Stop, Dog Stop, for All that is Good and Holy Please Stop, Dog!

Sophia has always loved books but these past two weeks she has taken that love to a whole new level. We have now entered that stage of Toddlerdom where she wants to read the same book over and over, and over and over and over again until her heart's content. I mentioned in a post recently that her favorite book was Who Stole the Cookies, but Go, Dog. Go has always been a close second...and I'm pretty sure it has now taken the lead. I can't even count how many times I've read that book today, let alone all week. She loves it.

Now I was a little naive on this until recently, but apparently there are two Go, Dog. Go versions. She has had the board book version since she was born and then got the full size version for her birthday along with another board book, which was great because then I could keep them all around the house for her reading pleasure, since it was one of the favorites, after all. So I mistakenly thought that the full size was the same as the board book...and oh how mistaken I was. It's great, don't get me wrong, but it is about 37 pages of words, as in more than just the 3-4 words found in the board version. And although my child shows no patience while I'm cooking dinner or on the toilet, you best believe she shows plenty of patience when she wants to sit on my lap and hear all 37 pages of that book about 10 times in a row.

I am thrilled that she is such a happy reader, and I'm sure that this too shall pass, but sometimes I am up to my ears in dogs--literally and figuratively--and just need a break! ;)

Yes We Did!*

Yes we did, a true and perfect statement. This week our country made history and we were a part of it. I am both proud and humbled by the steps our country has taken this past week and I truly look forward to an Obama presidency and all it has to bring. And in true Tori fashion, I had a bash to welcome the new President-Elect. I must admit, that I was worried it would be much more touch and go than it was. We did have a mixed household, which does make it more fun, but regardless of party affiliation, I think everyone had a great time! I know I did!

*The ideas and comments in this post are not the expressed or written views of all members of the Hirner Household.

Is that one patriotic family or what?!

The buffet table....

a close up of the centerpiece...and yes it was bi-partisan, you just can't see the red elephant on the other side very well. ;)

(and to think that Uptown Bill was mocked in an earlier post...Kathleen!!!)

Sarah and RaeAnn coloring in the states on their map. Yes, I supplied printed outline maps of the US with red and blue crayons for those who wished to follow along.

Notice the coordinating wrist-wear

Is that Tom Selleck? No, it's Ray, our raffle winner. To enter the raffle you had to have been wearing your 'I Voted' sticker. He looks very stylish and patriotic!

Sophia wearing the latest fashion trend while Bama sports her election-day skimmer

Pink Rainbow Monster?

Obviously last Halloween Sophia didn't do much except lay there and put up with my costume changes! ;) This year she is much more cooperative and still doesn't know about candy so it's another win-win year for the Hirners!

Let me preface the rest of the post by saying that Sophia was dressed as a pink pony. She is not She-Godzilla, nor a dragon and no, not even a pink rainbow monster...she is a pink pony.

We started out our costume-clad afternoon by taking a trip to the nursing home to visit Grandma B. Upon our arrival we were greeted by a lobby full of elderly folks who oohed and aahed over Sophia. They were just too cute, waiting for all the kids to come in and they adored by daughter, which of course scored them even more points!

Sophia was so happy to be in costume she entertained us with her singing during car trips to and fro. And let me tell you what else she did not fuss once about that headpiece and kept it on for hours!

Our second stop was the 'downtown' district of Overland Park. For those of you who don't know, it's a cute little town area with stores, bars and restaurants. They were sponsoring a safe Halloween and offered up candy at participating places. I did not want Sophia to Trick-or-Treat as much as I just wanted her to be on parade. We joined up with some friends to make it more special!

Are we going to get this party started or what, guys?!

Sophia, Massimo, Isabelle, Luca, and Emma

and here's Isaac, who didn't make the group shot, but was too cute in his Elvis costume! Hunka-Hunka cute!

The kids were winding down anyway when we got to a bar that was handing out treats for the kids and coupons for the parents...the coupons were for $0.50 pints. We made and executive decision to be done here. I mean, the kids were tired anyway!

Family Photo

Our last stop was home! We picked up a pizza from the bar and headed home to welcome our own set of Trick-or-Treaters. Sophia was wiped and we were hungry! Mom met us there to give Sophia her Halloween goodies...

Sophia got a Candy Corny (who tells jokes) and an Owl who 'booos' instead of 'whooos' with a coordinating story book. She was absolutely fascinated by both and she and Bama had a wonderful time playing with them while Charlie and I handed out candy. Charlie's favorite part of Halloween is letting the kids ring the bell and listening to them squeal and gasp as Walter rounds the corner and heads for the door!

Sophia was so tuckered she headed to bed early and didn't even awaken by the numerous ding-dongs that followed. The day was made even better that Charlie was able to take off work and spend some of it with us. It makes me happy and excited to see a future of so many fun Halloweens with the Hirner family!

Fall Farmstead Fun

They all look a little off in this picture don't they?...Who knew it would be so difficult to get 3 kids to look good all at once! LOL!

Hmmm, these goats look interesting...

Sophia is used to Walter licking her, so goat tongues were no match! She enjoyed feeding the goats and watching them from outside the fence.

In fact, although she looks slightly terrified, she was only tired, and she even enjoyed the goats from the inside view. She petted them and followed them around and it didn't even faze her when they cornered her!

But, I was a little nervous about her getting mauled so I helped with the feeding process, which was a wise choice because as you can see these were some aggressive goats! :)

This was our first visit to Deanna Rose Farmstead and it is really too bad because it closes for the season tomorrow! Truthfully, she is really at the age right now where she can really enjoy everything, but it would have been nicer if I would have had my act together to get her there sooner. The entire farmstead is free of charge and there is a lot to see and do!!! Besides the goats, Sophia also enjoyed watching the prairie dogs and seeing the swans. We will be sure to be back next season when Sophia will be able to enjoy it even more!

Practice Makes Perfect

Whoa, now...steady!

Yeah, I'm using the walker, whatdya have to say about it?

Almost there!

Look at that power-walking posture!

All on her own!

Sophia has been consistently walking since Sunday...hoorah! It is not her primary means of transportation yet, but it will be soon. If she's already standing, she'll walk, if she's not she'll crawl. She is really pretty good, though and lots of people have commented on how stable she has become so quickly, so that's good. She still loves to use the walker and will hold my hand sometimes too...very cute.

Triple Threat

Hello, Babies!

Aubrey doing the stiff-arm dance!

Lauren chillin' in the swing

For a day with no plans we sure kept ourselves busy! I did some intense cleaning around the house and still managed to get some visiting done! Sophia and I visited Jill and the babies, who are just growing so big, and had a great time! I thought Sophia would be smothering them with her 'love' but instead she petted each of them and went about her business. She was really more interested in playing with Jill's candles and chasing poor Addie (the dog!). Although, once Lauren fell asleep in the swing, Sophia was then interested in trying to touch her and push the swing...typical.

Cold Weather Changes

Sophia LOVES to be outside...sometimes I think I've created a monster! She has even started crawling to the doors and grunting and pointing to let me know it's time to play outside and she does not care if it is cold or raining! Aaaaah! I will definitely have to invest in a warmer coat for myself to accomodate her this winter! I wanted her to be an outdoors girl, I think it's important to play outside and appreciate nature, but with this turn from summer into fall, it reminds me how much I hate the cold! Plus, I've had a dickens of a time trying to find her a hat/mitten set so far. I know more will be coming into stores soon, but since she sucks her thumb, her hand is always wet and therefore always cold! She's got one set, but I just don't think that's going to cut it. I am also on the lookout for a winter coat and snowpants. I've looked at quite a few coats from various stores and it's hard to decide....so if any of you experienced moms have any good advice on this topic, let me know!

We have also moved our Baby Boot Camp classes indoors to a local mall. The mall is very, maybe a little too, kid friendly! ;) They have a bunch of play places and lots of candy machines and coin-operated cars. Luckily Sophia has no clue what candy is and doesn't know the cars actually move, with that I've bought myself a bit more time! Here she is looking at the pretty colors and turning the knobs...fun! Below is the big playground in the mall, which is a great alternative in cold weather but it gets very busy!!!

But, if nothing else, she can always stay inside and play dolls with Daddy! I mean seriously, how cute is this picture!