August 25th - August 31st

Rachel loves her baths and has started waving goodbye to people. It is very cute. She loves to be outside, and to be free to move. I guess that hasn't changed much. She is getting more vocal meaning we can understand what she wants more. She has really gotten the hang of a few different signs which has been so nice.

Monday 25th - In the morning after Rachel and I were ready for the day we headed out for a walk.  We stopped at the Holiday gas station so I could get a drink.  On the way back we stopped in at the main office so I could talk to them about our really slow internet.  After Rachel's nap and lunch we headed to Walmart to do our weekly grocery shopping.  That evening we just had a simple dinner and worked on organizing our extra room.  We had to make another quick trip to Walmart for some drawers to help organize and on the way back we saw some sister missionaiers and ended up giving them a ride.

Tuesday 26th - That morning John went running before work. Rachel and I spent the morning hanging out and working on organizing her closet.  After her nap we headed over to Taylorsville High School were I thought Brigitta's first match was. I got there and Hunter was not one of the school playing so I called Chelsi and found out that the schedule had changed so I had to drive another 30 minutes to get to Hillcrest High School. Pretty soon after we got home we headed back out to the trax station to pick up John since it was raining and he didn't want to ride home.  After we got home we ate some dinner and then John left to get a hair cut and I gave Rachel a bath.  After Rachel went to bed we worked some more on organizing the spare room.

Wednesday 27th - In the morning before Rachel's nap we headed to the post office to talk to them again about who's mail to forward and then to DI to drop off some more stuff we don't need.  When we got back, I tried to lay Rachel down for her nap but she was not interested and went down 3 hours later than normal.  We spent lots of time playing. That evening after dinner John gave Rachel here bath and I went to get milk and put gas in the car.  After Rachel was asleep, John organized the laundry closet.

Thursday 28th - Once we were both up, fed, and ready for the day Rachel and I went to check out the new Costco that opened up that day.  It was pretty crowded but it was okay because they had so many samples Rachel and I were both full. Rachel did not want to lay down, so she got a really late nap. After she woke up, I went to Taylorsville High School for Brigitta's tennis match. She was hitting her forehands really well. That night we had a couple that lives in our complex come over for dinner and games. We played 7 Wonders, and John (due to our teaching the new couple how to play) got almost all of the green cards and ended with a score of 107, which he thinks is an all-time record in the family.

Friday 29th - In the morning Rachel and I went to Target and Walmart to get some final things for our apartment. John got off work really early due to a company BBQ during his lunch hour, so we were able to get almost everything else finished unpacking in the house. That night, a friend of mine from high school and her husband came over for dinner. It was a lot of fun talking about different memories. Unfortunately they had to leave early, so we didn't get to play games.

Saturday 30th - I woke up early and went to play tennis with Brigitta and another one of her teammates named Emma. They both did really well. Brigitta improved on her forehand. It is really good. John watched Rachel while I was gone, and they went for a run. John said Rachel did really well on the run. We then put up some pictures and tried to get everything ready for my parents, who arrived around 4. My dad took Gibson over to Jodi's, and the rest of us went swimming. Rachel loved walking around the big kiddie area of the pool. She was a little nervous at first, but became more confident when we put her in her floaty. Once we did that, she started being a little more adventurous and walking to the steps to the deeper area.

Sunday 31st - This morning we got ready and went to church. John made his delicious banana pancakes for breakfast. While we were getting ready, Rachel was acting very tired. John tried to put her down for a nap, but she wouldn't go to sleep. So, we were very nervous about church. Fortunately, she wasn't that bad. She enjoyed shaking her snacks, and she has fallen in love with drinking fountains. Once church was finished, we hurried home so we could give Rachel some lunch and put her down for her nap. Once she was down, I was able to lay down and get a bit of a nap as well. After I woke up, we ate dinner. My dad made his spaghetti, which was so good! My mom and I then took Rachel for a walk and let her play on the playground for a while. We then hung out a little more and put Rachel to bed. Some packing for my trip finished up the evening. John also had to get ready for the 5k he is running with my parents in the morning. It is going to be a short night, and a very early morning.

August 12th - August 18th

Rachel loves to buzz her lips. She is learning to play on her own so much better.  When she wants to go outside she brings me whatever shoes she can find (which normally don't match).  When ever I let her have fruit snacks she jumps up and down and giggles because she is so excited.  

Monday 12th - I got up early so that I could make John breakfast for his FIRST day at his new job. He spent the day in meetings learning about the benefits and the different things he will be doing. I went to tennis practice at 3:30 and told the coach I will only be able to go to one practice a week.  After we both got home and I changed we headed to Red Robin to celebrate John's new job.  It was really fun for the most part until the very end when we let Rachel out of her high chair and she ran/tripped into the corner of the table.  

Tuesday 13th - In the morning John drove to the trax station instead of riding his bike since it was raining.  I stayed at the house with Rachel since we had people coming to fix part of the laminant floor. After Rachel's nap and lunch we headed to the store.  Our first stop was at Bath and Body Works so I could get some more lotion.  The next stop was at Walmart for a few more staples.  After we got back home I started making cookies to take to a few of our neighbors.  After John got home and we had had dinner we started hanging up a few pictures.  

Wednesday 14th - John got up really early and went running before work.  Rachel and I spent the morning chilling at the apartment.  At 1:00 we left to head to the Kia dealership  to get the USB port looked at and get the tires rotated and realigned.  We were there for 2 hours and by the time we left Rachel was not very happy.  On the way home we went to Walmart to go grocery shopping.  That afternoon/evening it was raining so hard it was even hailing for a little while.  When John got home from the trax station he was sopping wet.  After dinner we went to a couple of our neighbors houses and delivered cookies.  When we got home before we put Rachel in the bath we hung up a few more pictures. 

Thursday 15th - After John left for work and after Rachel and I were ready for the day I put Rachel into her stroller and we took a walk. Rachel took a fantastic nap which gave me time to work on putting boxes away.  That afternoon Rachel and I just had lots of fun playing.  That evening we worked on hanging more pictures.

Friday 16th - Friday afternoon I was trying to start the dough but I didn't have enough flour so I had to run to the store. That evening we had some homemade pizza.  Our friends Kevin and Kendra came over for dessert and games.  John did the Ice-bucket challenge. He said it wasn't as bad as he thought.

Saturday 17th - Saturday morning John and I unpacked all the books onto the bookshelves.  At 10:00 we took Rachel to Kid-to-Kid to meet Anna and Elsa from Frozen.  She was not a huge fan when they tried to hold her.  After we got home we laid Rachel down for a nap which she didn't take.  Once we had given up on her taking a nap we headed to a Zion's bank building a got a couple new office chairs.  We headed over to Terry and Gloria's house after that.  John headed over to Brandon soon after to play games with the guys, Rachel played in the backyard, and I worked on making a wedding card.  We bbq for dinner and it was delicious.  After dinner John, Rachel, and I went to the wedding reception for a girl I played tennis with in high school. 

Sunday 18th - My awesome husband got up with Rachel and played with her so that I could sleep in a little longer since I don't ever sleep well.  Church was good and Rachel was good for the most part.  After church we came back and cleaned up the kitchen and living room while Rachel took a nap.  For dinner we had another new couple from our ward over.  It was a lot of fun. They are due with their first child soon so they asked us for advice.  That evening we went outside to let Rachel play and another ward was having a get together and we ended up meeting a couple who loves games.  

Pictures of Rachel

My amazing sister-in law took some new photos of Rachel and they turned out fantastic! We are very impressed since Rachel was not holding still very well.

August 11th - August 17th

Rachel is getting smarter all the time.  When you ask her where her shoes are she understand and goes to get them and then sits down so I can put them on.  She loves to dance now when music comes on.  She is still as energetic as ever and everyone comments how she never stops moving.  She does snuggle every once in awhile, which I really enjoy.

Monday 11th - Monday morning I had tennis and Rachel had a lot of fun playing at grandma and grandpa's house.  After I got her home and she had had a nap, she and I headed to Walmart.  We were there for quite awhile getting food and organizational things. That evening John, Rachel, and I took a walk to the high and around our complex to explore.  

Tuesday 12th - I got Rachel up early and dropped her off with Gloria on the way to tennis.  After tennis, the coach (Amy) and I met with someone about the uniforms and team shirts. When I got back to the house with a very tired Rachel I laid her straight down.  While she was sleeping I was super tired so I decided to take a nap as well. After we got up I worked on organizing while Rachel played.  After John got home we had dinner and then John worked on putting Rachel's little play set that she got for her birthday.  When he finished we headed to Iceberg for a fun after dinner treat.  Rachel had so much fun eating our ice-cream and fries. 

Wednesday 13th - For tennis we started working on figuring out the ladder.  For the last part of practice we went into the building and went over the disclosure and got sizes for the uniforms. After I got home I put Rachel straight down for her nap.  While she was sleeping I worked on unpacking the kitchen.  After she woke up I played outside with her for awhile.  Once John was home, we had had dinner.  After dinner John took Rachel with him to get some stuff for his parents so that I could finish unpacking all the kitchen boxes.  While Rachel was in her bath John worked on putting a bookshelf together.  

Thursday 14th - At tennis we continued working on the ladder.  John got home a little late because he was at his last intern networking meeting.  I felt really bad for him because he had to ride his bike home in the rain.  After we had dinner we ran to Walmart to get a couple forgotten items.

Friday 15th - Friday morning the coach was not at tennis so I got to be in charge and it was a lot of fun.  We went over doubles rules and scoring and then spent over an hour playing fun tennis games.  After I got home with Rachel, she took a nap, and ate lunch, we headed out.  Our first stop was the post office so I could mail a package to some friends and fix our address.  After we finished there I drove to a trax station to pick up John from his last day at Zion's bank.  We drove to North Salt Lake to pick up Kindra and headed to the Davis County Fair.  John dropped Kindra, Rachel and I off at the entrance and then went to park at a nearby store so that we wouldn't have to pay, and he could meet up with Kevin.  We spent a couple hours walking around and seeing all the fun things like an elephant and a dancing bear.  I got a new bamboo pillow and a travel toiletries case. After we left we all piled into our car and drove to Layton for some Outback Steakhouse.  We ended up waiting an hour to get seated, but our waitress was so awesome that it was totally worth it.  When my food came out and I cut into my steak I realized how undercooked it was, so I sent it back (I felt so bad for being one of "those" people).  When the manager brought it back out it was still not cooked enough so they took it back again.  It came out fantastic the 3rd time and we got 25% off our check because they felt so bad.  

Saturday 16th - When we were all up and Rachel had had some breakfast we headed over to Herriman High School to play some tennis.  We couldn't stay very long because someone was coming to install our DirectTv between 9 and 12.  The guy called exactly at noon and said he would be a half hour late and 40 minutes later he showed up.  Once Rachel was up from her nap and we had all eaten some lunch we loaded up the car with everything we were giving to DI and headed out.  The stop at DI took longer than we thought it would because everybody and their brother decided to donate that day.  We ran into a furniture store right by DI and almost bought a couch, but decided they would have sales again if we can't get the couch we want from Costco.  After we finished there we headed over to Walmart to get some bookshelves for our apartment.  That evening for dinner we headed over to Tiffani's for a dutch oven dinner. It was really delicious and the peach cobbler for dessert was to die for.  Rachel fell asleep on the way home, and we put her straight to bed.

Sunday 17th - We went to our new ward for Sacrament Meeting.  After Sacrament meeting was over we headed into the Bishop's office where they have everyone thats new come and meet all the leaders of the different auxiliaries. It was really nice and the Bishopric seems awesome.  When we were finished in there John took Rachel and I home and headed over to a different ward for another Sacrament meeting where someone from his mission was speaking.  Rachel took and nap while he was gone and I worked on organizing more of my room.  For dinner we went over to the house of the lady from John's mission.  We had real Hawaiian food and it was very yummy.

August 4th - August 10th

Rachel is getting so big and independent.  She now really knows the sign for eat and uses it when she wants food.  Now we just need to work on a couple other basic signs.  She loves playing with her doll now and pushing it around in a stroller.  To turn her stroller she tries picking it up and turning around.  

Monday 4th - Rachel got up about 6:30.  We spent the morning hanging out.  During Rachel's morning nap I ran to Walmart. That afternoon Rachel played outside which is always entertaining because she always seems to get sopping wet.  After dinner we watched 2 Weeks Notice.  I had never seen it before and I loved it.  After John got back from work and teaching we all sat around and enjoyed just relaxing.

Tuesday 5th - Tuesday morning John went for a 6 mile run. He is getting faster the longer he runs.  While Rachel was taking her morning nap I went to Kid-to-Kid to get a bow and a skirt for Rachel. At 12:30 I went to Hunter High to have another meeting with the tennis coach.  That afternoon I just hang around with Rachel.  That evening after Chelsi's delicious dinner she came outside with us and took a couple really cute pictures of Rachel.  That night John went to the movies with his dad.  They saw Guardians of the Galaxy and John really liked it.

Wednesday 6th - Wednesday morning was the first official day of High School tennis.  We only had about 8 girls show up and most of them have never played before or have very little experience.  Hopefully next week more girls will come.  After I got back I changed out of my tennis clothes and got Rachel down for a nap.  While she was sleeping I worked on online tennis classes.  That afternoon was spent hanging around the house while Rachel played.  

Thursday 7th - Thursday we are are second day of practice and the 6 girls that showed up did a little better than the day before.  While I was gone Gloria took Rachel for a walk which I was told she loved.  She was talking and having fun watching the road. After I got back and Rachel had a nap we headed over to the Granite School District Office so that I could get fingerprinted.  When we got there I realized that I had forgotten my paper and then told me I had to have the money in exact cash so I had to go to the bank drive back to the house and then back to the office so something that took 5 minutes. After we got back I took Rachel outside so that she could play in her pool for a bit.  Once we were back inside and Rachel had had a bath I worked on folding laundry and packing all my stuff from the dresser into suitcases.  John got home from work right before dinner.  We had a delicious dinner and got Rachel to bed at 8. That night John played a game on his computer while I read a book.

Friday 8th - Before John left for work he ran an impressive 6 miles.  Rachel and I had a relaxed morning.  I worked on planning a 4 week menu and Rachel had fun playing.  Ben watched her while Gloria, Chelsi, and I went to Kohl's to get Brigitta new shoes and Gloria some new shirts.  After we got back I fed Rachel some lunch and put her down for a nap.  While she was sleeping I worked on my menu some more.  After Rachel woke up and John got home from work we headed over to our new apartment and sign our lease and get the key.  Once we had signed everything and had our key we took the hanging clothes to the apartment and hung them in our new closet!  After we got home we ate dinner.  Once we had Rachel in bed I went to Walmart with Terry and Gloria.  After we got back from Walmart we got John and went to Menchie's for some yummy dessert.

Saturday 9th - Moving Day! We got up in the morning and got ready for the day.  John and I worked to make sure all the odds and ends packed from our room. John went with Terry to pick up the U-haul.  I met John, Terry, Brandon, Gabe, and Ben at our storage unit with Gloria.  After we finished loading the truck (which took a couple hours) John took the U-haul and Terry took our aveo straight to the new apartment.  Gloria went back to the house with Chelsi while I staid to tell them we were out and get a copy of our receipt. After I got back to the house I picked up Ben and put a couple more things into the Kia and we headed out.  On the way to the apartment we stopped at Arctic Circle so that I could get John and I some lunch.  When we got to the apartment we met, John, Chelsi, Terry, Gloria, Tyler and Katie and their kids, Tiffani, Don, my mom, Sierra, and Gibson.  It was so nice to have so many people there, it made the unloading process go so much faster.  The whole time we were at the storage unit and then unloading the truck Brigitta watched Rachel for me at the house so that she would not get in the way.  After we got everything into the apartment John, Sierra, and I went to the office to pick up our mail key and then head back to Terry and Gloria's house to pick up Rachel and our mini-fridge.  By the time we got back to the house my mom had gotten most of Rachels room unpacked.  We didn't stay at the apartment long before John needed to go pick up a mattress and my mom, Rachel, and I headed over to Kid-to-Kid to get a toddler bed for Rachel.  That of course wasn't all we ended up getting but we were faster than we normally are.  On the way back to the apartment we stopped at Walmart for a couple essential items and Chick-fill-a to pick up some food for Sierra and Gibson.  After we got back we worked on unpacking some more stuff and feeding Rachel dinner. While my mom and I worked on the kitchen John went to pick us up some Zuppas for dinner.  We stayed up until 11:30 unpacking boxes.  

Sunday 10th - We got up early and John made pancakes.  We left for church at 10:00 since we needed to drive all the way to Alpine before 11:00.  We went the the mission homecoming of Quinn's first mission president.  He and his wife were both really good speakers and there were so many people there to hear them.  My mom, Sierra, and Gibson left for home from there and John and I headed back to our new place.  We spent the afternoon unpacking and cleaning stuff up.  Kevin and Kendra came over for some dinner and then we played games for a couple hours which was really fun.  

Love, 

Cassie

July 28th - August 3rd

Rachel's favorite food is whatever is on someone else's plate.  She keeps growing taller and taller but she is getting skinner, it is hard to find pants long but skinny enough.  She is a lot of fun to play with as she gets older.  She loves putting things into containers and "helping" clean.  

Monday 28th - I got up nice and early to finish packing and get ready for my meeting.  I met with the hunter high tennis coach at 8:30. It was a good meeting and we talked about how we wanted to run the team and what I needed to do to be aloud to coach. On the way home I stopped at Smiths to get some snacks for the trip. After I got back to the house I finished getting Rachel's stuff together and Brigitta finished packing. On the way out of town we stopped at Costco for gas and then the Trax station so I could get the extra car seat out of car. We stopped at Zupas in Lehi for some lunch and then drove all the way to cedar city before having to stop again. Just south of Nephi we were slowed down to 30 mph because it was raining so hard. In Cedar City, we stopped at Wendy's to go to the bathroom and get Rachel some chicken nuggets. That evening Brigitta and I went to cardio tennis while my mom and Sierra went to healthy postures. Gibson watched Rachel for me. That night we played a game of Qwirkle. Brigitta had beginners luck and got 1st place.

Tuesday 29th - In West Valley John spent his early morning running 6 miles. That morning Brigitta, Gibson, and I went to play tennis together. After we finished playing, we joined a class going on. While we were gone my mom and Sierra watched Rachel for me. After I got back and we were all clean, my mom and I took Brigitta, Sierra, and Gibson to summer seminary. While they were gone, my mom, Rachel, and I went to Costco and the bank. After we got back I put Rachel down for a much needed nap. Gibson and Sierra got home not long after that bit Brigitta went to a friends house for the day. My mom and I took naps and played a game of Ticket to Ride (which I one).  We got Little Cesuras on the way to drop my mom off at her school for her CPR training and then I went to pick up Brigitta from her friends house. That evening after my mom got home we played a game Chinese Checkers which Brigitta won (I'm sensing a theme). That night after Rachel went to bed we watched some America's Got Talent.

Wednesday 30th - I got up nice and early and ran to Walmart with my mom before cardio tennis at 8:00. It was a hard work out but I was happy I could do it. After tennis we went to Harmon's to get some stuff for my dad and then back to the Summit to give them to him. On the way home we went to Swig for some drinks. Once we got home it was time for Rachel's nap. While she was sleeping my mom made delicious chocolate chip cookies and Brigitta, Gibson, and I played a game of Trash. Gibson won and Brigitta came in second. At 2:00 Brigitta went to hang out with her grandma and the rest of us went to the pool. Rachel had a great time and a couple little boys followed her around for a long time talking to her and trying to show off for her. After we came home and had dinner the kids went to mutual. I got to spend time just sitting and talking to my parents which was nice. After my parents went to bed Gibson, Brigitta, and I played all the different games in Spot It. Brigitta won almost all of them.

Thursday 31st - Brigitta and Gibson had tennis lessons (at separate times).  While Brigitta was having her lesson my mom, Rachel, and I went to Target.  She got me a new pair of capri-pants, which I love. After my mom and I picked up Brigitta we went back to the house and played a game of Ticket to Ride Europe which I won.  At 11:00 my mom went to pick up Gibson and I got Rachel down for a nap.  Once they were back we played a game of Clue which Gibson won.  After Rachel woke up we went to Brigitta's Kroff grandparent's house to pick up a piano book.  We went to Costco and Walmart to pick up some food for dinner.  When we got back to the house we played a game of Qwirkle which Sierra won.  For dinner we had amazing stuffed hamburgers and corn on the cob.  That evening I finished doing my laundry and packing up all our stuff.  After Rachel went to bed we worked on painting fun nails.  Brigitta did tennis balls on her fingers and I did them on my toes.  My mom did her nails to look like notebook paper with doodles on them.  

Friday August 1st - I got up at 5:30 to get ready to go. John also got up at 5:30 in West Valley and ran 6 miles. Brigitta, Rachel, and I left St. George about 7:00.  We drove to Nephi before we had to stop for a bathroom break and getting Rachel food.  We made it the rest of the way without stopping again.  After we got back I worked on unpacking suitcases and putting Rachel down for her nap.  Once she was asleep I went to get something out of my storage unit and then to wash and vacuum out my car.  John got home soon after I did and it was so good to see each other again.  Right before dinner John and I went to Smith's for some Pesto for Gloria and some food for Rachel.  That night we watched the first Harry Potter movie, which was a lot of fun.  

Saturday 2nd - After we got up John and I took Rachel with us and went to play tennis.  We hit together just the 2 of us for awhile but then we picked up a doubles game with the guys on the court next to us.  It was a lot of fun to play real tennis games again, as it had been awhile.  After we got back and showered, I put Rachel down for her nap and John went to play disc golf with his dad.  Once he got back and Rachel had woken up and had some lunch, we left to run some errands. Our first stop was the storage unit to put stuff away. Next we went to the Kia dealership and got our license plate put on the car. Our last stop was IKEA. We looked at couches headboards and bedside tables. While we were there the fire alarms went off, they were extremely loud but Rachel didn't even care. She looked up when they first started and then just went back to what she was doing. They didn't stay on to long and we were able to finish our shopping trip. We even got John and new pillow. Soon after we got back to the house John left to go meet up with Kevin (his friend from high school) and they watched the REAL game at a sports grill. 

Sunday 3rd - Getting ready for church went pretty smoothly. During sacrament meeting Rachel was pretty good for the most part (meaning that she was staying on our row), towards the end she fell and hit her head against the bench and John had to hurry and take her out. She was good for most of Sunday school. I kept her for Relief Society and she was a little bit distracting. She kept running around the room and entertaining everyone. She spent a lot of time standing at the front with Chelsi who was giving an awesome lesson. After we got back to the house we fed Rachel some lunch and then laid her down for a nap. While she was sleeping I took a nap as well. For dinner we went to our friends Kevin and Kendra's house.  It was a lot of fun and we had delicious pulled pork sandwiches.  After we finished eating we played some games of Nerts, it was a lot of fun and John was easily the best and won every game.  Before we left we put Rachel into her pajamas since we figured she would fall asleep on the way home (we were right).  After we got her to her bed I decided to relax and take a bath.  John had fun relaxing playing games on his computer and phone.  

Kidd 2014 Family Photos

Since the last family photos there were three additions to the family and one on the way (for my sister in-law).  My sister in-law Chelsi took the photos using her tripod and she did an amazing job.  Such a good looking bunch!

Almost everyone looking!

What, we're taking a picture?

The happiest picture you can get with 17 grandchildren.