Trip to Seahorse?

Sophie thinks Sea World is "Seahorse", so today we were happy to say we planned a family trip to Seahorse! I'm thrilled that we have season passes as it's the perfect amount of activity for her for a day. Leave Austin by 9am and be back by 5pm!

We loved going to the amusement park with Daddy this time and I must say, Sophie was a lot more "into" the sea creatures as it probably took her the prior visit to digest everything she had seen. Sophie experienced some trepidation at first when we got up to feed the dolphins, but she really start enjoying herself and was leaning towards the water at the end. Our little one experienced through "observation" as she wanted Daddy to feed the dolphins, not her. She's still talking about the experience... "Daddy feed dolphin"! Next, we were lucky to be there to see a four day old baby beluga at Beluga Stadium. So neat! No Viva show for a while so mommy and baby whale can bond! We loved the pengiuns, sharks, fish, birds, flamingos, and of course, Shamu! It's amazing to see experiences through your own child's eyes. I love watching Sophie watch everything.

Up close and personal is the theme of this trip!

Sophie was so close to the dolphin:

Sophie enjoyed the sharks aquarium, but it was nothing compared to her putting her face on the glass with the fish. She was happy to see Dory, but was asking for Nemo.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but this goose was no more than 12 inches aways from us. And Sophie wasn't scared at all... she was intrigued:

This picture has nothing to do with the attractions at Sea World, but she's so darn cute, I had to post it! Showing a little 'tude with her glasses in one had and her sippy cup under the crook of her other arm:

And, of course, we backed out of our parking spot, went down the aisle, and before we even turned towards the exit, she was asleep! I can't resist my sleeping daughter:

All That Jazz

I have been looking forward to the day when I would have the time and flexibility to have playdates with moms in my neighborhood. With a full-time job, I've never been able to do anything fun with Sophie during the week. Sophie and I happily drove to Radijazz Playnasium this morning and got a couple hours of non-stop fun in. It was so cute to see Sophie check out all the neat toys, balls, playscapes and volcano pit. Her hair was crazy and she was getting into everything, but little kids know when they are done. After 90 minutes, Sophie said "Mommy, I go home". Made me laugh as I was tired, too! We met some really nice mommies and look forward to having another playdate soon.

I tried so very hard to snap some "action" photos of Sophie. Unfortunately, I was always one second too late and she was off to another toy. I'm happy to have one picture where she's halfway facing the camera.

Sophie stopped to snack -- she needed some fuel for round #2. The three of us joke about our "chubby cheeks" when we've stuffed our mouths with food:

A Little Texas BBQ

Nothing better than a breezy Sunday afternoon at Rudy's BBQ. After an afternoon of swimming at Lost Creek, we decided that we needed to have Sophie & Cal run around the huge field while we grab some good ole barbeque. David and I just love that place! The BBQ tastes delicious and it's so kid friendly with the picnic benches and football sized field in the back. In fact, I got plenty of exercise as well, racing all the kids from one side of the field to the other.

David is so proud -- Sophie found a soccer ball:














Sophie and Cal stop playing for a hug:

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Today, we celebrated our friend, Jeff Sauer's, 35th birthday with a surprise party at Lake LBJ! Even though it was raining in Austin, the weather was sunny there. We couldn't have asked for more than that! Sophie was able to swing, swim, and slip & slide! I must say, Sophie liked the swing the best as she kept running over to it.

We had a good time hanging out, eating & drinking, and watching the kids play. Perfect plans for a Saturday during the summer.

Swinging.... swimming.... sliding....

My Bicycle!

Sophie just loves her little tricycle! What a fantastic smooth ride and it's so easy to operate with the long funny-looking handle bar especially for us! Everytime we go into the garage to get into our car, she insists that it's time for her to ride her "bicycle". It's a constant test of wills to see who makes out in the end.

It cracks me up because her idea of "riding the bicycle" is having us push her. She hasn't mastered the pedaling part yet as she holds onto the handlebars and just rests her feet. She's a smart one -- why do any of the work when daddy or mommy can do it for me?

Father's Day

David had a wonderful Father's Day! Sophie and I woke up early on Sunday and let him sleep in, while we made a huge breakfast and put out all of our presents. When he woke up, David was very surprised, which I find hard to do. Sophie was so excited and kept saying "It's Father's Day" for most of the morning and afternoon. She's a funny one! After the busy morning and a trip to the pool, David said his perfect day was to lay on the couch and watch the US Open, which he did!

A Little Culture and a Ton of Fun

Yesterday, Sophie had a play date with her friends Carter and Caroline Sauer. We were excited to go to the Austin Children's Museum as Sophie had never been. There was so much to do in there -- learning experiences on animals/bugs, arts and crafts, and pretend play. We look forward to going back and also having more play dates with "Carterline" as Sophie called them!

Sophie found the slide and kept going down it over and over again. She loves playgrounds!

She did spend some time with Caroline organizing the pieces on the magnet board:

After a fun-filled morning and then lunch, Sophie was asleep in the car before we pulled out of the parking lot! She refused to take off the hat she made at the museum!