Sophia's Blessing

The highlight of the trip to Cali was Sophia receiving a baby blessing at church. In the LDS religion it's tradition to give infants a blessing. This is usually given by the father. Rob gave Sophia a beautiful blessing that brought tears to my eyes. A microphone was held close to Rob's mouth so the congregation could hear. Sophia just shy of 5 months thought it was a toy and grabbed hold of it during the blessing. Rob having his eyes closed during the blessing wondered why his voice was going in and out. We had a lot of family come from out of town to be there for the blessing. It was a very special day.

My Fam

Rob's Fam....His parents and his Sister Rachelle and her family

Great Grandpa and Grandma Clark

The Sisters

My Aunt Linda and Uncle Rob

Family and Friends

Sophia was able to spend so much time with loved ones. Some she met for the very first time. Here's a cute pic with her cousin Bree. ( Matching outfits courtesy Aunt Stephie)

Christmas in Cali

This year it was so nice to spend Christmas with my family in California. It was nice to leave the cold for a little while. My Mom and Dad took such good care of us. I felt very spoiled. Mom baked so many treats and made some very yummy candy. We also ate some wonderful dinners. I gained a few pounds which doesn't help with the baby fat I was already trying to loose. This week of holiday food was a setback. But so worth it.

It was also nice for Sophia to spend some time with her Grandparents and meet her Aunt Ashley for the first time. Sophia was also spoiled. There was always a pair of hands waiting to hold her and entertain. She loved it. And so did Mom. Rob and I were also able to go on a few dates to the movies. It was great to have babysitters.

Christmas morning with Sophia was fun. She grabbed and tore a little at the wrapping paper with some help. She had no clue what was going on. I can't wait until next year when she's older.

Sophia continues to be our angel baby. This was her first time flying and she was so good on all of our flights. She slept during most of the air travel, making my job very easy. I even watched a movie on one of the flights.

Happy Birthday Rob!

Last weekend was hubbies birthday. Unfortunately he spent it studying for finals, but did enjoy some B-day cupcakes. I'm so grateful to have met him that warm summer night in Camarillo. I'm thankful for his hard work and his example of following inspiration and the spirit. He takes good care of our family and always manages to find a little time through all the studying to spend with Sophia and I even if it's just a few minutes. We think he's just awesome. How many people can say at 35 that they have owned and operated there own Entertainment Consulting Business, lived and worked in Abu Dhabi doing oil and gas consulting, traveled to the far places of the world like China and Australia just to name a few, and then chose to pursue medical school. He's super Honey!!! :) We just love him so much!!!! Since we didn't do anything exciting this last weekend I thought I would leave you with some pics from one of our previous adventures. Our life in Abu Dhabi.....Some wonderful memories.

Dune Bashing

It was so amazing. Like riding a roller coaster.

Experiencing the Beautiful Desert

Of course the beautiful beaches and warm water. I worked hard on my tan everyday and honey worked hard at the office :)

There was time for play though.....Wild Wadi says it all. This is the best water park in the world. Well, at least we think so. I found the perfect description of our favorite rides there on Wikipedia:
"Master Blaster slides are best described as "uphill water roller coasters". Riders can sit in either a single or double ring, and are propelled uphill by high-powered water jets."

And of course the beautiful skyscrapers..... this is the famous Burj Al Arab. They charge you to even go in the lobby.

Our Little Snow Bunny

So today we got the first snow of the season. I know it's not much and it's already snowed in other parts of the country, but it's our 1st snow. In the past 2 1/2 years that Rob and I have lived on the east coast it has never snowed before Christmas. This is the first time. Looks like it'll be a white Christmas. Too bad our family will be soaking up the Southern California Sun this coming holiday.

I couldn't wait to introduce Sophia to the snow and put on her Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit, pink snowsuit. She couldn't move very much in it, but she looked adorable!!! It kind of reminded me of The Christmas Story where they get all suited up to go out and can barely walk. I just love that movie. Anyways Sophia and I braved the cold long enough to get a few pics and practice snow angels. The snow fall made all the barren trees look beautiful.

4 Months

On Saturday Sophia will be 4 months old. I can't believe how fast she is growing. She loves exploring the world around her and is becoming quite aware of her surroundings. She likes to grab at my glass of water and my cell phone when I'm talking on it. She also becomes easily distracted now when nursing. If she hears me talking or Rob walks in the room and says something to me she will turn her head to see what's going on.

She loves smiling, giggling, and her baths are becoming a new favorite. She had started to grab at the blue water cup that I rinse her with so I thought we should bring in a few toys for her. But nothing is more fun that the blue cup. She loves to just hold it and stare at it in the tub. She just coo and goos whenever it's in her hands. Sorry Mr. Rubber Ducky. You'll have your day :)

She also likes to put weight on her legs now. She thinks it's fun to "stand up", with help that is. She also loves to be carried around the house. She could watch me do chores and things all day long.

So here are some pictures of our little Angel baby that we love so much. ( any baby that will sleep through the night most of the time is an Angel!!!) By the way my favorite day to dress her is Sunday. Can you tell? There is nothing more fun than dressing a little girl in bows, headbands , tights and dresses!!!

Temple Christmas Lights

Last Saturday we drove to Maryland to see the Washington, D.C. Temple Christmas lights. We bundled up because it was a cold evening. The grounds were beautifully lit and temple always looks amazing at night. When you see it from the beltway it looks like it's floating on trees. It's really a something to see. The newscasters even use it as landmark when describing traffic jams around the beltway. "It's backed up from Mormon Temple to......" Sophia loved being carried around to see all the lights. She was quite entertained. I always love visiting the Temple even if it is just the grounds and visitors center. The spirit can always be felt there.