Happy 30th Birthday Mara!

Saturday was Mara's birthday, but because of Rosh Hashana we waited until Sunday to have our big celebration. Andy fired up the grill, and friends and family enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs and lots of birthday cake! It was a fun evening and we took lots of pictures, but since mostly everyone is interested in Sophie, those are the pics I've included with this post. You may have noticed that Sophie frequently has her fingers in her mouth. This is partly because that's her personality and she's had her fingers in her mouth since she was in the womb. We also think that she may have started teething. One thing is for sure though - she's been growing! At the doctor yesterday she measured 25 inches and weighed 13 lbs. 9 oz. She is still tall and thin for her age. Lucky girl. Also in the pictures you can see Sophie playing with her new drum set and the balloons from her mommy's party, which have turned out to be the cheapest and most entertaining thing ever!

Special Visitors

This past weekend, Sophie had 3 very special visitors. First to arrive was Grandma Ann all the way from Florida. We knew that she was coming for Mara's birthday, but what Mara didn't know was that her friend Krisztina would be making a surprise visit the next day! That was one of Andy's presents to Mara for her birthday, but the surprises didn't end there. On Sunday, Mara answered the door to find her mom standing there saying, "Surprise!! I heard there was a party!" She was right. There was going to be a party, and to hear all about that, you'll have to read the next blog entry!

Welcome Elizabeth!

Yesterday we made a trip up to Scottsdale to meet Eric and Lynn's new baby girl Elizabeth, who was born September 8th. She is so cute and tiny, it was hard to believe that Sophie was that little just a few months ago. Elizabeth's parents are doing great, in fact they seem like pros at the whole parenting thing! Yesterday was also Sophie's 4 month birthday, so of course we had to take a picture with Pooh Bear. You can really see how much she's grown, and also how much better she can sit up on her own. Also thrown in with this post - another picture from Prescott. Love to all!!

Bath Time

Sophie has been enjoying bath time more and more, especially since she's been able to do more. She loves to hold her sponge and suck the water out of it (yuck!!), and she's gotten really good at splashing with her legs and feet. She's not quite ready for bath crayons yet, but as you can see, she sure does love her bath!

Road Trip: Prescott

The Giesekes made their first trip in the RV over Labor Day weekend, along with the Waterman-Siegfried clan. The trip was exciting (we got stuck in a hail storm in the middle of an outdoor craft fair) and relaxing. We usually take lots of pictures when we go on trips, but this time our family photographer (Andy) was sick in bed most of the trip, so we just have a picture of Sophie with Grandma Laura, a view from the top of Thumb Butte, and a cute picture of Sophie and her daddy, which was taken before the trip but was so adorable I had to include it. Fortunately, Josh took about a million pictures of Sophie in Prescott, but I haven't put them on my computer yet, so as soon as I do I'll post them!