Jude's blessing

Jude's baby blessing was such a special, wonderful day. Jude is lucky to have a faithful, loving, strong father who works hard to honor his priesthood. The blessing was beautiful. Jude is special and it was amazing to get a little glimpse into his future. My heart gets tingly when I think about the awe-some things Dan voiced.

He is one loved little man. His entire extended family and great grandma and grandpa were in attendance! He was loved and doted upon like no other. He was as precious as ever and stole everyone's hearts. He got a little weary at times, unsure of what to make of so many people constantly smooching and holding him, but it was great. He surprised us by how well he did on the plane, so well-behaved and unphased by the ridiculously loud take offs and landings. What fun those tiny little changing tables in the lavatory are! Or when we walk down the whole plane to get to the front lavatory, get him undressed and realize I forgot a clean diaper... Oops! Thank you flight attendant for fetching it for me.

It was a memorable weekend with both Dan's and my family. It was nice to all get to spend time together and just relax and get to know each other better. We spent Saturday in old-town Sacramento. Dan's mom put together a lovely, perfect little picnic that we enjoying overlooking the river. We then just walked around and and enjoyed the sites. The weekend was pleasant and pleasing. We had delicious food thanks to the hard work of Grandma Mulder, played games, and spent most of our time looking at, holding, playing with, laughing at, kissing, hugging, and squeezing Jude.

The rest of the week was spent playing Wii, Killer Bunnies, Bananagrams, some movie-watching, some fishing, some shopping, a night out on the town getting Chinese food and bowling, and just relaxing enjoying being with Dan's family. Mother nature was being sassy and decided to rain every single day we were there so our illustrious outdoor plans were replaced with indoor activities, but we loved being there! We even snuck in a bike ride and a motorcycle ride on our one clear afternoon. Oh, it just feels so nice to be in the presence of California.

Grandpa's kind of enamored...

We like to sit around and stare at him...

Kris might have beamed like never before... :) 

Fell asleep with his little hand on Aunt Kris. She's in love. :) 

Uhm, can you blame her?! 

Personalized drinks Mama Mulder made! How perfect! 

The Grandpa's keepin it real. Thank you for carrying my purse, Dad!

Great Grandma lovin :)

The blessing outfit :)

The weekend wouldn't have been complete without an intense game of Clue...

A morning at the mall... 

He sucked his thumb for the first time in Great Grandma's arms! 

Fishing trip with Dad and Grandpa. Jude was such a trooper.

He hung out in the car seat covered in blankets the whole time since it was pretty freezing.

Leatherby's!

Bowling was the best. Everyone got a strike!

Breastfeeding while bowling. So efficient!

My mom seems awfully happy to be cozied up next to Bill Clinton...

Navy brats... :)

We nothing less than love and adore our sweet child. The joy he has brought into our lives (and I dare say, many others!) is unbelievable! We are so thankful for loving and supportive families to help us raise and love this child. :)

sparkles of happiness

We are in such a good place right now. Such a good place that I never want to leave! I want to build on this "good place" and only make it better. We feel so guided. Like two little butterflies happily fluttering in Heavenly Father's hands. He has us right where we are supposed to be and we are loving it. I can't imagine a better feeling than that. Knowing you are doing what God wants you to do and he is overseeing your life and direction. I always want to feel that way and have that direction and peace in my life. Heavenly Father let me struggle and go through a really hard time for a while, and then he so gracefully pulled me out and made me better. Not only made me better than I was, but made me better than I ever would have thought I could be.

my thankful list:

1. danny

He is too good. Always patient and always sweet. He never judges me. He always makes me feel like I am the best. He notices and appreciates every little thing I do. He gives me all the loves and kisses I need (which is a lot). He is always happily willing to take out the trash and scrub the tub and do all those dirty jobs I don't like. The other day at church he said...

D: "I like it when you're tired and helpless."

R: "Why? Because I don't bug you about stuff?"

D: "No, because I get to take care of you."

I'm glad he likes it, because he gets to take care of me every day for forever. We really are best friends. Like when you are a little kid and you want to have your best friend come over and you get so excited to play. It's just like that. We try to always take time to have fun together. The other day we went on a bike ride around the park. Another day we went on a walk around a nearby lake. Another day we went to the Homecoming parade with our favorite friends and had an ice cream date afterwards. I was looking through my blog earlier and saw all the fun things we do together and I'm so glad we still prioritize that. I never want to get so busy that we don't have time to sit and play Uno or just dance around the house or sing duets while Dan plays the guitar. We're still like two little kids in love, adore being together, painful to be apart.

I

am

the

luckiest

girl

in

history.

I'm sure of it.

2. my parents

They are the sweetest. They are so good to me. I was telling Dan the other day that the best thing about them is their unconditional love. They define it. I know they love me more than I can even comprehend and they always will. I know I can call them any hour of day or night and they will answer. And every single time they pick up the phone and I'm on the other end they say "Hi Honey!!!!" or "Rachael!!!" in the most enthusiastic, sincerely excited voice as if we haven't talked in weeks, and we talk at least every other day. I look to them for approval and advice in everything I do. I am so blessed to have two amazing people who have raised me and I'm lucky enough to call my own. I absolutely love them!

3. dan's parents

They have loved me from day one, probably before I had even proven that I deserved their love! They have always treated me like their own. They are the most supportive people. Whatever Dan and I do, they are right there behind us cheering us on. They are always proud of us and our decisions. We love our Skype dates, each on our own couch, pretending like we are just relaxing in the living room together. We savor and cherish our moments together, as they are surely not enough. Hopefully that will change soon! I absolutely love them!

4. our baby

This past week or so my love for this little one has grown exponentially. He is such a part of me (literally and emotionally!). It has been so fun to have him moving so much more. He never lets me forget he's in there. I spend half my days with my chin down staring and my dancing belly. "I think that was his hand!!!!" "He's doing a somersault!!" I feel slightly underprepared and overwhelmed for what lies ahead, but that's only a small fraction of the peace I feel. I know I have felt nervous for all the changes that are coming my way, but I know when I see my baby's face it will all be different. I will feel like I am home. That all those fears were totally silly because this is what I am meant to do and who I am meant to be. I can only imagine the love I will feel for this little creature who will be the perfect blend of myself and the one I love more than anything else.

5. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Temple trip last week- perfection

Conference last weekend- nourishment to a starving soul

My scripture study has taken on a new meaning to me. I have set a challenge for myself and it has been the greatest blessing already. I feel like I am becoming a new person in Christ. When I read my scriptures I feel like I'm reading a story and I'm excited to flip the page. It's like it's a magical book that you open and happiness and peace and comfort and advice come shooting out in sparkles and lights from Heaven. Available to little old me, whenever I want it! How amazing.

It's the little things. How many times can I say this? The prayers, the scriptures, the Family Home Evenings, the little prayer that never leaves me heart, the best CD's on marriage that I have been listening to in the car... Heavenly Father blesses us soo much if we are consistent in the little things and prove our dedication to Him and his Gospel. We give an inch and he gives us ten acres back.  

I feel undeserving of my blessings. How can I be so blessed, so lucky, so protected? How can I have so much love in my life? I honestly, truly believe I am the luckiest girl on Earth. Picture a little red plastic heart smushed in between soft clouds of love and gold & silver sparkles of happiness and expensive down comforters full of blessings, that's me. Call it naive, but I feel it.

HomeSweetHome

I spent a week at home being loved and loving my sweet mama and daddy while my sweetie pie husband snorkelled and researched coral reefs and sponges in the Bahamas. It was just exactly what I needed and more. We justified the trip because I needed some dental work done. My sweet, humble, giving, wonderful cousin Brad did all my dental work for free! Out of the goodness of his heart. Thank you Brad and Chelsea!!! I also needed a root canal... which was done by a complete stranger, for a complete stranger, for me!! for free!! a root canal! Because he had heard about my situation.... Sigh. Such kindness and love I can't even explain right now. It is so humbling and feels so good to be the recipient of so much love from others. If you are one of those people that has a hard time accepting help from others, you really should try it and let people serve you when you need it. It will change your life!!! It's changed mine!

twinners

So when I went out there I thought I didn't need a root canal after all, just a crown. So we went in to see Brad (i mean, Dr. Peterson DDS), he did an x-ray and.... "You're going to need a root canal after all." My heart was racing, my toes were tightly clenched, my respirations were around 30 or so. I cried for my Mommy. I was so terrified! So my mom and I hopped in the car and drove up to St. George, spent the night with my sweet Aunt Judy and trekked the next day up to Draper, UT- location of Dr. Chad Molen, the imfamous endodontist! Okay, please listen to me... if you live in Utah Valley and ever need a root canal or endodontic work, do yourself a favor and go see Dr. Molen! He is like Picasso of root canals. They have a massage chair and good magazines (Seventeen) in their soothing dark green painted waiting room with classical music softly playing in the background. They are so homey and cute and the office is all his. Once you get in the chair, you are overlooking the beautiful mountains of Utah Valley through big glass windows. Dr. Molen's exudes confidence and skill as he gently guides the needle around your mouth to numb you up. And can I just say... those shots did not hurt! At all! He did all sorts of tricks to help it not hurt. It was such a relief. Then the root canal began. And thanks to a dental dam and a jaw holder opener and I was perfectly comfortable... and fell asleep! My root canal experience was sitting in a massage chair and a nap. It only took an hour and out the door we were with big smiles on our faces. Thank you Dr. Molen! I will never forget your kindness to me.

My mom even treated me to a MCFLURRY for being so brave!! Sigh. It's the life. We drove a lot in that day and a half but we had such a nice time being together and talking. Thank you Mommy for driving the wholllle way even though I wanted to help out and drive! She wouldn't let me. We also visiting Grandpa and Grandma Hickman! It was so good to see them. They are so sweet and always have lots of good stories. :)

But don't worry, that's all not with the dental visits. I had another one to get my crown put on. I know have an all gold tooth. It's so shiny and pretty. I love it. You can only see it if I open my mouth up wide or smile really, really big. Dan said when he picked me up from the airport and I smiled (so big I'm sure) he saw it. He liked it. How did a get a gold crown? Oh, just some more selfless service from friends. Bishop Dixon did all the impressions and everything for free. He is so sweet and humble and it was fun visiting him at his office.

The rest of the trip we ran errands and just tried to relax as much as possible. It was simply blissful. No destruction. No rubble. No bobcats or chain saws. Just pretty trees and well-groomed roads and a perfectly unrealistic way of life for most people. Lovely. We went on several walks through the golf course and admired the sweet little bunnies and quails as we made our way to the new Tivoli shops, so much fun admiring and strolling through the Little Italy. We ate plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Soo delicious! I know I got all my Aantioxidants last week. A fun little lunch with the girls at The Cheesecake Factory. A trip or two to Costco (yes, I did get a chocolate chip gelato... of course!!!). A couple more trips to Target. My mom and dad spoiled me and took me shopping... I am all set! My sweet Daddy was such a good sport. He came with me and mom to get my hair cut and eyebrows waxed!! We already knew he was a gem! He loves his girls. :)

Plenty of bonding time with Tubby. She is the most precious little creature. Attempted to watch The King's Speech several times but we always put it on when we were tired and would fall asleep. Still, a very good movie! The Bachelorette (x2)! So thrilled I was there for two Mondays. Plenty of visits to my sweet Daddy at his office just to visit. I loved to be introduced to all his "girls" at the office (Cupcake, Shasta, Chocolate Thunder, Shortcake... he makes nicknames for all of them and they love it). And reminiscing through all the old notes we have written him over the years that he still has there in his office drawer! Soo precious!! Like, a love note I wrote to him in 1990. Sigh. So much love!

just a little pampered

Memorial Day we had our very own pool party, just the four of us (Mom, Dad, me, and Tubby). It was so perfect. Gliding around on the blow up lounge chair as we listened to the water fall splash and ate popsicles and fruit. Tubby even got on with me!! I was soo thrilled. She wasn't scared because she trusts me. :) We then made a delectable Phyllo Fruit Tart and headed over to their Empty Nesters Family Home Evening. It was a wonderful evening full of fun, mature conversations and even more mature food!

Another highlight was organizing the fridge for my sweet Mama and Daddy. I love it. It's so rewarding and they are always soo appreciative. I also managed to squeeze in some schoolwork... and I got it done! Yay.


I love my Mama. She is always right there when I need her. She always puts me first and would do anything for my happiness. She is willing to sacrifice any of her own needs for mine, and always does. She and I have so much fun together, whether we are looking around at Target or just hanging out on the couch. Everytime I see her I think she gets younger and younger! I am so proud of her and how much she prioritizes her health. So active and young... she has more energy than I do! I love you Mommy!! Can't wait to see you in a few months. :)


I am a Daddy's girl. He is a man after my own heart and I am a girl after his. We always get along and just know how to have fun. He always loves me and makes me feel like the greatest girl in existence! And I know to him I am. I always learning from him and I hope to be like him. He always makes me and my mom laugh- from his dance moves to his hearty singing voice to his cute little ways.

I love you Mom and Daddy! Thank you for taking care of me and just letting me be their little girl. I needed that!

cruisin cuisine

my dear sweet mother and father took us on a cruise for spring break! we went on the celebrity century from miami to roatan, honduras & cozumel, mexico! my dad happened to have meetings in fort lauderdale the weekend before dan's spring break... so it worked out perfectly! dan and i left after his lab and drove until 4:00 in the morning. we made a bed in the back so we would take turns sleeping. and we found out that he and i can comfortably sleep in the backseat of the corolla together. like both of us laying out long ways from window to window. woah! who knew?! i was swimmy-headed for a week after the cruise... it's subsided.

i have too many pictures for one post so i'm going to break it up into categories... figured i'd start out with the FOOD. because everybody knows... when you think of a cruise, you think of, dream of, and fantasize about food. or at least i doo...

this was at subway in everglades city.. cute little alligator town.

he is soo sophisticated.

most quaint and relaxing little aqua cafe. it had the HEALTHIEST food ever.

hot cocoa after a good morning work-out with daddy.

pretty parfait

my mom's favorite was a bagel with cream cheese, capers, and tomatoes. such sophisticated tastebuds.

this is from the healthy cafe if you didn't notice... there are CARROT chunks in that roll.

behind the scenes food tour!

no caption needed

FROG LEGS

formal night, looking so classy and handsome :)

this was before dan got sea sick and had to spend dinner outside on the deck :(

CUTEST LEMON SORBET i've ever seen. it was a palate cleanser between courses. and delicious at that!

it's the tiniest :) JUAN CARLOS IN THE BACKGROUND!!!!

dan ran off for like, 30 minutes in roatan and i couldn't find him anywhere. finally found him off with this little one eating freshly made banana chips together!

after an amazing snorkeling spree in cozumel! dan was eating a sandwich we had stashed away.

it's mexico tradition. glass bottle... it's just better there.

surprise!!!

look at us so cute at dinner. that's me with two entrees. i couldn't decide :)

baked alaska night!!!

CHOCOLATE SORBET... have you ever heard of it? it was literally the richest taste that has ever graced my lips. it tasted like 100% cocoa. no one could handle more than the tiniest taste. words can't describe, but.. rich.

baked alaska was a big production :)

that's the whole baked alaska :)

that's the head chef... in case you couldn't tell ;)

sushi etiquette, rub the sticks together to get the slivers off. doesn't everybody do that?!

dan explaining the ins and outs of sushi to mom, so interested.

BRUNCH!!!!!! oh pleeeeeeeeeease let me go back!!!!!!! my stomach just started to churn.

ohh boy...

caesar salad bar is always my favorite.

ocean view :)

one of my favorite pictures for sure. sigh, it's love.

cutest little swan princess

favorite food picture, hands down. how perfect?!?! it was soooo good!!!!!!!!!!

i think this is what heaven might be like.

so perfect. i love those sweet little foreign people who made this. so talented and humble.

coooolest.

suchi chot.

susssshhhii bar! it was so fun to watch him whip it up right there.

she got shrimp cocktails every night literally. it was her favorite!!

mmmmmmm...

MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!!!!!! it was sooo sweet to have them all sing to me. i love them.

juan carlos and melwin. they took care of us. :)

this was probably the funniest moment on the whole trip.... this sweet, humble little man was standing up against the wall. we had never seen him or met him before and all the sudden my dad said, "hey, come over here" in a stern voice. i was like, "oh no?! what's he going to say!" all once the man comes over my dad BREAKS OUT IN TO SONG... "doon't leaveee mee lett mee stayyyy," just serenading this man with all his heart... and the sweet little man was completely unphased. just stood there next to him so politely with his hands together. didn't even crack a smile. CLASSIC.

the birthday girl with her birthday treats. spoiled.

classic overeating room service pic. we have one like this from our honey moon cruise and he looks so chubby. it's the best. (yes, we know we went a little overboard. but look! there's fruit...)

bon appetit! i know we did!