Boo at the Zoo

Last Saturday we took R to the zoo for the annual Boo at the Zoo. It was soooooo packed, but fun nonetheless. R was really excited to see all of the animals, especially the giraffes and any type of bird. A little boy made her cry by stealing her candy bucket, but she forgot about it shortly. R dressed as a pink poodle. It was a really warm day and R's costume was well insulated so she didn't want to stay in it for long. She was dressed as a little girl with messy hair and dirty pants for the rest of the day. She kept trying to climb over the fences to play with the animals too.
After the zoo we went to a Rodizio's with some friends and ate too much meat (cause that's what you do there).
Since R likes Yo Gabba so much I painted her a Brobee face on her Halloween pumpkin (he is her favorite). She wants to go check on it outside all of the time to make sure it is still there.

We are leaving today to spend Halloween weekend at a nearby resort with some college buddies. We are really excited for the chance to relax and we are glad that we get to spend time with our friends before they move away from Utah.

Everything you ever wanted to know about R

This post is going to be all about R for my family's sake because they don't get to see her much. This is everything that I could think to write about her and then some. Enjoy!

THINGS SHE LOVES DOING...

DANCING, singing ("La La La"), coloring pictures, spinning in circles until she falls down, watching Yo Gabba Gabba (she says yo and yeah and is glued to the t.v. when it is on), brushing her teeth and pretending to floss, splashing in the bath, jumping in leaves and rolling around AND last but not least going to the park!

THINGS SHE HATES DOING...

sleeping, sitting still and wearing a diaper


FAVORITE FOODS...

bananas, pears, any melon, peaches, green beans, baked squash, swiss cheese, peas and pancakes/waffles Really, she loves food in general and will eat almost anything. She seems to like spicy food but I am scared to give it to her.

FAVORITE TOYS...

her Pooh Bear (she brings him everywhere, feeds him bottles, tucks him into bed and puts diapers on him), little racing cars, BOOKS (she looks at her books all day long!), Ellie (her rocking elephant)

WORDS SHE CAN SAY OR ALMOST SAY...

mumma, da (for dad), yes, no, hi, bye, boo, night night (nai nai), knock knock (naw naw -which she says when she wants a locked door to open), cheese, shoes, Jesus, milk (mill), water (wawer), nana (for banana), Aus (for Austin the baby I watch), YEAH! (which usually sounds like J-YEAH), yo, yum, bath (bat), bed(bet) and sleep (slee)

OTHER TID BITS...

She is small for her age(in the 20th percentile in height and weight) except for her big head (in the 90th percentile).
People often ask me if I am her nanny because of her blond hair and bright blue eyes, but if you watch her face for a while she is unmistakably mine.
She loves helping around the house and in the yard (especially with laundry, sweeping, raking and digging).
She is a neat freak and likes things put in a certain place. She also needs to do everything in the same order as usual or she gets MAD.
She loves to go outside and is constantly bringing me my shoes and a jacket (she can put her own shoes on now, but she used to bring me her shoes and by the end of the day there would be a pair of her shoes in every room in the house).
She doesn't like to sleep with a night light, she kept unplugging it, so I got rid of it and she has slept all the way through the night ever since.
She loves to say yes and rarely says no. She repeats yes over and over again when she is talking. For example, she will say, "mumma, yes, nana, yes, yes, yes", if she wants a banana. I think it's funny.

OUR NICKNAMES FOR HER...

Pumpkin, Raquelly, Raquelly Belly, Sweet Pea, Crazy Pants and Broccolina (which my Nonna started)


WHAT A FUN KID!


ROLLING IN THE LEAVES LIKE A CHAMP

6 Things Nobody Would Know About Me...

I have been tagged by Elisa, so I will try doing this for once, I don't usually do them.

1)I don't like to wear jewelery other than my wedding ring and the occasional pair of earrings. It makes me feel tacky for some reason, whether it is or not.

2)I love to recycle. This one is nerdy but I feel really happy when I do it. If I am out and need to throw away something recyclable, I will bring it home to recycle it instead of throwing it in the garbage. So if you ever see me put garbage in my purse or car, that is why I do it.

3)I can't eat cottage cheese. The texture of it makes me gag.

4)I don't deal with stress very well and often do deep breathing to relax enough to handle situations.

5)I love to paint. Sometimes to relieve stress I buy canvas and paint. My paintings aren't very good and I only show them to Jon, but it is very therapeutic and is a great creative outlet.

6)I secretly wish I could wear ballet flats all year round. I wear them in the cold right up until it snows and it is impossible to wear them. I love just being able to slip them on - no zippers or laces, it's the best.

A Visit From Mel and Nate

Finally, I am back writing again. I don't have as much spare time lately. At the end of last month J's sister Mel and her husband Nate came to visit. It was fun having them here and J's brother stayed for one night of the few that they were here. Mel and I went on a really long walk, around 4 or 5 miles up to this really beautiful spot in the east bench that has a great view the city. You can even see the lake from up there. Mel wanted to go on a long walk. The only problem was that it was a super windy day, especially once we got up so high. R nearly got blown over, and didn't want to stick around long, so we headed straight home.
Mel also really wanted to go to the Air Force Museum so we did that as well, and got a bit lost on the way (but I will do that now and again). It was really cool though, I honestly didn't think that I would like it at first but it was really neat to see all of those old planes and they had a flight simulator there as well. Mel and I also got to go to the General Relief Society Meeting which was great and was catered by a Chinese restaurant.