Yesterday was our ward Primary Program and since I am in the Primary presidency as the first counselor I got to help out a lot with it. The kids did a great job as they testified of Jesus Christ and how we can come to know more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Sophie had the first talk of the program, she shared a primary talk she gave from earlier in the year about how she knows her mom and dad loves her and how we can know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. She did great. Besides the program ending 10 minutes earlier than planned, the main microphone being broken and a few extra kids that decided to show up the day of and ask for a part I would say the program was a success... even with the hiccups. :)

Yesterday evening was also the super moon so naturally we decided to go outside and watch it (as I am sure everyone else did); it was a neat experience for all of us. At first we were not sure we were going to get to see anything since it was cloudy here and since this type of eclipse is not suppose to happen again until the year 2033, I am glad we got to see it. We did not go anywhere special to watch it, just set out on the front lawn. I took a few pictures with my camera but since I don’t have a tri-pod some of the photos did not turn out great but I still managed to get a few keepers. Enjoy! 

This past Friday was Sophie’s birthday party. Since this will be her last birthday in Cheyenne with all her friends, Stewart and I decided we would throw a party for her and some of her friends. She decided she wanted to have a Pirate Izzy party (Izzy is a pirate from Disney’s cartoon, Jake and the Neverland Pirates) so we delivered. This is by far the most time and planning I have put into any of Sophie’s birthdays, other than maybe her first b-day. But I had a lot of fun planning it, and seeing it all come together in the end.

Homemade Invitations

Because of Stewart’s work schedule, LDS General Conference, and other conflicts we ended up hosting Sophie’s birthday party on a Friday evening at 5:30. That meant we had to feed parents and kids dinner which was not in the original plan but we ran with it and the food was good. We served, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, Jell-O cups, veggies, fruit kabobs, chips, blue punch, and of course cake and ice cream. No one left with a hungry belly that is for sure.

Sophie's Izzy Cake I made and decorated

The one activity Stewart and I organized for the kiddos to do, other than letting them run around and destroy our house by playing was a pirate themed obstacle course in the back yard. I should mention that when our pirates arrived they all got a pink or black bandanna, eye patch, a rub on tattoo, and a eye scope to help them find the buried treasure. After our pirates were decked out to look like a pirate we all went outside to the obstacle course.

To start the pirates had to swab the deck by sweeping a ball through a maze of wood, next they had to crawl though the seaweed tunnels, cross the rickety balance beams, jump across the hot lava, swing across the crocodile pit, walk the plank over the Shark tank, and finally dig for burred treasure in the sand. I think the kids had a lot of fun doing the course and loved the loot they came away with (rings, necklaces and gold doubloons).  We are glad the weather was so beautiful for our outdoor activity; otherwise I am not sure what we would have done.

Most of the Pirate Gang

In the end I think everyone had a good time especially Sophie who enjoyed the attention and all the neat gifts. Sophie has been richly blessed to have made so many wonderful friends in Cheyenne (Stewart and me as well) who I know she will miss dearly come next year when we move. I guess we will have to cherish the time we have with them while it is still here. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated Sophie’s fifth birthday with us, we enjoyed your company. HUGS!

Sophie asked me on the way home from church last Sunday if I had a veil. I had to ask a few more find out questions before I finally realized she was asking about my wedding veil. After I said yes she then asked about my dress and if I still had it. When I told her I did, she got really excited and asked me if she could see it. I told her that it was in my cedar chest and that we could get it out later. Well later turned into a few days and it was not until last Thursday that I finally got my dress out to show Sophie after her bath.

I kept my wedding dress tucked away waiting for this very moment when my little girl would want to see it and try it on. That is what I did growing up with my mom, I always imagined myself wearing my mom’s dress when I got married to bad for me my mom was a skinny lady back in the day… I never had a chance. Anyway it was so fun listening to her oooo and awe and laugh in a giddy fashion while trying it on. I even found my wedding bouquet so she could get the full effect. Needless to say she was excited to hear about Stewart’s and my wedding day.

After Sophie had tried the dress on and had her fill she and Stewart encouraged me to try my dress on again after it being tucked away for 8 years. Of course my dress still fits; it actually fits better than the day I got married. I often wondered if it was smart of me to have bought my dress, instead of renting one like many brides do… after tonight I am glad I bought mine and even more grateful I kept it. There is something magical about seeing your daughters eyes light up at the sight of your wedding dress, and even more so seeing her try it on. 

 

For Family Home Evening tonight we went out and dug up our potatoes. It was a joke! The potatoes we planted in the spring were bigger than the ones we harvested. Either I am losing my green thumb or it is impossible to grow anything in Wyoming! We did not get a big harvest again this year, but it was better than last years it was a total loss after the second hail storm destroyed it.  Anyway we did get a head of Broccoli, several tomatoes, a bitter cucumber, peppers, rubbery carrots, peas, one picking of green beans, and herbs. I guess after typing it out it does not look that bad, but really it was a meager harvest none the less.  Here are some comical pictures for you to enjoy.  Fingers crossed for a better harvest next year. 

Tonight Stewart and I decided to throw Sophie a “We Love You” Party. We decorated our extra room with simple banners we already had on hand and homemade signs that read WE LOVE OUR SOPHIE LOU. The idea of the party was to let Sophie choose whatever she wanted to do with us for an hour and spend time with her without outside distractions. It was so fun! We played Go Fish, Old Made, did the Limbo, danced and played the HA HA Game. 

Stewart and I wanted to let Sophie know that she is loved and important to us no matter how much she feels we ignore her at times. May we always take time to make her feel special each day and show her how much she means to us in word and deed. Truth is our lives would be boring and mundane without her sweet spirit in our home. We love you Sophie Lou!

Playing the HA HA GAME, Family Selfie :)

Sophie and the picture I (Becky) drew of her... I think it looks like her.

Sophie has the best dad ever, he is so caring and kind.  I love that he makes a valid effort to spend time with Sophie no matter how tired he is at the end of the day. The other day I walked into the study where I thought Stewart was working on some notes he needed to complete before he headed off to work for the day to find Sophie and him performing surgery on her bear.  I think the bear swallowed something that needed removed. Honestly I have a hard time keeping up with all the reasons her bear needs to see a doctor because he makes frequent visits.

Another thing Stewart makes sure to do with Sophie weekly is to read the Sunday comics (or daily comics if there is time) with her. They sit in the living room with the comic pages open, Sophie pointing to each one she wants her dad to read to her and him reading to them to her in his best voice to match the characters. It is really quite charming to listen to them interact together over the comics.

One of Sophie's chores is to put the silver ware away when the dishwasher is clean. To do this she empties the case that looks, in her mind, like an animal cage. When she is finished Sophie will turn to her dad every time and say "oh no the animals are lose, we have to go catch them!" So on that cue Stewart and Sophie start running around the house looking for lost animals and putting them back into the dishwasher. I am not sure how this little exercise came about but it makes me smile to see Stewart going along with it each time.

Finally Stewart and Sophie have started stargazing in the wee hours of the morning and if I am lucky they will invite me to join them. I love to learning about the constellations at the feet of Sophie and Stewart. Sophie gets excited each time and points out all the constellations she finds eagerly each time we go. It is fun to be included in something Sophie and her dad do. Like I said Sophie adores her dad and I know he adores her equally so.