Sophia turns 4 months

Sophie is still such a social and happy baby. She absolutely loves for people to talk to her. Her whole face lights up when someone is talking to her. 

She still is not a fan of being on her back and is tolerating being on her tummy more. My guess is because of her reflux issues. This month she was dedicated at church, had her first Thanksgiving, her first laugh, found her feet and loves to suck on her big toe, started blowing raspberries and is sleeping through the night. Wow what a great month! 

To view all her 4 months photos visit our Flickr site  - click here.

All dolled up

Zoe has recently started to notice mommy uses a purse, wears necklaces, and sometimes hats. While I was working on Christmas decorating the inside of the house, and John was working on the outside, Zoe found some items she wanted to use. Her "purse" is actually a door hanger, the "necklace" is really a head band and the hat is actually a hat of course. I am not sure if she is pretending or really doesn't know what these items are. Either way it is cute.

Sophia is dedicated

On Sunday the 29th we had the privilege of dedicating Sophia in church. She slept through most of it and then woke up at the very end. Zoe also got to be there which was great. She did so well in John's arms.

We chose the name Sophia for her not only because we really like the name but also because of the meaning - wisdom. Our prayer is that the Lord help us raise her with the knowledge that she is not ours but that she has been entrusted to us for a period of time. Our prayer for her is that she grow not only in physical stature but in her knowledge of the Lord and learn to rely on His wisdom, not her own.

Sophia got to wear a dress and booties that Sharon, John's step-mom, made for her. Thank you Sharon!

She is such a blessing to our family. She has a wonderful smile that always brings a smile to me as well as her sister. Zoe and Sophia already have a bond that I didn't expect to see so early.

Let the Christmas Party Begin

Last night we hosted our Small Group Christmas Party. It was a fun filled night with yummy food, great friends, a gift exchange, and lots of fellowship.

Our small group is really not so small - 15 adults and 16 children. Right now we have 4 infants under the age of 6 months. The oldest was born in May and the youngest two born in August. It is a common occurrence for all four to be nursing at the same time. It is quite a sight and so much fun to watch them grow together.

John and I have been so blessed by our small group over the last 4 years. We are so thankful to be a part of a great group of friends who stick by us through the ups and downs in life, always ready with words of encouragement, and constantly challenging us to grow in our walk with God. Thank you all!

To view all the photos from the Christmas Party click here

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year a little early. We got together at Grandma Brusch's house the weekend prior to celebrate with my parents and brother's family. In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving we also celebrated Grandma Brusch's birthday. We had great food, lots of football in the backyard and some good fellowship with family. Zoe loved watching my dad, Shane, John and the three boys playing football.

On Thanksgiving day we celebrated with my friend Audrey and her family. Zoe wasn't too interested in all the great food, she was much to interested in playing and exploring. Audrey came prepared for the day with lots of craft activities for the girls. Zoe had her first experience with finger and feet painting as well as chalk. Needless to say she loved it. 

Sophie had to make her mark on the day before it ended also by laughing for the first time. Unfortunately John wasn't around when she did it.

To view all the Thanksgiving photos visit our Flickr website - click here.

Sophia turns 3 months

All of Sophia's 3 Month photos can be seen on our Flickr website. Click here to view.

Sophia continues to change so much each month. It is hard to believe she is already 3 months old. She smiles so much especially when we talk to her. She loves it when Zoe comes up and talks to her. They have their own little conversations already.

She got her ears pierced this month and did great with it. This month also included a visit from Papa and Mama Shar (John's dad and stepmom). It was the first time they got to meet Sophia. We had a great visit with them.

Sophia got to take her first road trip this month. We took the two girls to Tucson for a family friend of John's wedding. Since we were invited to the rehearsal dinner the evening before the wedding we spent the night in a hotel with both girls and they did great. We traveled about another hour south of Tuscon the next day to the wedding at Kartchner's Caverns. As part of the reception guest were able to take the tour of the caverns. We took Sophia with us not sure how she would do but she did great on the hour and half tour. Zoe also did great.

Road Rash

Well, Zoe has done it again. Today at the end of our Stroller Strides class she lost her balance, fell off the edge of the sidewalk and face-planted into the parking lot. Poor girl just keeps injuring herself. At least this one won't be as long-lasting as the tooth incident. With the help of another mom holding Sophia we were able to get the bleeding stopped and her to stop crying.

Felt so bad for her when she woke herself up from her nap by rubbing her face on the sheets. Started bleeding again which then led to an afternoon of a very tired little girl with her face hurting. On top of all that she is getting two more teeth. Oh what an adventure motherhood is.

My prayer currently is she at least slow down on the injuries and not take after her dad quite so much in this area.

Two little flowers

Ever since John and I moved into this house (5 yrs ago) we have spent Halloween with our neighbors, Matthew and Sherry. We sit out in lawn chairs on one of our driveways and hand out candy all night. The last two years we added a fire pit to the fun. Zoe spent Halloween day at a friend's birthday costume party and the evening handing out candy to all our neighbors.

We were surprised how well Zoe did in her costume and that she left her flower petal hat on almost all night. Once we showed her the basket of candy to hand out and gave her a bag to put some in, she forgot all about the costume. She did really well at handing out the candy as people came by. We kept waiting for her to start taking candy out of someone else's trick or treat bag, but she never did.

Sophia slept for part of the evening and spent the rest hanging out watching people.

All in all it was a fun-filled family day.

Taking after mom and dad ( a little too much)

Zoe has her first lasting fall. My dad's first words when he saw her were "Just like your mother". She is going to the dentist in the morning so we will see what they say. I suspect this is what her smile will look like for the next 6 or so years until her adult tooth comes in.