Sophia's Big Night In

Last night Rod & I joined his parents at the quarterly Wynlakes Wine tasting dinner...it was so yummy! Luckily, we have some great friends who were up for coming over & babysitting Sophia. Aunt Margaret & Uncle Darren (Crimi), teamed up with Aunt Katy (Ryan)and had a blast entertaining Sophia! Early yesterday morning, I put the bug in Sophia's ear about each of them coming to play that night & she giggled with excitement while eating breakfast. As 6pm neared, we pulled up the blinds in the dining room, as we normally do, if we are anticipating someone's arrival. This is Sophia's special little spot to be the 'look-out'...and boy is she good at it! Crimi's arrived first & even came bearing gifts! Upon opening the door, Sophia ran right up & into Margaret's arms...it was so cute! So Margaret & Darren gave her the little gifts - one being a little 'chef' outfit which is totally appropriate for her & all the cooking she does at Elmo's restaurant...and the other would've made her Abuelito (Rod's dad) proud...it was a little Doctor kit! It was super thoughtful of them, but they sure didn't have to do that...they are just sweet people! Because of Darren being a new firefighter, he often works a crazy schedule & even had the night off, but came with Margaret to babysit Sophia...I know that was a big deal for him to spend one of his only nights 'off' at our house...thanks Darren! However, when we left, we felt 'extra' good knowing that we had a trained professional in CPR & firefighting at our house! Katy arrived right behind Crimi's & Sophia ran up into her arms too...I think she has a 'thing', perhaps a comfort thing, with brunettes. Guess b/c almost all of her family has dark hair, she must feel 'at home' with others with dark hair too? It was fun to see her dive right into showing them everything & playing. As Rod, Darren, Katy & myself were all talking in the kitchen, Sophia came parading into the room donning her new chef duds! I was able to snap a photo, but unfortunately she didn't keep the hat on...nor would she put on the oven mit! It was a hoot, & then both Margaret & Darren put on Rod & I' aprons...I wasn't quick enough to snap a photo of all 3. As Rod & I left, I was able to peer back through the dining room window to the inside of my house that was filled with lots of laughter & smiles of 1 little girl who had 3 wonderful people doting on her...it was a warm little moment for me!

Rod & I were then off to the wine-tasting dinner...it was very good. The wine choices were excellent as the majority were reds (pinot noirs, & cabernet sauvignons)...the only downside was that the 4 of us (Rod, Patricia, Rafa & myself) all agreed that some of the dishes we could've all done better (lobster thermador, lamb & filet of ribeye). Patricia is a great cook & often cooks something daring/exotic & it's so yummy! She also is a nutritionist, so everything she makes is healthy! I'm not even a huge lobster fan, but the lobster course was pretty good. However, this particular style, lobster thermador, Rod cooked for his parents anniversary about 2yrs ago...it was DEE-LISH! He had cheeses, bread crumbs & better spices in his than the chef's last night. The dessert course was the chef's take on a banana split...yum! Fried banana slices, with some sort of creme filled crepe, with strawberry, pineapple & chocolate drizzled over it. Let's just say I felt totally fat after leaving that dinner....I was fat & happy...who cared!? Ha!

Upon returning home, the 3 babysitters were all visiting in the living room & said everything went well. However, they were initiated into the club of "Elmo's World" dvd's...I'm so sorry guys! If you've ever heard the 'Elmo's World' song, it'll stick with you like none other...as in you kinda feel like jabbing your eardrums out if you hear it one too many times!

We look forward to more evenings with the 3 Musketeer Babysitters...they were fabulous!