October 20th - October 26th

Rachel is getting so big and so stubborn.  She shakes her head no when she doesn't want something or just doesn't like what you are saying.  She says mama to indicate both John and me.  She learned to sign please, which has been so nice.  Her favorite place to be is outside and if you dare to leave the house without her you will hear about it.  When she is angry she bends in half and bangs her forehead against the floor.  Depending on which room we are in it huts her quite a bit.

Monday 20th - John ran 6 miles before heading into work. I went to Walmart with Rachel to do some grocery shopping.

Tuesday 21st - Rachel and I spent the day together just chilling and playing outside.

Wednesday 22nd - John ran 6 miles in the morning. I spent most of the day at home playing with Rachel. Our friends Becca and Joe came over for dinner and games. They are really fun game friends and Rachel is warming up to them. 

Thursday 23rd - Thursday after John got home from work we headed over to Terry and Gloria's for a delicious dinner.  It was fun to sit around and talk to everyone.

Friday 24th - I spent the day chilling with Rachel.  That evening John and I watched Survivor, Biggest Loser, and Amazing Race; we needed to get all caught up on our shows.

Saturday 25th - John got up early and ran 11 miles.  We hurried around the house stressing as usual and were out the door just a few minutes later then we had planned.  We met our friends Scott and Ashley at Center Street Grill in Logan for some delicious lunch.  After we finished eating we headed over to Locker 42 to get Rachel a new shirt for the game and ended up getting John a shirt and Rachel a sweat suit.  We headed over to the stadium for the game and got to our seats as they were doing the coin toss.  Rachel did pretty well for the most part.  She fell asleep for about 30 minutes in the 2nd half and was much happier after that. After the Aggies won (woot woot) we headed with the throng of people back to the car.  On the way out of town we stopped to get some dinner. We got home a little after 8 and just put Rachel straight to bed since she had fallen asleep in the car.

Sunday 26th - Got up in the morning earlier than normal so that I would have plenty of time to get ready.  We headed to church on time and got a bench close to the front.  Terry, Gloria, and Jeremy got there not to long after us and John and I headed up to the stand to speak.  John spoke on trusting in the Lord and I was told to pick a talk from the last conference and choose a talk by Elder Perry about Eternal Families.  Rachel did pretty good sitting in the congregation except that she was loud.  I am starting to think she is always like that though I just didn't realize how loud she was. After Sacrament Meeting I took Rachel home for a nap.  While she was sleeping I decided that I was tired and would take a nap as well.  After Rachel woke up we FaceTimed with my family. That evening we went over to Tyler and Katie's for the family dinner.  We had Rachel wear a new shirt and everyone seemed to like it.  After dinner some of us played a game of 7 Wonders which John won. Once we were home we FaceTimed with my grandma before Rachel's bath.

October 13th - October 19th

Rachel is so fun to watch.  She finds such enjoyment in the everyday things.  She loves any kind of bag, basket, or container.  Filling them up and carrying them around gives her great enjoyment.  When she wants us to do something she grabs our finger and drags us where ever she wants us to be.  She can now open the fridge by herself when ever she wants which is a pain because it is much harder to control what she is doing.

Monday 13th - Monday Rachel and I just enjoyed being home and spent the day unpacking and hanging out together.  On his way home John was very nice and went shopping for me. He also had a tutoring appointment with a new student that he did at a Starbucks.

Tuesday 14th - Tuesday was mostly the same a Monday with Rachel and I chilling and playing except that I had to run to the store for a couple things I forgot to have John get.

Wednesday 15th - John got up early and went running, 6 miles.  Rachel and I had a fun day playing together.

Thursday 16th - Thursday was spent getting the house ready for my mom, Sierra, and Gibson to come visit. They got to the house at dinner time and we enjoyed eating and hanging out together that evening.

Friday 17th - Friday morning after we were all ready for the day my mom, Rachel, and I went to do some shopping.  John had left early for an orthodontist appointment to fix his retainer wire that had popped out. My mom and I found the rest of the clothing needed for my families Halloween costumes. On the way home we stopped at subway to get some lunch. After we got home and Rachel was down for her nap my mom, Sierra, Gibson and I played a few games of Spot It and a game of Qwirkle.  Since Rachel was still sleeping we left Sierra at the house and took Gibson to the Temple to meet a friend for Baptisms. We rented Captain America: Winter Soldier and enjoyed it.  

Saturday 18th - Saturday morning my mom and John went for a 9 and a half mile run.  Once they got back I took my moms car to fill it with gas and get them all drinks for their trip.  After I got back it was time for them to say good-by and head out.  I was sad to see them go but not as sad as Rachel who cried and reached for the car as it left.  That afternoon I took a nap with Rachel and John went to throw discs with his dad and help his mom with the printer.  After he got back we got out costumes together and on and headed over to the church. First was dinner and then the Trunck-or-Treat.  Rachel loved carrying her basket around and getting candy from people. We headed home at 8 and Rachel was so tired.

Sunday 19th - Rachel slept in so we had a little bit of a hard time getting ready for church on time. Rachel was pretty good during Sacrament meeting but she was super cranky during Sunday School.  John took Rachel during the Relief Society/Priesthood hour so that I could listen better.  After we got home Rachel ate lunch and went down for a nap.  John and I worked on getting the house and dinner ready for a couple from our ward to come over.  Rachel had so much fun running around and showing off for our company.  After we finished eating we played a few rounds of Nurts. That evening John and I got all caught up on Amazing Race.

October 6th - October 12th

Rachel is so active and so independent.  She loves when she can do things by herself.  She is getting more and more chatty and will just jabber all day.  She rarely walks she much prefers to run where ever she needs to go. Her favorite time of day is pretty much when ever she can play with people.  She loves giving high-fives to everyone and is starting to do knuckles.  

 

Monday 6th - In the morning I packed up the car while Rachel was eating her breakfast.  We headed out about 9:00 AM.  We had to make a stop in Nephi and in Beaver but overall it was a pretty uneventful trip.  After we got to St. George I unloaded the car while Rachel played with Sierra.  Then we headed over to the Summit to see my dad. We visited while Rachel had fun playing with the rackets and balls. After we got back to the house, Rachel enjoyed running around the house and playing with my mom until I put her down to bed. 

Tuesday 7th - At lunch, I went and grabbed lunch and drinks for my mom and dad from Costa Vida and Swig. We went to the Summit first, and then headed out to GWA. After that, I began the sewing process that would take most of the next couple days. 

Wednesday 8th - Sewing, sewing, sewing. Rachel was excited for someone to come home and play with her. 

Thursday 9th - Ditto ;). Like I said, it took up most of my days. For dinner, we went to Jack-in-the-Box.

Friday 10th - I worked as hard as I could in the morning sewing and packing. After my mom got home, she helped me pack up the car. I said my goodbyes and headed to Costco for gas. While I was getting gas, John called and we decided since it was so late that I shouldn't drive home, and that I would stay in St. George for the weekend. I headed back to the house and unloaded the essentials that I would need for the next couple of days. 

Saturday 11th - In the morning I got up early and went over the to Fair at GWA to set up. We got there at about 7:30. After about an hour of setting up, I went back to the house to pick up Rachel, Sierra, and Gibson. When I got back to the school, we finished setting up the last few things. Rachel behaved as well as you could expect any 17-month-old during a long carnival. She stayed in the area near us pretty well. The Carnival lasted from 10-4, but Rachel didn't. A little after 1, I took Rachel back to the house for a nap. Sierra came along as well to listen for Rachel, which was good as Rachel woke up after only 45 minutes. Luckily my dad got back before she woke up, and was willing to play with her so that I didn't have to go back and get her. When things ended, we cleaned everything up quickly and were able to leave by 4:30. That night, we spent time relaxing and visiting. 

Sunday 12th - Rachel decided she wanted to get up early after a night with her in bed with me. We went to church at nine, but left after sacrament. I repacked the car, but needed a nap. My mom and Sierra were kind enough to play with Rachel while I slept (hard job, I know). After Gibson got home from fast offerings, we ate dinner, and I headed out. We left about 3, and Rachel fell asleep at about 3:02 and slept until Santaquin.  We had to stop in Payson for a quick bathroom break, and finished the journey home. John had made hamburgers for us that we ate after I got home. I then gave Rachel a bath while John unloaded the car. We got Rachel down to bed, and worked on unpacking a little bit more. 

August 29th - September 5th

Rachel is getting cuter by the day. Her new big thing is plugging her ears and singing to herself so that she can hear the new sound.  She loves bags and any type of container so that she can put things in them and carry them around.  I have been sewing a lot so I try to turn on the TV for Rachel but she has no interest at all.  Her favorite place to be is outside playing, either on the patio or at the playground.

Monday 29th - I spent the whole day sewing, Rachel was so good and played by herself.  When John got home he played with Rachel so I could keep working.

Tuesday 30th - Tuesday was the same as Monday but I got a lot accomplished.

Wednesday 1st - Wednesday morning Rachel and I headed over Liberty park to watch Brigitta play tennis with a quick stop at Target on the way to get Rachel a jacket.  I got there right after she finished her first match. After sitting around for awhile Chelsi and I decided to run some errands.  Our first stop was at the Kia dealership so that I could get the front license plate put on the car.  After that we went to the church humanitarian distribution center to pick up a quilt.  We headed back to the tennis courts but Brigitta didn't play again that day. That evening we got a babysitter for Rachel and John and I went on a date to Olive Garden.  It was so much fun to be out with John just the 2 of us.

Thursday 2nd - Thursday was a whole bunch more sewing.  On John's way home he stopped at Costco for me.  

Friday 3rd - Friday morning I went to the grocery shopping with Rachel.  She is so fun at the store with lots of smiles and waving to people as they leave aisles we are on.  I spent some time sewing and then I worked on making a couple different dinners and some dessert for some friends of ours in our ward who just had their baby.  

Saturday 4th - Saturday was really good for sewing and I got 4 car seat covers finished.  We enjoyed watching part of conference and making pizza with stuffed crust.  That evening Kevin and Kendra came over and we played games.

Sunday 5th - John and I made a delicious brunch of breakfast burritos, muffins, hash-browns, and orange juice.  We spent the day relaxing and watching conference.  That night was John's mission reunion.  It was fun to eat and catch up with people.