Finally...

Just a quick post to say Savannah is sleeping in her own bed all night! I know most of you think it's five years too late, but we are happy. Each night she wakes up and gets me to go to the bathroom, then she just climbs back in her bed and snores away. She says it's because she is almost six. I can't believe she is so big.

Kindergarten!!!

I don't know how it happened, but five years flew by and Savannah started kindergarten yesterday. I have shed a few tears over it (hard to believe I know). I'm sure I wouldn't have cried if I was current on my meds, but it feels good to feel sad about it. While I hope it's not the case, I realize it is possible she will be the only child I ever send to kindergarten. I am tearing up thinking about it now. Enough of that - I will focus on how excited Savannah is about school.

Last Thursday we attended the open house at her school. She got to meet her teacher (Mrs. Morales) and find her seat. She has three friends from preschool who are in her class and I have no doubt she will make a bunch more.

I made her favorite dinner on Sunday night - chicken crescents. She ate the leftovers with a rootbeer for breakfast at 8:30 and again for lunch a few hours later.

Here she is all ready to go. Jer took most of the day off work so he could be part of the milestone. We walked with her to the playground outside of her classroom, she gave us a love and lined up saying "hello kindergarten!"

She had a great day and even got a green card to prove it. (When she gets 10 green cards she can pick out a prize from the treasure box) Today when I dropped her off at school she didn't even want me to walk her to her room. She just shouted "love you more" and ran to play with her friends. It might have made me sad if I wasn't on crutches. I can't wait to hear all about her day and hope she never loses her enthusiasm for school.

 

I really can't believe how fast she has grown up. I wish I remembered more details from when she was little. Maybe we will watch old videos of her tonight while I try not to cry.

 

 

Hello again

Yes, we are still alive.

And yes, I am still as lazy as ever.

Here is another quick update in pictures.

Daddy let Savannah make my bed and get herself ready for the day.

Since Saturday morning donut runs don't involve me,

I'm sure everyone thinks Jer is a single dad!

Here she is with the tissue cover she made all by herself on the sewing machine she got for Christmas. Last week she mended Bear-Bear's clothes for me. She's talented!

The Friend has a section where they show pictures of kids reading the magazine. Of course she wanted in on the action.

Savannah loved the cruise and trip to Florida. Her favorite parts were swimming without a life jacket and holding the baby alligator.

Here she is skipping down the street in Key West. She stopped passers-by to ask if they thought her new dress was pretty. She doesn't have a problem with confidence!

Savannah has amazing fashion sense!

This is what she wore to play in the backyard the other day.

I will leave you with a peek at Savannah's smart, funny mind.

I picked up McDonald's and met up with Tracy and Kayla at a soccer game down here.

While Savannah was dipping her french fries in ranch, I was telling Kayla about our cruise and said that Savannah was in seventh heaven. Savannah chimed in with, "Yeah, and now I'm in eighth because this ranch is so good!"

Love and miss you!

Annie in Pictures

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

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

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

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

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

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???

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

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

Let's ride!

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

"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!