PARTY!!

Well Rachel's birthday has come and gone! Wow, what a whirlwind, who knew throwing a party for such a wee tike is so much work! It was all worth it though, Rachel had a blast! My mom and sis-in-law came up early to help me, and we had so much fun while they were here! A lot of our family came up for Rachel's party, and we were so glad they did! Rachel had a blast with all her cousins, perhaps a little too much fun...she's now pretty sick :-( Thats besides the point! In all the craziness, I forgot to take a pic of all the kids together...bummer! I can now see how easy it is as a parent to want spoil your kids...YOU want them to have everything, and I think Rachel pretty much got it this birthday! She is even sporting a "pack and play" for her baby dolls!

This is Rachel enjoying her rocking horse that she got from Mom and Dad:

We also got her a big girl car seat that sits forward (as boring as a gift that is), but my back is ecstatic! We are probably jumping the gun a little on this gift, but we found it for an amazing deal and couldn't pass it up! We got her a vanity for her bedroom. It makes an awesome tent for Rach's Care Bears anyways!

Here is Rachel enjoying her party! I made her cake, I gave it my best shot! It was chocolate, Rachel seemed to enjoy it anyways!

Rachel lost in all the loot, with some of her cousins!

She actually was not that messy-I had to put her hands in the cake! After that she just kept picking up small pieces with her fingers! I was expecting a cake monster, instead she was a little polite nibbler!

Getting all clean in the sink! Such a fun day, I will never forget! We love you baby girl!

My baby is turning one!

Seriously, when did this happen? I remember bringing her home for the first time, feeling so overwhelmed and grateful for my daughter. Now I wonder how we ever lived without her. She has brought our family so much happiness in this first year of her life. She is our sunshine! Wow, I can't believe it has been a year! Times flies when you're having fun! These are some of the pics from the day Rachel was born, I can't believe how much she has grown! Also, this is her one year announcement we sent out to our family:

Playing in the SNOW!!

This past weekend we were in Heber with our family, and they got like a foot of awesome puffy snow! Rachel played in the snow for the first time and loved it! The snow was up to her waist! The camera died before we got any pictures of Dad pulling her on her sled :-( By the way, do you love her last minute snow boots...Uncle Ty's gloves! I know she looks like some kind of animal, but I can't think of what it is!

Mama

A few days ago, I got up to leave the room, and Rachel was playing with Mike. When I got just about out of sight, Rachel started fussing, but then out of no where she started saying, "mamamama!" Ok, I'm not sure if she's actually calling ME Mama, but it is one of the best feelings I've ever felt in my life! Even now, my heart is bursting! I can't explain the love I have for my little girl. She is everything to us! Now these last couple of days, she just keeps saying Mama more and more, I love it! Being a Mother is one of the greatest gifts.


This is one of her latest pics that I had to throw in here!

A Lion and Two Hippies

Halloween was the best for both of us this year, it was so cool having our baby to share it with! If anyone knows our girl, you know that she is always roaring and making funny noises. That is why the lion costume was perfect for Rachel! We had fun taking her to the downtown Logan trick-or-treating, and then later on we went to a friend's party and had a great time. Rachel was in such a good mood all day, it made it even better! Pretty sure she's giving the peace sign in the picture below!













Sidenote: I finally finished making Rachel's growth chart, and it turned out so cute! Look how tall my little one is getting!