A Blessed Weekend

We blessed Sophie on Sunday and had lots of family in town. My family was only here for Saturday and Sunday, but Steve's was here for almost a week. It was awfully cozy when everyone was in our apartment. It's times like these I really, really wish we had a house, but it was still fun. Sophie got so much attention that I think she was overwhelmed at times, but she did great. She's such a happy baby. I love it!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend courtesy of my dad. Yes, once again, our camera didn't leave it's case. It seems like we only take pictures of her when we're sitting around in our apartment and not when major life events take place. We'll get better, hopefully.

My mom found this gorgeous blessing dress for her. Aunt Hillie has her right after we dressed her.



When we put her in the car seat, it went from a 5-point harness to a 4-point. I don't think we could have gotten her buckled in between the legs. Luckily the church is only a few blocks away.



Here we are outside the church after sacrament meeting with my family. From the left we have Andrea (Dev's fiance), Devin, Hillie, the three of us, and my parents.



And with Steve's family. From the left, there's Kimi, Steve's mom Judi, the three of us, Steve's dad Rick, and Michael.



Here's Sophie conked out after the meeting. She was so good and slept most of the time. I was afraid she'd be one of the blessing screamers, but she wasn't. Whew.



The blessing Steve gave her was really sweet, and I was filled with emotion during the entire meeting. I was thinking about how grateful I was to have my family there, to be married to an amazing man, to have such a sweet little girl join our family and to have the Gospel in my life.

Because it was 4th of July weekend, too, I got to thinking about the significance this holiday has had in my life. It has always been one of my favorites. I remember watching the fireworks every year along the Snake River in Idaho Falls trying to hold back tears during the "Proud to be an American" song they played on the radio as part of the fireworks show. (Usually Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" snapped me out of it.) I remembered thinking how lucky I was to be able to do the things I can do and have the freedom to live my life how I wanted. I remember attending a basketball game at Utah State and hearing the national anthem for the first time since I'd been home from Russia. Again, I was choked up, but I tried extra hard to hold it back because who in the world cries at the beginning of a basketball game? After seeing how a newly democratic, but still slightly oppressed country lives, I was even more grateful for the country that I live in. We may gripe about our President sometimes, but we have a long way to go before our government is as corrupt as other countries around the world.

The 4th of July was also the day that Steve proposed, and as most of you know, he was deployed to Afghanistan for 18 months right after we were married. Spending a 4th of July at home while my husband was out serving his country in a war-torn part of the world gave me another perspective on patriotism. I'd always been grateful for the men and women who serve our country, but having experienced it so close makes me even more grateful. And grateful for the families who send them out and for those who don't see them return.

Now, this 4th of July weekend we were able to bless Sophie and start a new phase of our lives.

Happy 4th of July everyone :)