Let's Read a Book

Let's Read a Book from Sarah Kemps on Vimeo.

Just a Taste

I think Sophie may have liked her ice cream cake.

A Celebration

Friday morning, Sophie and I spent two and a half hours doing this...

Not exactly the way I pictured potty training. To make a long story short, I was worried that she might have a bladder infection and the doctor asked me to bring in a urine sample. Not so easy. I had to bribe her to stay on that princess potty with treats and cartoons while basically forcing juice down her throat just hoping she would finally pee. Two and a half hours later we had success and we were off to the doctor's office with a red solo cup full of pee. 

Luckily she does not have an infection, just sensitive little bits. Real potty training cannot come soon enough. Afterwards we celebrated with some soup and a giant m&m cookie.

A Favorite Spot

Lately, Sophie has really been into building with her Duplo blocks and especially loves the hands-on table at Barnes & Noble. She can build away and practice sharing while I enjoy a cup of coffee and browse baby name books, it's the perfect rainy day activity.

She's Sweet on the Smoothies

Since Chase received a Vitamix blender for Christmas, Sophie and I have been taking advantage of it and making smoothies most mornings. She calls them Jamba Juice and I'm happy to whip them up for her and experiment with different flavors. My favorite so far is pinapple with yogurt and coconut milk, Sophie likes banana with almond milk, yogurt and a little peanut butter. Chase likes a basic berry smoothie.

A Sweet Song

Most afternoons, the transition from nap back into the real world isn't very pleasant. At least, not lately. Sophie seems to wake up a little cranky and often needs a few minutes of snuggling before she is ready to get up. Yesterday though, I was greeted with a little song.


Mommy, Where are You? from Sarah Kemps on Vimeo.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Last week, we had an awesome little getaway to Monterey. Chase had back to back meetings and needed to be there overnight so Sophie and I tagged along for a little family fun. We stayed at the Intercontinental which is located right on Cannery Row just about a block from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We could walk everywhere and Sophie and Chase enjoyed the hot tub!

Sophie loved the aquarium and she and I spent about 6 hours total there between the two days. I was too mesmerized to photograph everything and had my phone for pictures on the first day. My favorite displays were all of the jelly fish. Sophie loved the huge deep sea tank where she could like at the turtles, sharks, giant tuna and kept telling the school of fish "come on guys, you can do it!"

The Good and the Bad

It's January and we are all coming down from our sugar highs and overindulging over the holidays. I feel like I should be taking it easy and eating healthy, like we all do at this time of the year. I still want quick recipes because, well, I'm busy chasing Sophie and pregnant and tired a lot of the time. And also sort of lazy. I found this Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili on pinterest when I was looking for ways to use up extra lime juice. It looked hearty, healthy and yummy for a cold day so I decided to give it a shot. I chopped everything up and got it started while Sophie napped. It was super easy and smells delicious simmering on the stove right now.

By the time Sophie woke up though, I knew I wanted something a little naughty too. So she and I whipped up these Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Ummm, yum! Soft, light and delicious. We, of course, taste-tested them immediately!

Flashback Friday

It's cold, it's January and we were headed out to get the mail down around the corner this afternoon. As I zipped up Sophie's sweatshirt I realized this looked exactly like the pictures I posted of Sophie from last January in my year in review post. Amazingly, the same sweatshirt still fits!

January 2012

Looking Back at 2012

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

 September

October

 November

December