The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Day!

We were in for a surprise when we took Rachel in for her 15 month Doctor appointment this past Monday. Rachel decided right away that she was afraid of the Doctor (or maybe what He was going to do to her) and pleaded for help from her Mom and Dad. And of course, she didn't perform on command and do all of the really cool things we thought the Doctor should see and hear - like saying "hi Doctor" as she did on the way to the appointment. Who knew these little stinkers hold so much control.

The worst part, of course, was getting her immunizations. I explained to her what was going to happen, but the preparation didn't seem to matter (nor did the Sesame Street band aids). We watched as she begged us with her eyes to do something. Next, another nurse arrived to draw blood for a sample to check for allergies. Vimal left for this part until her heard Rachel crying "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" and he promptly returned to rescue his sweet little princess. It was a sad day for mom and dad to watch our little girl be so scared.

Beauty and the Beach

We tried several times to get some good beach shots and I'm learning that is always a challenge with very active toddlers. She had no idea she was suppose to be posing for the camera...it was all about finding new shells and scooping up sand.

Rachel's Baby Dedication

On June 17th, Vimal and I publically dedicated Rachel to the Lord. Although this is something we have done often in our personal time with Him, this was a special time for us. As you can see from the picture, my parents were able to be there with us. With the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the prayers of others we hope we will be an example to her daily as we point her to God. Our greatest prayer is that one day she will come to know and love God with all of her heart. Will you pray along with us?

Fun in the Sun!

We just got back from a week at the beach with my family. Rachel enjoyed hanging out in the lazy river, digging in the sand, eating the sand and hanging out in the pool with her daddy! Here are a few pics of the week.

Take me out to the Ballpark, Take me out to the game...

Rachel's First Baseball game at the Durham Bulls!

Happy Easter!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Great Savior!

Winter Wonderland!

Well, I know that it was offically spring on March 20th (which is also Rachel's birthday) but Rachel didn't really get to experience winter until our trip to Minnesota. I wanted to share some of her sledding adventures with you. I think she liked it.

A visit to Minnesota!

At the end of March, Rachel and I took a trip to Minnesota to visit my college roomate and good friend Tracy and her two little ones (and Jeff, of course!). Rachel made friends with sweet Mitchell who is now 2 years old. And she loved poking Miss Claire who was about 7 weeks at the time. Claire is so precious! So, the picture isn't that great, but I think you just take what you can get at this stage! As you can see, Bailey felt left out and decided to she wanted in the picture, too.

"Rachel, how old are you?"

On Rachel's birthday, we taught her how to do the #1 sign. That day we went to have lunch with Dada at the office. She spent most of the day showing off her new trick and would gladly respond when asked, "Rachel, how old are you?".

Grannie Jackson's 90th Birthday!

My Sweet Grannie Jackson turned 90 on March

12th. We were able to be there celebrate with

her. Her birthday cake was perfect for her love

of quilting!

Happy Birthday to Rachel!

It is hard to believe that Rachel had a 1st Birthday! We celebrated Rachel's birthday a little early at my Grannie Jackson's 90th birthday party! As you can see, Rachel is enjoying her birthday cake! She spent most of the time picking off the pink dots (icing).

Chili Champ

Most people who know me, know that I love to cook (I don't have much time for it these days, though). Well, about a month ago, I had the opportunity to enter into a Chili cookoff hosted by our Sunday School class and I Won! Actually, I entered the only white chili in the contest so I had a little advantage. Not to take anything from the recipe, though, because it is quite delicious! My friend, Tracy Erb, gave me the recipe so kudos to her!

Our Little Book Worm

Vimal and I love to read and we have such hope that Rachel will, too. Although we've been reading to her for quite a while now she still has a short attention span. Last night when Vimal was putting her to bed she actually crawled to the bookshelf, picked out a book and brought it back to him then promptly climbed onto his lap for him to read to her. She is so cute! She picked out two more books after that one and without pulling all of the books off of the shelf (this is her usual practice). Maybe we have ourselves a little book worm after all.

Valentine's Day Tea Party

On Valentine's Day, Rachel (and I, of course) sent an invitation to "Dada" to invite him to a tea party.

He gladly accepted and they had fabulous five minute tea party. As you can see Rachel is enjoying a cookie. Unfortunately, I can't say it's her first because she tries to eat those cookies from her tea set all of the time!

Needless to say, we all had a great Valentine's Day.

Everyday is an adventure...

... where some are more exciting than others! Our days are often filled with excitement because Rachel, our little love bug, is now 10 months old. It is often hard to believe that she is already this old. One of her favorite things right now is dancing. Anytime she hears music or even just a beat (it can be me shaking a cereal box) she starts moving. Now, that makes for some excitement. I've decided, adventure is all matter of perspective.