Not the status quo

Yes, I am still here. Staying ever so busy with mundane business, packing boxes starting with obscure areas of the house, getting all my ducks in a row for our move to take place the first part of October. I've had so much on my mind that I've almost forgotten to pick Soph from school twice, especially on Friday's when she gets out early. If it were not for hubby inquiring and reminding me from AZ, I would surely have forgotten Poopsie for sure. If you know me, you know that this is so unlike me; you see my middle names are "dependable and reliable."

So, we are moving the first of October. We're moving in an area I've had my eyes set on the past year and a half. Sometimes, I can't believe it's actually going to happen (or maybe I should first knock on some wood). We are going to rent to see how the market behaves before buying our "retirement" home. Heck, we may even consider buying the town home we're renting. It's a huge step down from what we've had in the past, not in quality, but in size.  We want less fuss with everything in owning a home, to include square footage, yard work, snow removal, etc. When I see all the big homes with big yards around us, all I can think of is "work, work, work!" Am I showing my age....lol.

Soph's first day at school was Tuesday, August 24th. Her teacher, Mrs. Wilson is fantastic. She's very experienced / qualified having taught 5th grade English and specializes in Reading and Math. Soph likes her a lot! One of the things I really like about this school is that all 1st graders rotate in a French class. Next year I'm going to enroll her in the French Dual Immersion Program, which actually starts in 1st grade, but I missed the deadline due to the fact I wasn't sure which school Sophie was going to end up at. Anyway, students in this program receive 50% of their instructions in English and 50% in French. Her Daddy is going to have fun helping her out with her French and maybe I can freshen up on my French a oui bit.

Soph loves her new school and prefers to bring her lunch everyday, which is fine by me. She was so worried that she would not make any friends, but knowing Soph-Soph I knew it wouldn't take long; she's very easy going and caring. She made friends immediately with 2 girls the very first day, Brooklyn and Lanon. Mrs. Wilson said at this age, there's no competition in who's getting more attention or who's getting left out and that the three girls all get a long very well. She calls them the Three Musketeers. Lanon's mom and I are becoming pretty good friends too. Lanon's mom, Anna, has her own hair salon plus she's a Realtor. Currently, I get free manicures in exchange in helping her out with her website (not that I'm any good at it, but as with everything it's all relative)....lol.

There are a lot of boys (as previous) in her class - 14 boys and 8 girls. Another 1st grade class has even more boys!; Of course at this age, Sophie isn't very excited about all the boys. Her response to boys..."eeeewww, boys, boys are disgusting, boys are not my friends. I like girls. I'm friends with the prettiest girls, not the boys."

I am definitely not going to be a Room Mom this year, but I will volunteer from time-to-time not only to help out but to see what they're learning. I like to be involved in Soph's education as much as possible. Even the school Principal said that they have found that children of parents who get involved in their education do better academically and socially.

Here's a picture of Sophie hopping in on the driver's seat at every opportunity. I go through this pretty regularly, where she climbs into the drivers seat and pretends to be driving. All the buttons, knobs, dials on the dashboard fascinates her so much! She must get this from her Daddy. I can't believe she's already talking about getting a convertible when she's older.

Last final note, we lost Ernie. The past few months, he was having excessive complications due to his old age. It actually all started last fall/winter when his neurological problems became apparent... unable to walk, tripping all over himself, running into things, barking at Chief all the time, roaming around in circles aimlessly in the backyard, getting lost in corners, paralysis....it was really sad to see the decline in his health. He was also having some kidney issues, drinking a lot of water and barely eating. He used to weigh 45 lbs. and dropped down to 35 lbs. Of course, he was 14.5 years old and never once was sick. He was the best sentry dog anyone could ask for. He will be missed. I'm sure Scottie is very happy to see Ernie :)

Ernie-Bernie, March 1996 - September 2010

Just Soph-Soph

Look at this cute baby deer!  (Click on photo to enlarge.)  She was very close to the side of the road on our way back to the house.  She walked across the street to meet up with her mother and sister. When she safely got to the other side, we looked at each other as if we knew one another.  It was so precious!! And made my day :)

So things... I feel, are winding down (with our house) and you can actually smell fall in the air.  A couple of days ago it was barely 60 degrees in the morning.  For the first time in quite a long while, well, since I was a kid, I'm sad to see summer just about over.

I don't know about others out there, but it seems the older Sophie gets, the busier I become.  For some reason I was thinking it would become less busy.  I was talking to my dentist about it very early this morning and he said the same thing.  He's a lot busier now that his kids are older, with all their extra-curricular activities and basically ferrying all of them around town.  I can relate and I only have one child!

By the way, one of the things I always like for my dentist to check is the deterioration/recession of my gums.  This time, I believe I've been able to significantly slow down the process.  I can actually see as well that my gums are not receding, but in fact are growing back together perhaps (?).  For the past 3 months I make a conscious effort to actually swish my mouth a little before ingesting Asea.  I have to say, I'm pleased with the results and wished everybody knew about this unique product.

On the topic of teeth, take a look at Soph-Soph. She actually lost both of her upper front teeth. But I only have a picture of her with one tooth gone. Because of the way she smiles, you hardly notice the gaps, even with two teeth missing, which I apologize I do not have a picture at this moment.

And so to really show that she lost her tooth, I had her smile really wide and big like this....lol.

This next picture reminds me of Minnie Mouse :)  I wonder why....lol

It seemed Soph's teeth were loose forever, actually since the start of summer.  She recently lost both in less than a 2 week span, practically right after her photo shoot. They just simply fell out.

This last picture I think really shows how creative she is.  She can spend hours doing arts and crafts (which equates to big mess!) versus playing with her toys (which she really isn't in to anyways).  She's mentioned in the past she wants to be an artist and paint pretty flowers.  She did this masterpiece all by herself using things she could find around the house.  And then surprised me by taking photos with my iPhone.  This one isn't too bad.

Flower in vase, Aug 6, 2010

Meet Daisy

Poor Elmo lasted exactly 3 days.  Sophie was soooo sad....um...about as long as a fish's memory.  Overfeeding probably contributed to Elmo's demise.  Apparently, whatever they don't eat (which is not much; their stomach is about the size of their eye), you should clean up right away as it can quickly foul the water, especially in a small fish bowl that isn't filtered.  

So, meet Daisy, a Betta fish.  She's quite friendly and beautiful. We're now feeding one flake a day or less depending on if she eats it right away.  

Meet Elmo

Sophie went to Sophia's Birthday party yesterday and came home with a fish.  It reminds me of the time I went to a Birthday party and came home with a hamster.  Poor Charlie met his fate by breaking out of his plastic bubble cage.  He found some colorful beads, actually my Mom's bead necklace, that were apparently extremely toxic as the poor thing barely nibbled on the beads.  I only had him for less than a month.  

Anyhoo, from the sound of his voice I could sense hubby was not elated with Sophie's new pet.  But on the bright side Soph's always wanted a small pet she could take care of and more importantly she's not allergic to this pet.  

Fishy Elmo got his name because 1.) he's a fish and 2.) because he's red.  Let's see, I wonder who came up with that name?  To be honest I don't see much red, if any.  Elmo is growing on me and is actually quite cute.  It's fun to watch him him eat and poop :o/

Sheep and Wool Festival

This afternoon we went to the sheep and wool festival at Farm Country in Thanksgiving Point.  It was quite educational as I learned a few things I didn't know about sheep.

They produce in their wool, natural lanolin, otherwise known as "wool fat."  I'm sure most of us know that lanolin is used as a base in cosmetics, lotions, soaps and ointment; however, I did not know it's used as a lubricant to prevent corrosion and rust and preserves leather.  Boats also use lanolin to create a slippery surface so that barnacles cannot adhere themselves to the propellers.  

The gentleman who was shearing this sheep (above) said you can't get more fresh lanolin than that (see my hand....lanolin grease).  

Also, sheep are sheared once a year.  To clean the wool, it is placed in very, very hot water....surprisingly, it comes out quite white/yellow and clean, ready to be woven into yarn.

Oh Deer They're Elks

Leave it to Chief, our Golden Retriever to sniff out deer, the largest species of deer, otherwise known as Elk.  We rarely see a deer, let alone an elk in our backyard because of the dogs.  (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

Soph said they're cuter than the baby horse.  Not so sure about that.  But being the animal lovers that we are, they're all so cute!!

4/27/09 Update:  Thanks to Dan (AZ) for knowing the difference between a deer and an elk.

Baby Horse

Drat!  I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of this very young horse while standing.   I can remember when I was younger, I always thought a young horse was called a "pony."  A pony is actually a small breed.   Later, I found out a young horse is a "foal."