How do you MOOOO?!

Cheesy title I know, but Sapphie met her first cow this weekend! One of Kevin's customers had us over for a dinner party to celebrate the opening of their new barn. Thankfully we had the perfect shirt for Sapphie to wear, thanks to Aunti Kiki. We arrived around 7pm, and Sapphie was sleeping. We toured the farm, ate a buffet meal and she woke up just in time to go see the heifers! She went berserk!!! See for yourself :)

And here's a video!

Sapphire at work

Sapphie is so funny lately. She rolls around the room to get wherever she wants, and it's amazing how fast she moves! I turn my head for a second, and when I turn back around I can't find her. Sometimes, she ends up in really funny places...

Here, at my office, under my desk

And here, at home, under my chest of drawers!

Peekaboo!!!

Cute Clips

I've just posted a ton of pictures for you, but also wanted to show you these cute videos of Sapphie doing her favorite 2 things: eating avocado and making lip-smacking noises, and drinking water. She's got a new noise to show us every day!

Catch Up

How long has it been? Too long!! Sapphie is 7 months already and I've only posted 2 blogs this month. As you can see, we've had a very busy month. Check out the photos to see what we've been up to!

Bedtime (By Kevin)

Sapphire and I have become the team that summons the Bedtime Fairy for her magical fairy eye dust. Sapphire has her own special way, usually some form of screaming, and I shoosh my mouth dry. I must give credit due where it is due before continuing with this post, Emma does all the heavy lifting before I come onto the scene. She tops Sapphie off with some milk to fill up her stomach before handing her over to me for the nightly ritual. It has become so much of a ritual that around 8-8:30 pm Sapphire knows that when she sees me it is go time for bed. She is usually not too excited about that prospect. Sapphire is going to be like her mom when it comes to socializing. She wants to be right in the thick of things and hang out with people. So when we have guest over around her bedtime she tends to fight harder from going down to sleep.

I have some tools in my tool box that I use to call the Bedtime Fairy.

A list of the essentials:

• Ipod player with "Relaxing Harp Music"
  
• Nooks on a chain
  
• Her Blanket
• Glass of water for my dry mouth
• Aunt Kristen's stuff doll
  

Give me these 5 items and we are ready for bedtime regardless what Sapphire thinks and wants to do. I play a little game with myself every night. I see how fast I can get her to go to sleep trying to beat my best time.

The most important item out of the five things is her doll followed by the nook. Every night Sapphire brings a piece of her Aunt Kristen to the bed. I tell Sapphire as we get ready to go to sleep to say goodnight to her Sleep Sheep and give Kristen hugs and kisses. She loves to mush the doll into her face or squeezes it arms with her hands. She loves the feel of it against her skin and it comforts her to hold on to something as she summons the Bedtime Fairy. Her Aunt Kristen resides in NYC but to Sapphire her Aunt Kristen is there with her every night as she falls asleep.

Good Night Mom, Good Night Dad, Good Night Cooper and Cabot, Good Night World, Good Night Kristen I miss you and love you.......................

Six Months!!

Sapphie turned six months on Friday. It's been a busy month! She started solids, got dedicated, started rolling around the floor like a steam roller, has increased her vocabulary with "da da da", "na na na", and laughs when I wash her armpits. Time with her gets more and more fun every day.
At her 6 month check-up, Sapphie was off the charts for height (95th percentile)! Her weight is now average, so she looks like a long bean pole!
Sapphie loves to eat. So far, I've been pretty liberal with what I let her try (no bad reactions yet!). She still has a pretty strong gag reflex, so I have to give her very tiny pieces or moosh the food up before giving it to her. She's tried sweet potato, pear, banana, mango, hummus, grilled salmon, squash & apple soup, berry crisp, and some veggie samosa from Samosaman. Oh yes, and Isaac also rubbed a salt and vinegar chip on her tongue. She liked it! Actually, she loves everything! If she could fit a create her own meal though, this is the sort of menu I think she'd request:

Appetizer ~ goat milk yogurt with rice cereal and pureed pears
Main Meal ~ pureed sweet potato and grilled salmon
Dessert ~ banana and breast milk puree

Luckily, we haven't seen any type of stranger anxiety yet. Sapphie loves everyone she meets and pretty much lets anybody hold her. We're taking the summer off from baby yoga, but she comes running with me and we're reading a lot. She also likes to play peak-a-boo and she loves it when I sing to her.
Kevin now puts her to bed at least 3 nights a week. Of course she prefers mummy at bedtime, but she's slowly learning to love the way daddy coos her to sleep with his shooshes.
Sapphie still comes to work with me and is such a good girl. Only 2 more months and I'll be done with this job...but I think she'll be crawling before then! We'll figure it out...

That's about it for our six-month update. Enjoy the photos!

First Father's Day (by Kevin)

Father's Day was last Sunday the 21st. I was treated to a day out of the ordinary in terms of routine. My days are very regimented from start to finish. Wake up at 5 am to start work and take care of the dogs, hope to hit the pavement by 8:30-9 am making farm calls and then home around 5:30 or so to see the family followed by maybe a run, dinner, more work, the dishes, and then TV before a 11 pm bedtime.

Well last Sunday Emi and Sapphire were up before me and had already exercised the dogs and had a pancake breakfast cooking. That is definitely not part of the usually routine. Having someone else wake up to feed the dogs and take them out is a blessing sent from God. Fresh Pancakes is like getting extra icing on your piece of cake. The day could not start any better.

A lazying morning with the family, Hannah, Colin and Soe found us down at the lake with the dogs so they could enjoy the water and the nice weather that had graced this day. Some errands around town was followed by a 3:30 tee time with Mr. Brett Smith, a dad as well, at Kwinaska. Brett and I had not played at all this summer together and it was nice to get out on the links just him and I and catch up on stuff and play.

Since it was my day I was allowed to pick the menu for the evening feast. Those that know me don't need me to tell you what we had. For those that really do not know what type of meal I truly enjoy feast your eyes on these bad boys.

That's right the Pride of the Midwest: US Grade A Beef Aged NY Strip Steaks.

Did I mention "Where's the Beef".

Emma knows the way into my heart is always 2 inches of beef or that magical word "LongHorn". So we prepared these steaks with of course a Caesar Salad, My mothers recipe, Lebanese Potato Salad, Snap Peas and red wine (a new collection designed around Edgar Allen Poe from the owner of Owen Roe). Colin, Soe and Hannah joined us on the deck for a great evening of food, laughs and family.

It was truly a great day from start to finish: breakfast, time with the dogs, golf with a great friend and then capped off with steak and wine and a great sunset. Here are a few pictures from the evening.

A picture from Pottery Barn Catalog or our Deck???

Sapphire showing off her new big girl chair for Daddy.

Lemon Drops anyone? Soe and Hannah enjoying their lemon drops before the meal.

Colin is ready for his steak. He knows he will not be disputed when he comes here for dinner.

Cotton candy pink clouds