Thomas the Train

In June, we had the WONDERFUL opportunity to spend time with our dear, dear, dear friends, The Beards, that moved away to Alabama back in the fall!  They arrived late Thursday evening and we all headed to Connersville, IN to ride on Thomas the Train!  Both girls LOVE Thomas and had a fun time!  Although, I don't think I would ever do it again.  Tickets were ~$18 per person, including the girls, and the train ride was seriously 20 min, forwards, then backwards in a straight line.  All of the other festivities were FREE in the Thomas village.  Also, the 90 min drive there and back was a bit much.  The silver lining ... I had the chance to spend quality time with my dear friend Libby, chatting, catching up, and making memories with our kids!!   All the memories were worth the money!!! 

Best Buddies even though we are 7 hours away!

Thomas!!

Adele and Jackson ... hum ... future pair??

One of the girls favorite ride!

Day Out at Thomas!!

Have you ever been to the Thomas the Train event?  If so, what are your thoughts?  I know some people say it is worth the $18 per person b/c their kid just LOVES THOMAS SO MUCH ... but I just have a hard time justifying it.

Sophia's 2nd Birthday Party

Wow, I can't believe it!  Sophia Grace is TWO years old!  It seems like yesterday when she was learning to walk!!  She has filled our lives and hearts with such joy and gladness!!

Happy Birthday baby girl!!  

A smile ... what is that says Sophia!

RIP Elmo Jello-Mold!  You were going to be such an adorable part to the birthday table, but the only place suited for your presence is the DRAIN PIPE!  RIP!

This year I got a little more crafty with our homemade cupcakes and icing!

Some of these guys just didn't fit on the stand!

Sophia's friends loved helping her open her gifts!  Maeve really had a nice time!!

We were planning to snap a picture of all who attended, but as you can see, that didn't happen!  The party went so fast and before I knew it, there were only a handful of people left!   Maybe next year!!

Nate did snap a cute video of everyone singing Happy Birthday to Sophia!  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Sophia! :)

Jingle Rails

We are always looking for fun, yet economical outings with Sophia!  I saw an ad in my IndyMom's Magazine for the exhibit Jingle Rails: Great Western Adventure at the Eiteljorg Museum and thought it sounded great!  I found $2/off coupons and the kids under 4 are free!

We packed up the van full of Beards and Longs and headed downtown to see the "Choo-Choo's" (as the girls call it!)  It was an awesome exhibit, totally worth the $6 admission!  The intricate details the artists put into the sets blew us away!  (You can see what I mean by the videos below!)  

The girls had a blast!  They were mesmerized by all of the model trains!  Sophia kept saying "train coming, more train, waiting for choo-choo mama!"  They both really enjoyed watching the trains go in and out of the tunnels!!

If you live near or in Indy, it is a must see!  Visit here for a coupon ... 

Here is more info from the website:

The museum’s Clowes Sculpture Court will be transformed into a locomotive wonderland, a network of trestles, bridges and tunnels with chugging trains and detailed replicas of national treasures, all wrapped up in holiday trimming. JingleRails will be a journey to the Great American West – the real West and the West of the imagination.

Watch and explore as you walk through the exhibit - five trains wind past the local treasures of downtown Indianapolis, including the Eiteljorg Museum, Monument Circle and Union Station, through the national parks of the American West, passing legendary sites, including grand railway lodges, Northwest Coast Native villages, and wonders both natural and human-made—Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite Falls, Old Faithful and more.

Every canyon and mesa, every lodge and geyser even the replica of Indianapolis’ own Monument Circle—are made with natural materials by Paul Busse and his company Applied Imagination. Busse’s inventive holiday creations are rare and only seen in cities like New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C….and now Indianapolis.

Highlights:
• Five ultra-sized G-scale/gauge model trains
• Nearly 600 feet of track
• Six main train lines and a trolley line
• Nine overhead walk-under bridges
• More than 30 nature-inspired buildings. Highlights include:
    o Soldiers and Sailors Monument,
    o Union Station, Indianapolis
    o Mt. Rushmore
    o The Grand Canyon
    o Western National Park lodges of Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, Old    Faithful (lodge and geyser)
• A walk-thru tunnel
• Working waterfall feature 

Allyson, Sophia, Nate, Chad, Libby (baby bun), and Maeve

Allyson and Libby playing dress up with the girls!  I don't think people would
believe we were Native Americans!  Funny thing
 is we were the only ones that actually dressed up! HA!

A journey through Yosemite

A journey through the downtown Indy attractions

Sophia's Last Swim Lesson

This summer I signed Sophia up for swim lessons at the Plainfield Parks and Rec Center. It was a 4 week session, every Tuesday and Thursday for 45 minutes! It was so much fun and Sophia is a TOTAL FISH! (Guess she gets that from her mother!) She absolutely loves the water and swimming!! She must repeat the phrase "kicky in the pool" at least 100x per day!

My parents came to her last class and were able to catch a few videos and snap some pictures!

We start the class out in the shallow end singing a few songs like "The Wheels on the Bus!"

Then we play a little "Ring around the Rosy!"

Sophia and her best friend Maeve!

Sophia standing proud next to Miss Emily (her instructor)

Floating then kicking on her tummy!

Getting ready to put her face in the water!

Splash and water fountains at the end!!

We sure will miss having swim lessons! Thinking of doing another class this winter!

Allyson

Maeve's 1st Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAEVE!

On Saturday, Nate, Sophia, and I had the opportunity to celebrate Maeve's 1st birthday! I met Maeve's mom, Libby, at my breastfeeding support group back in Feb 09! Libby was one of those people that I just clicked with and we have become close, thanks to our daughter's being such good playmates! It is so much fun having girls so close together in age (Sophia is only 2 months and 3 days older than Maeve). It seems like we get to hit all the milestones together and encourage each other in the current parenting dilemma!

We just had a wonderful time meeting their families and sharing in such a fun time! Maeve was a true birthday girl rock-star!! She and Sophia entertained the guests to say the least! :)

Libby did such an awesome job decorating the house with Maeve's pictures from the past year! She also made these cute little cupcakes and two ladybug cakes!

What a sweet portrait of Maeve that Nate was able to snap while she was holding on his leg!

Maeve did so well with her cake! Chad had to give her a bath afterwards b/c she was a mess!

Such a challenge to get both girls to smile and look at the camera! I'm not sure what Sophia was laughing at ...

Sophia ended up in Maeve's birthday Princess chair by the end of the party! :) Sophia looks so big in it!! Guess she is ready for her own Lazy-Boy rocker!

Can't wait to celebrate Isaac and Nathan's first birthday, the other two kiddos in our group of four!! The girls are older than the boys and are very intrigued by them! At such a young age ... I know! :)

Allyson