September 22nd - September 28th

Rachel is reaching a very loud stage of life.  She runs around screaming all the time.  She is always learning new stuff and wants to try everything herself.  She can now open the fridge and tries to get herself dressed.

Monday 22nd - Monday morning I mailed off my first carseat cover. It felt so good to know I sold one.  For lunch Rachel and I took Zupa's to a friend at her work and ate with her.  After lunch we headed back home so that Rachel could get a nap.  That afternoon we went to Brigitta's tennis match. She played well and the girl she was playing had a lot of class.  After the match was over we headed over to Terry and Gloria's house. Rachel was so excited to play in the backyard.  A little before 6 I went to pick up John from the trax station and we headed back to Terry and Gloria's for a delicious dinner.  We headed back home after dinner and put Rachel to bed.  John tutored for a hour and a half at 8:30 and I worked on sewing.

Tuesday 23rd - Tuesday morning Rachel and I went to Joann's to get some fabric and boning for a nursing cover I was making.  When we got back to the house we played for a little bit before I put Rachel down for her nap.  While she was sleeping I worked on cutting out fabric and sewing.  Tiffani came over a little before 3 to give me the fabric she wanted me to use for the nursing cover.  As soon as she left Rachel and I headed over to Hunter High for Brigitta's last tennis match until region. She played really well.  When John got home he played with Rachel so that I could work.

Wednesday 24th - John went running early in the morning before work. He went 5 miles. Wednesday not a lot went on except for playing with Rachel and sewing.  When John got home he played with Rachel again which was so helpful so I could work. 

Thursday 25th - Thursday was more of the same as far as my day went. After John got home we took the Aveo in to be fixed since the check engine light was on.

Friday 26th - John ran 6 miles in the morning before work.  I spent the day playing with Rachel and sewing.  Once John got home we went to pick up the Aveo.

Saturday 27th - In the morning after her run Tiffani came by to pick up the nursing cover. We headed out to do our Saturday shopping soon after that.  Our first stop was Costco and then we headed over to Walmart. When we got home from the store we put Rachel down for a nap and I worked on sewing.  That evening we headed to West Valley.  John dropped me off at Brandon and Stacie's to watch the Women's Broadcast and he went with Rachel to Terry and Gloria's house for games.  After the broadcast ended we ate some delicious fondue. We had Oreos, bananas, strawberries, apples, cake, marshmallows, pretzels, and other delicious foods. The guys played a couple games (Boggle and Kingdom Builder) while we watched. John came to pick me up at 8:30 because Rachel needed to go to bed.  

Sunday 28th - We spent the morning relaxing and John made a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs.  We headed to church a little before 11 and it was so full because there was a baby blessing and it was the primary program.  Rachel didn't even make it through Sacrament Meeting before I had to take her home because she was so incredibly cranky (only 5 weeks including General Conference before she can go to nursery). When I got home with her I fed her some lunch and then put her straight down for a nap.  I decided while she was sleeping to take a nap as well.  That afternoon once John was home, we decided to watch Survivor that we had recored.  For dinner we headed over to Terry and Gloria's for the monthly dinner.  We had stuffed french toast and it was delicious. On the way home Rachel threw up and just had to wait till we got home to get clean so we were all miserable.  While she was taking a bath and John was cleaning her carseat Rachel and I face-timed with my family.

September 15th - September 21st

Rachel is so active.  She doesn't believe in walking just running from place to place.  Her favorite place to be is outside because she can run around and yell as loud as she wants.  Her new word is tickle.  She says it over and over while doing many things including tickling her own belly.  We think she said thank you, but we are not sure so we aren't claiming it as her next word until she says it again.  When John comes home from anywhere (mostly work), she runs over to the sliding door to get onto the patio where John puts his bike.  It is always funny when he doesn't have the bike because she still wants out.

Monday 15th - Monday morning Rachel and I went grocery shopping.  We were pretty chill the rest of the day just playing and sewing.

Tuesday 16th - Tuesday morning John got up nice and early and went running 5 miles.  Rachel and I went to the park and I met a couple other mom's there and they invited Rachel and me to join their playgroup.  I went to Brigitta's match and she played really well.  On the way home I stopped at Walmart and got a bunch of fabric for carseat covers. That night John and I just had leftovers for dinner.

Wednesday 17th - Rachel and spent the morning playing, relaxing and I worked on carseat covers. That afternoon Gloria came over to teach me to make dishtowel bibs. John didn't get home until late than normal that night because he was tutoring at the Salt Lake Library.

Thursday 18th - John went to work and I worked hard to finish 2 carseat covers.  Rachel enjoyed getting to run around and play.

Friday 19th - Friday morning John drove to the trax station instead of riding his bike. I spent most of the day playing with Rachel, working on car seat covers, and making pizza. That evening our friends Kevin and Kindra picked John up from work and brought him home so he didn't have to ride the train.  After dinner we all went out to the playground so Rachel could get some of her extra energy out.  They stayed until almost 11 playing games before they needed to head home.

Saturday 20th - In the morning John went on a 4 mile run and took Rachel with him so I could get stuff done.  After he got home we fed Rachel breakfast and then we went and played a tennis for awhile.  Rachel went down for a nap and John went to clean the church after we got back.  Once John was home and Rachel was awake we headed over to Tyler and Katie's house.  I dropped John off there and picked up Katie.  We headed over to the Expo center for the What Women Want Expo and ended up finding a pretty good parking spot. We met Gloria, Chelsi, Brigitta, and Stacie there and spent a couple hours walking around.  It was fun to see some of the stuff that they had. Once we were finished we headed back to Tyler and Katie's house so that I could get John.  John ran to the store with Rachel for some stuff and I got things ready for dinner. We had our friends Becca and Joe come over for dinner and games.  They were here until 11 playing, it was a lot of fun but I was very tired.

Sunday 21st - Rachel woke up before John and I were ready to get up so we just pulled her into bed with us.  She mostly just sat on John but she also enjoyed pulling my hair. John went to the 10:00 Temple Dedication session while I stayed home with Rachel.  Once he was home we put Rachel down for a nap, ate lunch, and then I laid down for a nap while John played on his computer. That evening we had a couple from our ward over for dinner. It was a lot of fun to get to know new people.  Later that evening after our dinner guests had left we had our friends Becca and Joe over for games which was a lot of fun. Rachel had a very odd night and had a hard time going to sleep which is not like her. She then woke up an hour later, but went back down really easily.

September 8th - September 14th

Rachel is getting so big.  At her doctors appointment she was 32.5 inches tall which is 90th percentile, 23.9 pounds which is 75th percentile, and her head was 18.8 which is 90th percentile.  She loves waving but she had a tendency to wave after people are gone or the doors are closed. Her favorite place to be is outside, she loves the freedom of running around.  She understands so many things, such as what I mean when I tell her it is time to eat, do her hair, or change her diaper. She is getting some new words which makes me very happy. 

Putting her to bed is getting so fast (of course except for tonight).  The longest part of the routine is her bath which can last us to 45 minutes as she has so much fun.  Once we get her to her room, it usually takes less than 5 minutes. Most of the time and she is crawling into her bed so that she can sleep.  Putting her down for her nap is just as fast.

Monday 8th - In the morning I finished packing up mine and Rachel's stuff and putting it in the car.  We headed out about 9 and stopped first at my dad's work to say goodbye and then headed to my mom's work to do the same thing.  We got on the road about 10. We ended up stopping at a Wendy's in Cedar City because Rachel had decided that she was about to die from starvation. I decided I was going to starve about Beaver, so we stopped there for me. We made it the rest of the way pretty with Rachel sleeping most of the way. That afternoon I worked on unpacking everything before John got home so we could have an enjoyable evening.

Tuesday 9th -  In the morning I took Rachel over to someone in my ward to watch her while I went to my yearly checkup. When I got back to pick her up she did not want to come with me she was having so much fun.  We hurried home to feed her a quick lunch and then headed to Rachel's 15 month doctor appointment (only a month late).  She did a pretty good job. The doctor said she didn't scream as much as most children.  After her appointment we headed home and I put her down for a nap.  Once she was up we headed over to Granger high school for Brigitta's tennis match, which got rained out pretty quickly. That evening John and I took Rachel and went grocery shopping.

Wednesday 10th - Rachel and I spent a fun morning playing at the playground and on the patio.  That evening we went on a walk and then to Arctic Circle for an ice cream treat and Rachel loved playing on the playground. She was very unhappy when we had to leave.

Thursday 11th - Rachel and I went back to the park for about an hour and she had a blast.  During Rachel's nap I worked on more carseat covers.  That afternoon I went to Hunter to watch Brigitta's tennis match.

Friday 12th - I spent the morning working on pizza and playing with Rachel.  While she napped I worked on the covers some more.  We headed over to Granger after she woke up to see the rest of the match that had gotten postponed due to the rain on Tuesday.  That night are friends Becca and Joe came over for some dinner and games.  We stayed up until after 11 playing Nerts and a couple games of 7 Wonders (John won one and I won one).

Saturday 13th - In the morning John and I took Rachel to a ward members house so that we could go to the Temple.  She had a blast with the girls there and didn't want to leave.  They had a toy shopping cart and some play food. She was in heaven.  After we got home we all ate lunch and then Rachel and I took a nap.  That evening we decided to go hang out at the pool.  John played with Rachel for most of the time while I read my book.  

Sunday 14th - We spent the morning just relaxing and getting ready for church.  During Sacrament meeting I gave the opening prayer and John gave the closing prayer.  Rachel was pretty cranky and acting very tired.  Sunday School was very long with lots of tears from Rachel so after the meeting ended we ended up just taking her home for a nap.  While she was sleeping I finished a book (and took a short nap) and John played on his computer.   After dinner our friends Kevin and Kendra came over for games and dessert.  We played a lot of hands of Nerts and enjoyed visiting.

September 1st - September 7th

Rachel says hi and goodby as I and by, she loves to wave to people now even when they just leave the room. She is just so fun and so cute. She is a blast to watch when she is playing. At church she tries to sing along and anytime music comes on she starts dancing.

Monday September 1st - The day started really early with my dad, mom, and John leaving a little after 5 a.m. Rachel, Sierra, and I left at 6.  We headed to Payson to see the runners come in.  My dad and mom came in at the same time, and John came in a couple minutes later with his best time ever. After the awards had been given out with my mom getting 1st in her age division and my dad getting 3rd we headed over to my parents friends house so the runners could shower and get ready.  After they finished there we headed over to the parade.  Rachel enjoyed her first parade a lot, she loved watching all the bands and people dancing.  After the parade ended we headed into the park to look at all the booths and ride a couple rides.  I got a cute new maxi skirt and a wallet.  My mom got Rachel a really cute little wand that she absolutely loves and a toy broom so that she can help me clean up. I also got a cute backpack for me/Rachel to use since she doesn't really need a full diaper bag anymore.  We left the park about 3 and headed to a Wendy's to meet Terry who was picking up John since I was heading for St. George.  The drive to Cedar City went well with Rachel taking a pretty good nap. We stopped at Sizzler for my dad's birthday dinner and then headed home.  Once we got to St. George we made a couple stops to get some things for Rachel and for Gibson who is running for student body president.

Tuesday 2nd - Happy Birthday Dad! Since it was my dad's birthday I went and picked up some balloons and a birthday banner to decorate at his work.  I also stopped by Costa Vida and got him some of his favorite food.  After I finished decorating around his office I headed to my mom's work with a couple Swig drinks.  That afternoon I went to help my dad with some tennis classes.  The first class I did was the all-stars (4-6ish), it was so much fun and I really enjoyed it.  I have missed helping with tennis classes. I got a half hour break and then helped with the Elite class (11-15ish).  For the last half hour I got to play games with them since my dad had to leave early. That evening I did the ALS ice bucket challenge. The water was so cold. After my dad got home we had some delicious cake.

Wednesday 3rd - in the morning before Rachel's nap I took her a drink. Most of the day I just played with Rachel and that evening the kids had mutual.

Thursday 4th - Thursday morning I took my mom and another teacher a Swig drink.  I was really tired when I got back to the house so after I got Rachel down for her nap I laid down as well.  After we both got up I worked on cutting out some letters for my mom's classroom.  Late afternoon I went and helped with the Elite tennis class again. That evening/night we had fun FaceTiming with John and letting Rachel play outside.

Friday 5th - Friday morning I got my hair cut and Rachel got her hair trimmed since her bangs were in her eyes.  After we were finished there we headed back to the house so Rachel could get some food. We headed over to GWA as soon as Rachel was finished eating so that we could hear Gibson's speech for student body president. He did awesome and was one of the few students who spoke loud enough to hear. After speeches finished we headed up to my moms classroom to hangout until pickup was finished so it would be easier to get out of the parking lot. After my mom got home we went to a new Hollywood video and rented a couple movies a got a pizza. We spent the evening watching Divergent.

Saturday 6th - I was going to play tennis in the morning and my mom dropped me off so that she could have my car with the car seat. On the way there we stopped at a few yard sales which I always love. After tennis my mom picked me up and we headed back to the house so I could change into real clothes. Rachel ate some food and then we headed out to the school to laminate some stuff for my moms white board. On the way back to the house we ran into Target and then headed to Mongolian BBQ for some lunch. We took it back to the house and watched The Lucky One while we ate. After the movie was over my mom took a power nap while I folded laundry and then we headed to the video store to return the movies we had and get the movie Red. We stopped in at Walmart and Costco on the way home. That evening we watched Red.

Sunday 7th - Church was at 9:00 Rachel did pretty good during Sacrament meeting, during the Sunday School meeting I took Rachel back to the house so that I could change her shirt and then during the Relief Society Rachel loved playing with the car of the boy next to us and ate the food of the boy behind us. After church we all headed back to the house and a bunch of us took a nap. We had some dinner after everyone was up and had some delicious roast and potatoes. That night my mom and I took some of the extra food over to the missionaries.

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.