Cheap Entertainment

I still get a good laugh at these! She is quite the entertainer these days...we sure have fun watching her.

Who's having more F-U-N?

Savanna...

or Daddy??

A New England Tradition

I have a L-O-N-G list of "New Englandish" things to do while we are on the East coast. I am excited to say that I can check one off...we went Blueberry Picking at a little patch/farm really close to our house. I was happy to have Kayla & girls along for the experience.

Savanna did well picking the berries off the ground, but decided to take matters into her own hands and just fill the bucket...

Could this day get any better?

Had you asked me at 6:30am this morning and I probably wouldn't be too positive. But since then: I've baked a delicious breakfast--yes, I BAKED breakfast (it was an effort to use the yummy blueberries we picked the other day...check back for pictures of that adventure!)

for the receipe click here: http://tidepooltoads.blogspot.com/2007/08/blueberry-buckle-breakfast.html

I attempted to deposit checks at the bank, but turns out it's farther away than I thought, so I took advantage of being alone & hit the local TAG SALES! Yeah! I prefer to call it "treasure hunting" because I feel as much pride in my loot as I'm sure a piriate feels for his. :)

Check this out:

But my FAVORITE FINDS are this rocking chair & horse!

(Chris HATE this horse...figures...actually he's not much into antiques--too bad)

When I returned home, Savanna was down for a nap--Yeah Daddy!! Now I'm going to add to my joy & make some scruptous summer potato salad & clean up a bit, not too much though, that would put a damper on my day.

Wish me luck tomorrow because Chris & I are speaking in church...we don't need luck for the talking portion, but rather for the solo parent who is controlling her in the pews. :)

Am I a bad Mommy??

I cannot believe this happened. I think I'm actually more worried about what could have rather than what did happen. Thank heavens for guardian angels and Heavenly Father's watchful eye.
Last night Chris, Savanna, & I were outside playing on the deck, eating dinner, you know the normal summer evening routine. Chris went inside to do something--I can't remember what. Savanna was happily playing in her new house and I was tidying up the mess from the day. I went inside to throw something away and Chris came down stairs & we started talking. The next thing I know is Chris asks, "Where's Savanna?" My heart drops & I turn around and rush outside. She's not there. I immediately around the house praying that she's not in the road. I see her little shoes poking out from between our parked cars...she's just sitting there playing in the rocks. Thank heavens! I grab her & let out a sigh. I just want to cry. I cannot believe that I allowed myself to be distracted. I was so mad at myself. Chris thought I was mad at him for being mad at me, but I deserved it.
I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows me & knows that having my little girl get hurt would push me over the edge right now. He's blessed me with the skills I need to go out tomorrow & install a gate for our deck. I've learned my lesson. I've been holding her a little bit tighter & enjoying her a little bit more since that moment of sheer panic & fear. Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf. I know they helped keep my baby safe because she LOVES the road and she stopped just shy of it to play in the rocks. :)

We are greateful for good friends

Our little family has been lucky. Everywhere we've lived we've had great friends & neighbors. On Sunday we went over to the Marble's for our home teaching lesson...phase 10 style, just the way we like it! :) While we were there we were offered to take a littletikes playhouse off their hands. Hello! I have been searching high & low for one of these, but couldn't find any worth the $$ unless we bought new (I just figured we'd have to wait until Christmas). But thanks to good friends, Savanna now has a place of her own. We're just trying to convince her to sleep in it too. :)

I've Been Tagged

YES!! I've been waiting for this moment to brag about myself. Well, I guess I could have anyway, but being forced to helps it come across less selfish. :) Thanks Amber!

ABOUT ME:

4 jobs i've had:
*teller @ a credit union & bank--obviously not at the same time
*manager @ AEO--loved it, but not recommended if you want a life outside of the mall
*waitress @ Chili's Bar & Grill--hands down the funnest job ever
*receptionist @ Retreat Salon & DaySpa

4 movies i can watch over & over again: (oooo! there's too many to list)
*fools rush in
*anything with sandra bullock
*friends dvds
*top gun, footlose...the classics

4 favorite tv shows: (my night-time tv)
*GREYS ANATOMY!! NO interruptions--I take it very seriously
*csi las vegas & ny
*tlc's flip that house
*miami & la ink
we are survivor & amazing race fans, but it's not on right now

favorite hobbies:
*pre-savanna...sleeping now it's watching elmo's world, doodlebops, etc.
*reading
*blogging
*i would say scrapbooking. but i haven't done it in a while

places i have lived:
*Utah
*Nevada
*Massachusetts
*Connecticut

favorite foods:
*mexican
*snickers or any avail. junk food
*papa john's pizza & cheezy breadsticks

4 places i would rather be right now:
*reading my book
*on a relaxing tropical beach--without child
*shopping for myself
*hanging out at my moms

4 websites i check daily:
*craigslist.com
*my e-mail
*friends blogs
*google.com--for various reasons

who i'm tagging: YOU'RE IT!!
*rogue
*kayla
*missy
*bird

More Daddy Days

Yesterday morning Kayla & I went out to seek some treasures at the notorious "tag sales" here in town. We didn't find anything worth our hard earned dollar, but I did find some "treasures" of my own when I returned.

These shorts are the infamous "backward shorts". It never fails that if Daddy is the one to get her dressed and these are the pick of the day--they end up backwards. I find this hilarious not only because of his explanation that the pockets & tag totally confuse him. But because my dad did the same thing to me & my sisters. I'm just glad I finally caught a picture of this phenomenon.

Only Daddy's are fun outside...they let you play in the rocks, but not only that...they'll play with you. I love catching these little moments. :)

Every Princess Needs Her Castle

And I believe we've found Savanna's. It's so nice because we live just minutes from the elementary school & they have quite the set-up there.

This time I took Savanna to the pre-school side to see what it was like & it was just her size. I was just bummed because I didn't take anything to entertain me (i.e. a book) because I usually have to help her climb, push, & assist in sliding down the tube slide. I am quite proud that lately she's decided to attempt slides on her tummy.

We had a fun time before the rain ran us inside. Although she did seem to have more fun playing with the rocks, bark, & other natural wonders. She's definitly and outdoors girl.

Daddy-isms

Last night was Daddy's night. I love Daddy's night, not only because I get a chance to finish up whatever I have left unfinished for the day, but because of the enjoyment I get in watching Savanna & her Daddy tackle the everyday tasks together. Example:

Coming from the bathroom window (Savanna's in the tub, obviously), "Kim, I don't know how to do her hair."

"What?"

"I don't know how to get the things out of her hair." (meaning elastics/pig-tails)

"Oh, that's okay...don't worry about washing it." I chuckle, but continue my task.

*****2 min later*****

"Ummmm...she just peed in the tub."

"It happens."

"How do you turn on the shower?" (I must give Chris credit on this one--it is a little weird.)

**********************************************

Speaking of Daddy, look at the treasure he found the other night when he went to put on his shoe...

Savanna LOVES hiding things around the house. I LOVE finding these little treasures left behind, but I LOVE watching her run to the exact location of whatever toy/nic nac she may be in need of at the moment. The couch has become one big treasure box lately. The other day I was sitting with Savanna when she began rooting around in the cushions. All of the sudden out pops a sippy cup (filled with liquid), she just looked at me with this proud look on her face and took a sip with a resounding "Awe!"

Lazy Days

I know it's going to be a lazy day when Savanna wakes up before the sun & proceeds to have to do EVERYTHING I do--mostly just on my lap, but still in the way. I long ago gave up on trying to get the house clean in one day, but I would think I could at least complete a single chore. Nope. I just do my best to keep the place from being condemned. Well, today I woke up motivate--not something that happens very often. I was ready to tackle the endless tasks that I've put off since we moved in--like cleaning, painting, puting things away. Until now I've spent my days buying all the things needed to achieve great reasults & now I'm at the point in which I need to get something done. Today I did! Yeah! I cleaned the family room & kitchen and rewarded myself by watching Elmo & being entertained by the ramblings of my daughter. She kept dropping her sippy cup off her head & saying "uh oh" with her hands out. It was cute and I was enthralled. We just got back from attempting to go to the park, but she fell asleep before we even reached the end of our road, and now I'm going to go join her....zzzzzzz!

Lighthouse Point

Our first official outing in CT with friends and it did not disappoint. A few of the Moms from our new ward invited Savanna & I to tag along on one of their beach trips. This is not your run of the mill New England beach, but a mini amusement park in a child's eyes. Equipped with sand, ocean, (gated) splash park, playground, and carousel you could spend a full day entertaining your inner child. I am proud to say that the long awaited Elmo swimsuit made it's official debut. Savanna took to the water like an pro. Laughing and splashing she loved it, although her curiosity got the best of her often, she enjoyed playing with the kids and "helping" in the building of the sand castle. While most kids would have found running through the spraying water at the splash park, Savanna enjoyed playing in the foot washers (I'm not sure what their official name is, but essentially that's what they are). At last we made it over to the indoor carousel for a quick ride on "Sparkle". It was a fun day and even better, we all got a good nap when we got home.

Moving Day

It's not all fun and games, but we did our best to enjoy the moment. Unfortunately the only way we could get anything done was to bust out the DVD's and let Savanna be enthralled. Isn't that some type of parental neglect, if so, blame her Daddy. All of you who are excited to visit you'd better make it a LONG trip because this Bed & Breakfast require manual labor as payment...one week for work on various projects or home maintenance and one week to enjoy the things New England has to offer. I think that's a fair trade. Hey, I'd even accept simple babysitting while I complete the numerous tasks that lie in wait. Who would like to book a getaway first??

What the...?

After signing the dotted line we arrive, keys in hand, only to notice this! How could we have missed such an atrocity during our final walk through? It's absolutely HIDEOUS! Would it have changed our minds about buying the house? Probably not, but at least I could have made a big deal out of it. Because to me it is a BIG deal! (Yes, I cried.) Luckily during my meltdown I did not have access to the sellers phone number because I had a few choice things to say. I am sorry, however, to those family and friends whose numbers I did have available...they received the wrath of a mad woman. So far my anger, rage, and disgust have lessened due to the fact that it CAN & WILL be moved sooner rather than later.

The things we take for granted..

It's been quite the process to get the ammenities of the 21st century, but YEAH, I have access to the outside world again. I cannot express the withdrawals I've been going through not being able to contribute to the blogging world (thank goodness for Diet Coke), but worse, not being able to browse the Internet after weird and useless info. I should be ashamed that I was not excited to have the extra time to spend with my daughter (I would say husband, but he's been a hermit in his office :), but seriously, there are only so many times you can sing "itsy, bitsy spider" without wanting to rip your hair out. Did I mention that we didn't even have our TV connect either. Heaven help us...it's a LONG day without Elmo around! I am proud to say that I feel that my patience has passed the test and I have found more ways that Savanna can help, rather than hinder a days work. She's my little shadow with the housework--I use cleaning clothes, she uses wet wipes; I fold the clothes, and she puts the socks in a pile; I find the items at the store and she CHUCKS them in the cart. So far we make quite the pair. Soon to come...pictures of all the things we enjoy about our little house in our "new" little town.