At the pumpkin patch

.......................Sophie Lu couldn't make up her mind...
a .... .......But, she finally decided that this was the pumpkin for her!

.....And then she quickly moved on to hay-throwing...

and hay-eating! Then she did something really crazy... she took out her bows! (We call this her "Grandpa Munster" look!)

A Baby Brother, and...

........... .........Look, Mama! A kitty at our back door!
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I think I'm going to keep him, but I need to check him out first!
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......................................Nope... no nametag...
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He does look hungry... and very neglected. He definitely needs a home...
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. .. ..But, first I need to make sure he like hugs...
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.... ....and, of course, my "Kissy Face" kisses!
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.. .. ..Well, he seems to enjoy our kitty food!
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. . ..But, will he mind if I try to feed him wild berries?
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............... ... ..........And, does he like limes?
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Okay, so he doesn't like berries and limes- but he does like ME! And, I like him! I'm going to name him "Pumpkin". I love you, Pumpkin!

Amy & Annie come to visit

Lucky Throw ! (Like Mother, Like Daughter)

Last weekend, we took Sophie to the Fall Festival at the Catholic school we plan to send her to. She was so intrigued by all of the excitement. Here she is watching as some older boys tried to win prizes by throwing ping pong balls into the floating hoops.
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Of course, Sophie Lu just had try it. The guy gave her a big handful of ping pong balls, but...
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Sophie Lu made one in on her FIRST TRY!!! She put those older boys to shame! You'd think that would satisfy her, but...
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She had her eye on a 2nd prize, and... she made it in on her first try AGAIN! No one could believe it (except, of course, her proud Mommy)!
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Sophie also wanted Mommy to try it (I think so I could win her yet a 3rd prize), and I also made it in on my first try! We are both so very lucky! Remember this from our China trip?

This Little Piggy!

She makes my gray skies blue~

Nothing can cheer me up like Sophie Lu's smile or her laughter~ Here we are playing "This Little Piggy" (video to follow). Her favorite part is at the end when I make her wait and then try to surprise her with the last little piggy's "wee wee wee...". Of course, in our version, this piggy goes wee wee wee all the way home for kisses! :)

Kisses for Pookie

Sophie Lu is crazier than ever for her kitty-pal, Pookie. She finds him every morning, closes her eyes, and gently descends on him for soft kitty kisses. Yes, he's a lucky cat- and he knows it!

Cocoons, Doughnuts, & Church

My precious girl, reading in the morning sun! Sophie loves to read- I catch her pointing to the words, turning the pages, and making up little stories while she reads to herself. It's so cute. And, she is obsessed with cocoons! She understands the entire cycle and is always looking for caterpillars and cocoons in our garden. Here, she is reading "The Hungry Caterpillar", one of her favorite books.

What, Mama? You're taking me to church? That sounds like fun!

Showing off her pretty church dress!

Sophie's first visit to church was a disaster... From the moment we entered the church, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "NO LIKE IT CHURCH!"... so I took her into the "crying room" inside the church where she screamed even louder. Then, I took her outside to try to calm her down. We had several failed attempts entering the church, so I eventually walked over to the bake sale. Here she is with the doughnut I tried to bribe her with. And after lots of hugs and some gentle coaxing, this was her reply: "Like it, doughnut, Mama. NO like it, church!"