She has changed so much!

Here is Sophie, in her 3 years of Halloween memories. She has changed and grown so much!!

1st year---Eeyore


2nd year---Ballerina


3rd year (this year)---Monkey

1st trip to the dentist!

My girl is getting so big! Today we embarked on a new adventure: her first trip to the dentist!! I remember when my younger sister when to the dentist for the first time when she was 2.5 years old and it was a traumatic experience for her b/c the dentist was so rough with her.

I brought Sophie with me to my dentist appt back in August. She sat and watched the dentist do everything to my teeth. The dentist had her "help" too, by helping push the button for the x-rays and the chair. Sophie was pretty interested in it all, and I think it was a good way to get her introduced to the dentist.

For the past few weeks we've been "playing dentist" and talking a lot about what a dentist does, so Sophie was very excited to go to the dentist today. When she first sat in the chair, she was a bit timid, and wanted to hold my hand. But then they hygienist, Carolyn, gave her a ride up and down in the chair, and Sophie loved that! Then Carolyn showed Sophie all the different instruments they were going to use, like the polisher, the air sucker and the water sprayer and she tried them all out for Sophie.

Can I just saw, I was so incredibly proud of Sophie. She opened her mouth nice and wide, was so compliant and they even got to polish all of her teeth. I couldn't have expected it to go any better. I think it helps that our dentist is WONDERFUL too (anyone need a dentist in Vancouver? Just ask me).

A little nervous, sitting in the dentist chair.


Getting her teeth checked




Getting her teeth polished


The best part...the prize drawer!

I have a sensitive one...

As Sophie has been growing up so much lately, in every way (growth spurt, vocabulary, understanding of things around her) she has also begun to become very aware of people around her; their moods, their feelings, and the way they treat her. We will be in the store and she will smile at a man, and if he does not smile back, she looks at me with sad eyes and says "Man don't like me". Ugh, makes my heart feel so sad today.

Well, this morning as I drop Sophie off at her wonderful baby-sitters, and get ready to leave for my day at work, another mom drops off her daughter. Sophie was so excited to see her (she's 1.5 years older than her and Sophie watches everything she does). Lately, this girl has not been giving Sophie the time of day. In fact, she is constantly putting Sophie down and being really rude and snotty to her. So this morning when Sophie goes running up to her to say hi, this girl notices Sophie's shirt, which has a little light that is flashing on it (a fun "Halloween" shirt). The little girl goes "that is neat! Hey Sophie, want to color with me?" Sophie turns to look at me with the hugest eyes and biggest smile and says "Mommy, (girl's name) is happy with me today!" I about cried. My poor litle girl who has endured this other girls taunts for awhile now, still thrives on that "Acceptance". It was the best thing in the world for her to be "accepted" by this other girl, and instead of being picked on, to be loved.

Sigh, I know it's only the beginning of all the hurt feelings and friendship issues and disappointments Sophie will have, and I definitely wish I could shield her from all hurt and pain, b/c as neat as it is to see her grow and all the new things she's doing, I also know that it opens her heart up to more pain and hurt. It's hard being a "Mama"...As my good friend Jen definitely heard from me, as I cried to her about this today at lunch, LOL

I did it for you, Brenda

This past Sunday, I participated in an event that I had always heard about, and thought was really neat, but had never participated in it myself. I am talking about the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure event that they have all over the nation. I decided, back in July, that this was something that I really wanted to do this year. Now, don't forget, that I am NOT a runner. Yes, they have different events, like the walks, but for some reason, I decided that I was going to participate in the 5K women's run. I started training for it, little bits at a time. I remember when 60 seconds of running KILLED me. Then slowly I started to do more and more. I felt ready for my run on Sunday.

What I didn't expect during my run, was how emotional I would be. A run is a run, right? Wrong. While I was running, I was seeing women all around me who had pink "breast cancer survivor" hats, or people with "in memory of____" or "in celebration of ____" papers on their backs. All these people running or participating in the event have somehow been touched by breast cancer. I didn't have a pink paper on my back (I didn't know you could have them?) but if I could have, mine would have read "In Memory of Brenda Daehn". That's who I ran the race for today.

Let me tell you about my dear friend, Brenda. I met Brenda when I was an 18 year old freshan college student at Portland Bible College. I was working in the church office, and she would come in with her 2 year old daughter and make copies. During this time we began to chat a bit and get to know each other. I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Europe with Brenda and her family, and work as a nanny for her then, 2 daughters. Being so close with her day in and day out, I saw what an amazing woman she was. A woman who weathered heartache after heartache (a few miscarriages, and a stillborn son at full term), but still had a sweetness of her spirit.

Brenda and 9 month old Carissa, at a cafe in Holland, summer 2001.


In England, summer 2001


Right after our Europe trip, Brenda found out she was pregnant with her 3rd child. Around 3 months before Brenda's baby was due, she found a lump and they discovered that she had breast cancer, stage 4. It was such an awful time. They waited 2 months and then enduced her so she could start chemo right after her 3rd daughter was born. Thus began a 5 year battle with breast cancer.

Brenda and I at my wedding, May 2002.


Me, Brenda and her precious girls at my wedding, May 2002


Brenda and her family visiting me at the hospital after Sophie was born, May 2006


During those 5 years, there were so many ups and downs. Times when you just KNEW she had "Beat it". But then came the devestating news that it had come back full force. On March 19, 2007, Brenda passed away. She left behind her husband, Brian, and 3 daughters, Destiny (9), Carissa (6) and Tori (4).

Brenda may be gone but she has touched my life in ways that I never imagined. I still think of her daily and remember her beautiful smile, her encouraging words after I was dealing with a colicky infant, and how, no matter how sick she was, she always asked first, how I was doing.

Brenda, I ran for you on Sunday. I miss you incredibly and pray that one day soon we can find a cure for this horrible disease. I love you!

Me, after the Race for the cure run on Sunday

I need a hishnue please

Sophie just cracks me up. This morning, this is what I wake up to:

Sophie: Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy
(I enter her room)
Sophie: Oh hi Mommy! I sick. I have boogies.
Me: oh no!
Sophie: I need the boogie thing (boogie sucker we used on her when she was a baby) and a hishnue.
Me: What is a hishnue?
Sophie: A HISHNUE!
Me: What is that?
Sophie: You know, a hishnue (and then she puts her fingers around her nose and pretends to blow).
Me: OH, you need a TISSUE!
Sophie: Yes, A Hishnue

LOL. So now that's what we call tissues around our house...Hishnues!

Minnesota weekend

This past weekend I had the opportunity to fly to Minnesota for a friend's wedding. While there, I got to hang out with 8 other of my great girl friends :) We had so much fun going shopping at the Albertville outlets, eating at Buca, going to the "Shout House" dueling pianos bar, the wedding, and going to the sculpture gardens in Minneapolis. It was so nice having a girls weekend, and I wish we didn't live so far away from each other!

Mir, Me, Val, and Ann at Buca



Ann and I on the way to the outlets



Me, Kari, Cec, Azz at the hotel before the wedding



Kari and I at the wedding



Me with the 2 gorgeous preggo ladies, Mir and Cec



The honorary bridesmaids with Kristin

Copying from Janelle.....My amazing co-workers!!!

Click HERE to see some of the WONDERFUL people I work with!! I am included on here, not sure why I am the only person with flaming red eyes though!

Thanks Janelle for taking pictures of that fun day, LOL!