Rachel's 3!

On January 22, Rachel had her third birthday. We can hardly believe that she is already 3! Our primary presidency decided to have all the nursery kids that are turning 3 this year come in during singing time to be sung to and to get a birthday lei that acts as a coupon for a prize/candy in the bishop's office. Rachel was the first one to get to do this. She looked so tiny in primary. I guess it's good that she missed being a Sunbeam by 3 weeks. 

On her birthday, Brian came home early so we could take her out on a special date. First, she opened presents: 

 And she blew out her candle on her cupcakes

 With a little help from Dad.

 And then she got to eat some---before dinner even!

Michael went to go play with a friend for the night so we could take this girl out with just the two of us. Michael had a hard time understanding why we needed to do this. She rarely gets the undivided attention of Brian and I, and she loved having us all to herself. We took her swimming, and she had such a blast. We were going to go out to eat a a place that served Mac  & Cheese, but we were running so late that day (thanks to a very tired mommy), so we grabbed a bite at the rec center. Rachel was happy they had a banana for her. 

 She was so excited about her new Ariel pajamas, and wore them to bed that night (Ignore the mess in the background of all these pictures--like I said, a tired mommy trying to do too many things in a week following a vacation).

 The next day, she wore her cute outfit that Grandpa picked out all by himself:

On Sunday, we invited Lea and Shayne and Nana and Papa over for dinner to celebrate the January birthdays. Rachel really wanted chocolate cake, so I had to invite other chocolate cake lovers over for dinner since Rachel and I would be the only one eating it. 

 And, as per the norm, my decorating style involves props. Good think Shayne was cool with having Little Mermaid characters on his shared cake:

 Shayne had to help her blow out her candles.

She loves her Uncle Shayne

 Lea, Shayne, and Danny had to run to Great to Be Eight, so the ate and ran, but we were so glad they squeezed us into their busy Sunday. Here's the made ice cream and cake dash:

 After they left, Rachel opened her presents from Nana and Papa--Disney Princess figurines. She loved them! And she loved hugs from Nana and Papa.

 And then we enjoyed a quiet evening with Nana, Papa, and Skyler.

On Monday, January 25, Rachel had her well-child appointment. She weighed in at a whopping 24.25 pounds (1.41 percentile) with her clothes on and measured 34.25 inches tall (3.71 percentile). But despite her small size, she has a spunky, yet sweet spirit.

On her birthday, I wrote this on Facebook:
"A few days ago, I read about "Rainbow Babies". Apparently, they're the babies born after a loss--miscarriage, stillborn, neonatal loss, or infant death. They give hope--like rainbows with after the worst of a storm has blown over--that out of sadness and grief, brightness and light can still happen. Well, this girl is my rainbow baby--she came after two miscarriages, and it took all of my fragile heart to hope that she would arrive safely. She has truly been a light in our lives, a beacon of hope. She keeps us laughing, she kills us with her cuteness and sweetness, and after three years, she still has the most kissable cheeks around. Random strangers still stop us to tell us how adorable she is. She loves to dance and sing. She adores her brother. She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. She's obsessed with her grandparents. And she reminds me everyday that all the pain and frustration surrounding pregnancy and the infant years are all worth it. How grateful I am the the Lord, in His great goodness and grace, sent her to us 3 years ago today. Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea!"