Happy 8th Birthday Raquel!!

Eight!! I really can't believe my baby is 8 years old today. I tried to get a picture of just her, but I couldn't get Marcus out of the way!! He was really excited it was her birthday too!! She got to open her presents last night because her Daddy isn't here today. She thought that was pretty cool. Now, I must talk about my girl. I am tearing up just thinking about what I want to say about her. Despite my best efforts to totally screw her up by being her mother, she is growing into an amazing young lady. I thought I'd share some tidbits about our sweet Raquel.

Raquel is super smart and she remembers everything! (And I mean everything. She can remember something I said weeks or months ago. Let's hope she uses her powers for good and not for evil when she grows up.)

Raquel is so beautiful and has the best curly hair ever! (Even though she hates it right now, one day she will thank me for her naturally curly hair. When all of her friends are curling theirs with curling irons, she'll thank me.)

Raquel has definitely been blessed with a love of the arts. She loves to draw and write stories. She loves to play the violin at school and the piano at home. She is super dramatic. And not in just the typical girl dramatic way. She has an imagination that I really can't believe sometimes. She just takes herself away into these imaginary worlds full of imaginary people and I find it quite extraordinary. (She said she'll thank me when she wins her Oscar for best actress in a dramatic role.)

Raquel is very confident and makes friends very easily. She has been uprooted and moved quite a bit in the last few years, but I never worry about her because she adapts so well and easily makes friends because she is such a good friend. (I asked her once if she was nervous going into a new school and she looked at me like I was crazy and said, No, why would I be?)

Raquel is a great sister. She loves, loves, loves it when Nicholas is home with us and she is very motherly to Marcus and Raigan when she wants to be! (When she doesn't want to be we have this little thing called fighting in our house.)

Raquel is a wonderful daughter and we couldn't be prouder of her. We love to watch how she grows and learns in the gospel each day and we are so happy that she has chosen to be baptized next month. Never change Raquel because we love you so much!!

Todd left this morning to go to Utah to see Nicholas, so he woke all of us up at 6:30 am to say Happy Birthday to Raquel. This is what she got in her bed first thing on her birthday!! What a silly daddy you have Raquel!!

Today was also Marcus's first day of preschool. Mommy was so nervous for him, but I think everything went well. Let's just say this - his teacher didn't call and there were no notes in his bag for me - so we'll call our first day a success!! He looked so grown up and I actually really missed him. I didn't cry though, so I think I am getting better at this whole letting go of my kids thing. He gets picked up and dropped off by the bus, so when I asked him what he liked the best he said riding the yellow school bus because yellow is his favorite color!! Yesterday we went to his classroom for a little meet and greet. I stayed with him while they went through what they would be doing in preschool each day. He loved play time, but wasn't having any of circle time. When we left he said goodbye to his teacher and then we walked out of the room and he looked at me and in his most loud and clear voice told me that his teacher was SO BORING!! Aahh! I really hope she didn't hear him! Good job on your first day of preschool Marcus!

P.S. - Sorry for the crappy pictures today. My camera was acting all weird today taking pictures that look kinda smoky. I thought for sure my camera was breaking, but then I cleaned the lense off with a q-tip and now they are as clear as a bell again. Darn. I was really hoping it was broken so I could get a real camera. I keep letting Marcus play with it in the hopes that it will die and Todd will be forced to get me a new one!!