ONE GIRL!
ONE BOY!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Dog on the Blog
We "dog sat" Hank last week. Of course, Sonnet was enamoured with him, as usual. This is how she spent most of her time:
"The Mommy Minute"
When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was play blocks with my grandpa. He had this huge set of multi-colored building blocks in all shapes and sizes. We would build houses and roads and castles…entire cities even! Our creations would take us hours to construct and only minutes to demolish. But I never seemed to worry about knocking things down because I guess I just figured that next time I visited grandpa we’d build something even better.
Now that my daughter has gotten old enough to do more with blocks than just stick them in her mouth, building is an activity that we have come to enjoy as well. She carefully (well, as carefully as a 14-month old can) stacks one block on top of the other as I count to see how high her tower can climb without falling down. Our creations are not yet as elaborate as some of the things I used to make with my grandpa, but I love to see her little imagination working as she decides exactly where to put each block. So far, her record for stacking blocks is 12 high! With every block that she added, the tower would wobble precariously and I worried that it would come tumbling down. Eventually it did and I sort of expected her to cry. Instead she laughed a little bit and started building it right back up again. What a great attitude! If she can hang on to that persistence and optimism as she grows her life will be so much better!
Sometimes it’s easy to let life get us down. We work really hard toward achieving a goal, putting all our strength, creativity and focus into it. And then, with one little accident or wrong decision, our “block tower” comes tumbling down. I know sometimes when that happens to me, I just want to throw the blocks across the room or put them back in their box and stuff them in the closet vowing never to try again. Of course, I eventually realize that I’m never going to get anywhere with that attitude and I get back to work. It’s pretty natural to feel down or angry when something doesn’t go right, but think about how much time and energy we could save if we could learn to skip the whining. So what that your block tower fell over? That’s part of the game. It’s part of life. Take a lesson from my daughter and just pick up the pieces and start over. Build something better this time around! And if you need it, feel free to call in reinforcements. Grandpas are always a good choice.
-Holly Hoffman Spears
The Beaver County Journal
August 13, 2008
Now that my daughter has gotten old enough to do more with blocks than just stick them in her mouth, building is an activity that we have come to enjoy as well. She carefully (well, as carefully as a 14-month old can) stacks one block on top of the other as I count to see how high her tower can climb without falling down. Our creations are not yet as elaborate as some of the things I used to make with my grandpa, but I love to see her little imagination working as she decides exactly where to put each block. So far, her record for stacking blocks is 12 high! With every block that she added, the tower would wobble precariously and I worried that it would come tumbling down. Eventually it did and I sort of expected her to cry. Instead she laughed a little bit and started building it right back up again. What a great attitude! If she can hang on to that persistence and optimism as she grows her life will be so much better!
Sometimes it’s easy to let life get us down. We work really hard toward achieving a goal, putting all our strength, creativity and focus into it. And then, with one little accident or wrong decision, our “block tower” comes tumbling down. I know sometimes when that happens to me, I just want to throw the blocks across the room or put them back in their box and stuff them in the closet vowing never to try again. Of course, I eventually realize that I’m never going to get anywhere with that attitude and I get back to work. It’s pretty natural to feel down or angry when something doesn’t go right, but think about how much time and energy we could save if we could learn to skip the whining. So what that your block tower fell over? That’s part of the game. It’s part of life. Take a lesson from my daughter and just pick up the pieces and start over. Build something better this time around! And if you need it, feel free to call in reinforcements. Grandpas are always a good choice.
-Holly Hoffman Spears
The Beaver County Journal
August 13, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Photo Shoot!
Jenae and Seth came to visit us today! Since Jenae has a fancy camera that she actually knows how to use and a great knack for getting Sonnet to laugh, we enlisted her to be our family photographer. She took some pictures of us and I love the way they turned out! Of course, I'm the mom and I'm biased, but I just think that Sonnet is adorable and I love having millions of photos of her. So, since I can't make a decision, here are lots of shots of her (and daddy and mom too!) :)
(PS: Sonnet would like to thank Seth for sharing his ice cream, Dr. Pepper, water, and sandwich with her!) We love you guys!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Baby Got Bling!
Sonnet got her ears pierced today! We were at the mall getting soap at Bath and Body Works, and Claires was right next door. I've wanted to get her ears pierced since she was born, but I've been too chicken. I think it's so cute when little girls have it done. In Ecuador they did it to all the little girls, even the ones in the orphanages that I worked at. I liked that. Anyways, we just spontaneously decided to do it today. Sonnet did really great! She cried when they tried to mark her ears with the pen, but not when they actually put the earrings in. I think she was just mad that I made her sit still on my lap when what she really wanted to do was walk around the store and pull all the pretty things of the shelves. :) When they actually did it, I was like "are you done" because she didn't even make a peep! Then she got a sucker afterward so she was extra happy. :) Then, we went to visit Daddy at work afterwards to show him what we'd been up to and to get some good Daddy hugs! :) ha ha!
Of course she won't hold still, so these were the best shots I could get. I just picked out plain sterling silver little balls for her. I figure they'll match with everything. :) Isn't she cute?
Of course she won't hold still, so these were the best shots I could get. I just picked out plain sterling silver little balls for her. I figure they'll match with everything. :) Isn't she cute?
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Sonnet and Baron
We made a quick trip to Vegas today so Nate could take a test and so we could finally meet baby Baron. He is so cute and we had lots of fun visiting with him and his new mama! Of course, I took lots of pictures...
Play Fair
We went to the Washington County Fair tonight. Nate said being there with me was like an episode of Monk because I don't do germs or crowds or petting zoos or food that's been sitting out to long.... I kept pulling out anti-bacterial wipes and freaking out about how amazing it is that those wobbly old rides don't result in more fatalities. Poor guy! But, Sonnet did get to ride some of the rides, Nate ate a couple hot dogs, and we saw fireworks, so it was a pretty good night. :)
Sonnet LOVED the lemonade!
Sonnet LOVED the lemonade!
Burning Dawn
I mostly try to keep this blog about Sonnet or our family activities so that grandparents and extended family can be in the loop even though they’re far away. I don’t do much blogging about myself other than to share the occasional decorating adventure or newspaper article. But I have to break my rules and spend some time ranting about Breaking Dawn. Of course the “blog-o-sphere” is buzzing with this topic and I have to get my two cents in.
For those of you who live under a rock (or any grown, straight men who read my blog), Breaking Dawn is the fourth installment of the Twilight Saga and it came out last Friday. Like virtually every other woman, I read and fell in love with the Twilight books and so I was really excited to finally get the conclusion to the story. I originally read the books in December of last year and spent two months trying to convince myself that vampires aren’t real. Then, I gave in and read them all one more time. Eventually I broke out of the haunting otherworld and banned myself from Stephenie Meyer’s website for a few months. (Sorry, the books are addictive!) And then when I realized “Oh my gosh- it’s almost August and the last book is about to be released- yay!” I re-read the third book and got myself back into full “I♥Edward mode.”
On Friday night I drove by my local Barnes and Noble and laughed at the zillions of people waiting in line for the 12:01AM release of the book. Then I headed over to Wal-Mart, got a copy in about 10 minutes, and went home to put my insomnia to good use. I read about 300 pages of the book before I finally hit the hay. When I woke up in the morning, I started to wonder if I had actually read all the bizarre, inappropriate, and ridiculous things that I remembered or if I had somehow had a super vivid Twilight nightmare. Then I got online and discovered the message boards blazing with titles like “The Day Twilight Died” and “Epic Failure.” I realized that I was not alone in my hatred of the book. What happened?, I kept thinking. Is this a hoax? Is SM going to jump out at any moment and say “April Fool’s” the real book comes out next week? Did she buckle under the pressure of deadlines and incessant comparisons to JK Rowling? Has she heard supernatural voices in her head for so long that she has literally gone crazy? Did she just figure that millions of unsuspecting fans would buy her book no matter what it said so she just scribbled down the first thing that came to her mind and then took her millions to the Bahamas?
Seriously. I don’t get it. Breaking Dawn was horrible! It’s graphic and gross and corny and fake and not to mention totally inappropriate for all those tween and teen readers out there. I know, I know, we should understand that it’s just fiction and that it’s not meant to be a “Teen’s Guide To Life.” But honestly, I know how addicted I am to these books; I can’t imagine what all this imagery would do to a 12 year old. SM has to know that a large percentage of her fans are very young girls who are very impressionable. She should have kept that in mind when she wrote this book. Know your audience (and show some respect), that’s all I’m saying.
But even if I were willing to ignore the horrible messages it sends about sex being the greatest thing on the planet (hello, Bella wanted to stay human for a little longer because she liked it so much) or about how apparently you can just fall in love with the first hot guy who shows up, get married, and have a baby at 18 and everything will just work out great because his family is loaded…even if I could ignore that…the book still felt wrong. I just felt like all the characters were so different...like the friends I’d come to know were gone. It didn’t feel like SM wrote it. Edward- the lovely, level headed Edward- got all freaked out on the honeymoon and never seemed to recover. Alice just seemed dazed and confused the whole time. Jacob was actually likeable in this book. He seemed to be the only one with his head on straight and he was hilarious! And Bella? I’m sorry, but I do not buy Bella as a motherly type who suddenly turns all powerful and strong. She’s basically been a silly, helpless little girl this whole time who let Jacob or Edward (whichever one happened to be around at the time) take care of her. I got over that because, hey, what’s a love story without a dumb princess and a knight in shining armor? But I just can’t swallow this total transformation that she supposedly made in a matter of 3 sentences. And oh yeah, was Esme in this book?
All the blood made me want to vomit. I felt like in all the other books, the fact that Edward and his family are vampires was sort of an afterthought. We never went with Edward on his hunting trips, and we certainly never had to imagine Bella drink cup after cup of blood to satisfy the ravenous creature in her womb. I just loved the crunching ribs, the paralyzing delivery, and the way the kid bit her the second it came out. Yuck!
And Reneesme? Reneesme? Seriously? Not only does it sound retarded, but Renee is hardly ever in the book and it doesn’t appear that she’s really been a great influence in Bella’s life so why pay her the tribute? I liked Carlie. At least Charlie is present. Bad choice there. But while I’m on the topic, what’s up with Charlie just accepting everything that happened? A father- and a cop- would not just accept that his daughter is quarantined from a strange disease and oh sorry we gave you the wrong phone number and just ignore that I had a baby in less than three weeks and that it looks exactly like you but it has a full set of teeth and oh yeah your best friend’s son “imprinted” on your granddaughter. Ew!!! It was all just too convenient. Too fake….
Plus, I was sorta bitter that after all the buildup of the Volturi coming to Forks there was no battle. The “Cullens and Company” didn’t even cripple them. I had a hard time feeling relieved or satisfied at the end of the book because I don’t feel like any of them are truly safe from the vampire mafia.
Blah, blah, blah…I think I ran out of steam and that’s about all I can say for now. I mean, the book was entertaining…but it just didn’t live up to the quality of the other three. I could have written this one. How hard is it to tie up all the lose ends when you just invent ludicrous ways of doing it that have no morals and no merit? In my opinion, SM lost the magic. But she’s laughing all the way to the bank.
On a lighter note, I am still excited about the Twilight movie. At first I didn’t think I liked the guy they cast as Edward, but then I watched that one Harry Potter with him in it and I decided that he’ll be good. He’s got a real unique look to him and I’m sorta buying it. I also like the Bella girl and Esme and Emmett, but I’m not such a fan of Alice, Jasper, or Carlisle. Hmmm…should be fun to see how it all turns out….
Please keep in mind that these are just my opinions. I don’t need any hate mail. But feel free to share your thoughts…
(PS: A return to happy baby girl blogging to follow soon…)
For those of you who live under a rock (or any grown, straight men who read my blog), Breaking Dawn is the fourth installment of the Twilight Saga and it came out last Friday. Like virtually every other woman, I read and fell in love with the Twilight books and so I was really excited to finally get the conclusion to the story. I originally read the books in December of last year and spent two months trying to convince myself that vampires aren’t real. Then, I gave in and read them all one more time. Eventually I broke out of the haunting otherworld and banned myself from Stephenie Meyer’s website for a few months. (Sorry, the books are addictive!) And then when I realized “Oh my gosh- it’s almost August and the last book is about to be released- yay!” I re-read the third book and got myself back into full “I♥Edward mode.”
On Friday night I drove by my local Barnes and Noble and laughed at the zillions of people waiting in line for the 12:01AM release of the book. Then I headed over to Wal-Mart, got a copy in about 10 minutes, and went home to put my insomnia to good use. I read about 300 pages of the book before I finally hit the hay. When I woke up in the morning, I started to wonder if I had actually read all the bizarre, inappropriate, and ridiculous things that I remembered or if I had somehow had a super vivid Twilight nightmare. Then I got online and discovered the message boards blazing with titles like “The Day Twilight Died” and “Epic Failure.” I realized that I was not alone in my hatred of the book. What happened?, I kept thinking. Is this a hoax? Is SM going to jump out at any moment and say “April Fool’s” the real book comes out next week? Did she buckle under the pressure of deadlines and incessant comparisons to JK Rowling? Has she heard supernatural voices in her head for so long that she has literally gone crazy? Did she just figure that millions of unsuspecting fans would buy her book no matter what it said so she just scribbled down the first thing that came to her mind and then took her millions to the Bahamas?
Seriously. I don’t get it. Breaking Dawn was horrible! It’s graphic and gross and corny and fake and not to mention totally inappropriate for all those tween and teen readers out there. I know, I know, we should understand that it’s just fiction and that it’s not meant to be a “Teen’s Guide To Life.” But honestly, I know how addicted I am to these books; I can’t imagine what all this imagery would do to a 12 year old. SM has to know that a large percentage of her fans are very young girls who are very impressionable. She should have kept that in mind when she wrote this book. Know your audience (and show some respect), that’s all I’m saying.
But even if I were willing to ignore the horrible messages it sends about sex being the greatest thing on the planet (hello, Bella wanted to stay human for a little longer because she liked it so much) or about how apparently you can just fall in love with the first hot guy who shows up, get married, and have a baby at 18 and everything will just work out great because his family is loaded…even if I could ignore that…the book still felt wrong. I just felt like all the characters were so different...like the friends I’d come to know were gone. It didn’t feel like SM wrote it. Edward- the lovely, level headed Edward- got all freaked out on the honeymoon and never seemed to recover. Alice just seemed dazed and confused the whole time. Jacob was actually likeable in this book. He seemed to be the only one with his head on straight and he was hilarious! And Bella? I’m sorry, but I do not buy Bella as a motherly type who suddenly turns all powerful and strong. She’s basically been a silly, helpless little girl this whole time who let Jacob or Edward (whichever one happened to be around at the time) take care of her. I got over that because, hey, what’s a love story without a dumb princess and a knight in shining armor? But I just can’t swallow this total transformation that she supposedly made in a matter of 3 sentences. And oh yeah, was Esme in this book?
All the blood made me want to vomit. I felt like in all the other books, the fact that Edward and his family are vampires was sort of an afterthought. We never went with Edward on his hunting trips, and we certainly never had to imagine Bella drink cup after cup of blood to satisfy the ravenous creature in her womb. I just loved the crunching ribs, the paralyzing delivery, and the way the kid bit her the second it came out. Yuck!
And Reneesme? Reneesme? Seriously? Not only does it sound retarded, but Renee is hardly ever in the book and it doesn’t appear that she’s really been a great influence in Bella’s life so why pay her the tribute? I liked Carlie. At least Charlie is present. Bad choice there. But while I’m on the topic, what’s up with Charlie just accepting everything that happened? A father- and a cop- would not just accept that his daughter is quarantined from a strange disease and oh sorry we gave you the wrong phone number and just ignore that I had a baby in less than three weeks and that it looks exactly like you but it has a full set of teeth and oh yeah your best friend’s son “imprinted” on your granddaughter. Ew!!! It was all just too convenient. Too fake….
Plus, I was sorta bitter that after all the buildup of the Volturi coming to Forks there was no battle. The “Cullens and Company” didn’t even cripple them. I had a hard time feeling relieved or satisfied at the end of the book because I don’t feel like any of them are truly safe from the vampire mafia.
Blah, blah, blah…I think I ran out of steam and that’s about all I can say for now. I mean, the book was entertaining…but it just didn’t live up to the quality of the other three. I could have written this one. How hard is it to tie up all the lose ends when you just invent ludicrous ways of doing it that have no morals and no merit? In my opinion, SM lost the magic. But she’s laughing all the way to the bank.
On a lighter note, I am still excited about the Twilight movie. At first I didn’t think I liked the guy they cast as Edward, but then I watched that one Harry Potter with him in it and I decided that he’ll be good. He’s got a real unique look to him and I’m sorta buying it. I also like the Bella girl and Esme and Emmett, but I’m not such a fan of Alice, Jasper, or Carlisle. Hmmm…should be fun to see how it all turns out….
Please keep in mind that these are just my opinions. I don’t need any hate mail. But feel free to share your thoughts…
(PS: A return to happy baby girl blogging to follow soon…)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes!
Sonnet has fallen in love with the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." Everytime she hears it she tries to do the motions and say the words (in the best way that a 14-month-old can). I've tried to show her where her shoulders and knees are lots of times, but so far she's only really figured out her head and toes...and of course, her mouth. :) She's learning! So cute!!! (PS: pause the music player at the bottom if you want to hear Sonnet "singing.")
And... I tried to take a picture of Sonnet's eyes today. Random, I know, but I just think they're so pretty (she inherited Daddy's super long eyelashes- yay!). Here's what I got (plus a few silly ones...)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Victory!
Sonnet let me do her hair! **shock** She even kept it in for three whole hours. :) ha ha! Isn't she cute?
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