Nana "D" turns the BIG 50!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love surprises, but rarely can keep it a surprise. So I was doubly excited to help in the preparations & "creating" of Nana's party & gift. Mind you that it was NOT an easy task, but fun none the less. Danielle, my sister-in-law, decided to take upon herself the challenge of scrapbooking & organizing the "tub" of pictures in her mothers basement. Mind you that this "tub" is BIG & yellow and chuck FULL of misc. pictures all mixed together. Talk about MOTIVATION!! We had a lot of LATE night-she more than I. Remember I just arrived and she's been working on this for a while now. We share some good laughs at the pictures we found too! :) The best was Nana's reaction! She knew the pictures were missing & I made up stories to get stories about the pictures, but in the end MISSION COMPLETED. Tears were shed & memories were shared. I am now even MORE motivated to finish my own book & start Savanna's. The food tonight was delicious & a plenty. Savanna was all the rave in her little festive RED number. I loved watching her play with her cousins, aunts, uncles & grandpa's too! (She seriously has a thing for boys--must be fixed soon!) By the end of the night she was practically nude-diaper only, but happy, tired & easy to put to sleep. After all, that's what Nana's house is for--wear em' out & give em' back! It was a GREAT night to celebrate a GREAT mother-in-law! Love you Nana D!!

Funny, I could have sworn that there was a picture of Nana in there somewhere?? (check back)

The Festivities Have Begun...

This past Saturday was a "family" Christmas party. Mind you that I knew NO ONE other than my in-laws & their immediate families. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed myself ALMOST as much as my daughter did. We arrived at the church and wandered into the gym & think that was likely the last I saw of my child. She was in her element-room to run & a plethera of balls & people to play with. We ate pizza (Savanna ate Uncle Trents) and made Christmas cards for the "old folks home." I was happy to realize that when all was said and done that I had a fairly cute picture of my daughter AND my "new" do!

This Santa hat is NOT hers, but finders, keepers--not really, but she sported it for a picture!

I think Uncle Trent is her FAVORITE--sorry guys!

Where did I get my template, you ask?? Only at the BEST place ever!! It's called "Cutest Blog on the Block" & I've been S-L-O-W at getting the info to all of you who have asked...sorry!

Home SWEET Home

So by chance & a lucky break in Delta's ticketing department, Savanna & I arrived HOME in UTAH last Tuesday. There are always a lot of pros & cons with coming back to my roots. This time is no different.

The Pros:

• FREE haircuts all around. Savanna's was much needed as she was beginning to look like a homeless child, but I just needed a change. (pics to come)
• Toys, Cousins, Aunts & Uncles TOO! There's never a dull moment & I find myself tending to bathroom duties without my usual entourage :)
• SNOW!! We got 10 inches the other day, but didn't get a chance to play in it--teeth are gracing us with their presence & it's NOT pretty.
• Shopping trips without a toddler--I didn't know there was such a thing, or I just no longer remember.
• Christmas Parties! I just love being with family & friends this time of year.
• West Coast style Christmas lights & home decor...there's nothing that compares back East...sorry!
• Free food, supplies, and almost anything else a grumpy toddler could need--thanks MOM!
• In-Laws--I don't know why, but so many people think it's weird that I truly LOVE my in-laws.

The Cons:

• How are we ever going to get everything home???
• Cramped quarters--this isn't an issue yet, but I'm sure it will be by the end of the month & all our loot we'll acquire :)
• Shuffling of schedules. As convenient as it is to have both our families from the same area this tends to become a problem every once-in-awhile.
• Changing climates--coming from the East my skin now consumes numerous tubs of creams & lotions to keep from cracking & itching. YUCK!
• Projects--I find myself thinking about all the things I could be doing back home with all the free time I have while Savanna is entertained. I am seriously considering sending her to "visit" the family next summer while Chris & I tackle the outside of our little house...time will tell.

Nothing beats coming HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!

Itsy, Bitsy Spider

This ONE of Savanna's favorite songs & you know she wants to sing it when she follows you around with "her spider" ready to crawl. If you watch closely, you can catch a quick two-handed wave goodbye, but towards herself :)