Sofia's Christmas Party

Sofia's school had a Christmas program and party on the last day before the holiday break. The 3 and 4 year olds sang Christmas carols. Some of them were dressed as shephards and angels. It was so cute!

Afterwards, they had the party in their classroom and I volunteered to help. It was fun getting to know the kids better and seeing how they interact with one another. The teachers had them do Christmas crafts and decorate cookies. They also read them a story and gave each child a large stocking filled with little goodies. Sofia was so excited to have me there. I really enjoyed it.

Christmas Program

Sofia during the party

Sofia looks through her stocking as Mrs. Loring reads to the class

"Snow" in San Antonio?

We had a really cold night a couple of weeks ago and it left a frost. It definitely looked like snow the next morning. Sofia was so excited and wanted to go outside. So, I had to take a few pictures before heading off to school.

The frost covered the roofs of the houses in our neighborhood. It was also on the lawn. It's the closest thing to snow we will see here in South Texas.

Neighborhood Rooftops

Sofia in the "Snow"

The Christmas "Sapos"

Sofia and I went to Grandma & Grandpa's house today for lunch. My stepdad's mom, Olga, is visiting from Arkansas. So, we had a very nice visit with her.

My Mom has these three frogs (or sapos in Spanish) in the front yard that are metal and have musical instruments. Well, every year my Mom decorates them for Christmas. Last year, they had Santa hats and this year they have lighted antlers.

Sofia has loved these frogs, since she was very little. She always has to go and see them before we leave in the car. My Mom thought it would be fun to have Sofia help her decorate them this year. Of course, Sofia loved it and we had to take pictures.

Sofia putting the antlers on

Sofia and the Sapos

New Christmas Look

I decided to change the look of the blog for the Christmas holidays. I love snowmen and this one was very festive!

There aren't any pictures in this post, since our computer is having some problems. It should be fixed soon. I have some cute pictures I took of Sofia this morning in the San Antonio "snow". Yes, believe it or not, we did get a little frost last night.

We are all ready for Christmas and the house is decorated. Sofia is so excited and she really understands what is happening this year. She knows it is Jesus' birthday and Santa will bring her presents. It has made everything more fun watching her excitement. She also loves watching the classic "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer". We are listening to Christmas music during our car trips and she can sing a few songs.

I hope you are all having a great holiday season!

Paul's Birthday!

We had a small family dinner for Paul's Birthday last week. He worked on his birthday (November 25th) so, we celebrated it the night before Thanksgiving. Jessica was here, too. I made dinner and then Paul opened presents.

Paul and I decided not to give gifts to each other this year for Christmas. Instead, we bought the Nintendo Wii for the whole family. We were going to wait till Christmas to open it, but we couldn't do it. So, after dinner the whole family played games together. We are really enjoying it and it has been the best thing to keep us all entertained. Even Sofia can bat and play tennis. I have a feeling it will be fun for years to come!

Paul and the girls

"Cars" Cookie

We went to the grocery store with my mom this past week. While we were there, I bought Sofia a decorated Lightening McQueen cookie from the movie Cars. She got messy eating it on the way home. So, I took some pictures.

Sofia loves the Cars movie and knows all of the cars by name. She already has a little collection of them at home. She also loves Thomas the Tank Engine. She doesn't really play with her dolls or Barbies. She likes a few girly things like Littlest Pet Shop and she started playing princess dress-up recently.

At school, they filled out little slips of paper about what they were thankful for. Sofia put the names of Thomas trains on her paper. Her teacher has two boys and knew exactly what she was talking about. We all got a big laugh out of it. Sofia is something else!

Messy Face

Sofia and Lightening McQueen

Thanksgiving Feast

Sofia had a Thanksgiving Feast at her school this past week. All of the parents had to bring food items for the meal. We were also invited to sit with the kids for lunch. Paul was home from work, so we both went.

You can see Sofia is crying in the picture. She was upset and didn't want to wear the paper sack indian costume the teacher made. So, I got a picture before we took it off. She felt much better and enjoyed her lunch. It was fun seeing all of the kids dressed up. They were especially excited to get cupcakes!

The Crying Little Indian

Our Swing Set is Done!!

Some of you might remember I mentioned what great deals I have found on craigslist. It all started when we decided to purchase a swing set for the backyard this past summer. We quickly found out swing sets are super expensive. So, I was determined to find a less expensive one on craigslist. After a few weeks of looking at craigslist everyday, I found one that met our needs and was a great price.

Paul disassembled it and brought it home piece by piece. It sat on the backyard patio for a while. Then, we finally got to work power washing it, staining it, and putting it back together. Now, it looks brand new. We are so excited to be done with it. Sofia has really enjoyed it and plays on it every afternoon. Just seeing her smile makes all of the hard work worth while!

Swing set on the patio

Sofia enjoying the slide

Swing set is done!!

Our Swingset is Done!!

Some of you might remember the posting about my findings on craigslist. Well, I also found this playset

Halloween

Halloween was really fun this year! Now that Sofia is 3 years old, she understands more about what it is all about. Having Paul home this year was also great. We stayed in our neighborhood and went to a bunch of houses. There were so many families out. We are so thankful to be in a place where there are so many little kids and everyone knows each other.

Sofia had so much fun. She even said "trick-or-treat" at the door and "thank you" for her candy. She was so cute in her fairy costume. After filling her pumpkin bucket, we headed back home to hand out candy. She loved seeing the other kids and giving them their candy. We just stayed out on the porch and watched everyone go by. It was a great night!

Ready to Trick-or-Treat!

Handing out candy on the porch

Storybook Parade

Sofia's school had a storybook parade this past Wednesday. It's a day where the kids dress up as their favorite character and bring a book which tells a story about the character. She goes to a christian school, so it is the best way to have them wear their Halloween costumes.

Sofia is a fairy this year. The fairy's name is Rosetta and she is one of Tinkerbell's friends. She got the costume for her birthday and it's perfect for Halloween. She also decided to wear her princess tiara and wand with it.

The kids paraded around the gym and waved at all of the parents. Sofia held her teacher's hand and looked to see where I was the whole time. Afterwards, they all met up in one room and one of the teachers read stories to them. I sat with Sofia and saw how much fun the children were having. What a special day!

Sofia in the parade

Fairy Sofia

Visiting Fiesta Texas

We decided to check out the Halloween festivities at Fiesta Texas this past weekend. Jessica was with us and we have season passes. The weather was great, but it was busy. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea as us. Paul and Jessica decided not to wait in the long lines for the roller coasters. So, it was nice having us all together riding the kiddie rides with Sofia.

Sofia had a blast! She is finally tall enough to ride all of the kiddie rides. So, it was fun seeing her try out the airplanes and bumper cars for the first time. We even got to ride the log ride for the first time all together. Sofia wasn't scared at all and wanted to go on it again. We all had a great time!

Sofia on the airplane ride

Older picture of us with Porky Pig and Pepe Le Pew

Seeing Sea World

We went to Sea World last weekend for the first time this season. We get free family passes once a year, since Paul is in the military. It's part of Anheuser-Busch's (they own Sea World) tribute to the troops. We got season tickets to Fiesta Texas this year, since it's closer and there's more rides for both kids to enjoy. Jessica really loves riding the big roller coasters with her dad.

We had a great time at the park. It was fun to see Sofia's reaction to the animals, now that she's older. We went last summer right before she turned 2. So, she loved it this time, especially seeing Shamu! We also ran into our friends, The Taylors. The kids played together in the kiddie area and we all had dinner together. It was really nice. We look forward to going again next year!

Shamu

Jungle Gym at Happy Harbor

Jessica, Sofia, and Jacob Taylor

A Time for Friends

These last few days have been so busy for us. We had our friends, The Cribleys (Rex, Cecilia, and Hannah-3), over for dinner a few days ago. Cecilia leads the women's bible study I've been attending for over a year. Sofia and Hannah had so much fun playing together. Then, yesterday we went to Sea World and brought Jessica with us. We really enjoyed ourselves and ran into our friends, The Taylors (Mike, Flor, Jacob-3, and Joshua-1 1/2). We met them at the bookstore a few months ago. We enjoyed the park together and the kids had a blast playing. They played on the giant jungle gym and in the kiddie area. Of course, we saw Shamu and the dolphins (pictures will be posted later).

Today was also a day of seeing old friends. We had lunch with my college friend, Karen McCarthy, and her family (Michael, Megan-6, and Amber-3). They came to stay in her parent's condo in New Braunfels and get away from Dallas for a few days. We also saw them in July when they came for a visit. It was great catching up again. They came over to the house for a few hours, too.

We are tired from all of the activity. But, we figured seeing so many friends in a short period of time was a great problem to have. We are so blessed to have new and old friends in our life!

Sofia and Hannah playing in her room

Cecilia Cribley and the girls

Soccer-playing Sofia

Sofia starting playing on a soccer team three weeks ago. I've always wanted to put her in some kind of sport having grown up playing sports myself. We joined the nearest YMCA and part of the deal was getting a sports enrollment for free. So, since Sofia just turned 3, she was eligible to play soccer. Paul signed her up right away. We figured it was perfect for her, since it combined her favorite things: being outdoors and playing with balls.

She practices every Tuesday for an hour and has games on Saturdays through the middle of November. She is the youngest and smallest kid on the team. At first, she was hesitant about getting on the field with the other kids. She didn't even want to play during the first game. But, she is getting more involved every week. Paul practices with her outside and she loves to trying to dribble the ball away from him.

Last week, she played in the game twice and seemed to understand how the game was played. We have big hopes for this week! SIDE NOTE: Last week, we played against Bruce Bowen's (San Antonio Spurs) son's team and it was fun getting to see him in person. Pretty cool!

Sofia after her first game

Sofia kicking the ball in her 2nd game!

Daddy giving her a pep talk

Nino's Visit

My godfather, Danny (I call him Nino), lives in El Paso and came to see us after going to a family function in Del Rio. It was so nice to see him again. It was our first time to see him since my godmother, Nanda, passed away last year after a long battle with cancer.

We had a great time visiting and catching up. My parents took him to see the missions and we went out to eat at Alamo Cafe. It was so wonderful having Nino see Sofia and spending time with her. She really warmed up to him before he left. I hope we get to see each other more often. Love you, Nino!

Nino and Sofia

Jessica's Volleyball Game

Last weekend, we drove to Fredericksburg to see Jessica play in a volleyball tournament at her school. It was our first time to see her play. We had a great time watching the junior high girls and they were pretty good. Sofia loved seeing her big sister and Jessica was showing her off to all of her friends. Hopefully, we'll be able to see her play again this season.

At the Zoo

My parents watched Sofia for a few days while I visited Paul in St. Louis. Paul has to do two weeks at his Air Force reserve job every year. So, I try to visit him and make the time apart easier. It was great to spend some alone time with my husband.

My parents really had a great time with Sofia. They took her to the zoo for the second time. She really loves the animals and talks about them non-stop when she gets home. She even rode the train with Grandpa this time. They all had SO much fun!

Grandma and Sofia

Grandpa and Sofia on the train

It's Not Easy Being Green

After a few weeks of hard work, we finally finished painting Jessica's room. It was tough trying to get it done with Paul being on the road. Plus, we wanted it to look really nice. We are glad it's done and Jessica's furniture is back in place. We think we did a pretty good job. Jessica picked out the green color. Now, we just have to find her bedding to match. She was here visiting when we started, but she hasn't seen it finished. She's going to love it!

Sofia's First Day

Sofia started her first day of dayschool this morning. She is going two days a week this year, instead of one like last year. Her school is located at the church we attend called Community Bible. We met her teachers last week and they seem wonderful. She is really going to enjoy it and will learn so much. She was kinda worried this morning, but didn't give me too much trouble about going. She's excited about not having to take naps this year and seeing the pet fish in her classroom. She is growing so fast!

My Latest Find!

I have become addicted to craigslist! Paul and I decided to get a swingset for Sofia, since she LOVES the swings. We looked around and found out how crazy expensive they are. I just knew I could find one cheaper. So, I made it my mission to find one on craigslist. Long story short, we bought one for a fraction of the price from this sweet couple. We tore it down and have it sitting on our backyard patio. We plan to restain it and reassemble it when we can find some time, hopefully soon (I'll post pictures when it's done).

This brings me to my latest find, an outdoor playhouse. I've been looking at them for a while and they are pricey. So, I searched on good ole' craigslist for a couple of weeks and a few peaked my interest. Then, I found this old ad without a picture that described the playhouse as "dirty with the roof coming off". The owner e-mailed me this past Saturday to say it was still available, if I wanted to take a look at it. My dad was in town for the weekend and they didn't live far, so we drove over. It was dirty and the roof just needed to be screwed in, nothing that couldn't be fixed. So, we took it apart and put it in the back of our minivan. Here's the best part...it was only 20 dollars!!!

Dad and I put it in the backyard and hosed it down. Then, we cleaned it with soapy water and rags. We let the sections dry and put it back together again. It was actually fun and Sofia helped, too. Needless to say, it was well worth it and it looks almost brand new. I'm so thankful and believe it was just waiting for us to come get it. Enjoy the pics below!

Before cleaning

Sofia helping out

Looks great for 20 bucks!

Sofia enjoying her playhouse

Mom's Birthday

Here we are celebrating another August birthday! Yep, Mom's birthday is only 3 days after Sofia's. Grandma loves that her and Sofia have their special days so close together.

This year, we met Mom and Greg at a Mexican restaurant nearby to eat dinner. Then, we all headed over to our house for cake and presents.

We are so thankful and blessed to live in the same town. It's wonderful getting to share these moments together!

Mom opening presents

Grandma and Sofia

Sofia's 3rd Birthday!!

We had Sofia's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's this year. We had to have it a week early (August 7th), so everyone could make it. The hostess took care of everything, including cutting the cake. It was nice being able to visit with our friends and not having to worry about every detail. It was so much fun and Sofia had a great time! Here are some pics:

Birthday girl eating cake!

Our friends!

Jessica

Opening presents at home

There's a first time for everything!

Well, here I am blogging for the first time. I was inspired by my neighborhood friend, Megan, and my college friend, Velma, to start a blog. I was so excited to find Velma's blog a few days ago and hear what is happening with her on a regular basis. Then, I realized we have so many friends and family who live far away and might want to see what is going on with us, too. So, here we are!

It's hard to believe we have been in San Antonio for a year already. We really enjoy living here and it has been an easy transition. Having my parents and Jessica close by has been wonderful. No more traveling to see them or having Jessica fly out to visit us. It has made life easier.

On the other hand, it was hard to leave my close friends and start a new chapter. The Lord has been faithful and has blessed us with great new friends here. We've met some great people in our neighborhood and at different bible studies. We even met a couple at the bookstore!

Over the next few days, I'll try and post some pictures of Sofia's recent birthday party and celebrating Mom's birthday on the 17th. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes.