Summer Weekend

Hello and Happy Weekend once again! The McFarrens have had quite the busy July but have been lucky enough to spend it with family. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we had Aunt Jill, Uncle Brian and their boys hang with us this past week. I didn't get much time for pictures, but here are a few I was able to capture with all four cousins playing near each other (if not together!).Sophie loved having her older cousins around. Most of the time she just enjoyed watching and laughing at them while they were being silly boys.
It was sad to see them go but we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and have a low-key weekend, just the 3 of us. On Saturday we headed out to one of the many parks in our valley we have yet to explore. We originally wanted to have a picnic on the grass, but it was completely wet so we settled in at a picnic table and tried desperately to hide our food from all the ants that had already taken up residence there. Sophie didn't care about the ants as much as mama and papa and had a great time:

After our picnic we pulled out the bubble machine. The wind carried the bubbles rather quickly but it was nice to play with them in such an open space rather than just in front of our house:
We even brought out the giant purple ball that Grandma Pat gave us this week:

Sophie had so much fun, she wasn't sure what she wanted to look at most. Here she just plopped down in the grass to explore the blades and dead leaves!
Time to explore the playground with papa. "Look, I can reach mama!"
Having so much fun but already looking on to the next thing!
Today we headed over to a place we discovered nearby called "The Gentle Barn." This was the best discovery and I already know we will be frequent visitors. Basically it's a small barn of rescued animals who are tended to and well-groomed and very people friendly. The fee to get in is just a small $5 donation and you are allowed to brush the cows, feed the horses, pet the pigs, etc. Needless to say, we all had a GREAT time.
Sophie petting a cow:
Papa and Sophie petting a cow:
Papa and Sophie "driving" a tractor:
Sophie staring down a chicken:
Sophie petting the big pig belly:
Such a sweet goat enjoying Sophie's petting:
Feeding the horses! Mmmm, that carrot was good!
After our fun day at the barn we took Sophie to a quick lunch. She was in a great mood and so excited to talk about her adventures with the animals, I couldn't resist snapping this picture!
It's so hard to believe but Sophie turned 14 months today. She is walking more and more each day and today even stood on her own several times (without assistance) to walk. It is so much fun to see her grow and grow but she is definitely keeping us on our toes!

I will end this blog with a quick little video. Aunt Jill made some yummy chocolate chip cookies while she was here. Believe it or not, this was Sophie's first time having cookies. She is totally my daughter because she was instantly in love with them and made a huge mess with every bite. Enjoy!