Savannah Banana Smiles

Annie in Pictures

2011-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some cute photos of Savannah.

Here is the tool girl. She made a tool belt and pretended to fix the table.

Here she is looking so cute for church. On the way home I asked her what she did in primary. She said, "We didn't get cookies cause it's fast. We only get cookies on slow Sunday." So funny!

Here she is with her chubby cheek. She had sialolithiasis - stones in the salivary gland. She is still a little puffy, but says it doesn't hurt when she runs anymore.

And no day is complete without Savannah dressing up in her new tiara.

She puts it on the minute she gets out of bed and wears it until she gets back in bed. I didn't let her wear it to church or school, but it's okay for the store.

Very observant

2011-09-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

We were driving home from the store and the guy next to us was smoking which led to the following conversation between myself and Savannah:

Mom, if you smoke you'll die.

Where did you learn that?

Well, will you?

Smoking isn't good for you and can make you very sick.

Like what kind of sick?

I explained how it can hurt your lungs and make it so you can't breathe very well.

I want my lungs to work right so I'm not going to smoke. My magic wand can make some things that look like cigarettes, but they're really just crayons.

Let's not play like things are cigarettes.

You can just pretend to smoke.

The Book of Mormon tells us not to smoke, so we don't pretend to smoke either.

Well if people who smoke don't have the scriptures, they should get some scriptures to tell them not to smoke.

The entire drive from JoAnn's to our house was filled with talk about smoking and cigarettes. Have you ever smoked? Who in our family smokes? What's Daddy's friends name that smokes? I don't know why she was so interested in it today, but it was pretty amusing.

Word of warning - don't ever let Savannah catch you smoking!

Magic

2011-09-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

Here is my cute girl in her new glasses. No they aren't real (although she insists they are) - we bought them at Claire's. She wore them to church today with the Gymboree cherry dress and looked so stinkin' cute! You can't believe how many comments she has received on them, even from people we pass at the store. I guess if she ever really needs glasses she won't be upset.

As you know, Savannah has a hard time falling asleep. Tonight I told her to think about something she would like to do, like fly or ride on a butterfly, and then she would dream about it. She said she was going to dream about a magic wand because she really wants one. She is going to ask Santa for a real one that really does magic so she can be a fairy. She wants a brother and sister because we don't have enough people. That's why she needs a magic wand.

Is that the answer to my question if fostering to adopt is right for us? We'll see.

Always Listening

2011-08-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post about my funny girl.

Several nights in the past two weeks Savannah has had a hard time falling asleep. She will call me an hour after bedtime and tell me she is tired, but just can't sleep.

Currently I am playing on Pinterest while she watches TV;). She just walked up to me and said, "Mom, I need Unisom. That's cause I can't sleep."

Why do they put commercials on Sprout?

Super girl

2011-08-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I wish you could see my stinkin' cute girl right now! She is showing me how she stops people and gets her powers. I don't know where she comes up with this stuff, but I love it!

Here she is a few days ago when she started being "super". She walked in the kitchen and showed me her super shoes, super dress, super bow and super ring. Her super power is being able to help people who are trapped. She just points her ring at the trap and melts it. Wow!

Earlier today she showed me some yarn and said she was making ballet shoes. A few minutes ago she came in dressed as a ballerina. This is what she said, "K, the most important part of a ballerina is a) these shoes. The next most important thing is b) these - pointing to the strings. Next is c) this tutu. Then it's b, no d) this - pointing to her leotard." She actually prioritized the parts of her outfit with a,b,c and d! (When I tell her why she can't do/have something I often give her reasons a and b.) Such a funny girl!

I will leave you with this peak into her imagination. You may remember "ducky", the rock from Lava Hot Springs. He has been joined by "black", a rock she found in Laughlin this weekend. And this surfboard/comb is actually a DS! She has carried it around for almost a week pretending to play games on it. I don't see the need to ever buy her another toy, but she asked to go to DI today to get another one. Maybe tomorrow.

Hope you find something to laugh about today!

Treasure Hunting

2011-07-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Savannah loves treasure hunting at the DI with me. (Maybe not this week when we got separated and I heard my name being called over the speaker. Oops! Jer was not happy.) She picked out this lovely neon pony and paid for it with her own money. She loves it!

Now for a little story about the scriptures she is holding. Last Fast Sunday we sat on the second row. After two little boys bore their testimonies, Savannah asked when it would be her turn. I asked her what she would say if she went up there. "I know the church is true. I love the scriptures. And I'll think of some other words." Two seconds later she goes up all by herself! After a few sentences I had to stand up and help her. After the usual I love my family and am thankful for my teacher, I am ready for her to be done. She adds, "I am thankful for the scriptures and I know someday I'll have some of my own because I don't have any yet." Of course I hear laughter from the crowd.

Fast forward to the following Wednesday when we help a lady in the ward get rid of some stuff. In a box of books we find this brand new, still in the plastic, triple combination. Savannah was so excited! She came home and immediately wrote her name on the cover and asked for a bookmark. She asks me to read them and plays like she is reading them to her stuffed animals. What a good lesson for her on bearing her testimony! I think I will just learn that lesson from her instead of trying it out myself:)

Where have you been???

2011-07-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

In random order...

Tubing at Lake Powell

Trying to train a puppy -

it's a good thing he's so cute!

Having a Fourth of July waterfight

Visiting Disneyland way back in April -

in a cute shirt and cardigan I left at the hotel never to be seen again:(

Driving by Tropic Reservoir -

on a 30-mile quad ride on my own quad!

Sightseeing at Bryce Canyon

Enjoying a good book in the shaded part of the garden -

(Barbie Secret of the Rainbow she had to have from at the DI.)

Lots of crafting -

for her, not me.

We just hooked up our new computer and it is super fast.

Maybe I'll post a little more often.

Maybe.

2011-03-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last week we went on a field trip to the fire station with Savannah's preschool. I think I liked it more than she did, although she was impressed that they had four fridges. The firemen were very nice, but she didn't want anything to do with firefighter Les once he got all his gear on. Can you believe how big those tires are?!

And here is my little farmer with her first home-grown strawberry! (The plant had green fruit on it when we bought it, but since it ripened in our garden, I call it home-grown). Savannah dressed herself in this outfit and asked if she looked like a farmer. Everyone at the farm and Home Depot thought she looked adorable.

And now I am off for a Diet Coke and a treat!

Poor baby!

2011-03-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a little update just so you have something new to look at.

Isn't Savannah the most pathetic looking thing ever? She had a fever and a cough from Thursday to Sunday, so I took her to the urgent care clinic. Turns out she has bronchitis and an ear infection. Her oxygen levels were low so they gave her a breathing treatment. I sent Jer a pic without an explanation and he freaked out! Amazingly, her fever is gone now, but getting her to take medicine three times a day is a pain.

This beauty cheers us both up! I had Steve hang this chandelier while they were in town last week. Don't mind the pink background - her bedspread is rather bright and makes the whole room glow!

We are taking reservations. We are going to Disneyland April 9-15 (you're just jealous!) and Holly has already spoken for Easter weekend. Call and book your getaway today!

Just like Dad

2010-12-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

How cute does she look in her little robe and slippers?! The slippers are too big, but she loves them so she wears them with socks and I tape them on! She sleeps in them so her feet won't get cold when she goes to the bathroom. Smart thinking!!

See that paper airplane she's holding? Jer made that on Monday and she plays with it every day. It flies way better than the ones I make.
This is a cute book we checked out from the library. Jeremy hadn't seen it so Savannah decided to show it to him. "Dad look at this funny book. It's called Those Damn Birds!" Wonder where she gets that from? I thought Jeremy might pee his pants he laughed so hard.

If you look closely you'll see my pretty flowers in the background. Jer surprised me with them earlier in the week. He also got some pink ones for Annie. She was so excited. Super sweet!

It's About Time

2010-12-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

I am finally taking the time to post some pics!

First the birthday:

Savannah was so happy to have her friends come celebrate with her. Although she did have a meltdown when she didn't win musical chairs.

I tried my hand at twisting balloons - swords for the boys and flowers for the girls. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Here is the giant cupcake cake. I wasn't as impressed with it as the people on TV. However, I think my Starburst shapes turned out really cute. The kids loved them!

Can you believe I paid $5 for a card?!? It plays a song from the first Tinkerbell movie and was worth every penny! She can sing the song now and it is so cute.

This is what Savannah wears everyday. She puts on the dress and tiara right after she gets dressed and won't take it off. We go shopping and to the library like this. She's little enough that people think she's cute instead of crazy.

Notice the beauty mark she drew on her cheek? I asked her who she was trying to be like and she said Charlotte on Princess and the Frog. Very observant girl.

Annie loves going to preschool and I am amazed at what she has learned. She can actually read the little books she bring home from school! She is forever drawing pictures and hanging them up all over the house. I couldn't be any prouder of her. Oh, and she has moved out of my bed and into a little bed of her own on our floor! Baby steps...

I will leave you with our conversation from last night:

"If I had a baby brother and he was crying, I would just pick him up from his crib and feed him a bottle. Then he wouldn't cry anymore." (She talks about a baby brother frequently.)

"Mom, why don't you have another baby?"

"I don't know. Maybe that's something we can pray about. Do you know who is going to have a baby? Jacob's mom."

"She should give us that baby."

If only it were that easy!

Merry Christmas and see you soon!

Sweet girl

2010-12-02T21:57:00.000-08:00

I will post birthday pics eventually, but in the mean time I leave you with this story.

I pulled out the Christmas decorations this week including Savannah's pink tinsel tree. She was very excited. We took it in her room and plugged it in. She immediately said, "I'm going to pray." I kind of ignored her. She started to walk out of the room, but turned back and said, "Shall we pray?" I said sure. She climbed on her bed and said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to make sure she could keep her tree. I don't know what made her think to do it, but I found it really sweet.

Thinking like a three year-old

2010-11-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

Savannah just asked me "How do fish poop?" I told her to ask her dad!

Let's ride!

2010-10-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

We went to a dry lakebed just outside of Boulder City to ride quads yesterday and I actually had fun! It was beautiful weather and the terrain was very beginner friendly. We rode for a while and then had a picnic in the park in Boulder. It was a great way to spend the day.

Of course Savannah loved driving her own gas-powered quad. She scared us a few times, but she got the hang of it and rode very well. I was such a proud mama!

"Mom, I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"I think something."

"What do you think?"

"I think riding is the best!"

Could she be any cuter!?! Hope your Saturday was as good as mine.

Growing Up

2010-09-07T19:37:00.001-07:00

"You can go now." That is what Savannah said to me as she walked into preschool today and just like that dismissed me from her life. I'm not going to lie, I love having a few hours to myself, but does she have to be so eager to be free of me too? We just had dinner as a family and then Annie did her homework at the table (she is a genius just like her mother.) I hope she is this sweet about doing "real" homework when the time comes. I can't believe how big she is. I am getting old.
We spent the weekend in Flagstaff four-wheeling with a bunch of Ruff's friends. Savannah was in heaven! She picked a million flowers, went for walks in the woods, and got filthy with her new friends. When I asked what her favorite part of the trip was, she said "the bubbles". Go figure!

Savannah and I held hands and walked to the mailbox last night. Out of the blue my sweet girl says, "Mom do you know why I love you? Because I like you." I don't know what I'd do without her. I wish I could bottle up the sweet moments and save them forever.

It has been three weeks since I began this post, so now I will just add a few pics and call it done.

I found Savannah munching on a cookie and looking at every book in the toyroom. I don't know why she looks so grumpy.
The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. Very cool to do (with a coupon).
That's me rock climbing at Lake Powell! Someone had to see where that rope went.Heavy rain in Page caused this huge waterfall. It was amazing!
This is sweet Aden that has been staying with us.

And last but definitely not least, we have trees! Twelve of them including four fruit trees. Hopefully in a few years we'll have shade.

See you soon!

Help me!!!

2010-07-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, Savannah is cute and funny, but she is going to be the death of me!!! She is the queen of "no", using all the tape in the house and shouting for no reason.

If we make it to her fourth birthday, let alone her wedding day, it will be a miracle!

But, she does something funny and "abracadabra!", I forget that she's a pain in the butt. I can't stay mad for long when her Dad comes home and does "spider hair". A lifetime ago we went to Lake Powell (at least it feels that way). Of course, Savannah loved it. She couldn't get enough of the tube. Every time we got in the boat, she asked to ride on it. When the big boys chickened out, she hopped right on!
And after Powell came the family reunion. Here is one of the few quiet moments in the motorhome while driving to Oregon. Now that I think of it, why didn't Sherie have to take her turn in there???

Here is the happy girl before she was almost washed away. She still talks about it.

Of course a ride on the merry-go-round made it all better.

Annie had lots of fun playing with her cousins on the beach until Luke dumped her fishies out. Yes, she is still talking about that too.

Jer missed her terribly, but she filled him in on all the happenings.
Last weekend we went to Flagstaff with the Ruffs. This picture doesn't even do justice to the dirt. I ended up throwing this shirt away!It looks like Savannah has the same problem as some of her aunts when she is away from home. I got tired of sitting in the bathroom with her so I just put her potty outside. She sat there for at least twenty minutes and still nothing, but she enjoyed herself.

Now we're back home and she has no one to play with again. She plays with playdough a lot and tosses her dollies in the air constantly. I'm not sure what's so fun about that, but it keeps her occupied.

She has suddenly taken an interest in choosing her own clothes and hair accessories. She picked red sparkly barrettes this day so she would "be special". Then she chose this dress and said, "Don't I look fabulous?"

This post has taken me hours to put together, so I have calmed down now. We were just outside flying Savannah's new kite and now she is stapling away at her desk. Let's hope tomorrow is a little easier than today.

Surprise!!

2010-05-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am, two months late and two dollars short. I'm not sure what I've been up to, but it obviously hasn't been blogging. I'll throw a bunch of pictures at you and some funny stories and hope you forgive me for my absence.

Faster daddy, faster! You can't believe how big this helmet is. I don't know how she can even hold her head up!

Holly, Tyler and the kids joined us for Easter. The kids had so much fun riding quads out back and of course, dying eggs.Savannah was so excited to get her "raymonica." She played lots of beautiful music for us "just like on American Idol."

Uh-oh! Caught in the act. Annie got hold of some stuffing and made a mountain which she then decorated with flowers. So creative!Isn't she cute?! Here I attempted to get a picture of her sore neck. For about three days she couldn't turn her head. We felt so bad for her, but it was funny to watch her turn her whole body when we called her name.
Weird science!
Have I told you how smart and imaginative Savannah is? She put these boxes on her feet and walked around for a few minutes. Then she went to the pantry and got the swiffers and told me she was "skiboarding." The next day she got her blocks and the coaster and asked to play the game like at Cici's Pizza. It took me a minute to realize she wanted to play air hockey. Super smart!
Here is Savannah with her friends at Lake Mojave last weekend. That is my style of offroading!And after all that fun, the angel fell asleep.

I guess we have been pretty busy. Sorry to stay gone so long. I'll at least try to take more pictures in the future.

Progress

2010-03-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Savannah slept in her bed all night last night! She came in my room at 4:00 and asked if I would lay with her for a few minutes which I did. She didn't come back in our room 'til 7:00! Tonight I read her two stories and left the room and I haven't heard from her since. Thanks Kidman family for having a routine we can follow!

Finally catching up

2010-03-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

FYI - I started this post before I went to Salt Lake and I'm not changing it now.

Let me start by saying I am glad the Olympics are over. I loved watching them, but I didn't go to bed 'til 1:00 every night and I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep. Savannah even liked them and would say she wanted to do each sport she saw. I am fine with skiing and skating, but I draw the line at bobsledding. Also, did anyone else notice that Canada rocks?! Each time their national anthem played, not only did the athletes sing, the entire audience sang along. I didn't notice any group singing when we hosted the Olympics. Get with the program America!

Jeremy gave Savannah this little camp chair and a card for Valentine's Day. She loved them! The card sings "My Girl" and Jer recorded a little message on it too. Annie listened to it a million times. How much longer will she be satisfied with the little things?

No, Jer didn't have the chicken pox. Annie decorated his face with her gem stickers and then they both fell asleep.

Here's Savannah cruising on her quad at Lake Havasu. We went with the Ruffs and the kids had so much fun chasing each other on the quads and jeeps. Annie is a little dare devil when she drives, but it doesn't cross over to the slide.

Here's a glimpse of the playroom after Luke, Annie and Ike stormed through. It's so nice to be able to just close the door!

And here is a pic of my little "artistac." I don't know what that means, but Savannah always says it when she is painting. She was obsessed with using her easel and paints for a few days and I love the paintings she made but not enough to save them. I know I am evil, but I can't stand to have papers lying everywhere. I'll start saving the pictures when I can really tell what she has painted.

It was so nice to see everyone this past week. Thanks for visiting and crafting with me and for entertaining my daughter. (I said goodnight to her at 9:00 and left Jer to read her a story. He has yet to come out of her room. I told you he would have a hard time with the bedtime ritual.) A HUGE thanks to Sherie and Clark for letting me interrupt their week. Love and miss you all and can't wait to have you visit us!

2010-02-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

We finally have cousins coming to visit and Savannah is so excited. She talks about Isaac all the time. Today she was eating an apple and said she was going to share it with Isaac when he comes. She also plans on marrying him using a rubberband as a wedding ring.

It will be nice to have Ike and Luke here to play with her and even better now that the yard is somewhat done. We bought some sand toys and Annie is in heaven. We are working on "sand stays in the sandbox" rule.

Here's a look at our beautiful grass which Savannah loves. It will be so nice and cool when it warms up. It'll also cut down on the dirt in the house:)
I don't know why she likes it so much, by my little "cracker" plays on this piece of sod all the time. I guess it's just her size.

I finally got around to some sewing. Savannah was so excited when she saw "Hoot" on my sewing table. "That's just like the owl at Holly's work!" She carries it all around and has taken to chewing on the wings. I'm pretty sure they are going to fall off before too long. I'm going to make owls in every color of the rainbow. They are so cute!

Here is something I worked on while the Brooks were visiting. I am pretty proud of myself for being able to do it. The side towers had to be sewn on by hand and my fingers took a beating. I plan on using this for our church bag - lots of room to store snacks, books, crayons, etc. It's a lot of pink, but you can never have too much pink, right?

Well, that's about it for me. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Rock on

2010-02-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

Eighty-six tons of rock, twelve tons of sand, one happy girl!

Savannah could spend the entire day playing outside as long as someone is around to push her on demand. Luckily, Nana and Papa are here to follow orders for one more day.

The elders quorum president arranged to have a bunch of men and a backhoe here to move rock last Saturday. Men started showing up at 7:30 (fifteen total!) and by 9:00 they had leveled half the rock and all of the sand. These are people who had never met us, but showed up because we needed help. I am still in awe of their kindness.

Steve has been hard at work for two weeks assembling the swingset, digging trenches, laying sprinklers and more. What would we do without him?

Jeremy found another use for his quad and Steve thought it looked like fun. That is a piece of a pizza oven conveyer belt they are using to level the ground. Boys and their toys!

Here are a few pics of what we've done so far:

Swingset and sandbox

Before rock

After rock

Fire and horseshoe pits

Who wants to make a reservation???

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2010-01-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

How does the weather know when you have outdoor plans? Sue and Steve are down here to help landscape the backyard, but we haven't been able to do much. We had hoped to finish the playground today, but as you can see, the weather didn't cooperate. We are having rock delivered on Friday and I hope the big trucks don't get stuck in the mud!
Here is Savannah showing off her "beautiful centerpiece". She learned that from Max and Ruby. It's amazing what she learns from TV. By the way, she can now pronounce her name correctly - no more Sasannah.
And here is the little angel sleeping with her bear. How can she be so sweet while sleeping and such a nightmare when awake?! Everything I tried to feed her today she would push away and say "Yuck!" Everything except strawberries, smarties and cheetos. Somebody help me!

I'll leave you with another sweet Savannah moment as Jer was leaving for work:

"Daddy aren't you forgetting something? My hug."

Big Girl

2010-01-19T20:15:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Jeremy assembled Savannah's big girl bed and last night she slept in it all night! That was the first time she has slept in her own room all night since we moved here! Maybe we should have given her a big girl bed a long time ago. As I type this she is already sound asleep which is crazy for her. What will I do all night??

Yesterday we drove to St. George to visit with Sherie and the kids. Savannah wasn't very social and went shopping with us instead of playing with the kids. She saw these hearts and asked me to take her picture with them, so I did. Today she asked me to take a picture of her by the paper towels at Costco, but I told her no. I don't know why she suddenly wants her picture taken, but it's nice that she poses willingly, even though she hasn't gotten the smile down yet;)

One more memory before I go.

Jeremy: "Pick it up before Dad gets mad."

Savannah: "Don't get mad, get glad."

Let's try a new approach

2010-01-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am a big FAT slacker! Admitting it is half the battle, right? I have decided to try to follow Becky Higgins advice and take a picture of the day (and maybe post it if I remember). It will be just a reminder of what happened that day with a thought to accompany it.

First, I am going to throw a picture in from the 6th just so I will remember how silly Savannah is. She nearly emptied the pantry going grocery shopping, then lined it all up on the kitchen floor. It kept her busy for at least an hour. Look how nice and evenly spaced the items are. Perhaps she did get something from me!

This is todays picture of the day. We hung up some raingutter shelves in the toyroom tonight and Savannah said, "You are a awesome driller Daddy." Such a sweet girl!

I really am going to try to follow my picture of the day plan. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-11-17T15:45:00.001-08:00

How is it possible that three years have gone by since this little angel joined our family? I hate to think how fast the next three years will go by.

My little Jeremy Jr. about a week old. You know, back when I was starving her.

Beautiful one-year-old birthday girl who has learned how to eat.

Darling two-year-old who still likes sweets and is all smiles.

I really can't believe how fast Savannah has grown. I feel like I've missed it all even though I'm with her all day every day. She is so smart and curious and constantly asking "what does that mean?" I guess three is really going to be harder than two. Annie has perfected tantrums, telling us "no", and pushing away her plate with a disgusted "eewwwww". She tries my patience, but I can't imagine a day without her.

I love you Savannah and I can't wait to see the woman you grow into, but please don't grow up too fast.

Beautiful Funny Girl

2009-11-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

I may be biased, but has there ever been a cuter girl?!?

Contrary to popular belief, I actually do Savannah's hair on occasion. Of course it only stays cute for ten minutes and then she messes it up. Oh well, at least I caught this day on film.

Here is my darling Rosetta on Halloween. She was so excited to go trick-or-treating. She actually walked in those shoes for about five houses before she made me carry her. She doesn't understand why she can't go trick-or-treating anymore. "Halloween is over" just doesn't cut it.

Even Jer got into the Halloween spirit with his Harley gear. I threw on a witch costume at the last minute, but it wasn't worth a photo.

Annie got this trick-or-treat bag from Sonic and thought it made a beautiful hat. I had to remind her several times not to pull it down over her face. And yes, we do play ball while she's on the potty.

Savannah played in the dirt for to close to an hour on Sunday and this was the result. I don't know if you can see her face, but it was completely covered in dirt. She looked like a walking zombie!

I realize this photo is out of focus, but it's still cute. I don't know why Savannah insists on putting things on her head. At least these pull-ups were clean when she donned them.

Can you believe it has been three years since Annie was born?! She is SO excited for her Cars birthday party. She thinks everyone is coming to it. Today she told me her cousins were coming from Salt Lake to her party. She told everyone we saw at Walmart and the post office that it was her birthday. And you have never heard a greedier soon-to-be three year-old! Everything she sees is followed by "I wish I could have that for my birthday." Jer and I actually got a babysitter and went out birthday shopping last Friday! Hopefully Savannah will be happy with the presents we got her. I can't wait for her party either!

Another month disappears

2009-10-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

How can this year be moving so fast?! I'll give you another quick update of what we've been doing.

The Brooks came to visit over UEA. We did a little shopping and went to Cici's Pizza. Can't beat $10 for three people and Savannah loves it!

We went to a little farm near us that has a few animals, pumpkins and a maze for the kids. Savannah had so much fun running through the maze with some other little girls that were there.

Two weekends ago we went to Mesquite for the Xtreme Couture Combat Weekend. Ampro was a sponsor so Jeremy had to "work." It's a rough life when you are forced to play army with your buddies! The highlight of the weekend for Jer was meeting UFC champ Randy Couture. I don't think Annie was too impressed.

The highlight of the month for me was having Sherie, Ike and Luke come visit. We did a little shopping, some crafting and a lot of sitting around listening to my brat cry! Can you believe this picture of Annie and Luke glued to the tv was the only picture I took that weekend!?

Last Friday we went to the Fall Festival at the local elementary school. Savannah got to pick out three little pumpkins of her own. She also got to play games and won a goldfish. She was so excited! Today I killed that fish. I changed the water and added some aquarium rocks and I guess he didn't like it. Savannah looked at him and said, "Mommy, my fish is not swimming." I said maybe he was sleeping. "No, his eyes are open. He woke up!" Jeremy is going to pick up a new one on his way home from work. Hopefully it lasts more than three days.

On Saturday Savannah went to a birthday party for a friend from our old ward. She played with the other kids for about two minutes and spent the rest of the time at my side begging to go on the swings. Can I rent kids for her to play with???

Well that sums up our month. I'll sign off with another observation from Savannah. "Chickens say bock, bock, bock and poop out some eggs." Happy Halloween!

The "Bum-Bum" Song

2009-10-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Have you heard Savannah talk about the bum-bum song? I never knew what she was talking about until now. While I was blog-hopping Annie came up behind me with a big grin on her face and said, "That's the bum-bum song!" a.k.a. Disturbia. Now we're listening to it for the third time! Here are her observations about this song:

That's what Madi has.
We listened to it downstairs and Clay had it in his room.
Sherie has it in her craft room.

When I asked her how she got so smart to remember all that she said, "Because we danced to it everyday."

Aren't you glad the mystery has been solved?! Still waiting for reservations..........

Baby Sister

2009-09-26T20:46:00.001-07:00

I made the mistake of accompanying Jer and Savannah into PetSmart and walked out with a new addition to the family.

Meet Zee. She is a 10 month old German Shepherd whose parents lost their house. Her full name is Zlata, but we think that's weird so we're just going with Zee. So far she has been very well behaved, but I'm sure that will change. It was one year ago today that we put Jake down and I hope he doesn't mind. Hopefully Zee will prove to be as good as Jake was.

While I'm here I might as well share some pics of little missy. Savannah likes to show everything to Zee, but she doesn't want her too close. I hope they will get along.

This is the face Savannah pulls when she is proud of something she has done. After I took the picture of Zee, she told me to take a picture of her and Mater. (That's him with the smiley face.) She is getting to be quite the artist.

I'll close with this observation by Savannah: "It's stinky in here like someone farted."

Lazy days of summer

2009-09-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Looks like I'm way behind again. Here's a quick recap.

We spent Labor Day weekend at Lake Powell. Savannah had lots of fun fishing and playing with her cousins.
Sherie gave Annie these Tinkerbell pajamas. (They aren't neon pink in real life, I guess it was just the flash.) She loves them and wants to wear them every night. I think the mustache is the perfect touch, don't you?
We went home for Kamree's baptism and family pictures. Why couldn't Savannah smile that cute in the family photos?
We took a roadtrip to Phoenix to see the Ruff's. Savannah was really good in the car. She had lots of fun with Morgan and Mason and doesn't seem to bear any scars from being lost at the Kids Faire.
Now we're back home and it's just Annie and me during the day (and most of the night. Jer just got home!) She spends a lot of time putting together her puzzles. She does the Wubbzy one over and over and is so proud of herself when she's done. She always comes to me for a hug and praise when she's finished with it. I love and hate this stage at the same time. She is so smart, cute, funny and independent, but lately has been very whiney and booby too. Please don't tell me this is just the beginning. I may end up locking myself in the bathroom!

On a side note, it's cooling down and our guest room is empty. What are you waiting for????

Compliments to the chef

2009-09-22T18:34:00.001-07:00

"Mommy, that was the best pancakes with sprinkles in the world I ever tasted."

I wish everyone was that easy to please.

Big helper

2009-08-31T14:27:00.001-07:00

Savannah loves to "help" with things around the house. I let her put the silverware away and dust on occasion. Last night she helped Jer wash his truck. She looked so cute cleaning in her favorite "Hannah Montana" tennis shoes. I don't know why she calls them that, but she can put them on by herself and wears them all the time.

Savannah can entertain herself for hours with the simplest things. One of her new hobbies is "decorating" the plant in my bathroom with hair clips. I love her imagination!

Last night Savannah fell off the back of the couch and scared me to death. I kept checking her eyes to make sure they weren't dilated. I really thought I might have to take her to the doctor, but after a two hour nap, she was back to her old self. I'm glad Jer was home to comfort me because I was on the verge of panic. It was the first time I've been really worried about Annie, but I know it won't be the last. Thank goodness she has a hard head!

One Happy Mama

2009-08-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

I had such a great time "nursing" Sherie back to health. It was so nice to just sit and craft and not have to run all over the place (or cook, or clean, etc). The best part was being away from Annie for a few days. That may sound mean, but it was a wonderful change of pace. Thanks Sherie and Clark for letting me take over your bedroom floor!

Savannah is finally rid of the stinky binky, although she asks for it occasionally. She's still awake and asking Jer to watch "Wall-E" again. It's Friday night, so I'm off the hook. I love the weekend!

Have you heard Annie "wish" for anything? She says it all the time. This week she wished she had a siren on her head like Mater and that she could clean the toilet all by herself. I told her she had to be older to use the toilet wand and she said maybe her friends would give her one for her birthday. Isn't that just what you've always wanted?!

Sorry I don't have any new photos to share. Sherie would kill me if I posted her pics and that's all I took while I was up there. I'm busy working on witch cards and I'll share those sometime soon. Have a great weekend!

Finally...

2009-08-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from last month with a quick recap.

Annie was so excited to meet baby Hattie. This morning she told me she has a baby in her tummy!
Savannah loves to go to Sherie's because there are so many cool toys and she can play outside. I love that I don't have to watch her 24/7!

Savannah loved having Cam and Sidney at our house. They taught her how to sing and dance to Taylor Swift songs. Luckily, she doesn't remember them now.Ane here's my girl following in my footsteps. For some reason she loved looking at this book of Camry's.
The Bountiful 24th Parade was so exciting to Savannah. She still tells people about the sticky candy, sirens, clowns and music. She has never mentioned how hot it was.

Of course swimming was another highlight of our trip. She still talks about floating on Dora.

I'll have to invest in a tube the next time we go swimming.
Savannah will never forget doing fireworks with Grandpa. She remembers that they were loud and scared Luke. She loved throwing the "poppers" and catching a parachute. Hopefully we'll get to see them again next year.

Annie loves to draw. I got this easel at Ikea and she uses it all the time. This is a picture she drew of herself, daddy and me (from left to right.) At first she only drew herself and Jer. She explained to me as she drew their faces, hair and shirts, that I was at the store. I guess I came home because she drew me next. I love her creativity at this age! Jeremy saves every picture she colors at church. Now I know how Sherie's scrap room gets so cluttered!

Well, that sums up this post. I'll be back when I have more pictures or stories to share.

Update on Annie

2009-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jeremy has taken my camera to work so I can't upload photos. But I thought I'd share some things Savannah is doing now so I can remember them later.

"Cars is my favorite movie ever." Annie watches Cars daily and now everything she plays with has a character's name. For instance, she plays with her baby spoons and each color has a name. The purple one is Sally; pink is "the bad guy", aka Chick; and white is "Rocky", aka The Rookie Lightning McQueen. I know she is strange, but she's an only child with a big imagination.

Aside from Wow Wow Wubbzy, her favorite cartoons are Caillou and Phineas and Ferb. The other day she yelled "mom" so I said "what." She replied, "Phineas and Ferb are making a title sequence." Do you think she's seen it too many times?!

Savannah no longer takes a nap. You'd think this would make her really tired at night and she'd fall asleep easily. Wrong! Most nights it's a fight to get her to go to bed, but we're working on it. She still ends up in our room every night around 1:30 and that's where she stays.

Annie can do a somersault on her own now. She can also wash her hands by herself. It's nice to be able to tell her to wash her hands after eating instead of cleaning up with baby wipes.

Savannah loves to sing and make music. Whenever we get in the car she asks for Jimmy Buffett. Her favorite song is Brown Eyed Girl, aka Sha-la-la. She always tells me to sing the chorus and stops me if I start singing the actual verses. One day I heard her say "watching the sun bake." I asked her what she was doing and she said, "just singing Margaritaville." Looks like there's another Parrothead in the family!

Well, that's it for now. I really will post some pics soon.

What a vocabulary!

2009-07-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

Me: How about spaghetti for dinner?
Annie: No, that's embarassing.

Annie: Mom, I can fart in my panties, but I can't pee in them. That would be weird.

I will be back to update with pics and such later tonight.

Two steps back...

2009-07-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

My lazy parenting has come back to bite me again. I guess Savannah got used to wearing pullups while we were in Salt Lake because now she just goes in her panties wherever she is. Most recently it was in her toy room. I made her sit on the potty while I cleaned it up and after a few minutes she started yelling, "Mom, it wasn't my fault." Where did she learn that?????

I'll be back another time with photos and fun from our trip.

Lake Powell and more

2009-07-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I didn't take a single picture while at the family reunion? I guess I tend to forget I have a kid when my sisters are around. I did manage to snap this one of Savannah on the drive home from Salt Lake. Doesn't she look comfy?

We made it back safely from a week at Lake Powell and Annie's not even sunburned! She had such a good time there. All she wanted to do was swim whether anyone else was in the water or not. I'm not sure where her bravery comes from, but it certainly isn't from me.Here we are at Rainbow Bridge which you can just barely see above my head. It was way too hot to make the hike up the trail so we settled for the view from a distance.

It looks like Savannah is going to be a water fanatic just like her dad. Here they are kayaking. Notice the arm Jer made in prosthetic school just for this purpose? This is the first time he's actually used it and it worked great.

Annie also tried riding the waverunner behind the boat with Jeremy. She wasn't concerned when he fell off either. You could barely see the top off her head when they started going faster, but Jeremy said she had a lot of fun.

Brayden and Alex each had their own fishing poles and Savannah wanted to join in the fun. So while we were at Walmart, Jer bought her a princess fishing pole. She was so excited! They actually caught a fish on it which she helped reel in, but she didn't let it get too close.

It was a very relaxing week and fun to watch Savannah enjoying herself so much. Perhaps some of you would like to join us over Labor Day? Maybe we can borrow this boatplane.

Or perhaps you would rather travel by helicopter?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a small taste of how the other half lives? I'm going to start playing the lottery!

My Girl Rocks!!!

2009-06-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my little girl! Earlier this evening Savannah went in the backyard to play. After a few minutes she came back in, picked up her princess potty and carried it out back. After one false alarm, she sat down and pooped! Then just a couple minutes ago, she actually pulled her panties down and went pee by herself! She has never gone completely on her own! I am one proud peacock! Mind you, yesterday I was going to beat her. She went to card group with me and peed and pooped her pants. I told her she was naughty and couldn't watch TV all night. I guess that punishment worked!

I am also very amused by Annie. She is totally into knock knock jokes. Usually she just makes up some word that makes no sense. Tonight when I asked who's there, she said tissue. Tissue who? Do you need a tissue to get the boogies out of your nose? It was pretty funny. At dinner she decided she didn't want nachos. She pushed her plate away and said, "Mommy I want some different food." I'm sure the time will come when I won't find that so amusing, but tonight I laughed. I hope you all find something to laugh about too.

More catching up

2009-06-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'll skip the chit chat and just post some pics.

Bonnie Springs old western town and petting zoo

Yes, the deer had a goiter.

Riding the train

Bass Pro Shops

"I'm birdwatching."

Here fishy, fishy.

Dancing water at Bellagio

Playing at the splash park

Ill be back with more pics and a potty training update later.

More fun in the sun

2009-06-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

I need to do some catching up, so I'm going back a while. I bought Savannah a Wow Wow Wubbzy puzzle and she loves it. You can't believe how well she can put it together on her own. Of course, sometimes she gets frustrated and just throws it on the floor. She must be a perfectionist like her mommy!
A few weekends ago we met the Ruff's at Lake Havasu. Annie had a blast playing with Morgan and Mason, or "Morgie" and "my little brother" as she called them. We bought her a new lifejacket and she was swimming like a fish! (She gets that from her daddy.) She didn't care if we were in the water or not, she would just walk out until she was floating. It was a little scary, but she had so much fun.

We went to Lake Powell over Memorial Day and Savannah loved it. The weather was chilly, so she never did get in the water, but she had a blast anyway. Steve took her hiking and she couldn't get enough! If you turned your back, she was back up the hill. She played so well with her cousins and they took good care of her.

One of the highlights of the trip for Annie was roasting marshmallows. Any time she sees a fire she asks if we can do marshmallows. She was so happy when we told her yes this time.

It appears that the computer is working again so I'll be back with another update soon.

Woohoo!!!

2009-06-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

Annie went poop in the potty! She had been saying throughout the day that she needed to, but then she would just pee. This time she said it and, after sitting there for at least ten minutes, she actually did. She had two accidents today where she waited a little too long to make it to the potty, but I'd say she is doing very well. Of course, she will still go in a diaper if she has one on, but at least she's on the right track.

Potty training...

2009-06-02T16:59:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I decided to put some panties on Savannah just to see what would happen. She looks so cute in them! How is it possible that she's old enough to wear them? Anyway, I put her princess potty in the kitchen so she could sit and watch TV if needed. After about twenty minutes, she jumped up off the couch and said she needed to go potty. She sat on the princess potty for a few, then moved to the Dora potty in the bathroom, then went back to the princess potty. After a few seconds, we heard music!!! (The princess potty plays music when it senses moisture.) I was so shocked and proud!

About an hour later she was standing on a chair watching me make dinner. She suddenly realized she needed to go, but it was a little late. I sat her on the Dora potty anyway and she had quite a bit more in her. Again, so proud. After she was finished, she said, "Sorry I got pee on the chair Mommy." Isn't she sweet? Of course, I assured her it was okay.

This morning I had her sit on the potty, but nothing happened. I put her Dora undies on her and she went out back. After fifteen minutes or so she came in and said, "Sorry Mommy, I'll clean it up." She had peed on the patio, but got the broom to try and clean it up. Too cute! I wonder when I'll actually get mad at her for having an accident? Right now I'm just too thrilled with her successes to care about her mishaps.

On Sunday we took Savannah to Bellagio to see the "dancing water." She was really excited when she saw it from the car. As we were walking inside she said, "Mommy, that dancing water is awfully high." Where does she learn to talk like that? Of course, once we were outside watching the show, she just wanted to go back home.

We are excited to come home for the reunion. Annie keeps asking, "Where are we going next week?" By the way, the other day she asked me to write her name, so I wrote Annie. I asked her if that was her name and she said yes. When I asked who calls her that, she said Sherie calls her Annie Brooks. See, she hasn't forgotten you.

Love and miss you all!!!

Yes, I love technology...

2009-05-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Can't you hear Kip singing that to Lafaunda??

I don't love my computer. I can't get my pictures to upload, so it may be a few more days before I update the blog. Just thought I'd let you know the reason for my absence.

In case you were wondering, today Savannah loves "grasshoppers, and spiders and stuff."

Excuse me??

2009-05-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

"Savannah, can you give me that toy under the couch?"

"Sorry Mommy, I'm too busy playing my instrument."

Happy Mom and Dad's Day

2009-05-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day and Jer's birthday, so we celebrated both by going to the lake on Saturday. The weather was beautiful, the boat ran great and we had a very nice time. The water was way too cold for me to get in, but Jer and Savannah went for a few dunks.
While we were relaxing at the beach, Savannah wanted to play hide and seek. Here she is hiding behind the umbrella pole. She doesn't quite get the concept of hiding, but she's really good at counting to ten. I remember talking Kathy into buying Lily this swimming suit and I can't believe that Annie's wearing it now. Where does the time go?

Just thought I'd share a few of my mother's day treats. Jer surprised me with a Willow Tree plaque to remind me that he's still in love with me. How sweet! And how cute is that picture of Annie?! That's what she "made" for me in nursery. I love being a mom!!! (Most of the time.)

Here's a little update on bedtime. Yes, she's still on the stinky binky, and yes, she still comes into my room every night. I have always been the one to put her to bed, but since we took apart the crib, she refuses to stay in bed for me. Enter Jeremy the Magician. He puts her to bed now and she is out in minutes. Last night it literally took him two minutes to get her to sleep. He claims he just lays by her and tells her to close her eyes. That sounds too easy. Maybe he's using the "sleeper hold" on her!! No matter - I'm just enjoying the quiet.

Diego knows best

2009-05-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

"Mom, what the scarlett macaw says?"

"Caaaw, caaw."

"No, it says 'ayuda me'."

Silly stuff

2009-05-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share a few funny things Savannah has said lately.

"Look mom, I'm a hang-flier!" That's a hang glider in Savannah speak. (She'd been watching Diego).

I have been reading a lot lately and Annie doesn't really like it. I finished one book and she found it on the table while I was working on lunch. She opened it and started "reading". I asked her what she wanted for lunch and she ignored me. I sat by her and called her name. She looked at me and said, "What mom?" I asked her if she wanted spaghetti. She looked down and said, "I'm busy reading my book." I don't know where she gets that from!! Yesterday I was reading on the couch and she wanted to play a game. She grabbed my book and said, "No more reading!" She sounds just like her dad.

This picture does no justice to how dusty and dirty Savannah was last night. We had ten tons of rock delivered yesterday and she had a blast digging and sliding down the pile. I can't wait 'til there's more to the backyard than dirt!

What happened to April?

2009-04-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where did that month go? I'll try to remember what we've been up to and share a few pics.

Weeks ago we went to the Clark County Fair. I was super excited to take Savannah, but it wasn't quite the State Fair. She did have lots of fun riding the rides. She kept asking to go on the ferris wheel, but I didn't want to wait in the long line. Her favorite part of the day was digging up vegetables in a giant sandbox. At least we didn't have to pay for her to get in!!Easter was lots of fun at our house. Savannah found her easter basket and said, "Look dada, it's magic!" She took everything out and then put it all back in. She thought finding eggs and candy was the coolest thing ever! When she had found them all, she kept searching for more so Jeremy would sneak them out of her basket and rehide them. She could have kept it up all day.
Annie had lots of fun coloring eggs. Her favorite part was tasting the dye. It's nontoxic - I checked!
Of course the best part of April was going home to see the family, especially baby Will. Savannah loved him and still calls every baby boy she sees Will. She had so much fun playing with her cousins. I feel bad that she only has me to hang out with now. We need visitors!!!
Savannah loved Sherie's swingset. Our goal is to have one of our own by the end of the summer.

While Annie loved being in Salt Lake, she was only too happy to come home to her daddy. Every morning she asks me, "Where's my dada?" If you thought Savannah had me wrapped around her finger, you should see Jer with her. He does discipline her, but she gets away with way more than you'd expect. We are a super blessed and happy family!

By the way, it's warm here and we are taking reservations!!!!!!!

Surprise - I caved!!

2009-03-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

I gave up last night and I don't feel that bad about it. Savannah has been a nightmare to get to sleep since I stole her binky, even for naps. I had to take her for a ride in the car to get her to fall asleep for naptime and she usually loves taking a nap, but then she usually has her binky. So last night at 10:45 when she was still running around, I found a binky hiding in the truck and gave it to her. She hadn't asked for it since Sunday, but she was happy to see it. I put her in her bed and didn't hear another peep out of her(until 3:00 of course.) She slept in until 9:00! I am willing to let her keep that stinky binky if it means more sleep for all of us. Maybe I need to go out of town and have someone else break her of the habit. Any volunteers?

I did snap this sweet photo of Savannah on Tuesday night. She had been whining for 30 minutes and then screaming for another 30 because she didn't want to go to sleep. I sat down on the floor by her crib and told her if she would lay down I would tickle her cheek and sing a song. Instead, she said she wanted to sleep on the floor. So I made her a bed, turned on her lamp, gave her a book and walked out. This is how I found her twenty minutes later.

She woke up at 3:00 and I took her to my bed. After demanding her cow pillow and bear, she decided she wanted to go back to her room. Surprisingly she stayed there until 7:00. Of course, that didn't work on Wednesday which is why I gave up. I'll try again someday.

I'll leave you with Savannah's conversation in the car today. There is a windmill on the side of the road which she calls a steering wheel for some reason. Today she said, "Mom I can't reach the steering wheel, it's too high. I know what to do! I need a ladder to climb." Don't tell me that TV doesn't teach kids something!

Where's my binky?

2009-03-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am trying to break Savannah of the binky and it isn't pretty, just ask Sherie. We spent the weekend in St. George with Nat, Sherie, Luke, Sidney, Isaac and Lily which was lots of fun. I decided it would be a good time to lose the binky since I'd have sisters around who had been through the ordeal before. I'm not sure Sherie appreciated my timing. When it was time for bed Thursday night, Annie asked where her binky was and I told her I left it at home. Of course she wanted me to go get it, but I told her it was too far away. Start the screaming...fifteen minutes later still screaming. She finally falls asleep only to wake up twice in the night screaming. She didn't ask for her binky the rest of the weekend, but then she didn't go to bed until 11:30 or 12:30 the next two nights. Fast forward to Sunday night at 9:00 at our house. I had Savannah kiss Jer goodnight and she immediately asked for her binky. After much crying, rocking and storytelling, she fell asleep about 10:30. Naptime today wasn't much better. She wouldn't have anything to do with her bed, so I held her on the couch until she fell asleep. I keep telling myself "stay strong, this should only last another day or two." Right???

Anyway, we did have a lot of fun with the fam in St. George, thanks in no small part to our luxurious hotel - aka Michelle's house. The pool was heaven and it was so nice to be able to let the kids loose on the yard. I can't wait til we have a fence!

There was no shortage of dress-ups at Michelle's house and everyone was in on the fun, including Sherie. She put on an old man mask and scared the crap out of Luke and Annie!
Just look at those muscles! Too bad he doesn't use them to pick up his own poop!!! Thank you Sherie and Nat for the wonderful weekend! I hope we can do it again soon.

I'll leave you with one little photo of Savannah. (I don't want another scorching e-mail from Dad!!) Annie loves to play in the dirt in the backyard. We have a fireplace shovel just her size and she creates dirt rainshowers with it. Good thing she likes taking baths!

Love and miss you all!

Guess what??

2009-03-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Chicken butt!!! That's a nice little saying Jer taught Savannah and now she says it all the time. Of course she still likes to tell you that "Walmart sucks" and "Costco rocks". She is a little tape recorder and repeats everything she hears. She loves to act out her cartoons, especially Ni Hao Kailan. She is always saying "I know what to do!" I love to hear talk, but she is already sassing me at two years old! I'm in for big trouble as she gets older.

Here is a picture of Savannah making a tambourine. She found a metal tin that had mints in it and told me it was a tambourine (I'm guessing she saw it on a cartoon.) Of course I didn't want mints flying everywhere, so I had her make her own tambourine. She colored it and put a million stickers on it. It looks like she is going to be "crafty" like me. She sits at her spot at my craft desk and says "I'm creating."

Annie loves to listen to daddy tell stories, especially Goldilocks or The Three Little Pigs. I had to take a picture of her one night because she was just fixated on Jer's mouth as he spoke. She has him wrapped around her little finger!

Jeremy went to Walmart last Saturday to "get some screws". When he came home he told me to keep Savannah out of the back garage until he called her in. She didn't like it, but I told her daddy had a surprise for her. When she saw her tool bench she said "It's my birthday!" She was so excited to have her own tools and immediately started drilling everything in sight. What a sweet daddy Jeremy is!

We have been watching the Tinkerbell movie lately and Annie wanted to dress up like her. One of Jer's coworkers gave her this costume for her birthday and she loves it. She has to wear the wings and makes me "fly" her around the house. She is all girl!

Trin, Matt and the boys spent the night with us last night. Savannah was so happy to have some cousins to play with, even though it was a very short visit. Alex loved carrying her around and Brayden got to show off his spinning skills for her. When it was time for bed, Annie crawled right in bed with them. We love having family come to visit and wish it happened more often. Somebody please book a reservation soon!!!

New House

2009-02-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

We finally made it into the new house. This is how Savannah spent the first four days until we had the cable installed. I don't know what we would have done without the DVD player or the new Wubbzy movie I bought. I realize I'm raising a TV junkie, but sometimes I need to get things done! Annie really likes the "new house" as she always calls it, though she still reminds me that there's "nuffing in the pantry" at the old house.

I have to share some of Savannah's imagination with you. She found this shelf organizer and I was amazed at everything it tranformed into. First she said, "Mommy, it's a table. Sit down have a snack." Then she laid down under it and said, "It's a blanket for sleep." Over the next five minutes it became a "base helmet", car and bathtub. She makes me so happy, proud, exhausted and frustrated, and I love her to pieces!

We were lucky enough to have Grandma, Fifi, Camry and Lily come visit last weekend. Although they were saddened that we don't have a pool, the kids thought the new hot tub was fun. Annie had a blast playing with her cousins. Now she asks me, "Where are my kids?" Hopefully more cousins will come visit us soon (hint, hint)!

Here is a cute picture of the little guinea pigs. Savannah loves to climb in this "cage" and pretend she really is one. She'll play like she's eating carrots or celery. You need to enlarge the photo to see the sign Camry made. It reads "Giney Pig for sale 10$". She made it up all on her own! Jeremy was so impressed with her creativity, as was I. She definitely takes after her mother.

Sorry these posts are so few and far between. Hopefully once we get more settled in, I'll make a better effort at keeping up. Til then, you'll just have to come see us in person!

More Funny Photos

2009-01-29T14:30:00.001-08:00

Savannah has been really good about entertaining herself with books lately. She has a book of blank faces that you can add stickers to for the mouth, nose, etc. Apparently she was tired of her own face and decided to make a few changes. I was impressed that she put the nose on her nose and the mouth so close to hers.

Last night Annie decided she was tired and this shelf looked just her size. This morning she reminded me that she went night-night in there. I am amazed by the things she remembers. Yesterday she saw a picture of Pixos in an ad and said "Sidney's house." How does she remember seeing them at Sherie's over Christmas? She also saw a remove control car that Sue gave Alex and said "Nana Papa!" Her mind is a wonder. I guess she is just gifted like her mother!!

2009-01-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share a funny story from the other night. Savannah was playing chase with Jer and her pants kept falling down. Jeremy said, "Hey, are you sagging?" Annie promptly replied, "No, I'm cute!" Yes, she is.

The "Too Funny" Twos

2009-01-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a prettier girl?!? Savannah looked so cute in this dress from Nat with her sparkly red shoes. We went to lunch and she was the center of attention. Of course that might have been because Jer told her to come sit down and she said "Dada serious." It was pretty amusing.

Savannah loves to try on glasses. She knows she isn't allowed to touch mine, but Jer let her try his on and now she thinks they are fair game. The other day she asked me for licorice and I told her no. She said "dada give it." Isn't she a little young to be pitting one parent against the other!!

Here we are posing after church today. Savannah was so good during sacrament meeting. This is the first week that I didn't have to take her out. She didn't even try to crawl under the pew!

Welcome to McDonalds, may I take your order? Savannah loves to play with her new cash register. Don't you love the mess in the background? That is what the house looks like every day. Annie insists on dumping every toy on the floor before she decides which one to play with. I can't wait until we have a dedicated toy room.

Savannah also loves to play with her kitchen. She puts stuff in the microwave and says "dinner ready twenty minutes." I love to listen to the things she says these days. A few days ago in the bath she told her dolly "mommy said no touching things...very angry." See, she does listen to me, she just doesn't care what I say. She also loves to tell us all about her cartoons. She will talk about Wubbzy episodes for days after she watches them. Her favorite thing to watch right now is The Letter Factory. She asks to watch the Tad movie two or three times a day. Now you can say "the A says" and she will tell you. She knows almost every letters' sound!

I'll leave you with Savannah's "happy face." I don't know why she doesn't actually smile when you ask for her happy face, but she looks adorable anyway. Hope it helps you have a great week!

No More Music (yeah!!!)

2009-01-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a fast trip! I know we were home for nearly two weeks, but it seemed to fly by. I carried my camera everywhere with me and I don't have any great pictures to show for it.

This is one picture I do love. I think Luke and Savannah would rather have this Jeep than any of the presents they got. Isaac is a lucky boy!

Life is back to the normal chaos around here. Savannah talks about Holly's hospital and her cousins all the time. This morning she found my yo-yo maker and said "Clark's house." I can't believe all the little details she remembers! She is loving the kitchen we picked up from Elise (thank you!!!), but she scatters the food and dishes everywhere. I haven't even unpacked some of the toys she got for Christmas because it would be more to pick up! I can't wait to have a playroom to store her stuff in.

For some reason, Savannah loves to put buckets/baskets on her head. She watched tv with this one on for awhile this morning. She may be brilliant, but she is still goofy! She will be sad I took the music off her blog, but I couldn't take it anymore. I'm sure you will thank me though.

I guess I should go do some packing or cleaning, but I think I'll surf blogdom for a while instead. See you out there!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-17T23:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is our backyard! Sorry it's a little fuzzy, but my subject wouldn't hold still. I woke Savannah up from her nap to get a picture of her in the snow and she wasn't happy. Tonight it was still coming down when we left Costco and she held up her hand and said "Go away snowing!"

I couldn't resist taking this picture. Doesn't she look so cute in her slippers?! In reality, I was hoping she would use her Dora potty before I put her pants on. It didn't happen.

Last, but not least, is this precious pic of Savannah in her Christmas outfit from Nat and Sherie. I tried for twenty minutes to get a smile out of her to no avail. Don't you love the "antique" effect on this one? The magic of editing. I ordered some prints from Costco and I'm hoping they turn out.

I can't think of much else to say right now other than see you next week!!!

Terrible Twos

2008-12-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

It has been nearly a month and Savannah is still singing Happy Birthday. I'm glad she had such a good time. I am using the fact that she is now officially two to explain some of her rotten behavior. She is a nightmare to get in her carseat. She arches her back and screams to avoid being buckled in. Last night I tried singing a song to calm her down and she said "Stop it Mommy!" She is still waking up in the night and coming to bed with us. I asked Jer if he cared and he said no, but he doesn't want her still sleeping with us 'til she's twelve!! Hopefully it won't come to that. Someday I'll stand up to the little terror and make her follow my rules, like we don't put our feet on the table!Savannah had so much fun playing with her cousins over Thanksgiving. She still talks about watching Little People with Madi and Sidney. I can't wait to see her reaction to Christmas morning! It will be lots of fun this year now that she gets the concept of presents. I decorated the house and put out a few things that Savannah is allowed to touch. She likes to touch each of the bulbs on the tree and play like she's getting lotion from them. She also loves to hold her baby Jesus. Here is a little video of her with it. Enjoy!

Okay, so I can't get the video to load. I'll try again later.

Happy Birthday Beautiful!!!

2008-11-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

I was concerned I would have more fun on Savannah's birthday than she did, but I needn't have worried. She had a blast! She is still singing Happy Birthday to herself. The day started off with Jeremy waking us up at 7:15 so he could watch Savannah's reaction to the dollhouse. She started playing with it immediately and continues to play with it all the time. I bought two sprinkle doughnuts for Savannah's breakfast. Of course, she only ate the sprinkles!

We went to Jer's office for lunch and they had two fancy cupcakes for Savannah. She couldn't wait to blow out the candles. She was way spoiled by everyone at Ampro. Thank you all!!!

On Saturday we went to Chuck E Cheese with Nana, Papa, Grandma Moss, and a group of Jer's coworkers. Savannah was so excited for the party! She got a yummy cake courtesy of Costco (I know, I'm a slacker!) Annie loved playing skeeball, but I think her favorite part was just putting coins in the slots. I had to stop her from paying for every ride/game we walked past. It was fun, but it wasn't Fat Cats. While Savannah sometimes drives me crazy, she makes me laugh even more. At the store yesterday she was using a banana as a phone to talk to Jer. When we got home, she started singing rock a bye, don't you cry to her doll. Then she said "dirty feet" and looked at the doll's feet and said "no". Next she said "poops" and checked its bum before saying "nope". It was too funny! A few nights ago she put on her cowboy hat and decided to swiffer the floor. She walked around saying "yeehaw cleaning!" I wish I found cleaning that much fun.As you can see, we got a new camera, but our computer is still in the shop. I'm not sure if I want them to be able to fix it or not. It would be nice to have a faster one. Jer bought me a lovely 20-gauge shot gun, which I told him is Christmas for both of us. It's just what I've always wanted!!

Well that's all for now. We can't wait to see most of you at Thanksgiving!

No new photos

2008-11-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, our house was broken into on monday and the jerks stole our cameras and computer monitor, so I don't have any pics to upload currently. We went to Costco tonight and bought a new camera so hopefully it won't be much longer. Our computer will have to go in the shop so I'll be using Jer's work laptop in the meantime. I highly suggest loading all your photos and videos to cd/dvd ASAP, just in case. You don't want to lose out on a year and half worth of video just because you never got around to transferring it from your camera! So if you ever see any pictures of my baby on the internet (besides this site) call me immediately!!!

Savannah has decided she doesn't want to sleep through the night anymore. I made her a bed on my floor so at least I can say she isn't actually sleeping with me. Can you believe she will be two this week?! I am so excited for her birthday. I'm going to get a bunch of balloons for her to wake up to and let her swing at the park for as long as she wants to. I can't wait to give her the dollhouse I bought, but Jer says I have to wait for him to get home from work so he can watch her play with it. No fair! I hope Savannah enjoys her birthday as much as I'm going to. Look for her birthday greeting on Sprout!

2008-11-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

I had to share this sweet picture of Savannah at the park. She has taken to lying on her stomach as of late. I'm not sure why, but I think it's cute.

Banana is getting excited for her birthday. She has a book about a birthday party and I think she kind of understands the concept. Yesterday she told me she wanted a bike for her birthday. Today she said she wanted to open presents and that dada was getting her a trampoline! It's amazing how well she is talking and expressing herself. While I don't always appreciate this ability, it does make it easier to "reason" with her (sometimes).

One more thing - CONGRATS NATALIE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

Isn't Savannah the cutest ballerina-princess you have ever seen!?! We had a halloween party on Monday and she had lots of fun with her friends. She especially loved painting her pumpkin and eating treats, of course.

Last night was our ward Trunk-or-Treat and Annie was in seventh heaven! She loved carrying her bucket around and collecting all the candy. She didn't think it was necessary to stay by me and I had to work to keep up with her. There was one zombie costume that scared her, but she didn't seem to notice the rest with the exception of Snow White.

Nana Sue sent Savannah a magic wand in the mail and she loves it! It has a picture of Sleeping Beauty on it and it lights up and plays music. She loves to carry it around and do "magic" like Wubbzy. (Annie constantly talks about things that happen on her cartoons.) I'm going to have to magically hide her treat bucket because all she wants is candy. That was the first thing she asked for this morning!

We hope you all have a Happy Halloween!!!

Crazy for Cousins

2008-10-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

Look how big Savannah is getting! Here she is doing one of her favorite things - reading books. We read the same ones over and over everyday. She especially loves the Mercer Mayer books Just Go To Bed and When I Get Bigger. For some strange reason she also likes Judy Blume's Freckle Juice. I told her I wouldn't read it to her one afternoon so she went in the den and read it to herself. Annie talks so much now and most words are really easy to understand. I can't believe the things she remembers and brings up later. Hopefully she won't repeat some of the words she hears from her Dad! Luckily, last night she thought he said "ship" when he dropped his cup.

Last week we drove to St. George to stay with Sherie and Isaac at Michelle's house. Annie had so much fun playing with Ike, especially jumping on the trampoline. She still talks about the toys downstairs. They had a dollhouse that she played with for hours. I'm hoping Santa will bring her one for Christmas.

Last weekend we were lucky enough to have Grandma, Sidney and Madi come for a visit. Savannah had so much fun playing with the girls, especially swimming with them. She still walks around the house calling "Sidney, Madi, Sidney, Madi..." I had to share this picture of Sid. I wish I could have gotten a direct shot. She looked so goofy with the goggle flaps flopping around. She and Madi swam for over six hours on Sunday! Who is going to want to come visit me when I no longer have a pool?? Well, you'll still have to come check out the new house. Maybe the kids can go to the gun range instead of swimming!!

Run Steve Run!

2008-10-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

Are you talking to me?

Last Saturday we went to St. George to watch Steve run the marathon. It rained all day, but that didn't seem to bother him at all. Can you believe he's 60? Shouldn't he be walking with a cane, not running 26 miles in the rain?!?

Steve finished the marathon in just over 4 1/2 hours. I'm nearly thirty years his junior and it would have taken me four days!! Way to go Papa!

Goodbye Good Boy

2008-09-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

Jake 1999-2008

Now you can see how I got suckered into Jake in the first place. He was such a cute puppy! He was trouble for the first year or so, but I couldn't have asked for a better dog since then. Jake was my shadow and was never more than a step behind me, even when Jer was around. Maybe he was trying to get my approval and love, which I gave too little of. I still think I see him in the backyard out of the corner of my eye. I'm crying as I write this, so I guess I'm not over losing him yet. I hope he will forgive me for the million times I yelled at him and know how much I loved him. You were a very good boy Jake!

Love Mommy

Here is a conversation I had with Savannah today:

Annie - Jake walk

me - Did we take Jake for a walk?

A - Yeah.

me - Where is Jake?

A - (hands in the air) Gone?

me - Did Jake go live with Jesus?

A - Jesus? Fun?

me - Yeah, it's probably fun.

A - Daddy Jesus?

me - No, Daddy isn't with Jesus, he's at work.

Savannah definitely misses Jake, but I think she's more accepting of his being with Jesus than we are. I hope she won't forget him too soon.

Last Friday I lost my best friend. Jake was one of those dogs that I always thought was immortal. He was too tough to die, I thought. But unfortunately he only got to spend a little more than 9 years with us. It's been nearly a week now since he left us and I'm still trying to deal with the fact that he is gone from this earth. Everyday I come home and I feel like I need to go to the back door to let him in. I never thought I'd miss his annoying whining everyday when I came home. But I know that he was whining because he wanted to be next to me, and he wanted to play with me. Now I would give anything to hear that whining. I'm going to miss his howling at the sirens, our Saturday and Sunday afternoons puttering around the garage together, going to Home Depot in the truck, swimming in the pool and Lake Powell will never be the same again. Although the ravens at Powell will finally be able to rest easy.

I think anybody who ever met Jake would agree that he was one of the smartest dogs ever. You could say something totally off the wall and he would respond accordingly, even if it was the first time he heard you say whatever it was that you said. He really could understand english perfectly.

One of the hardest things about not having Jake around is when Savannah asks about him. Right after he passed away, we came home and as we pulled into the garage she started saying "Geekee, geekee." That's what she says just before we go into the house, because Jake would always be right there in the laundry room to greet us. Karie told her that Jakee went to live with Jesus and she responded "live with Jesus?" Then the next morning as Karie was giving her a bath she looked up, waved and and said "bye Geekee." That just tore my heart out.

So anyway, Jake, if you can read this (I'm sure you can), I miss you buddy. Keep on being a good boy just like you always were here. You keep chasing the birds and kitty's, and I hope you have all the "squeaky's" you could ever dream of. I love you and I'll see you on the other side. I'm sure you'll be right there to greet me.

Jeremy

What a cutie!

2008-09-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Weeeeee!!! Do you remember the last time you had so much fun on a ride? Savannah loves the slide at the park. She would play on it all day long if I let her. I can't wait to get her a swingset for the new house.

Doesn't Savannah look like Bradon in this picture? I swear I have a photo of him making this same face when he was little. Annie loves to wear her butterfly shoes even though she falls down everytime she wears them. We found a princess backpack on clearance at Target and had to have it. She looks like she should be heading off to school!

Savannah looks so dang cute in her ponies, but they don't last long. I put these in her hair just before we left the house. Jer asked me how long they would last and I said until we get in the car. Sure enough, Annie had one of them out before we got out of the driveway! Couldn't she wait until at least one person told me how cute she looked?!?

I found this crown at the $.99 Store and Banana loves it! She obviously needs to be a princess for Halloween. I'm so excited for Sleeping Beauty to come out on the 7th. We read the story everyday and I know Annie will love the movie. I am a little worried that Malificent and the dragon might scare her. Savannah talks about the monsters in the closet she saw on Monsters Inc, but she hasn't had any nightmares yet so I think she'll be okay.

Annie says new things everyday and it's so much fun to hear her talk. Tonight I was eating a nectarine and she said she wanted some. I told her she could have mine and put her in her highchair. She got so excited and kept saying "mine!" Then she put her hands on her cheeks and said "goodness!" I say "oh my goodness" to her sometimes, but this is the first time she has ever said it. It was so funny! What a lucky mom I am.

Temper, temper

2008-09-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

My little angel is going to be the death of me!! You can't believe the fits she throws if she doesn't get what she wants. And now she is really fighting bedtime. Somebody help me!!! At least I know Nat and Sherie are enjoying the misery with me.We really enjoyed having Nat, Steve and Luke visit last weekend. Savannah still asks for Luke. They played so well together. In this photo Savannah was doing Luke's hair with a puzzle piece. He just sat there and let her rub it all over his head. We miss our cousins!

I may never take the binky away from Annie. How will either one of us survive the terrible twos without it? Here she was just waking up and had no idea that she kept putting her binky in backwards. I'll have to keep this photo close at hand so I can remember that she really is a sweet girl, even when she's being naughty.

We are having to face the terrible reality of losing Jake. I think one of the hardest parts is going to be Savannah asking about him. She gets so excited everytime she sees him. Last night she was using the ovenmit as a phone and held it up to Jake's ear so he could talk too. What will we do without him?

Little Miss Smartypants

2008-09-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Savannah is talking so much these days. One of her new words is "rina" for ballerina. She will stand on one foot and say "Sazza rina". Then she asks Jer, Jake and me to be ballerinas too! This photo shows Annie with her ballerina pajama shirt on her head. She puts it on every day and calls herself a mouse (Jer taught her that) or a lion. It's too cute!

Annie is also quite the copycat. Here she is trying to use my Pedegg. Yesterday she said "darn it." I have only used that phrase once and it was in the car earlier in the day. Amazing how she can pick and choose what she wants to hear!!

And it seems the terrible twos have arrived a little early. Savannah loves to walk around in her dress-up shoes. I tried to get a picture of her walking down the hall, but she fell down before I could get a good one. She got mad and took off the shoes, threw them down the hall and yelled "stop it!" It was really cute and funny, but I'm sure I won't think so for long. It's not cute when she throws herself on the floor and says NO! And I really don't appreciate that she has finally figured out how to open doors. I may have to put a lock on the top of the pantry!!

Now for an update on Jake. His belly is still very swollen, but he is breathing easier. The new vet said he has a major infection and his thyroid isn't working properly. Now Jake has to take twelve pills a day. It's like taking care of an old person!! We're still waiting on more test results to rule out heartworm or a tick-borne illness. I hope we figure out what it is soon.

Busy, busy, busy (doesn't that word look weird?)

2008-09-08T00:14:00.000-07:00

I know I am a complete slacker, but we've been gone a lot and I waste my free time catching up on other blogs rather than updating mine. Well, I have some time on my hands now as Jer just took Jake to the emergency vet and I'm waiting for some info. Jake's belly looks bloated and he hasn't really been eating or pooping, so we're a little worried. I don't want him to die in the night because we didn't do anything. But then again, I don't want to waste money at the vet if there's nothing wrong. What's a dog-mom to do? I know I talk tough, but I really am a softy.

Enough about Jake and on to the real reason you read this blog - my beautiful girl.

Way back in August we went to Bear Lake with Jer's family. Savannah loved it even though the water was absolutely freezing. Her favorite part was sleeping on a pillow in the boat. She still asks for a "piwow" when she wants to lay down.

From Bear Lake, we went to the Burnett Reunion in Heber. Savannah loved playing with her cousins, even though she still has scars on her knees from her tumbles. For a while after we left she would walk around looking for Madi, Luke and Isaac. Now she only calls for Isaac (cups her mouth and says "Isaac, where are you"). It is too cute!

And finally, we just returned from a week-long vacation at Lake Powell. Savannah absolutely loved riding in the boat, swimming, getting sandy, and playing with her cousins. She really was a good girl while we were there, but it's a good thing we took the dvd player. How many times a day can a girl watch Little People???

Annie did get bitten by a red ant while playing in the sand at Powell. She kept smashing them with her hand and saying "I got you", but I guess one ant got her back. She cried so hard. Her little finger got swollen and turned bright red. I tried putting a bandaid on it, but she just cried harder. I finally made it better by giving her two popsicles. I hope she never gets a boo-boo that needs more than that!

Extreme bed head

We are happy to be back home and hope to get back to our routine soon. Savannah is fed up with house hunting and has started giving us dirty looks. I really think she has some of Holly's blood in her, but I know she's mine because she's a genius! She can identify every letter in the alphabet, knows the majority of her colors and talks like you can't believe. I really need to capture more of this stage on video, but she stops what she's doing as soon as she sees the camera. I guess y'all will just have to come down and see her for yourselves.

We love and miss you all!

Little Miss Chatterbox

2008-08-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

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My beautiful blue eyed Savannah thought it would be fun to wear an Oreo as a hat. Couldn't you just eat her up!!! I cut her bangs again and I think she looks so grown up. You won't believe how much she talks now. She jabbers all day and I can understand pretty much all of it. She has started calling herself "Sazza". It's so cute!

I had to show you how silly Annie is now. She loves to walk around looking out the corner of her eye. When she sees you watching her, she breaks out in a big, goofy grin. Jer and I are constantly laughing at her, except when I put her in time out. It does seem to be helping. She had to sit in time out today for climbing on the table and throwing the bills on the floor repeatedly. She didn't do either again after I made her sit in the corner.

Here's one more picture of my little cutie. She wasn't mad, she just didn't want to say cheese for me (she had to take out her binky.) I know I'm just like every other mom out there, but I really think she is the cutest girl ever! Can't wait to show her off this weekend!

Bad blogger

2008-08-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

I know, it's about time I added something new. I guess I've had writers block. Savannah does funny stuff every day, but when I go to post on her blog, I draw a blank. I found this picture from earlier in July that I forgot to share. Annie loves to pull everything out from under my sink. For some reason she thought this bag would make a great hat. I know it's not very safe, but I had to get a picture before I made her take it off.

Savannah still loves to watch tv, in fact she's watching Diego right now. I managed to snap this picture of her with "ponies" before she ripped them out. Now she takes out the elastics and then continues pulling out her hair. I guess she has a hard head so I won't bother whacking her on the head with a hairbrush!! She did leave her pony in all day today. Hopefully people at church took notice because I don't know if she'll do it again.

So it might be time to start thinking about another baby (I can hear you agreeing from here). Savannah loves to hold her babies and feed them bottles. Then she tries to put a diaper on them and do rock-a-bye. It's super cute! I don't think it would be so cute if she tried to do it to her little brother or sister though. Jer is worried that Savannah got all the good stuff and our next baby might be a reject! I'm willing to take my chances.

I'll leave you with a picture of Savannah "floating" in the tub. She is very daring in the water and getting much better at swimming. Maybe we can go to Nat's and show you while we're there. Only two weeks to go!!!

Cuter every day!

2008-07-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

For this photo Savannah was just being goofy, but this is the silly face I get nearly every time I tell her not to do something. She drives me nuts, but I let her get away with mayhem because she is too cute to get mad at!!

She is getting much better at "swimming". Today she had her lifejacket on and would jump off the step and kick her feet and move her arms until her jacket flipped her over and then she'd float. It was so fun I didn't even mind when she splashed me!

One of the things Savannah and I don't agree on is hairstyles. Any time I put a pony or headband in her hair, she rips it out within minutes. Most days she goes around looking like little orphan Annie! What am I going to do with her?

Yes, she is still hooked on her binky. I'm not ready for the fight yet. Nat - let me know when you rid Luke of his so I can follow suit.

I'll end with a minor miracle. I didn't have to take Savannah out of sacrament meeting once this week! Guess we'll have to keep going;)

Powell Perfect!

2008-07-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

We are home safe and sound and a little more tan. Savannah was lucky enough to get her daddy's coloring, so she has a better tan than me. I made her wear sunglasses to protect her from the glare off my legs! Annie had so much fun playing in the sand. She sat covered in this mud pile for at least an hour.

Savannah was a really good girl on this trip despite a few tantrums. I don't know what this one was about, but it makes for a cute picture.

She loved going for boat rides even when it got rough. One of her favorite parts was helping daddy drive the boat, but she usually curled up on a pillow and fell asleep.

I don't have much to say tonight so I'll leave you with this perfect picture...

Beauty and brains

2008-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Get ready for some serious bragging because my daughter is a genius! Everyday she does or says something that amazes me. You can't believe how much she talks now. We have been working on colors, but usually Savannah says everything is "boo". This morning she pointed to her cup and said "neen" and her cup is green! Yesterday she found a pencil with smiley faces on it and said "happy". Then she found a piece of paper I had stamped a wedding chapel on and said "house". These may seem like silly little things, but to me they are huge.

Lake Mead on the 4th of July

I put some alphabet magnets on the fridge yesterday and she knew some of them on sight! She identified B, M, O, C, and Z without any help. I mean she walked over and pointed to them and said what they were all by herself! Sometimes when she's in a shopping cart she'll point to the letters and tell me what they are. She especially likes Costco and Michaels because she knows a lot of those letters. I am surprised that she knows them whether they are small or capital letters. What can I say? She is brilliant just like her mother!!

Yummy popsicle, funny TV show

While I brag at how smart Savannah is, I have to admit that she is a little fart. When she does something she knows she shouldn't do, she looks at me and gives me a goofy grin. How can you get mad at someone so cute? She still likes to draw on things and throws toys when she gets upset. And we're still struggling with staying in her own bed at night. So while I may brag a lot, I admit that she isn't perfect, but she's pretty darn close!!!

Taking teddy for a walk

We can't wait to see you and show off some more! XOXOXO

Such a silly girl

2008-06-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

You know how much Savannah loves TV, right? Well now she has really started interacting with the cartoon characters. Yesterday Dora taught her how to mambo. I was on the computer as usual and Annie started saying "mambo, mambo". I looked up to see her marching in place and waving her hands along with Dora. It was so cute! Today she was calling to the blue whales with Diego. She even cupped her hands around her mouth like he did. It was so funny!

Even though I secretly laugh when Savannah is naughty, I have started using "time out". She is forever climbing on the kitchen table, no matter how many times I tell her "no". So today I made her sit in the corner twice! I don't think she cared or had any idea what was going on, but it at least made me feel like I was standing firm. I'm in deep trouble when she gets older.

Our little family has been swimming together the last few nights. You can't believe how warm the pool is! It's actually cold when you get out. Savannah loves swimming and we are working with her on actually swimming. She will walk off the shallow step toward me, go under with her eyes open, kick her feet and come up smiling when I grab her. It is so cute! Except for tonight when she sucked in too much water and puked everywhere. Luckily I wasn't in the pool with them, so Jer had to clean it up! It takes a long time for grapes to digest!!

I'll leave you with some more cute pics of Annie. She loves to wear her jewelry - all of her jewelry. She can't stop with just one piece, she has to put on every necklace and bracelet she can find. The other night she put on three necklaces (one of which she used as a headband), four bracelets, and two purses to go pick up the neighbors kids. And of course, you're never fully dressed without a cheesey smile! Another of her favorite accessories is her hat. She puts it on as soon as she sees it in the morning and walks around in it for hours. Yesterday I asked her if she wanted me to do her hair and she said no. So I asked if she wanted to wear her hat to the store and she said yes. She looked so cute!

Hope you enjoy your weekend. Annie gets a babysitter tomorrow, so I'll let you know how that works out.

Say Cheese!

2008-06-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'm lazy and short on time so I thought I'd just share some photos.

Floating with Sidney

Kick, kick, kick!!!

On the tramp in gymnastics class

She'd rather slide than somersault

My name is Annie and I love to do drawrings
She found the tampons

I'm feeling much better now

2008-06-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Savannah seems to be feeling better and she almost takes her medicine willingly. We went to the river yesterday with a couple of Jer's coworkers and Annie loved it. It was super hot outside and the water was really cold, but she didn't care. She loved feeding the ducks crackers, but threw in some chapstick and a wrapped rice krispy treat for good measure. I'll have to teach her to "help keep America looking good!" (Remember that commercial?)

How could such a sweet looking girl be such a little shit (to quote Aunt Phyllis)? Savannah has taken to throwing tantrums when something doesn't go her way. She says "NO, NO, NO!" and hits anything within reach - a chair, the counter, and on occasion me. Sometimes she hurts her hand and holds it up for me to kiss better. Apparently she has learned that my kisses can fix anything. She gets hurt a lot, but as soon as I kiss her ouwee, she stops crying. (How do you spell that? It's like ouchee without the "ch".)

Our nighttime routine is getting better. Annie tends to cry when I leave her room, but I've stopped going back in there. She stops crying after about thirty seconds. I'm such a sucker! Why didn't I ignore her before now?? I've even ignored her when she wakes up in the night and she quiets down in less than a minute. Of course if she wakes up and her room is light, I take her to my room and we go back to sleep. I see no reason to get out of bed before 8:00! A woman needs her beauty rest.

Hope you didn't have to work too hard on Father's Day. We love and miss you all!

We're sick of being sick

2008-06-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, I survived another day of constant whining! I realize Savannah doesn't feel good, but would it kill her to stop moaning for fifteen minutes?!? My patience has definitely been tested and I think I failed. Anyway, enough of my complaining...

I felt bad for Savannah after her doctor appointment yesterday so we went to BK for lunch. Can you believe I bought a coke icee just for her!? She loved it of course. I tried to get her to take her medicine by promising to blow bubbles for her, but she didn't go for it. Jer doesn't think she can reason yet, but I disagree. I think she's just stubborn! I can't imagine where she gets that from.

I spend a fair amount of time on the computer and Annie doesn't really like it. However, she is happy if I give her a pen and paper to play with. We have two yellow notepads filled with her scribbles. Last night she was coloring away and chanting "a, a, a" so I thought she was fine. Wrong! I turned around to find her coloring away on the futon. Of course I took the pen away and told her that was naughty, but inside I was laughing. It's a good thing we don't really like the futon.

I hear her crying so my blog time is up. Here's hoping for a better day!

It's strep throat!

2008-06-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

Yes, you read that right. Poor baby girl has strep throat which helps explain the whining and drooling. Hopefully she will take her medicine like a nice girl and get over it quick.

Playing dress up

2008-06-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Savannah has a new fascination with my "frankenstein" shoes. Everyday she gets them out of my closet and tries to walk in them. Of course, she doesn't make it too far so she usually switches to my alpaca slippers instead. I keep those spare sunglasses in my nightstand and she has to put them on as well. She also loves to wear the necklaces and bracelets which are hanging on my wall. I need to make her some dress up clothes and see what she does with them. She is too cute! I trimmed her bangs and the back of her hair and I can't believe how different she looks. I don't think anyone besides me notices the difference though.

Annie still has a runny nose and cough and this afternoon she started running a fever. It's like pulling teeth to get her to take her medicine. Hopefully she gets feeling better soon. Last night she refused to lay down in her crib - she just wanted to be held. I started getting frustrated, but then I realized there are a lot of people who would kill to have their baby call out for "mom" and hug them tight. I am very lucky and if it doesn't bother me to share my bed, who cares?!

I'm still working on some new tricks with Savannah. I know - it sounds like I'm training a dog, but what else do I have to do? She loves to look at the saying under her picture and point to all the letters. Now I can write a capital "B" on her Pro-doodle and she'll tell me what it is. Sometimes she can identify an "i" or "W" as well. Someday you'll see my little genius on the Today show!! For now, you'll have to settle for watching her watch cartoons. Love and miss you all!

Home again, home again...

2008-06-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

We made it home and I'm trying to force myself to be productive. I finally cleaned the floors but I haven't done laundry yet. It's such a let down to return to our normal routine. Savannah came home with a cold once again. Her poor little nose runs constantly and she has a hard time breathing while she sleeps. I made a bed for her on my floor because I got tired of going to her room at night. Hopefully she gets over it soon so we can all sleep better.

Here is a picture of the dress she wore for family photos. I haven't seen the proofs yet, but I'm hoping she's holding still in at least one of them. I'm sure you're all still making fun of me and how much I brag about Annie. I swear she really does "perform" for me at home. I'll try to teach her some new tricks to show off the next time we see you.

Maybe what she has isn't really a cold, but actually hoof-and-mouth disease!! I should have washed her hands more often!

Salt Lake City - We'll be coming soon...

2008-05-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

Can you hear the Beach Boys singing to you? Just thought I'd do a quick update before we leave. We are having a nice Memorial Day weekend with the Ruffs. Savannah is having so much fun playing with Morgan (4) and Mason (2). She normally doesn't really "play" with other kids, just kind of watches them. Not so with these two. She and Mason chase Morgan all around, play in the pop-up house together, share drinks and food, and laugh a lot. I'm happy to see her having so much fun and sad that she doesn't get to play with her cousins like this nearly often enough. We are very excited to be coming home tomorrow. When I tell Savannah we are going to go see Grandma and Nana, she walks to the back door expecting to go right now. She's getting good at saying "morrow".

I do have more proof that Annie is a genius. I bought her a DoodlePro this week and she loves to have me write on it. On Thursday I drew a triangle, square, circle, moon and star and asked her to show me each of them. She got them all right! And it wasn't just a one time thing, she does it over and over. Even if she doesn't see you draw them, she can pick out the shapes. So I bought her some flashcards and now I'm working on colors. So far she can identify purple on her own. I know - I sound just like Elise, but give me a break. Savannah is my first and I don't have any other kids around to compare her to. I can't wait to show off her new skills to you. See you tomorrow!!!

2008-05-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was going to post more often, but I'm still wasting my time looking at other blogs. I do have a million cute pictures and funny stories about Savannah and it's hard to choose what to post. One of Annie's new interests is hats. She will put anything on her head and call it a hat - a dishtowel, shirt, or piece of paper - it doesn't matter. Jake didn't like it in the beginning, but he doesn't bark at her anymore. On Monday she was pointing out yet another flag at Michaels ("ssss"), so I bought her one. She was in her stroller at the time and kept pointing the flag at the ground. I told her it needed to stay up in the sky so she started waving it like she was in a parade. It was so cute! She still carries it all around the house.

This next story happened this morning and it may be TMI, but it's funny. When Jer gets home from work, he takes off his shirt and stays in a tank top. Savannah always reaches for his armpit and says "tickle-tickle". Apparently she thinks his hairy armpit is ticklish. This morning she and I were getting in the shower so I was naked and she thought she should tickle me - and she wasn't reaching for my armpit!! Of course I wouldn't let her, but I busted up! I wonder what goes on in her little head???

We are still working on the night time routine and some nights are better than others. Savannah does seem to be doing a little better each day. Last night she didn't wake up until 6 am and I just I moved her to my bed. She still has yet to actually go in the potty, but she does like to sit on it. She also likes to unroll the tp while she's sitting there.

Sorry to cut it short, but I have to go watch AI now! We can't wait to see you all!!!

Two nights and counting...

2008-05-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!!! Savannah made it through another night without me! I put her in bed about 9:00 last night and didn't hear a peep from her until 3:30. I didn't even sit up in bed before she had stopped crying. She woke up all smiles at 7:45 and she took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon! I could really get used to this and hope she does too.

We went to Target today and bought a Dora potty seat. (I don't think I could handle cleaning one of the free-standing potties!) Savannah follows Jer and me into the bathroom and knows we're going "pawee" so I thought I'd introduce her to it. She sat on it for maybe twenty seconds before she wanted off. Of course twenty seconds later she peed in the bathtub! Little turkey!! At least she is getting used to the idea of sitting on the potty - and washing her hands afterwards!! Laugh all you want, but I am determined to force the habit on her. Clean hands are happy hands :)

Wasting Away Again

2008-05-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

No, Savannah hasn't started drinking, just hanging out on our boat. We went to Lake Mojave to celebrate Jer's birthday and Mother's Day. The weather was nice, the water was cool and Savannah had a blast. She didn't care that her whole body was shivering, she just wanted to be in the water. She was really good about wearing her lifejacket and it worked just like it should. She took a little spill and flipped right over onto her back. She cried for a second, but went right back to playing in the water. Jeremy let her help drive the boat and she was in seventh heaven. She definitely has her daddy's love for the water and he couldn't be happier. We are sorry we weren't home to spend Mother's Day with all of you, but this trip was the next best thing.

I am thrilled to report that Savannah made it through the night without me!!! I heard her wake up once, but she only cried for a few seconds and then she was quiet again. I went in her room at 8:00 this morning to make sure she was still breathing and she was sound asleep! I would love to believe this is her new sleep pattern, but I'm sure she was just exhausted from all the fun in the sun. Oh well, I will take what I can get!

Since we are coming home at the end of the month, I thought I'd brief you on Savannah's language so you can understand her better. As you know, she is the smartest baby ever, but you have to be the smartest mommy ever to notice it! "Me-me" means Little Mermaid which she says anytime she sees Ariel. "Ma-ma" doesn't mean mom, it means chocolate milk which she loves. Cookie, sky, ball, Mom, Dada, Grandpa, and Nana are easily recognizable and self explanatory. The majority of Annie's language consists of the "s" sound. It can mean any of the following: cartoons if you turn on the tv (followed shortly by "Diego"); shoes if she's looking at her feet; moon if she's looking at the sky; flag or balloon if she happens to see one; and raisins, grapes or cheese if you open the fridge or pantry. I have tried repeatedly to get her to say flag, but no such luck. I guess "ssss" is much easier. When she says "k", she or something she wants is stuck. If you don't correct the problem fast enough to suit her, she will get mad. And last but not least, when she clicks her tongue, she wants her binky. Hope this little tutorial will help you get ready for our visit. We can't wait to see you!

We're still here

2008-05-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm a terrible mother. I have spent too much time looking at other peoples blogs and ignoring poor Annie's. But now I'm back to brag and whine some more.

We had so much fun at Disneyland! My favorite part was just being with family again. Savannah still walks around looking for "grandpa" which is what she now calls grandma. She plays like she's talking on the phone to her and points at her picture all the time. See - she loves and misses you Mom!

I think my expectations of how Savannah would react at Disneyland were a little too high. I thought she would show more emotion towards the characters. She is always so excited to them on TV. I guess I should just be happy she didn't cry when she saw them. I also expected her to love the rides, but she seemed more afraid than amused. Perhaps it was just too much to take in and she didn't know what to think. Her favorite part was playing in the water in Bug's Land. I still can't believe I let her walk around like that! I'm looking forward to our next trip already.

Here on the home front Savannah is still ruling the roost. Nighttime seems to be getting worse. She wakes up and wants me to hold her. If I lay her down and try to pat her back, she stands back up and wraps her arms around my neck. I even tried sleeping on her floor with her the other night, but we ended up in my bed anyway. Last night Jer decided he'd had enough. He's been talking to a new dad at work thought he'd try some new tactics. Annie woke up just as we got in bed around 11:30. I went in and turned her music back on, but she cried shortly after I left the room. I returned and laid her back down and she cried again before I even got the door shut. When I went back to her crib, she grabbed onto my neck. Just then I heard Jer's footsteps in the hall. He had gotten dressed again so he could put a stop to her manipulating me. Sure enough, she quieted down and he came back to our room. He went back in there at least three more times before we thought she was finally asleep. Wrong! He wanted me to wait ten minutes before I went in there, but I couldn't go from zero to ten minutes in one motion. I made it 2 1/2 before I went back in. I held her for a few and laid her back down. I left the room and Jer went in and she finally fell asleep.

We have to put an end to this, but I don't know how. Help me!!! I know she is totally playing me, but I still feel bad when she cries so hard. She used to sleep so nicely, but not anymore. How many times did you all have to let your kids cry before they got it out of their system? Please tell me it isn't more than a week so I think there is a glimmer of hope!

Other than her sleeping habits, Savannah is stinkin' cute. Everyday she learns a new word or at least understands one. Jeremy has introduced her to Cheetos and now she wants them all the time. We were busting up the other night because she wouldn't eat her dinner, she just kept asking for Cheetos! She knows exactly what she wants to eat and shakes her head no if you offer her something else. We walked into a gas station yesterday and she said Coke! Of course I wouldn't share mine with her, but she knows what it is. Speaking of the angel, sounds like naptime is over. I promise I won't wait so long for my next post. See ya' later.

She's growing up

2008-04-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today was Savannah's first day in nursery and it was much better than following her around the halls. Of course we spent sacrament in the foyer, but she loved nursery. She is the youngest in the class so she hasn't learned to fight for toys or seats yet, but I'm sure that will come. I left the room for a few minutes at snack time and came back to a big mess. She had a red and blue fruit roll up and it was all over her dress! Next time I will make sure to bring a bib as I'm not very good at getting stains out of clothes.

Since her dress was already a mess, I let her feed herself some pudding tonight. This picture was taken half way through so she got messier. She kind of looks like a lion with the brown nose and big eyes!!

I can't believe we go to Disneyland on Thursday! I am so excited I can't stand it. I hope Savannah has as much fun as I have imagined she will. We tell her everyday that we're going to see Mickey Mouse and she just stares at us. I'm sure she'll cry when we meet him, but she'll stop when I give her a churro! Mmmmm, I can taste it now...

2008-04-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

They say kids repeat everything you say and I have to add they repeat everything they see you do. I was playing on the computer earlier and Savannah was going through desk drawers as usual. She found a cord and actually plugged it into the USB port on the computer!!! Maybe they're just born with computer smarts these days.

On the other hand, she can't take her eyes off the TV long enough to even get dressed. In the morning she takes my hand and leads me into the family room and points to the remote because she wants to watch cartoons. I have a one year-old floor potato! (she doesn't sit on the couch) I hope she's at least learning shapes and numbers from Mickey Mouse. She has learned how to dance from him and that's not something I can teach her, so it's not all bad. I can't wait to see how she reacts to him at Disneyland. Only two weeks left:) I'm already buying treats to smuggle in!!

Swim Lessons

2008-04-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Jeremy is determined to teach Savannah to love the water and so far it's working. Tonight he was teaching her to float on her back and "swim" to him. She had so much fun and she didn't even cry when she went under. Meanwhile I'm freaking out a little, but with a fish for a father she should be fine. Jer is installing an alarm on the slider as we speak and we're going to look at a pool gate this weekend. The first drowning of the year happened yesterday and it really upset J. It made me sad, but I tend to be one of those "it won't happen to me" kind of people. I know I live in my own little world, but if I think of all the things that can go wrong, I'll have to be put in an institution.

One of Banana's favorite things to do now is read books. She brings me Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White at least three times a day. If I'm sitting on the floor she backs up onto my lap or she takes me to the chair she wants me to sit on. She knows the characters in the books and loves it when I sing the songs that go with the pictures. I can't wait to see what she does at Disneyland. Only sixteen days to go!!!

Happy Girl

2008-04-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Is she cute or what!?! Daddy wanted to go hot tubbing with his baby so we put on her darling swimsuit and snapped a few pics. She loved swimming even though it was a little cool outside. Jer can't wait for it to warm up so he can swim with her more often. Me - not so much. I might melt like the wicked witch!

On Monday we went to the Dinosaur Park and Savannah got to play on the swings. She liked it, but she wanted to go play with the ducks in the pond more. It's a lot of work to take her places nowadays. If we go to the store she thinks I should hold her rather than sit in the cart. She will happily stand in the basket part, but that doesn't work once I start filling it up. She either throws the stuff out of the cart or tries to eat it. You know that country song "You're gonna miss this"? That is the story of my life. I'm sure when she starts to talk back I really will miss these days. She is still waking up at night for no known reason. Sometimes I can just give her the binky and she falls right back to sleep. Other times she wants me to hold her or cries as soon as I leave the room. I end up letting her sleep with me because it's too cold to stand around in my G's waiting for her to fall back to sleep! I really hope she hasn't figured out how to play me already, but I think I lost that battle a long time ago.

Mommy and Me

2008-03-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

Finally a picture of the girls! She refused to pose for a picture, but I think it turned out cute anyway (even though Jer cut off my head). Can you see the cute pink fake crocs I bought for her? They stayed clean for about 30 minutes. I can't believe how dirty parking lots are!

Savannah has made several new friends this week. On Friday she met Ian Tuttle who turns two in May. They fought over toys, but Ian gave her lots of hugs and kisses when he left. Tonight she met Ava who turns two in July (daughter of one of Jer's friends). They had so much fun walking around the hot tub and dancing to the music. It was nice to see another girl her age act just like her, tantrums and all. Now I know it's not just me!!

Fun in the Sun

2008-03-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Savannah loves the water, just like her daddy. We spent Friday at Lake Mead with her cousins Madi, Kaylee and Sidney. She had so much fun splashing in the water and tasting rocks. The water was freezing, but she didn't seem to mind. She didn't even cry when I strapped on her lifejacket.

We had a great Easter because we had family in town. Luckily the Easter Bunny knew where everyone was and left lots of treats. It's very quiet and lonely now that everyone is gone. We miss our families tons and tons!

As I'm writing, Savannah is eating a piece of gum she found in my purse, wrapper and all. I've kind of stopped worrying about what she eats because it keeps her quiet. This morning I let her eat jelly beans that fell on the ground outside. Can you believe it?! I'm getting very lazy and if it doesn't hurt her, I don't fight it. She's done with the gum now and has switched to a tube of lipgloss. She slept with me again last night. Her little nose runs constantly and she can't breathe when she's sucking on her binky. I felt bad for her, but mostly I just wanted to get some sleep. I may regret it later, but I'm sure it won't be my only regret!

Working girls

2008-03-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long, but we've been very busy. We both went to work for daddy last week and boy what a shock. How do working moms do it? Savannah was actually really good considering she was confined to two rooms all day. She watched dvds, played with her toys and "helped" around the office. I think we're both very happy to return to our stay-at-home lifestyle.

Savannah also visited the doctor last week for a well check - it didn't go well. She started crying the minute he touched her with the stethescope and kept on screaming until after her shots. She held still long enough to determine she weighs 23 lbs 9oz and is 31 1/2 inches tall.

Apparently the terrible two's are arriving early and I'm not sure I'm going to survive! The little stinker doesn't think she should go to bed before 10:00, even though she's exhausted. And I'm tired of listening to her scream so I just let her play. She follows me around whining half the day and asking for a cookie the other half. She throws temper tantrums at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure if I should laugh or scream! I'm going to blame some of her behavior issues on the fact that three of her eye teeth have just come through. Please tell me it gets easier or she might just be an only child!!!

What happened to my baby girl?

2008-03-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

I just put Savannah to bed and I can't believe how big she is! She likes to snuggle her face into my neck while I pat her back and rock to the lullaby. Somehow she seems to have grown five inches and five pounds in the last twentyfour hours. I almost started to cry when I realized she's not my little baby anymore. Time is moving too fast.

Does My Hair Look Okay?

2008-03-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

I asked Savannah if I could take a pretty picture of her and she reached up to find the "pretty" in her hair. I love it now that she understands what I'm saying (mostly). Sometimes she will even put her toys away when I ask her to! One of her favorite things to do this week is look at her Little Mermaid book. She loves to see the page where Eric and Ariel kiss and usually makes a kissing sound when she sees it. She has also learned how to climb on the toybox in her room and loves to look out the window. When I catch her up there, she shakes her head and says "no-no" because she knows she's not supposed to play with the blinds. She obviously knows what "no" means, but she doesn't really seem to care!

Such a sweetheart

2008-02-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Isn't she the sweetest thing ever! This is daddy's favorite part of the day - snuggling with his baby. It would be nice to have a picture of mommy with her, but that rarely happens. Maybe I could photoshop myself in there! Savannah has developed quite an attitude. She knows what she wants and shakes her head to anything else we present to her. When I try to get her out of the bathroom or anywhere else she shouldn't be, she starts whining and sits down. How did she learn that? It looks like her fourth molar is finally in for a total of twelve teeth which she loves to brush. I'm hoping she gets Jer's good teeth genes now that Uncle Don isn't practicing. I don't want to have to clean another dentists office!

I Love A Parade

2008-02-24T23:28:00.001-08:00

We just returned from the St. George Parade of Homes and you can't believe how good Savannah was. Jer and I wish we could give her a fabulous playroom like the ones we saw there, but maybe we'll be able to afford it for her children instead! If you haven't been to a home show in St. George, you really need to go. It's kind of a let down when you get home, but you get some great ideas looking at the models.

Too Cute Topiary

2008-02-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

How cute is this?!? I made this topiary with the girls last weekend. I keep it on my sofa table and love it more every time I look at it. I'm not sure where Sherie got the idea, but I'm glad she shared it with me.

We purchased the premade topiary, flower pot, sequin pins and "retro flower" Whale of a Punch at Joann's. After punching flowers from three coordinating, double-sided papers, I simply folded the petals up and secured them to the styrofoam with the pins in a random pattern. It took more paper and time to make than I thought it would, but it was super simple. I bought supplies yesterday to make Easter eggs using the same technique. I hope they'll be as darling as the topiary, but I'll let you know how they turn out.

Like mother, like daughter

2008-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

It looks like Savannah is going to be a great mommy, just like me!! I had to share this picture of her "feeding" her bear tonight. I am amazed at how early she has learned to nurture dolls and stuffed animals. Do boys do this too?

While I'm here I might as well give you my two cents on tonights AI. I liked Ramielle the best, although I think Sayesha is really cute. My favorite guy is Michael Johns, but of course I'm rooting for David Archuleta since he is a hometown boy. I'm too cheap to text my vote, so Sherie send in a few for me!