All About the Sunshine

Miss Sofia Lu is all about the sunshine! There were a few days of absolute warmth and we both couldn't get enough. We decided to have lunch with Greg at work (none of the accountants knew it was 80 degrees outside, what sad lives they lead) then take advantage of the nice weather and go see Temple Square, which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! The tulips were out of this world, and everything was soooo green!

She took over Greg's chair

Sof wanted to go see the fountain - hence why she is pointing

Had to take advantage of absolutely no one in my way for a picture

Still pointing...

#nosepickersanonymous (Greg's going to give me grief for a hashtag)

Smiling at all the sister missionaries "Oooing and Aahing" over my beautiful baby

Relaxing with some grahams

The best part of the trip? 1. I got a tan line and 2. It's Romper season. Oh how I love Sof's rompers!

Sofia Lu Spjute - 1 Year Birthday Bash!!

Miss Sofia Lu Spjute has turned 1. What a year it has been! A year full of tears, laughs, prayers, aggravations, increased patience, messes, and anything else involved with raising a baby. Sometimes I revert back to my days before kids, just to survive some moments, but looking back over everything I have realized I would do it all over again. Sofi Lu has rocked our world!

This was Sofi the morning of her birthday playing peek-a-boo. She's starting to say words, and they all seem to start with the letter 'b'

Sofi had a low-grade fever all week and was pretty fussy, but we decided to chance having people come over for her birthday party anyway. My cute mom surprised me the morning of Sofia's birthday by telling me she wanted to come up and be with us. We were thrilled!

It was funny to relate back on the day Sof was born and realize the weather last year and this year were pretty much identical - cold and rainy with a hint of snow. It was funny remembering Greg not believing I was in labor, then driving like a mad man to come get me. Me pacing like an angry hippo around our apartment waiting for my hair to dry, then having to straighten it before letting Greg take me to the hospital. What a diva, right? :) Anyway, what a fun day to reminisce! 

Sof was still being a bit emotional on her birthday, so I kept singing, "It's your birthday, you can cry if you want to!!!" at the top of my lungs to her. 

My mom and Greg made it to our apartment at about the same time, just in time to watch my ice Sof's cute little smash cake! I should've gotten better pictures, but the ones we have will have to do. 

Sofi and my mom! It was so fun having her with us on this fun birthday!

The smash cake

Cupcakes for our guests! 

For some reason Sofi doesn't handle people invading her castle too often. She would much rather be at a party somewhere else. Luckily for us (and everyone else) her birthday is only once a year.

She doesn't look too sure of things ...

Sofi didn't handle smashing her cake very well. She has been going through a phase where she does not want to be put down, even in her highchair to eat.

\

But once she realized how yummy the whipped cream icing was on her special little cake, she calmed down pretty quickly.

It's hard being little sometimes ...

But luckily she has her Daddy to snuggle her

It was so fun to have family celebrate Sofi's birthday with us! Even if she was crabby ... I'm hoping that she is a temperamental toddler and a super easy teenager ... one can only hope, right? 

Regardless, we love her and love watching her grow and learn new things every day. My motto holds true: "This too shall pass," as it has. Time has gone quickly and I can't believe how sweet life is.

She reads her books all day. Forget toys!

These balloons go with her everywhere; on the couch, in the kitchen during meals, you name it.

Easter 2016

I love that Sofi is small enough that I don't feel pressure to go all-out on holidays, just because I know she won't remember anything. This year was no different. Our Easter candy was found in a Walmart bag, left on the counter. Surprise!

What a beautiful day Easter Sunday proved to be. We were able to go on a walk before Sofi's morning nap, and it was fun to spend some much-needed time with Greggy.

Can you spot her cute baby tongue sticking out?

Sofi is hilarious and insists on sitting forward instead of relaxing while walking

Toby and April were kind enough to invite us over for Easter dinner. It was soooo good and fun to spend more time with family; Sofi adores her cousins! She was still on her whiny streak though, so she wasn't very pleasant to be around. Oh well, she looked absolutely adorable in her Easter dress!

The many faces of Sofia Lu. All was made well when we gave her back the baby hammer.

Photo cred: Megan

Greg was so proud of himself when he took this picture. I will admit, it is pretty cool. No, it isn't photoshopped.

Easter took on a whole new meaning for me this year. I love that I am able to be with Greg for eternity, but now that I have a baby I can't imagine life without her. What a tragedy it would be if I wasn't able to see her again after this life. I am grateful to my Savior and his all-encompassing love, for this gospel, and for the sealing power on this earth. God is good, and I am grateful.

#Hallelujah

Easter Getaway

Sofi and I took a quick getaway to Cedar City to enjoy the festivities leading up to Easter weekend. Once again, we made it a girls trip while Greggy stayed home to waste his life away in his cubicle. Oh how I HATE busy season!!!!!!!! However, it is nice to be able to escape to Cedar City without feeling bad like I'm abandoned my husband.

Packed, and ready to go!

Sofi was super whiny all week, so she didn't handle the drive down too well. I knew she was just being a pain, so I was prepared with headphones and music. She eventually fell asleep around Nephi and slept until Beaver, which was perfect because we were both in need of a break by then. 

This is Sofi after sleeping for 3 hours, 10 minutes. She slept from 3:30-6:40 pm. Something unheard of for this child, and I learned my lesson that it was a bad idea to let her sleep this long - she didn't go to bed until around 9:30 pm. Oh well, we were on vacation.

Sofi loves blueberries ... and I have no idea how this one got here. She obviously has Greg's talent at
keeping a straight face in a hilarious situation.

All ready for our morning walk!

Great-Grandma's house was perfect to walk to! She was ready to snuggle Sofi :). 

Sofi found grandma's kitty!! They are best buddies.

The girls!

My nephew Dayton was turned 9 while we were down in Cedar, and he wanted to have his party at Fiesta Fun, in St. George. I hadn't been there since Middle School, so a lot had changed. We traveled down with my parents and sister and had so much fun! Between the pizza, go-carts, laser tag, and beautiful weather, that party alone was worth the trip! Sofi was a trooper and didn't go to bed until 11:00 pm - her new record.

The selfie we sent to Daddy

Grandpa Todd on the go-cart. His smile says it all.

Grandpa was a trooper watching the granddaughters while us parents had fun. Sofi wouldn't let go of that
 balloon and carried it around all night.

Grandpa Todd decided to let Grandma have a round at laser tag

My family has a tradition of going to the Virgin, UT park every Saturday before Easter. I haven't been since before I was married, so Sofi and I decided to go. The weather is usually hit or miss, and this year was no different. It was so cold when we woke up that no one wanted to go to the Easer Egg Hunt. Due to the late night, everyone slept in anyway so we wouldn't have been able to make it.

Our afternoon at the Virgin park always consists of flying kites, eating lunch, and ending with the annual Thorley softball game. Sofi had a rough time falling asleep, so she was strolled around in the stroller by my Aunt Janet while I got to play softball. Poor Sofi ended up getting pretty sunburned in the process, which was weird because it was cold and windy. 

This gives you an idea how cold it was - but it eventually warmed up

The city park hasn't been updated - ever - so it still had dirt and a metal playground. It was awesome! Sofi had never played in dirt before, so she was pretty much in heaven.

How scary is that swing?!

Oh Jess ... I have no words. 

I kind of wish I could I could zoom in to see up her nose ..

We got back from Virgin Park, had dinner, put Sofi in the tub, in her jammies, fed, strapped her in her carseat, and we left around 8:30 pm to be home in time to spend Easter with Greggy. It's been a long time since I've traveled that late at night. We arrived home at about 11:50 pm. My wonder baby didn't make a peep. I love that fact that although it has taken 11 months, she has finally accepted her carseat.

Sunburned cheekies!

What fun we have had the last little bit being able to spend some time in Cedar City. I'm slowly accepting the fact that I might not ever be very close to it again, but that is okay because it makes it that much more special when we do get to visit. I can't wait until the summer when we can get the Sofi loaf on the mountain. I really hope she comes to love it the way I do!