D-Derby

Gotta love D-Derby's! Oh the crowd that comes out when the D-Derby comes to town. Well I guess I can't talk much because me and my family were there, haha. But there is seriously never a dull moment when people watching...

This was Sophia's first time and called it the D-Berby. At first she didn't want to wear the ear muffs, but once she realized how loud it was, she didn't want to take them off. She had fun picking out which car was her favorite or which one she thought would win. She picked the pink or purple car every time! We also had fun cheering for car #80! Jason, TJ's cousin is the driver.

He won 1st place in the figure 8 race! YEAH!

GOOD JOB JASON!

Memorial Day Weekend

Boy were all of us ready for this weekend! Every time we would mention camping Sophia would jump up and down. TJ had a softball tournament in Moses Lake, so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. I was off that Friday already and I took off the next Tuesday, so we had 5 whole days!!! We rented a bigger trailer this year because Christine and family came with us. But because we pulled the big trailer, we needed to borrow Papa's truck (thanks again)!

TJ used his new kitchen from his birthday last year. I highly recommend one of these because they're very handy.
In the trailer Lauren slept on the top bunk, Sophia and I slept on the bottom, Tyler slept on the table bed, and Christine slept on the fold out couch bed. And well TJ slept in the truck. I know what you're thinking...it was not our idea, it was his. He was worried about keeping up Christine and the kids with his snoring, ha!

We got to play in between games...I just love this action shot!

The guys...But my hubby is the best looking;) They played really well. This tournament had a HORRIBLE rule about home runs. If you hit a home run then it counts as an out and another run for the other team. They got bumped out of the tournament on the second day because they lost by 2 runs. And the only reason that happened is because they hit five home runs and scored five points for the other team. SO FRUSTRATING to lose, but played a good game!

Kids gettin' ready for S'mores. Have you ever tried Reeses Peanut Butter cups in a s'more instead of just chocolate? It's actually pretty dang good.

TA-DA! Sophia ate a couple bites, but then was done. She would prefer everything separate.

We camped at the fairgrounds and during the weekend they were having a high school rodeo, so we watched it for a little bit. There were lots of horses to look at and even an elephant. Sophia says, "I'm scared of horses. I just like the little ones."

More fun playing with all the kids.

We got in some traffic on the way home, but Christine and I were just hoping we would make it to North Bend before they closed so we could get some good deals. We pulled in to the parking lot about 7:20, so we had approximately 40 minutes to shop...GO, GO, GO! We got Sophia some summer clothes and she suckered Daddy into buying her that hat. She is pretty cute in it though.

We were tired when we got home, but had a blast.

Fashion Fowl

My Dear Sophia:

Fashion Tip #1: NEVER WEAR SOCKS WITH SANDALS!!!

It's not cute when you're 2 or when you're 50...Just NEVER DO IT!
My mom bought these sandals for Sophia. Yes, they're practical, but not my favorite style. I laughed when my mom showed me, but Sophia loves them because she can put them on herself. We were getting ready to go today and she came out with her the sandal and sock combination. I just started laughing and told her, "We don't wear socks with sandals!" hahaha!

Outside Day

Ethan's school had a 5K fund raiser, so my family signed up to support it!

When I give my students a fluency assessment, I have them read a passage to me for the first time and it is called their "cold" read...never seen it, never practiced. Well, this was my "cold" run for the year. I have been quite the slacker with running lately, so this was a good motivator to get me going again!!! Ethan ran with my dad and I the whole time:)

Here's the group before the race: Tracy, Christine, Dad, Mindy, Nate, and Ethan. My mom was the official babysitter of all the kids (except Ethan of course).

We all finished and got a ribbon and a coupon for a free Emerald Smoothie. After the race, I dragged Tracy, Mom, Lauren, and Sophia to Puyallup to cheer on TJ at his church softball tournament.#16 is my favorite player. Gotta love the baseball booty!

TJ got on base! Oh yeah! He played well, but the team lost 2 in a row. Then they had a 4 hour break and came back to win the championship game!

Today was such a fun day outside and in the sun. I had 2 firsts today for the year...running a 5K and having to put on sunscreen! There will be lots more of that hopefully!!!!

Cute Story

When I dropped Sophia off at preschool this morning she wanted to color with me for a little bit. Ms. Shelby got us some white paper and crayons. We were sitting there coloring when all of a sudden Sophia got up with 2 white crayons in her hand. I asked where she was going and she said, "These not work, I throw away!" How cute! Of course they wouldn't work on white paper! So smart, hahaha. I love how 2 year olds think. So, we got out black paper to show her that they do work and she said, "whoa!" Have I mentioned that I love her?!!!

Blessed to be a Mom

My Mother's Day was nice...nothing too fancy...pretty quiet, but just what I needed. It seems like it has been go, go, go lately or working on homework for my teaching certificate, so a nice calm day was PERFECT.

I wanted to get a picture with Sophia and I on Mother's Day (of course)! It's going to look like I am very conceded because there are many pictures of Sophia and I, but she was in the posing mood so I went with it! This one is my favorite...

For dinner we went over to my parent's house and the guys were in charge. Usually my brother is there to help, but he was with his in-laws, so it was up to my Dad and TJ. This is a classic picture of what happens when guys cook dinner with the TV on.....hmmmm I wonder what they're focusing on;)

Then Sophia got them back to focusing on what was really important...DINNER! They made shoosh-ka-bobs (phonetic spelling?), fresh fruit, and bread. It was SOOO good!

TJ helped Sophia make my mom and I a "Peek-a boo" craft with her hand print. TJ did this all by himself...I think my craftiness is rubbing off on him and I like it:)

I have been looking for a nice umbrella stroller for awhile and my parents surprised me with one! What was funny is that TJ was going to get me the same thing, but wanted me to look at it before he bought it:) Great minds think alike!

Great day to be reminded how blessed I am to be a MOM!

Mother's Day Tea

Sophia had her "WOMEN THAT WE LOVE" Tea on Saturday. It was such a beautiful day so it was set-up outside!

The Preschoolers practiced a little play and sang lots of songs. Sophia was excited to be the "Purple Poppy" all week, but when it came time for it, she was not to sure. And 5 minutes later the hand went up, then she slowly walked away from the group to sit with me. Later she tried it again sitting on one of her teacher's lap. By the way, this would have been me at her age, better yet I wouldn't of even got up there!

Sophia's guests included Grandma Brown, Nana, and GG. Yup, she's still clingy. I think she knew it was Mother's Day, haha! She was like this ALL weekend:)

Sophia worked hard on presents...She made GG a bead necklace and card and Nana got a picture of Sophia in a picture frame.

And Grandma Brown got a painted pot. What a masterpiece! Although Sophia was not the star of the show, I knew she knew the songs and I was glad to be with her and other wonderful women!!!

Husky Game at Safeco Field

Saturday was the annual Huskies baseball game at Safeco field. We love it #1 because we get to see Caleb play, #2 it's $5 a ticket and open seating, so we get to sit really close and experience Safeco minus the Mariners. Highlights from the game in no particular order:
1. Being with family...Nate's family, Christine's family, and the majority of TJ's family came. It was fun being surrounded by both sides.
2. Catching free T-shirts
3. Cheering for Caleb (even though he pretended he couldn't hear us).
4. Eating junk food
5. Getting on the big screen with Sophia
6. Watching Caleb autograph baseballs, posters, etc for the kids. Sophia wanted her cheap little blue mitt signed.
7. Watching the kids run around the bases after the game
8. Being decked out in Huskie gear
9. Huskies winning!!!
10. Not having our car broken into like last year:)

Thank You Lacey!

TJ and I have been looking for a swing set for Sophia for awhile because she loves swings and we thought with summer around the corner it would be a good idea. We were thinking of spending around $100 for a wood one so it wouldn't rust. Our criteria was a swing and a little slide, nothing fancy because our backyard does not have a ton of space. Well, after much research we found that was nearly impossible. We got really excited when we saw one on the Internet for $200. Yes, still more than we wanted to spend, but it was a wood kit that came with a bumpy slide and 2 swings. Yes, hit the jackpot! I clicked on the image, read the reviews and quickly realized that the swing-set included ONLY the swings and hardware. WHAT THE HECK? We would have to buy the wood and slide ourselves, which is another $200! That is crazy! We might settle for a metal one, but those are still more than $100. I don't know, I guess I have to feel lucky that I live very close to a cool park. We became much happier when my friend offered us this play house. She was tired of having it take up space and her boys never played with it. Inside there is a kitchen and little table. Boy are we going to have fun with this house (now bring on the sun)! Forget the swing-set, we get to play house, hehe...Thank you Lacey!!!

Isn't it cute!

Easter Day

We had an early Easter morning. Sophia had a lovely cough all night so she ended up sleeping with us (which is usually a big no, no for me)! About 6:30 she started coughing so hard that she made herself throw-up all over our bed, so then she went straight to a bath. We made it down stairs to see if the Easter bunny ate Sophia's carrots, hid her eggs, and left her anything. Sure enough he did all those things!

She loved the Easter egg hunt and got to do 3 of them. One at our house, one at my parent's house, and one at TJ's Nana's. She found one!
Found another one!

We still had time to kill before breakfast and conference, so we opened up her pizza play-dough set and had some fun. Can I tell you that I love play-doh too?!

We blew-up the air mattress, watched conference, went to my parent's house for the tradition Easter baskets, egg hunt, and yummy bunny buns. Then, we made our way to Nana's house and visited with TJ's family. Finally, we went back to my parent's for dinner and strawberry pie! Does anyone else think we need a school day off after Easter? I sure do!

Today Sophia asked if the Easter bunny could come again tomorrow! I guess she had fun :)

Easter Fun

You know me...Lover of crafts! My mom saw a similar sign at Michael's, so she copied it and I thought it was adorable, so I made one too. THANK YOU MY CRICUIT!!!

(If anyone doesn't have one and likes scrapbooking/crafts you NEED to get one...well worth the money)

It's easy to get caught up in all the festivities of Easter, which is why I made my sign say, "HE IS RISEN," so every time I walk by it, I remember the true meaning. I am so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and that we can live with him again because of the sacrifice he made for us!

Sophia only cracked 4 eggs in the dying process, ha! She chose pink for her egg.
Nate and Mindy had the idea of meeting at my parents house to have an egg dying party and dinner. The Uffens kids know how to decorate! There was everything from Star Wars, multi-colors, designs, and stickers eggs.

Tonight we had to get ready for the Easter Bunny, so Sophia put out her eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide and some carrots for a snack (And a snack for her too).

We also blew up the air mattress and watched "The First Easter Rabbit" movie. Can't beat snuggle time with the family:)

The Easter Bunny is all ready! I sewed the liners to our baskets. Mine is flip-flops, TJ's is baseball, and Sophia's is polka dots for now. I like have my baskets look the same, but thought it would be fun to pick material to match what we love. That way when we have more kids down the road I can make more!