Rachel is 7

Bob and I keep telling Rachel that she can't get any older, but she isn't obeying. We sure love her. She is such a kind, fun, beautiful girl. She loves to be with her family and friends, she's always thinking of things she can create and she has such a strong testimony and sense of who she is.

Rachel had a birthday party at our house again this year. The girls had pizza and cupcakes and made bracelets. Bob loved his young audience and was cracking jokes all over the place. And the girls thought he was hilarious. Bob was in heaven! He also entertained by playing "rolling log" with them and letting all the little girls jump over him.

Rachel chose a fish theme this year. I love my girl. We went to the party store a couple of weeks ago and we went down the girl isle and there were all these pink and purple and frilly and princess-y things, but all she even noticed were the themes that included animals. She was deciding between fish and kittens because she's already done horses and dogs. Then we went to the trinket isle to get some little gifts for the treat bags for her guests. I pointed out necklaces and sparkly bracelets, but she went straight to the rubber snakes and that was it--All she wanted in the treat bags was candy and rubber snakes.

Between all her grandparents and friends, Rachel ended up raking in over $100 this year. And she is not a saver. So after her party, Rachel and I went to Target. She wasn't interested in saving any of her money, she knew exactly what she wanted: a huge hamster house for her zhu zhu hamsters. The kids have all been playing with it constantly since it was set up.