the week.)

She was pretty thrilled with the result, AND the nifty birthday hat. (Thanks Grandma Hill!)

Enjoying both cake with buddies...

...and her moment when "Happy Birthday" is finally sung to her. After all the birthdays she sings for in the year, I think she was pretty excited that it was finally her turn. She even had surprise birthday guests that afternoon from the Tri-Cities, which TOTALLY made her day. (Thanks Uncle Jake and Unckie Jenn!)

Just when you thought it was safe...

Just when you thought it was safe to take the snowplow off of the front of your pickup-

this happens.
This is our weather today (and yet another reason I don't even think about planting anything green until Mother's Day). On the upside, snow means warmer weather for buds.

This could also be a reminder of the winter of Good Friday just before the burst of New Life of Easter. The orchards are all sprayed a Lenten grey now, awaiting the bloom of Spring. What a cool visual we have around here this time of year!

Here are the girlies trying on their new cozy Christmas nightgowns (made with love) from Grandma Hill. They would live in these, if I let them!

The annual snowman- except that this year, she's a snowwoman. Check out that hairdo!! We did not get much snow this year, but at least we had enough at one time to make the snowwoman.
Daddy and Liam are so coordinated- Liam totally planned that.
Sophie enjoying some playtime with her 'boyfriend' from over the hill. These two kiddos are nuts about each other- every time we get together, they give each other a huge hug. They are acting out O Susanna (do you see the banjo on his knee?)

Age Appropriate

So why is it, that when Liam blows raspberries we cheer and congratulate, but when Sophie does it- she earns a time out? Life is rough, kids. Sophie is discovering the double standard of growing up. There's an age where it just isn't cute anymore (she is pretty cute though, even in her naughtiness). Just like the dimples and rolls on Liam's legs... not so cute at age 30.

A simple box. Unlimited possibilities. This was Maggie's dogbed, as she is currently embodying the character of Martha, from "Martha Speaks." At least this dog is housetrained... well, sometimes, anyway. If you forget and call her 'Maggie,' she quickly corrects, "You mean Martha?" Right, right. I always forget.

Sophie loves her brother dearly, and I think the feeling is mutual. She takes veewy (her word) good care of him and has a pretty good handle on how things go. Recently, she introduced him as, "This is my Liam. He poops all the time."

And two more, just for Uncle Benj:

I call this her 'Sally Draper' outfit.

And so it begins...

... a life of being dressed up. Since we don't have a cat to wrangle into embarrassing get ups, Liam is the next best thing. I personally think he wears it well. Sorry buddy, I think your sisters are going to have some fun with you and their tutus.

It's been a year - what a year!- since the last post. I think I'll work backwards to highlight events and post pictures to get caught up. Oh yeah, we had a baby; that's him above- he's four months old. It'll be a Benjamin Button-type thing! He'll get younger and younger with each post...

Christmas 2008

Sophie feeling rather glamorous.
Maggie feeling rather hungry.

Maggie making her best effort to hug this year's Christmas tree.

Playing in the Snow

Maggie and Josh inside their igloo.

A shot of the backyard igloo.

Heidi, the girls and, of course, Frosty.