Such a big girl

No more high chair. And now not even a phone book!

Her very own slurpee. I can't believe I gave in, and let her have some in her own cup, but she was in heaven. I had an odd craving for one last weekend...


Last, but not least--new hair. Rainey had her first haircut! This was a big decision for me because I knew we'd lose her curls and enter a new stage... But she hates to have her hair washed or brushed. And if I put it up, she takes it out. Sadly, I couldn't go because I had to finish a project for school. It was probably a good thing because I got teary-eyed (yes, I'll admit it) when she walked through the door. I couldn't believe it! She was a different kid, not a baby anymore.

The before shot, saying good-bye to the hair as I stayed home to work:

Loved the police car (still talks about it):

Worried, but ok:

Definitely sad. She apparently cried most of the time, even with Mickey playing.

This was the face I got to see walking through the door. She was pumped to have "new hair."

And especially proud of the balloon:

end of summer

Kevin and I had our first trip away from Rainey--thanks to Kym for watching her. We got to go to Alaska with my parents and youngest sister! While we had a lot of rain, it was still beautiful and relaxing and just a fabulous trip.

We got this picture in our email while we were gone: Rainey was happy and in good hands without us. I was really enjoying my time where I could just worry about me, but when we got this, I realized how much I missed her.

Here we are on the day we were united---11 days is a LONG time. This is a block from my brother and his wife's apartment. We loved our time at the beach and with Ben and Alex!

We're back into the swing of things and Rainey is very into jumping and hanging and climbing--such a busy little bee. (Can you name the movie?) And she is so talkative.

Check out this great jumping footage. You can see how she loves to call herself "nakey." She's improved her vertical since, but not by much.

The other day, she put on my shoes and said, "Bye, Mama. I go to work" while "walking" out of my room. Earlier we had said bye to Dad as he headed off to work, so I'm sure she just wanted to join him. The nightgown is from my younger sister, so yes, it's old. Maybe you could call it vintage...But Rainey LOVES it. The other day, she had to put it on over her clothes and wear it to the farmer's market. pretty funny.

It's definitely the end of summer--we have such perfect Fall weather now. Rainey and I met our friends at Wheeler Farm, and we all had a blast. Rainey especially loved the tractor--she wasn't as into the animals as I thought she would be...

Mitchell Reunion

Blissful week in Jackson, CA at a fantastic ranch. Lots of pool time, craft time, game time, puzzle time and just hangin' out together. It was the first time we had all been together since our wedding in 2005.

It was so hot, and so we spent a lot of time in the pool. And most of the time was spent playing different games on this raft:

Papa reading stories:

All of the girl cousins, but one:

Papa and Grandma bought Rainey her first doll--you can see how excited she was:

Yay Dad

This is late for posting, but she did this for Dad on the day. And he LOVED it! She is crazy for her Dad. We are so grateful for him. For this, she's just out of the bath and all ready for bed.

Songs

Rainey has started singing so many songs, and I love it. This one night as I was singing to her before I put her in bed, she just started singing all the words to the song. I had no idea she had learned all of the words (it was the chorus to I am a Child of God). Here's her favorite song as of now.

She has also added her "Sunday shoes" to her list of favorite things. She'll wear them most of the time we're in the house:

I just love that face:

New obsessions

Her ice cream tank top, pink crocs, and star antennae:

She also LOVED her time at Gymboree. We've stopped for now, but she still sings all the songs.

We had a wonderful visit from some of the Mitchells. We played volleyball in our backyard, visited the aquarium (which is not bad for a land-locked state), played in the park, and just enjoyed time together:

I don't think either one is happy about this arrangement, but there weren't very many open swings.

Rainey was wasted and so she actually rested on the steps--it's very rare for her to be so still for so long. And she loved the attention from her cousins and aunt.

And of course, nothing beats books, especially with Grandma.

We also got to visit the BYU campus one Saturday--it has changed quite a bit since Kevin and I were there. Rainey loved playing in the fountain with her cousins:

And we've been lucky enough to see the aunts and uncles that come to visit:

Easter/Spring

We had a lovely Easter Day with family, including cousins from England--the token photo--I love it when she plays with my hair.

Rainey with her twin cousins, just before the meal. They are so stinkin' cute.

The fabulous Easter meal. Rainey felt so big sitting at the kids' table with her cousins. As you can see, she's very aware of the food she dropped on the floor--that was just the beginning. We're still all about the high chair.

With the change in weather, our attention has turned to the yard--we've got some serious yard work ahead of us. But it's so nice to spend time outside. I LOVE the tulips and daffodils. I wish they lasted longer. One morning, Kevin mowed the lawn with Rainey--she loved the beginning of the ride until she put her fingers in her ears and said "loud." She then helped me with branches, sticks, and pinecone duty.

Just had to show Kev being a good sport. We watched cousins for a night and we went to this place that had indoor rides. Rainey was in heaven, especially as each cousin took her on the various rides. For Susie's turn, Kev had to go with them. Both of us are wimps when it comes to spinning rides. Poor Kev was a bit queasy after this one. (This was before the ride began)

Rainey loves to sit in laps--mine, her "moo", a random wooden bear, and Sophie  (her younger cousin). Here, she's sitting in Sophie's lap with Claire behind them both. love it.

This video captures the top two words for the month--my favorite: graham cracker & Kevin's favorite: baby powder.

Josie shout out

So Rainey has been walking around the house with the announcement picture of her newest cousin, repeating her name over and over. This is mainly for Clint, Diana, and Josie...

She had put her "moo" in Noah's ark and said, "night, night" to it. And she has the picture of Josie in her hands--you just can't see it. Had to capture the moment--I love it when she plays with her cow or "moo."

Just thought I'd post a couple other pictures of our recent activities. She loves to feel the steam from the dryer, especially if it's cold outside. We just got snow after a week of perfect weather.  So she's freezing here at the end of March.

Two of her favorite toys, still rocking the pink boots.

3 months left

 It's true. We're counting down the months until nursery time. Rainey is so much fun, but we're wandering the halls of church these days. We can no longer sit up front with the family--it's near the doors for us. However, she's moving to one nap, which starts in the middle of church, so nursery might not even help us. =) 

She says new words everyday, car trips aren't as painful, and she's improved on her already fabulous dance moves. Here are some great moments over the past months.

While she's still obsessed with all types of balls and her blankie ("bay-bee"), she's added swings, raisins, grapes ("tah-pees"), and these fabulous pink boots to the list. She insisted on putting them over her jammies:

We tried a new hairdo, but I'm not sure her hair is ready for that. Her hair is struggling.

I forgot to mention that her other favorite is yogurt. She calls it "yo" and it's always whispered for some reason. Here I put the empty container on her tray to show her it was all gone, and she picked it right up and went to town---Grandpa Peterson style.

Per the request of some family members, here's some more video of Rainey. She's still working on being able to say "Grandma." 

More winter

The January to April stretch is long and a bit rough. We're lucky we get to visit cousins often, and we do have some things to look forward to... Today wasn't too warm, but at least we didn't have a ton of snow on the ground. So we bundled up and made the most of outside. Rainey was in heaven as she got to walk around and explore. We did some swinging, but I had to stop well before she was done because I started to feel sick. I'm getting old.

Here she is pointing to her hood (so I will say "hood") and holding her pine cone.

Just after Kevin's tonsillectomy, Darren and Ivey saved us with their Vitamix--they lent it to us while Kevin was recovering and we loved it! We made some amazing soups and such. They spent a fun afternoon with us and Rainey was lucky enough to get a bath with her cousin, Annie. She was so excited to have someone in the tub with her. She gets just as excited if one of her cousins sits in the back seat with her. When she's excited, she shows us with her whole body. 

Another day inside, about to play the beloved piano.

Thanks for the dress, Grandma Raynie. She's a little tired after church with no nap yet.

Rainey has started to repeat most of our words--it is so fun. Her vocabulary is exploding. She has yet to master "please," so you'll hear what she does instead. It's much more preferable to her intense and sometimes whiny grunts/noises for things. And she now points to her mouth if she wants to know what she's eating, as you will see. We love this stage.