UPDATE! - I now have taken the time to res-sort and comment on the pictures! Yes, I'm posting again!
Sophie is a Dora Freak (and secondarily Diego and Kai-Lan) - so it was natural for her first "aware" birthday party to be a Dora party. We went all out, Dora plates, cups, napkins, cake, and a banner!
In the time-honored tradition of children everywhere, Sophie sneaks some frosting...
Here is the "Giggly" Kai-Lan doll that we got for her - it reminds us of how she looks when she does her big smile :) That's grandpa Ziegler looking on...
At this party, she was really figuring out presents, and this present had a bunch of different things in a bag big enough for her to fall in, and she almost did, trying to get the stuff on the bottom...
Sophie got her first Barbie, which she is showing off to her friend Jayden, as grandma and grandpa Ziegler watch...
When Sophie has stayed with grandma and grandpa Gabriel, she and grandpa share some super big marshmallows, so grandpa got her a big bag for home use...
Just a small portion of the pile o' presents...
Sophie had such genuine enthusiasm for everything she received (whether she knew what it was or not) - I hope she keeps that...
Giving grandpa Ziegler a big thank-you kiss...
Eating her lunch with her baby and grandpa Gabriel.
"How old are you?"
The previous evening, Stacy and I gave her the bulk of the presents from us (so it wouldn't be just a mom and dad fest with everyone else there).
I had been finding some awesome deals, and we got her a V-Smile learning system and a bunch of games so that she could get started with some other types of fun learning.
Sophie loves playing with hair, so we got her a set of hair toys...
She also gt her first Cabbage Patch Kid (we tried to get one that looked like her)...
Sophie's aunt-aunt gave her a couple of games that she already had, so I traded them in for something we knew Sophie would love - a play vacuum. Every time I vacuum, she wants to hold the handle and help - now she has one made just for her. The middle section pops off, and can be used like a dust-buster. She loves it! Thanks, aunt-aunt!
Another thing we've started, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, is to get her started with Legos. Right now, she has all of the Dora and Kai Lan sets (actually Mega Bloks, but they work with Duplos) - and she loves to build and play with them. She's getting much better at stacking and arranging them, and she loves being able to play with her favorite characters too.
Grandma Orsund got her a couple of costumes, including this cowgirl outfit, which looks very cute on her...
See you later!
Larry
The previous evening, Stacy and I gave her the bulk of the presents from us (so it wouldn't be just a mom and dad fest with everyone else there).
I had been finding some awesome deals, and we got her a V-Smile learning system and a bunch of games so that she could get started with some other types of fun learning.
Sophie loves playing with hair, so we got her a set of hair toys...
She also gt her first Cabbage Patch Kid (we tried to get one that looked like her)...
Sophie's aunt-aunt gave her a couple of games that she already had, so I traded them in for something we knew Sophie would love - a play vacuum. Every time I vacuum, she wants to hold the handle and help - now she has one made just for her. The middle section pops off, and can be used like a dust-buster. She loves it! Thanks, aunt-aunt!
Another thing we've started, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, is to get her started with Legos. Right now, she has all of the Dora and Kai Lan sets (actually Mega Bloks, but they work with Duplos) - and she loves to build and play with them. She's getting much better at stacking and arranging them, and she loves being able to play with her favorite characters too.
Grandma Orsund got her a couple of costumes, including this cowgirl outfit, which looks very cute on her...
See you later!
Larry
