Rachel's Birthday Weekend

Last week was Rachel's birthday. It was kind of like a whole weekend long party. Friday night we invited friends and classmates for a doughnut themed party. We drove all the kids up to Doughnut Falls for a hike, and then ate sandwiches and doughnuts. Not everyone enjoyed every moment, but she cheered up after a while.


I know this photo is out of focus, but it was so cute. Maren held onto this doughnut and took tiny bird bites out of it the entire hike. Ryan was covered in cinnamon sugar by the end.
While we were up there, we ran into about six other couples who were hiking. It was funny, because every one of them looked at our big group of girls and said, "You guys are crazy." But it was actually lots of fun and the kids behaved so well. We had a few rock collectors that lagged behind, but we were usually able to get them to catch up with the group. Two girls banged their knees while jumping off of rocks, but otherwise no serious injuries.

Monday night we went to Desert Star theater with both sets of grandparents. Ryan made Rachel her birthday request- carrot cake that was SOOO good. I guess I'll keep him around if he's going to make cakes like that one.

Rachel and Jared both get their braces on next week. I just can't believe Rachel is nine years old. She told me that during school yesterday she had some free time, so she drew a before-and-after picture of herself with her teeth-- first a crooked smile with teeth coming out all over and second a beautiful smile. I think she's a little nervous. But I told her she's beautiful right now without braces anyway.