First Field Trip

Sophia went on her first field trip last week. She was very excited. They went to the Zoo. I was able to go with her. We were lucky and I was not assigned any other child except her. Because of safety issues the school asks that parents who help out be fingerprinted at the main office. Bernie and and I have not gone down to do that yet. The parents who had not been fingerprinted yet were asked to stick with parents that had. We paired up with two parents that we knew from church. That's always nice. But we some how got separated. Really wasn't worried since it was just Sophia and me. We had a blast even though we were a little late for lunch. And all the kids were hungry within 30 minutes of getting there. LOL. It was a little cold with a slight breeze. But it was fun. Sophia's favorite were the seals. She kept running back and forth between the windows of the tank to watch one of them swim back and forth. The seals here are usually really playful and like to show off. We had to go back 3 times to watch them.


The prairie dogs are always cute. Growing up we loved to watch any nature show that had prairie dogs. After 7 going on 8 years living here, I still love to see them. Just about any open space around here has prairie dogs. Most people here though view them as pests. Right up there with mice and rats. LOL. Of course I have not had a yard torn up by these adorable creatures.

Sophia was also excited to see the giraffes, zebras, and elephants. She liked the monkeys and always enjoys the flamingos. Probably because they are pink.

She did not care for the python that looked like it was looking right at her. She was quite happy to get out of the reptile house. LOL.

She was also thrilled to see the cheetahs. She loves the Cheetah Girls on Disney. Anything with a cheetah like print is Cheetah Girls. So needless to say she was excited to see real cheetahs.

A good time was had by all. And Sophia was asleep by 5 PM and did not wake up until 7 AM. We walked her little behind off!! It was a great first field trip.

Pumpkin Patch

I just love going to the Pumpkin Patch! This has now become a family tradition for Sophia. We went last year and Sophia started asking about it 2 months before they opened this year. We were not going to get out of going. It's a lot of fun. Lots of things to do. There are two moonwalks. One is a traditional one for the little ones. It's shaped like a pumpkin. That is always the first thing that she has to do. Of course it's right there as you walk in. It's a little tricky trying to take a picture through the plastic windows. LOL.After a nice jump then it is off to the cow train. For some reason she wanted me to go with her this time. The cars are definitely made for kids and not moms. I know that my back end has expanded over the years but jeeze o' pete I did not think it had expanded that much. You need to a contortionist to get into one of those. And then to have a 5 year old sit on your lap. I think she will ride by herself next year. The animal cut outs are a big hit too. Sophia had to have her picture taken in each one.































Then we had to climb the hay bale mountain. Sophia calls it the straw mountain. Looks like great fun huh? But you get little bits of hay stuck in your jeans. In various places. Not too comfortable. But worth it when you see the smiles she gives ya.










The second moonwalk think is actually a called a pillow. Sophia loves this one. This is what she talks about the most. I can go on this one with her. It is lots of fun.











Sophia found a hay bale maze that she just could not get enough of. She almost worked up the courage to go down the big slides. They were big tubes that went through a big hill. We'd get to the top and in line and then she would chicken out. She has not been a real big fan of slides. Getting better but I don't think she's ready for the big ones. Then of course was the maze. We did pretty good. Last year we got lost. This year we did okay. Lost out place on the map but we found the clues and that got us out in about 30 minutes. Of course Sophia was thrilled with the design. Cinderella in her carriage.






After the maze we took the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. It was great fun. Sophia conked out in the truck on the way home. She's still talking about it 2 weeks later. Can't wait until next year.

Fall!!!

Fall is well on its way!!! Yeah!!!! Fall is my favorite season. Love the leaves changing, the crispness of the air, chilly mornings and evenings. Can do without the wind that seems to be prevalent here in New Mexico though.

Fall here brings Balloon Fiesta. Its the best time of year for the Albuquerque Box but the weather makes it a little iffy. I think they ended up canceling everything today because of the wind and possibility of rain. We went last Saturday and the luckily the weather was nice. Not much of the box though. Most of the balloons that morning landed north of the park.

The only bad thing about going to Balloon Fiesta is that to see the Mass Ascension you have to get there early. We usually have to get up at 4-4:30 AM. DH always wants to leave no later than 5 AM. Its awfully early for a Saturday for me!! And it's usually pretty cold. But once we get there, I am very happy that I went. We get mini cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. Warms ya up real nice. :0)

My husband and daughter went with my sister-in-law and her family yesterday. I think this was their first Balloon Fiesta. They evidently had a blast. My nephew loved the Darth Vader balloon. This was the second year for that balloon. They have guys dressed as Storm Troopers too. I did not get any pictures of them though.





My daughter's favorite (and mine) are the bees. Sophia also like the pink elephant and Airabelle the cow. She loved the really big strawberry.















Fall is also good knitting and crochet weather. I also start thinking about what to make for the holidays. There is just so much out there to knit and crochet. Slowly making a small dent in my stash. Will be trying to take some pictures of the projects that I have finished over the summer. I have finished a pullover hoodie for my niece. Turned out pretty good. I used Yarn Bee Angel Fleece. It works up really nice and soft but it's a hard yarn to work with. Trying to use up what I have. Will probably not work with again except to maybe do trim with. It's really hard to crochet with. It is impossible to see the stitch that you are trying to go in. Easier to knit with but not by much. But the hoodie turned out cute and I think Cesca will like it.

Now I am going to work on finishing up a couple of bags that I had started. One I needed to get more yarn. The other one I needed the hardware. Have all of that and will finish them up shortly.

Pleasantly Pleased

About two years ago my sil convinced me to take the leap into sewing. My first sewing project was a poncho. I did a halfway decent job. Really didn't do anything since then, even though I bought a ton of patterns and material when JoAnn's had a great sale. I did attempt to make a bag. But got frustrated and gave up. Two of the patterns I bought were dresses. One for Sophia and one for me. And I bought the material for them. This was almost a year ago. As Easter drew closer I remembered those patterns and material. Amazingly in time to try them before Easter. This would be my first attempt at making clothing. I really don't count the poncho. Not much to screw up there other than the collar which was interesting. I had never worked with zippers. But after only one panicked phone call to my mom and ripping the zipper out only once, I think I did a pretty good job. Nary a pucker. The collar took me a bit too. The zipper, collar, and sleeves took me longer than expected. But when I was done I was ecstatic! I am quite pleased with the way her dress turned out. She was very excited to wear it on Easter Sunday.
Then it was time to work on my dress. I got the zipper done with no problems. I didn't come close to tears until I got to the hem. Finally got it done. But I think it turned out pretty good.
The hem is even. It's just the way I am standing. I got ambitious and used some of scrap material and covered two head bands. And I also made us earrings to match.

Hmm. What to work on next? I am now looking at things around the house as material now. DH has a bunch of jeans with holes in the knees. I will patch a few but the rest are material!! I wonder how far I can go with stashes. He's already making comments about my yarn stash. Now I'm working on a material stash. LOL. We have already discussed the need for a room just for my craft materials, when we win the lottery. LOL. :0)
I have bought more yarn since I took this picture.