November 24th - November 29th

Rachel is such a good sister most of the time. When David cries, she sings to him to make him happy, and loves to give him kisses.

David has been eating a ton. We expect either some serious growth or lots of teeth very soon.

Monday 23rd - In the morning I go ready early and ran a few errands. I first met up with a guy from Draper that was selling his never-opened Fitbit Flex. John and I had decided to get each other Fitbit's for Christmas (though we decided also to make them early Christmas presents) and we found a couple on KSL, each for over half off. After I got the Fitbit, I stopped by Walmart to get a couple of items and headed home. David ate almost twice as much as he normally does. John met up with a guy and got himself a Fitbit, and then was able to come home. Rachel was still asleep when John got home (a 3 and a half hour nap), but after she got up John played with the kids for a bit while I finished dinner. We ate, and eventually were able to get the kids back to bed. We watched Blindspot, and headed to bed ourselves.  

Tuesday 24th - Today was spent getting everything ready for our trip. John went to work and worked hard enough that he could take Wednesday off so that we could leave early on Wednesday. I ran a couple of errands during the day, and we worked on packing once I got home. We were able to get most things ready, and then we went to bed.

Wednesday 25th - We got up and got ready to go. It took a little while longer than we originally intended because David did not want to eat. Our landlady watched Rachel for a little while for us while we finished getting ready. We stopped by Costco for gas, Holiday for a drink, and we were on our way. The weather and kids were pretty good until just before Beaver. David woke up and decided he was finished and screamed until we stopped. Rachel wasn't too happy either, so she was whining.  We were happy to get out of the car in Beaver. We stopped at McDonalds so that I could feed David and Rachel could play in the Playplace. John held David while I went over to Subway to grab the two of us lunch, which took forever because there were so many people. Unfortunately the storm reached Beaver before we left, so the drive between Beaver and Cedar was a bit hairy. We encountered a truck at one point that tailgated us, tailgated the car next to us, flipped us off, and tailgated us some more. John got out of the way, but we got the information and contacted the company later to let them know what he was doing. Right after Cedar, the weather cleared up and the kids both fell asleep. It made the last part of the trip much more enjoyable. We eventually made it to my parents and relaxed for the evening and went to bed.

Thursday 26th - Happy Thanksgiving! John and my mom got up early and went for a six mile run. I got up not too long after they left because both kids woke up. My parents had Rachel in their room, but brought her up to me when she woke up and they were getting ready to leave. We hung out at home until everyone got back. We then spent the rest of the morning getting ready for dinner. I made my layered jello. Dinner was very yummy and a lot of fun. After dinner, we all lounged around while we tried to digest all of the food we had eaten. Rachel got very cranky late in the afternoon, so we put her down for a nap. My mom and I spent some time getting ready for Black Friday shopping. We eventually got the kids to bed after a bit of time.

Friday 27th - My mom and I got up and went Black Friday Shopping. We got back really early and tried to get what sleep we could. After everybody woke up, we tried to go take family pictures. Everything was looking great, but then Rachel got too excited by the water and tripped and scraped her nose. She was distraught from then on, so we weren't able to get any pictures with her. We stopped by Pizza Pie Cafe for lunch on the way home, and my mom and I got some stuff from Bath and Body Works while we were at the mall. We made it home and got the kids down for naps. John made me go and take a nap as well, which was really nice. We relaxed in the evening and watched Star Wars with my family before bed.

Saturday 28th - John and my mom got up and went for another 6 mile run. After they got back, we got ready and went over to tennis, which was a lot of fun. My grandma left after we got back, so we spent a few minutes helping her get ready to go. We also had to go meet her to give her some stuff that she left. After that, my mom and I went by Joann's to check some of their sales. After we got back, we watched the USU vs BYU game and took some family pictures. In the end, my dad was happy but John was not. After the game ended, John and I were able to go out on a date (second one since David was born). We went to eat at Outback Steakhouse. It was really yummy. We stopped by Walmart on our way home to get some windshield wipers, and then got the kids to bed and went to bed ourselves. 

Sunday 29th - We woke up early and got ready so we could go to a baby blessing in Ivans for our good friends Corrie and Steven. After that sacrament meeting, we headed back to my parents. We were going to go to their sacrament meeting as well, but my mom wasn't feeling well, so we just stayed with her and packed up the car. We stopped by the church to say goodbye to my dad and Gibson, and then got on the road. The trip home was a bit of a nightmare. David woke up before Beaver, but fell asleep again so we made it to Fillmore before having to stop. He didn't really fall asleep again after that, so we got to listen to him scream for about half of the trip. We also saw 3 accidents, and managed to skirt around one by driving through Nephi rather than staying on the freeway. The weather wasn't too bad, but a couple of places were fun. Needless to say, by the time we got home, we were very happy to be home. John unloaded the car, we got the kids in bed, and then we relaxed for the evening. John started not feeling well, and spent a bit of time shivering, so we got ready for bed and he curled up under a ton of blankets with a heat bag to get warm.

November 16th - November 22nd

Rachel loves to sing and dance around the house. She is so excited when John gets home and just wants him to play with her. She still loves playing with her babies and tries to take as many as she can whenever we go somewhere.

David is working on rolling and is trying to be more mobile. One of his favorite things is when Rachel talks or sings to him. He could sit and watch her all day. He still has a hard time taking consistent naps which is taking a toll on both of us.  John and I are trying to teach David to sit up on his own but we are having issues because he always straightens his legs to stand. 

Monday 16th - The kids and I made an early trip to Joann's in the morning because someone contacted me on Etsy and wanted me to make a customer car seat cover! As I was looking for fabric and sending her pictures, she told me her mom wanted one too, so I was able to make two car seat covers! I spent what time I could in the afternoon sewing, which was so much fun because they each wanted minky on their covers, which is a pain to sew. Rachel was really sweet and sang to David to try to keep him happy. John made a trip to Bountiful after work to buy Rachel's Christmas present. After he made it home and we ate dinner, we went over to John's parents to see his dad for Family Home Evening. It was also Grace's birthday, so we lucked out and got dessert too. Rachel eventually had a bit of a melt down, so we headed home and got the kids to bed. John and I watch Blindspot and then headed to bed.

Tuesday 17th - I spent most of the day sewing, and was able to get both car seat covers finished! John was able to come right home after work, and we enjoyed an evening at home. We worked on dinner, ate dinner, and then got the kids to bed. David was so tired by the time we laid him down as he had barely slept during the day, and Rachel also said she was tired even though we got them both to bed around 8. We watched Supergirl and then got ready for bed.  I fell asleep and John spent a little bit playing on his computer. 

Wednesday 18th - The kids and I made a trip to the post office so I could mail the two car seat covers. My first sale on Esty is complete! David took a great nap in the afternoon, so I was able to finish up another car seat cover that I will post on Etsy. John had tutor after work, so he didn't get home until about 6:45. He then had a Skype tutoring session at 7, so we didn't get to see him much during the evening. I got the kids in bed, and then John finished up. We watched survivor and headed to bed.

Thursday 19th - John got up early and went for a 6 mile run. The kids and I spent the day at home. I worked on a nursing cover to go with the last car seat cover that I made. We almost went to a Trampoline Park, but of course Rachel decided she wanted to take a long nap. John was able to come home right after work, so we enjoyed a bit of time together before he tutored at 8:30. After he finished, we got ready for and headed to bed.

Friday 20th - The kids and I made a trip over to Joann's during the day to get some more fabric for another car seat cover. We also made a stop at Kid-to-Kid to check for some clothes for the kids (they just keep growing!). John was able to come home right after work and help out with dinner. Our friends Becca and Joe joined us for dinner and games. It was a lot of fun. Becca enjoyed holding David for a while, and Joe played with Rachel while John was getting David ready for bed. Rachel was very sad when she had to go to bed. Eventually we played two games of 7 Wonders. John won the first, and Joe killed us on the second. 

Saturday 21st - John got up early and went and ran an unofficial half marathon. He was running with Trevor and they were going to meet Ben and Chelsi half way up Mountain View Corridor so they would get 11 miles. Turns out that the path on Mountain View is a lot longer, so they got a couple of extra miles, which John didn't mind. After they finished their run, they starting loading the moving truck at Brandon and Stacie's because they get to move to their new house! The kids and I went grocery shopping while John was helping them move. John got home after Rachel was down for her nap, so he was able to get some lunch and shower. David went down for a very short nap, so John started watching the Aggie game, and then held David and kept watching it. The Aggies came back from being behind and won the game! John was very happy. My back had been hurting quite a bit, so John found a massage place that had a short appointment to help me with that. He is the best to surprise we with that. We worked on getting the kids to bed, and I went over to that. It was so nice. David didn't want to stay asleep, so he was awake again when I got home. Eventually we got him back in bed, and went to bed ourselves.

Sunday 22nd - The kids slept in a little bit which meant I got to as well. John woke up early for no apparent reason but got to spend time playing on his computer.  Rachel was a little cranky and very clingy so we checked her temperature and it was a little over 100 so we decided she shouldn't go to church.  I stayed home with her and David while John went to church.  Rachel was asleep for most of the time John was gone but David would not sleep and was very cranky, screaming every time I set him down. After John got home from church we finished making the soup for family dinner and then John left and took David with him while I stayed home with Rachel. We ate dinner and got to FaceTime with my family which was fun. After we got the kids to bed John and I watched CSI: Cyber and headed to bed ourselves.

November 9th - November 15th

Rachel can be very helpful, or very ornery a lot of the time. She copies a lot of what we say. One day when David was sad Rachel gave him her baby doll to make him happy which is a huge deal because she doesn't even let John or me play with the doll.  She loves reading books with us and singing us songs.

David is getting so big. He has started eating a lot more recently, so we fear he is about to double in size. He loves to jump, which means our arms are often very tired. He has a jumper but he doesn't think it is nearly as good as our laps.

Monday 9th - The kids and I went for a drive over to Joann's in the morning. The Relief Society President in our ward wants me to make two car-seat covers for her daughter! While we were there, I picked up a little more fabric to finish some covers that I started before we moved. The kids and I spent the afternoon at home. During the kids short naps I worked on cutting out the fabric. John stopped by the orthodontist on his way home so they could make sure the retainer was working correctly, and then he joined us at home. We ate dinner, watched CSI Cyber, and then worked on getting the kids to bed. At one point, John was holding David, and David was so tired he was nodding off, even though John was holding him facing out. It was really cute but kind of sad. We got the kids in bed and watched Blindspot, and then went to bed ourselves. 

Tuesday 10th - David decided early on in the day that he needed to be held all day. So, I didn't get much done. I was able to go out and run a couple of errands and take Rachel to the doctor for her 2 and half year checkup. She did such a good job letting the doctor check her. I also found a bigger table (with two leafs that hide in the table, just like my parents') and 6 chairs listed on KSL for $175. We offered $150 and they were happy to get rid of it. Unfortunately it was too heavy for me to bring home, so John had to do it in the evening. John tutored via Skype as soon as he got home, and then took the van to get the table. We had to have someone help him unload it, so he called the EQ president, who stopped by on his way home (and extended a calling to John while he was there). We then got the kids to bed, and John recorded a walk-through for one of his other student's while I worked on the car seat covers for our Relief Society President. After he finished, we were going to go to bed, but our landlady texted John and asked for some help on a homework assignment. John thought they might as well work on it then, so they worked on that for a while and I finished up the first car seat cover. After they finished, we went to bed.

Wednesday 11th - Chelsi was so nice to come over in the morning and bring me back from the car dealership. We needed to take it in so they could fix where the previous owner had scraped the front bumper against something. So, I was stuck at home for most of the day. In the evening after they finished with the van, my visiting teaching companion was so nice to come and take me back over to pick up the van. After I picked it up, the kids and I went to Joann's to get some fabric for another car seat cover I was asked to make. (Yahoo!). John had to stay late at work for a meeting, and then had tutoring after that, so he got home late. After he got home, we ate dinner and got the kids to bed. Then we watched Survivor and I worked on one of the car seat covers for a little bit before we headed to bed.

Thursday 12th - I spent as much of today sewing as I could. David did well enough at times that I was able to finish an entire car seat cover today. I hope to give it to the guy who ordered soon because his daughter has already been born. John was able to come home straight from work, and he watched the kids while I went visiting teaching. After I got back, I finished dinner and we ate and watched The Big Bang Theory. We got the kids in bed and headed to bed ourselves.

Friday 13th - Today was a sad day for the world. Our hearts and prayers go out to those in the world that were attacked. After John got home, he made dinner and then he left to go watch Specter with Tiffani, Don, and Tyler. He said it was a blast. I was able to get the kids to bed and then worked on sewing a little bit. After John got home, I finished up a little bit of sewing and we went to bed.

Saturday 14th - John got up early and went for a run with his family. After he got back, he got ready and we went out on our shopping trip. We first went to the car dealership so I could drop off the cover I made for the salesman there. We then went to Costco and Walmart, and headed home. We were able to get Rachel down for her nap a little late, and she slept for a long time. I finished up that last of the covers I was making. Our friends Kevin and Kindra came over to join us for the evening. While we were waiting, David was upset, so Rachel gave him her doll to try and make him happy. It was so cute. Also, Kevin yells "Be quiet Fish" (quoting Despicable Me) when their son cries. Rachel started yelling "Quiet Fishy" to David when he cried. We then went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, where our experience was a little less than ideal. We called ahead, but still waited 45 minutes to be seated. It took a while to get our food, and when we finally did, John's stake was so burnt on one side he actually said something. They did bring him a new steak and took a bit off of his meal, but he was sad because he was so full by the time he got it back that he couldn't eat any. We headed home and watched Inside Out, which we really enjoyed. Kevin and Kindra then left and we headed to bed. 

Sunday 15th - Rachel woke up much earlier than we wanted her to. We all worked on getting ready, and John went home teaching before church. Church was pretty good. Rachel saw Joni during Sacrament meeting two rows up from us, and at one point just walked up to her so she could sit with her. John kept David during priesthood so I could actually listen during Relief Society. After church, we headed home and got dinner in the oven. Joni came and joined us for dinner and brought really yummy cookies. We got the kids to bed, watched CSI: Cyber, and headed to bed ourselves.

November 2nd - November 8th

Rachel is definitely two. She likes to throw fits, and we just sit and wonder what in the world caused them. But then she does super cute things, like singing to her brother when he is upset, or talking to him when he is crying. She loves playing with her baby dolls and take them with us wherever we go. There are three particular dolls that have to go to bed with her every night. All her babies have names and she knows which one is which.

David is getting so big. His smile is contagious and full of so much joy. We think he has hit a growth spurt, because he has been eating a ton and has been a little bit upset. He still doesn't like nap time which is hard on all of us. 

Monday 2nd - The kids and I went shopping in the morning. We stopped by Walmart and Kid-to-Kid to pick up a couple of items, but mostly to see if they had good deals on costumes that we could give Rachel for her to play dress-up. I lucked out at Kid-to-Kid. I was looking at costumes, and there was a sign that said 70% off. I was so excited. I had picked out 4 items when one of the workers came by and said that the sign should have been taken down, but they must have missed it. They were good and still let me have the 70% off of the four items though. So, we got some good stuff for Rachel for a great deal. We spent most of the afternoon at home while I tried to keep David from screaming. He had a hard day. John got home and we had dinner and got the kids in bed. After they were in bed, we started watching Blindspot, but John spent about 20 minutes on the phone with someone from Quik Check, his old job in Logan. They want him to do a statistical analysis, so he was talking to them about that. They balked a little when he told them his rate, but they want it done quickly, so we'll see how that goes. We ended up restarting Blindspot, and then went to bed.

Tuesday 3rd - The kids and I stayed home during the day. David had another tough day, and would randomly start screaming with no warning. At one point during the day, Rachel came up behind me and put her hands on my head, started whispering, and then said "Amen". I didn't think John had given that many blessings recently, but apparently she picked up on it. After I told John, we both concluded that we weren't sure if we should be concerned or think it was cute. After John got home, we had dinner and got both of the kids to bed early. David woke up for a bit after we got Rachel in bed though. John then spent a bit of time working on the analysis for Quik Check while I went to bed.

Wednesday 4th - The kids and I took the Kia in for an oil change in the morning. Apparently one of our tires had 2 nails in it, and the tread is getting a bit low, so we will be looking for a couple new tires shortly. John tutored after work, and then came home and joined us. After we got the kids in bed, we watched Survivor and John worked on his thing for Quik Check. We then got ready for and headed to bed.

Thursday 5th - Boston came over to join us for a bit of the day, so I got up early to shower. John's Dad was having heart surgery, so Boston came and played with us so that Chelsi could go be with her mom. The surgery went well, and he was doing pretty well when John went by after work. After John left the hospital, we met up at the Kia dealership. While I had been walking around during the oil change on Wednesday, I saw a couple of used mini-vans in the lot. After talking about it for a bit, John and I decided we should see if it would be possible to basically trade the Sorento for a mini-van so we don't have to get a new car when our next kid comes around. The guy helping us was great, and wanted to wait until Friday so he could see if he could get us a little extra back on our Sorento because of the warranties we purchased. John really liked this so that we could have a night to think and pray about it. We went home, got the kids in bed, and John finished up his work for Quik Check.

Friday 6th - John headed to work, and we hung out at home for most of the day. John stopped by the hospital after work to see his dad and give Tiffani a ride to the train station. After that, we all met at the Kia dealership again. We traded our Sorento, and are now the proud (at least I am proud) owners of a Kia Sedona. I'm a mini-van mom! John knows it is a good vehicle to have, but he can't be happy about it on principle.  Our payment went down as well, which will be nice. We drove home, at dinner, and got the kids to bed. After that we watched the Amazing Race and went to bed ourselves. 

Saturday 7th - John got up super early and went for a 10 mile run with his family. He said it went pretty well, but was pretty cold. We spent the rest of the morning getting ready for someone that John works with to come pick up our old couches, and for Ashley to deliver our new couches. I had a meeting for my calling at 11, so I had to leave right as the lady from John's work showed up to pick up the couches. Fortunately our landlady had some extra people visiting her, so they were able to help John load up the couches. Our couches (and other items) arrived a bit later, and were set up by the time I got home. After we rearranged a little bit and fed the kids, we went to Walmart to do our weekly grocery shopping. by the end, Rachel was about to have a melt down, but David slept most of the time we were there. We went home and got Rachel down for a nap, and John ran and got his hair cut. After he got back, we had to wake Rachel up so that we could drive over to the Kia dealership to sign a couple more papers (Mountain America didn't want to give us the rate that the finance guy thought they should, so he found us an even better rate with Cyprus Credit Union), and then out to Mo Bettah Steaks for dinner with a couple of our friends from Logan. They had been in Virginia for a couple years while he finished up school, but are back here for a little while. We enjoyed chatting with them and the food was really good. As we were leaving, Rachel had a meltdown because I wouldn't let her hold my drink, so the drive home was fun. We got her in bed shortly after we got home, and then David. Our friends Becca and Joe came over for ice cream and to play games. We played Ticket to Ride twice. John won the first time, and Joe won the second. After they left, we got to bed.

Sunday 8th - David had a rough night, getting up several times. Eventually we made it to the morning though. We got up and got ready for the day. I went visiting teaching while John watched the kids. After I got back, we finished getting the kids ready and went to church. David wanted to eat by the end of sacrament, so I missed most of Sunday school and then he was really cranky for Relief Society. After church, our ward held a linger longer. We met a few more families in the ward, which was nice. After we got home, John left to go pick up Tyler and they went to see his dad and to give him a blessing. He had been in a lot of pain and was having trouble sleeping. I stayed with the kids and worked on dinner. The kids, unfortunately, were not very happy for most of the evening. After John got home and we ate, we called my parents. We then got two very tired children to bed, and went to bed ourselves. 

October 26th - November 1st

Rachel is incredibly cute with her babies. She also tries to copy us in taking care of David. Of course, she isn't big enough to do some of the things, so that turns out to be more terrifying for us at times than anything else. 

David, we are realizing, is really big. He keeps growing, even though some days he doesn't seem to each as much as you would expect. He is very curious, and tries to look around and see everything he can.

Monday 26th - Rachel still had a bit of a fever most of the day, but she was acting like her old self. We made a quick run to the store to get a couple of items, and to get pumpkins to carve. John went to the orthodontist during the day to get a new retainer for his top teeth. He is looking forward to getting past the first two weeks when he has to wear it all of the time. His teeth also hurt quite a bit because they are moving a couple teeth that slid out of place. After he got home from work, we ate dinner, and then worked on carving pumpkins. We did a baby face for David, candy corn for Rachel, a pumpkin for me, and John did the Avenger's logo. We got the kids in bed, watched Blind Spot, and headed to bed ourselves. 

Tuesday 27th - David threw up in the middle of the night, but fortunately it was on his changing table, so it was easy to clean up. After we got him cleaned up, I tried to feed him, but he fell right back to sleep and slept until close to 7. The kids and I went out and ran a couple of errands, mostly getting items for Halloween. I was able to meet up with my good friend Becca for lunch since she is off track right now. After we finished, I spent the afternoon trying to get Rachel to sleep, and cleaning up David every time he threw up. John stopped by St. Mark's Hospital on his way home to see his dad, and then he was able to join us. We ate dinner and worked on getting the kids to bed. Of course, right as I was about to feed David, he threw up all over me again. I had to go take a shower, and John gave David a bath, but David was all smiles. Eventually we got the kids in bed, and we headed to bed ourselves. John stayed up a little while playing his game, but he came to bed pretty quickly. 

Wednesday 28th - David still wasn't feeling well today. He didn't eat very well, didn't nap, and hadn't had a wet diaper in almost 24 hours, so I called the doctor. They wanted to look at him, so John got off work a little early and met me at the doctor's. Fortunately all of the other signs looked good, so they sent us home (rather than to the hospital) and told us to just keep an eye on him. John had to leave to go tutor, and while he was gone David threw up on me again. I was able to calm him down enough, and John held him when he got home. He finally had a wet diaper, so we felt a little better. We watched Survivor and got the kids in bed, and went to bed ourselves.

Thursday 29th - Apparently I got what the kids had. I woke up in the night feeling just rotten and ended up throwing up two different times. I spent most of the day trying to keep warm and keep the kids happy. It wasn't a very enjoyable day. John was able to get off of work a few minutes early so he could come home and help. He took the kids shopping with him so I could have a few moments to take a warm bath and warm up. After he got back, he made me a smoothie and he and Rachel ate dinner. We got the kids in bed, and I went to bed super early.

Friday 30th - Most everyone was feeling better, so it was a better day. John went to work, and the kids and I stayed home. In the evening, we had a ward party. It was a chili-cookoff, and we took desset. Our friends Becca and Joe came with us, but Becca wasn't feeling very great, so we were happy they came for all that they could. We dressed up in our costumes, and Rachel had a ton of fun. It was a very popular event and there were a ton of people there. We finished up, came home, and went to bed. 

Saturday 31st - John's family were running in Provo, so John went for a shorter run by himself in the morning. After he got back, we started getting ready for the day. David didn't wake up until 10:30, and only then because we started doing things to encourage him to wake up so we could go. We went to Walmart and got our grocery shopping finished. We came home so everyone could get some lunch. After that, we thought we would go out and check out a couple of furniture stores to see what we wanted to get in December. Well, we found a fantastic deal at Ashley Home Furnishings, along with no interest for 12 months, so we ended up buying some instead. We plan to pay it off in December. It is a 14 piece living room set. It has a couch, loveseat, two end tables, a coffee table, two lamps, a rug, a throw, and a 5-piece "accessory" set. We hope to sell the rug and a few of the accessories, along with our current couch and loveseat, but we are excited for new furniture. We finally made it home and put Rachel down for a late nap before the evening. Our friends Kevin and Kindra joined us with their baby for dinner and some of our Trick-or-Treat'ing. Rachel had a blast. She didn't know what to do at the first door, but after she said "trick or treat!" and they gave her candy, she had it down. She would run from house to house when we let her. The problem we found, is that she grabbed way too much. One house said "take one for you and one for daddy", so every time after she would say "one you, and one daddy!", and then try for a second handful. We got way too much candy. We eventually made it home, chatted with our landlady for a bit, and got the kids in bed.

Sunday 1st - We woke up a little early, got ready, and headed north to Bountiful for Kevin and Kindra's baby blessing. It was a nice meeting. After, we went to Kindra's mom's home for a brunch and to visit. They had a s'mores bar set up in the backyard, and it was so yummy. Rachel had a blast playing with Kindra's sister while we got to visit. We headed to John's parents to visit for a couple minutes on the way home, before getting home and laying Rachel down for another late nap. I was able to get a nap while John watched David, which was really nice. Our landlady came for dinner which was fun. David was tired and didn't understand about daylight saving so went to bed early. Rachel and I FaceTimed with my mom for a few minutes and then we got Rachel to bed. John and I stayed up and watched CSI: Cyber before heading to bed ourselves.