Updates and Basketball

Not much has been going on around here. Church basketball started this month, and that has been the highlight! Kale gets together with some guys from the area and plays 1-2 times a week. He's been doing this for a few months now and I am so glad! It's his only real 'exercise' and he loves to play. They play at the church sometimes and in a neighbor's gym other times. He is tall and thin, but he can shoot. I always tease him though because I think he is kind of a lazy team-player and doesn't really hustle, ha! I love that boy. He's awesome.

So, the church games are fun because we can actually go watch him play. He has a small but pretty good team of guys. Sophie likes to watch, mostly. I think that the noise turns into an over stimulus for her, but it's fun to go and watch and play. I think I've got her taught not to go running on the court - we talk about not going past the black line and she respects that. She gets close though and I get nervous. Last game I swooped her out of the way just as two men crashed right where she was standing! Its a lot of fun to go watch Daddy!

Last game was a late one. A little background: Sophie likes to lay down and she'll say "night-night" especially when we get all her blankets (She has three). We were at the game and the other gal laid her 6 month old down. So Sophie and her buddy B laid too! It was pretty funny. They were there for probably about 10 minutes, which is a lot of time for a toddler.

Sophie was pretty tolerate of baby R. Usually she doesn't like when babies cry or even get by her. These guys were having long 'gazes' at each other though, and they were smiling and laughing at each other. B is a cute little neighbor boy. Sophie and him have a love-hate relationship. Sometimes they get along really well, but when it comes to sharing, Sophie needs a lot of practice! They were getting a long good, especially since B was nice and shared his fruit-snacks earlier in the game.

I also play. My ward is combined with another ward because of 'lack of interest' and even still I was the ONLY one to show up last game. Luckily the other team had 10 people, so we just split up and played. It was so much fun. Many girls played ball in HS so the game was really good and I loved it. I wore my new heart rate monitor and it registered 800+ calories burnt for the game. Awesome! I love the heart rate monitor I got. I did a bunch of research and consumer reviews trying to find a good balance in quality and price, and finally settled on the Polar FT4 HRM. I wanted a certain color but everywhere I looked it was pretty pricey, and so I finally found some little online store (bodytronics) that had it for $62 (free shipping). I couldn't beat that anywhere.

I got it last week and the game was the first time I have gotten to use it. I love being able to look down and see my heart rate. I am obviously already out of shape because it was pretty high the entire game (like 90% of max) which isn't great, but hopefully I can start working out more. I thought the chest strap would be uncomfortable but I didn't even notice it when I was playing. I totally love it, and can't wait to use it more.

My game didn't go as well, so Kale took Sophie home before the first quarter even ended. I was going to ask for a ride but since no one in my ward showed up, I figured I'd just walk home. There is a large hayfield that separates my neighborhood from the church. It's about a mile walk. I figured I'd just jog home after the game. I didn't plan for the variables: snow/mud on the dirt road around the field, critters, no-light from the small sliver of a moon, and it was a bit chilly (but felt good since I was sweaty). Then my mind started thinking of all the what-ifs: what if a critter got me, what if someone was out there and got me, what if I fell and got hurt and froze to death... Ya know, the typical what-if thoughts. I made it home though, and it really wasn't that bad, I will definitely want a phone and maybe some Mace next time I try that though.

Sophie is getting to be such a big girl. Even though she'll always be my baby, she's just not a baby anymore. She is getting so big. We had a little well-child check a few weeks ago. She is 28lbs (50% percentile), and 37 in (80% percentile). I already shared this on Facebook I think, but here is a super cute video of her playing at the doctor:

Sophie at the Doctor

I am so glad she's gained weight and is up from the 19%! What a relief. She does eat better. We don't see early intervention anymore, it's been about a year since we stopped. She is still really picky and it takes a lot to even try anything new. At least the things she does like are pretty healthy. She loves oatmeal, eggo waffles or homemade waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, velveeta, french fries, diced peaches, oranges, sliced apples, mandarin oranges, pizza, pepperonis, and yogurt. (Man does she LOVE yogurt). She'll eat an entire box of gogurts if I let her. She also likes the normal snacks: crackers, dried blueberries and craisins, goldfish, and juices and soda (eek!). She is a pretty good water drinker but lately she doesn't want plain water, I have to put a splash of something in there.

She loves to play. She still mostly parallel plays and isn't great at sharing. That's conveniently ok since she is an only child! She does bring things to me though and want me to play with her. It's fun to be able to 'play with toys' again! We like to set up her farm animals and build lego towers. She loves playing with her FP farm, her kitchen, her beauty salon, stuffed animals, her coloring station, bouncy balls, and she LOVES this little potato head she got for Christmas. I am really glad that I have gotten so many great toys at the DI because we can trade them out when she gets bored. I remember finding out I was pregnant and going to the DI at least weekly. I would buy things here and there, and now we have a great collection! I can count how many 'new' toys I have bought on one hand.

I know this statement makes me seem like an awful parents but Sophie loves TV. It has been a lifesaver since I have been in school. We had a netflix free trial which is nice because we can watch stuff anytime. She loves Yo Gabba Gabba probably the most because she is really into doing dances. She also loves to do 'Funny Faces.'

She also likes Wonder Pets and Clifford lately. Sesame street has been a hit, but she definitely has to be in the mood and they are a little longer. Sophie loves baths, too. She'll be in there until she turns into a prune. She likes to float around on her belly and play with her toys. I hate bath toys because they all squirt and eventually get moldy. I've tried cycling them through the dishwasher and emptying them every time, but they still eventually have to be thrown away. She likes that though, because every few months we have new ones to keep her interest. She hates having her hair washed but it gets so messy! I try to do pony tails and hair-dos to get it out of her face, but by the end of the day her hair is wild and doesn't usually stay in. It's getting so long. It's really straight on top and the sides, but the back is curly still! She's pretty good at holding still for me to do fun things, and I am getting better at my french braids.

She is such a Daddy's girl. Lately she has been pretty cuddling and we love it and take advantage of it! I love nothing more than being able to hold her! Kale is such a great dad. He is always willing to play with her and help bath or change her. Since I try to work my shifts in a row, he usually spends weekends with her. Sometimes he gets brave and takes her to McDonald's play-place. She likes it there. He also has taken her to his house before.

Sophie loves to brush her teeth. That has been one thing she has always loved. She lets me brush them really good, then we let her hold all her toothbrushes and she'll go to town. I'm surprised at how coordinated she is at it. A couple months ago we started using fluoride toothpaste since Weber County has no fluoride in their water. I'm pretty sure she swallows most of it, but I try quickly to rinse it out. She is such a good girl, and a good helper!

Sophie still sleeps in a crib. She has not once ever tried to get out of it, and I like being able to 'contain' her at night and for naps. I'm in no rush to trade her out because it works well for us. She is fascinated by her other little friend's toddler beds though, and likes to climb in and out of them. I have a rail to convert it eventually. I am not sure how to make that transition because I just know she'll get out and play. Also, she wakes up pretty early but usually just lays and talks in there, so I know if she could get out she'd be like a tornado in there! We'll probably think about it in the next few months. It can't hurt to try, I just don't want it to be a power-struggle and she still really needs her naps, even though she tries to phase them out some days.

Sophie has the cutest little friend, Anna. Anna is about 9 months older than her, but they actually get along really good. They are a lot alike. Anna is luckily more easy-going about sharing. They are such good little friends. My mom goes over there to help work on projects and to visit when she has Sophie on days I'm working, so they get to hang out a few times a month. It's fun to see them together.

Sophie is really tall. Her poor little pants are floods and we had to skip 2T footed pjs and go right to threes for her long legs! I love buying clothes for her but have to be careful because even though I shop for deals, we get way more than we need sometimes. I think little jeans and stuff are cute, but I know that she's much more comfy in sweatpants and fleece bottoms. I know I am! We have started buying 3T bottoms to help with the length. She still wears 2T tops though. I miss onsies. I get that they would be impossible for potty trained kids, but I feel like I'm always pulling down her shirts. She is wearing a 6 shoe but I think that she'll be in a 7 soon. I hate not knowing if I should size up on her shoes! I'd hate to have her little toes be too squished and wish I knew when her shoes were getting too small. We like tennis shoes that velcro for easy-on-off. I think little sneakers are so cute but having to tie and untie them can be inconvenient (and as you can tell I am all about comfort and convenience).

Kale is really liking his job. He has a lot of extra-responsibilities and does such a good job! He is a really hard worker and they appreciate it there. I love having him work a nice, predictable schedule. Having weekends off is good and he is not as tired when he gets home from work. There are a few of his coworkers out on maternity leave so he's doing even more to help. He was able to go snowboarding last week and had fun. He said he realized he's getting to be an 'old man' though! He really loves snowboarding. I sold my boots and board. It's not that I don't like it but I am not as brave in my 'old age' as I once was and it's such an expensive hobby! He used to take the snowboarding class through the college but now that he's taking a break from school he's really missing it. I got him a pass for Christmas and he went with his sister all day. He is really glad that basketball is one now, and the NBA is one sport I can actually stand to watch with him.

I really love working in the ER. I mean, I knew I would, but I just really like the pace and the variety there. I have been able to get shifts that work with our schedule, which is something I was worried about. That can change at any time but for now it's going good. I love the people I work with down there (at least the ones I know from when I was a tech). I love my Kindle that Kale got me for Christmas. I've ready quite a few books, especially over the Christmas break. With the prime membership you can get them from the library on there, so I have a list of them I want to read. I am really excited because I am almost done with school. I needed 23 credit hours for my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, and have 21 of the 23 complete! The end is near! This last class is a fieldwork/practicum class so its a little bit more difficult because I have to rely on other's schedules to get the work done. I started Nov. 1, so getting 21 credits done in 2 1/2 months is quite an accomplishment for me. I think this class I'm doing now will take about 4 weeks. That will be great. Right now it doesn't really offer me much advantage at work with pay, but I know now is the best time to get it and it could help me in the future. Luckily my work will reimburse me for my tuition, too, and since I finished under the 6month mark I only pay for one semester (instead of 2-3) so I saved A LOT of money, too. I will be so glad to not have that as a top priority in my life, too. It will be so great to be able to just hang out with Sophie instead of distract her to try and get homework done. Yay!

We have really been enjoying our pass to Discovery Gateway. I am getting the treehouse pass next month too since they are on sale. We still need to utilize our dinosaur park pass more too! I can't wait for spring/summer to come. I loved being able to do more things outside, and hiking with Sophie was one of the highlights. I am debating on getting a Lagoon pass again this summer. We'll have to pay for Sophie now, so that makes the cost go up. She has loved Lagoon though, and it's kind of been a tradition since she was about 9 months old when she started riding rides there! Remember this Video?

Sophie at Lagoon

It's one of my favorites and still makes me laugh so hard! I love that girl. We are so lucky and blessed.