Living Happily Ever After

Real joy and satisfaction...

2012-02-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

In being who and what I am. A mom. I'm completely engulfed in everything "mom" right now. Four years ago this week I remember what it felt like to cry my eyes out wanting so badly to be a mommy. Some days I felt like maybe it wasn't really meant for me... I wasn't meant to be a mom and it was really hard on me. Everyday I have two sweet angels fall asleep on my right arm as I read them nap-time stories and my heart feels like it might burst out of my chest I'm so happy and in love and blessed. Some experiences in life really don't seem fair at the time but because of them, later you appreciate things more.
Last year right now I was working full time and commuting to Salt Lake. Again wondering and worrying if actually getting to be a mom was in my cards. Today I have 2 clean, fed, napping girls, a clean house, and a heart so full of joy I'm almost in tears. Savana recited the whole first article of faith to me. Ate all of her lunch like a champ and went down for a nap like an angel. Annie slept all night. Has smiled at me at least 100 times flashing her beautiful little dimple and has not fussed, whined or cried all day and she is snoring a little bit in her sleep at this moment and I can't help but smile.
Savana is such a little smarty pants. I used to question if she really listened to me, ever! But she shows me in so many ways that she understands, knows and remembers the things I teach her. One big help is the spirit in our house every day. I'm just so proud of my little 2 year old for knowing so much! She knows all the First Presidency, all the quorum of the 12 by face and name, along with the Book of Mormon prophets, most Bible prophets, her numbers, alphabet, LOTS of songs - she sings all day sometimes. She loves learning new songs. She got a microphone for Christmas and has been such the little Taylor Swift - singing songs, making up songs, talking to me in song. She is great. She has such a sweet voice and sounds just like an angel.

Savana baking a pie with her grandma :)

Annie was orange at first so we put her in the sunshine :)

Christmas Eve jammies!

Oh Santa got Savana the Rapunzel doll she wanted so badly.

Geoff and Annie opening Christmas presents.

Savana and her doll, and other presents from Santa. Clearly Rapunzel was very appreciated! Although for those of you know about Savana and Flynn Rider....A few minutes after she opened Rapunzel she looked at us and asked where Flynn was. Haha! Love her!

My new picture

1st time fishing with dad! (over the couch for Swedish fish)

Her tent. We had a family camping night. Hotdogs and smores, fishing and tent making! SO FUN!

Sweet cousins! Abby and Tessa! LOVE THEM!

Annie's blessing day. January 8th. It was perfect.

We were so glad Grandma and Jerry could come!

Wonderful priesthood holders!

Daddy Kiss!

Best sister friends!

My precious girls melt my heart!

Annie will be 3 month old day after tomorrow. WOW how time flies! I can't even believe it. She is a great little eater and sleeper. She is quite the mommy's girl. I can't leave much, its too hard on her, she misses me. Some days I feel a little cooped up but I honestly don't mind it - I like it. I get to snuggle my girls all day! I do have some spring fever in that I really dislike cold weather. I love having my windows open for fresh air. I'm still crossing my fingers an amazing job opens up in St. George for Geoff and we can live in the sunshine :) I told Savana I had spring fever today and she said "I'm sorry you are sick mama!" (felt my forehead) and told me to drink plenty of fluids. Geoff and I both had a pretty good laugh. But spring will come and once again I will go on 3-4 walks a day to enjoy sunshine and fresh air. Savana loves going on walks. She tells me all sorts of things while we are out and about. I'm sure Annie will love it too :) For now we are snuggled under several blankets with warm clothes on and enjoying time together in our little home. Life is wonderful. Every minute!

My ooober cute baby girl!!

2012-01-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

I really want to show off my adorable Annie since not very many people have seen her because of this time of year she was born ( RSV season...). She just stays home. And I can't wait until March when I can take her out and show her off to people! But for now I am enjoying her all to myself at home. She has already grown so much. Time sure flies. She is almost 10 weeks now. She has had one night that she slept all night, the night before her blessing :) She is so sweet and perfect and I'm totally in love!!

I sure love all the pictures my sweet sister-in-law Jenny took. Love her :)

Annie has her daddy's crooked toe and I am obsessed with kissing it! SO cute!

Pretty blue eyes!!

I'm one happy mommy!

Love her expressions!

Soft baby skin...kissable!

Annie Kendall Loomis

2011-11-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Annie Kendall Loomis!

Born 11-3-11

6:47am

6 lb 11 oz

Birth story:

11-2-11

Dinner: a few bites of a sandwich. I was starving but nothing would fit in my stomach...

Played with Savana instead of cleaning up dinner. We played dolls for several hours. Thought how I really needed to clean my kitchen but thought it was better to enjoy playing with Savana before I got "busy with a baby." Glad I did.

Workout: My best friend, the treadmill, listening to Christmas music :)

10:30ish: Put my head on my pillow and actually thought "Enjoy falling to sleep now when you will not have to get up a bunch to feed a baby..."

Maybe fell asleep....

11:30- A contraction woke me up and then..... I thought I peed my pants and ran to the bathroom. My water was leaking but it stopped so I was pretty sure I peed my pants and went back to bed. My whole pregnancy Geoff joked how if I peed my pants he would make so much fun of me and never let me live it down... I told him he could make fun of me in the morning but right then I was too mad to be made fun of. He was so asleep he already forgot I got up in the first place.

12:20 am (Nov 3) - thought I peed my pants again. After changing again.... I got out my computer and googled "Did my water break?" While looking online my contractions started and were 2-3 minutes apart. 40 minutes of contractions and at 1:00 I woke up Geoff and told him I was pretty sure his baby was about to be born. He asked what I wanted to do... I said " Um call your mom and have her come stay with Savana and GO TO THE HOSPITAL :)!!"

I did my dishes while I waited for my wonderful mom-in-law to get to our house. (I cant ever leave my house with dirty dishes, even if in labor... plus it helped keep me occupied so I did not just lay on the couch and cry.)

1:45- In the car I cried and told Geoff I did not want to push out a baby because it hurt so bad last time and I was not mentally prepared for it all...

2:00 am- we checked into the hospital. I'm pretty sure I asked the nurse 100 times if I was really going to stay because when my water was leaking with Savana they actually discharged us but never ended up leaving the room due to other symptoms...

I was at a 3 and having regular contractions and very very very nauseous. I had some medicine while I waited for my epidural :) It was really nice. Immediately I felt better. They now have flavored ice! I had both tigers blood and lime. YUMM! Then the contractions got worse and I was really glad I was getting an epidural.

3:30ish I got my epidural

5:00ish - They put me on petocin for about an hour just to get the contractions stronger and I was still at a 3

My epidural felt like it was not working low on my right side... I rolled over and they checked me and bam...

6:20ish - I was an 8!

The doc came in and my room was all prepped... Little Annie was facing up so the doc said he would have to flip her and it was pushing time. One push and he flipped her around. The nurse said "Wow she has lots of dark hair!" I looked at Geoff in unbelief that they could actually see her because it took a half hour to get Savana out...second push and....

6:47- She was out! All covered in white goo.... lots of white goo. I guess they have lots of it when they come early :) I was a little grossed out but hey I'll take it for 2 less weeks of pregnancy :) Plus the nurse said she will have extra soft skin because of if. Who does not want extra soft baby skin??? :)

I got to hold and snuggle and nurse for for quite a while. (Unlike with Savana I got to see her for just a minute and they whisked her away. Sad.)

I got all taken care of and got to my recovery room and I was totally surprised when I was not in loads of pain. (This was the worst part of having Savana, I cried for hours in really bad pain after my epidural wore off her.) I was pleasantly surprised I felt so good. I had breakfast and to hold and snuggle Annie a lot! We had visitors by about 10 am and I felt amazing for one having been up all night and two just having a baby. I had looots of milkshakes at the hospital- they are so delish! Anyone who wants to bring me a chocolate milkshake is more than welcome to :) (after I had Savana I craved Sprite... this time its chocolate milkshakes!!) Anyway..

I am still surprised at how smoothly and perfect things went. Annie was a little orange and we had to do several tests until her biliruben came down. But we never had to do lights or anything. I still feel great and she is adorable, healthy and perfect. Savana is an amazing big sister and we are a happy family :)

*Thanks to everyone who has come to visit and bring us dinner and baby gifts :) We feel so SOSOSOSSOOO loved.

Happy dad!

The Loomis Family!

Aunt Katie

My good friend Annie, meeting baby Annie.

My baby Annie with her little best friend Pyper (my friend Annie's baby)

Annie and Pyper. We are so glad we got to see them while they were in town.

Baking blog

2011-09-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have made a cooking blog! It is mainly for those with Kid Helpers :) So the recipes will have little kid friendly tips to keep them stay safe and busy while you make a treat. It's sometimes tricky to keep their hands out of the stuff that spills or places they could get burned. Right now its just treats but I will post dinner ideas too :) Hopefully you and your kiddo/s can have some fun together in the kitchen making things you both enjoy eating!

http://hollyhappybaking.blogspot.com/

Are you serious??

2011-09-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

These shoes actually exist??

Anyone being a goat for Halloween??

Birthday and summer time!

2011-08-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have the best father-in-law in the world. He got me such pretty flowers for my bday! I love my in-laws, they are seriously amazing!

We went to the zoo on my bday and it was so much fun!

Savana had a really great time! It was a great family day.

She looks kind of like she is casting a spell or something lol but she is roaring at the tigers!

What a great dad!

Uh, here is the first official "bump" picture I have taken this pregnancy (28 weeks). I have pretty much just looked like I ate too may cheeseburgers or something until now, but I hope people just know I'm pregnant and not a fatty. LOL.

Savana at "the cougar!" She always wants to drive by the stadium and see the cougar so we had to get a pic when we took her to the open football practice.

Ah the water park, How I will miss you when you close! I really think I will cry the last time we go. We have had so much fun! I am definitely a summer girl. I'm really wishing we can end up livig in St. George!

Savana and her little water park buddy, Jack. We had lots of fun with Jack and Mallory at 7 Peaks!

Time to get a snack!

We walked by some people sunbathing and Savana says "Look mom! They are sleepin here!" I told her "They are relaxing in the sun, its called sunbathing." So we go get our snack and she lays down and I ask her if she is sleepy and wants to go and she looks at me and says "No mom, I'm sunbathing..." Lol, I love her!

Back to blogging!

2011-08-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Life is wonderful being a full time mom! Its all my dreams come true. I love everything about our life! We are growing from a family of 3 to a family of 4! Savana is getting a little sister in November and we are so excited! I have my fingers crossed Annie will make her appearance on Nov 11th, (11-11-11)! I have always loved numbers and I really need to have her that day! If it comes and goes and no baby I will cry, really hard. In fact I'm so determined that if I can't be induced I will do everything in my power to get her out! Savana is very excited to get a baby sister. I'm really not scared at all about the adjustment for her. She will do great. She talks about getting her baby sister every day and it melts my heart.

We have had a really fun summer! We went camping.

We went to Montana to plant my grandma's flowers :) A tradition I insist on keeping up. I have done it every year since I was a freshman in High School. Living so far away I can't be all the help and companion to her I wish I was but at least I can give her pretty flowers to remind her I love her.

When we went to Montana I made sure to go to the farmers market so Savana could ride on a horse. She loves horses and its the highlight of her summer :)

Other than our fun trips we have gone to 7 Peaks almost daily to keep busy and really get our use out of our passes and enjoy summer time! Just a few more weeks and it will be getting colder and I will be inside all winter with a new baby during RSV season so we are spending lots of time at the park and on walks. Being a mom is the best. I love my little 2 year old. She makes me so happy! And Geoff is the best dad and husband in the world! He starts school again here in not too long. He loves his job. And I'm glad he is so happy doing things he loves. We have such a happy little family. I'm so blessed!

She grew up!

2011-05-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

In the last 2 days my little girl grew up! She learned how to climb out of her crib, and she got a big girl bed and spent her first night in it. Then last night she had her first real slumber party with the cousins at grandma's house. When did my baby grow up? I sure love being with her everyday! It's the most wonderful thing in the world to be a mom, at home :) I couldn't be happier, life is wonderful.

I'm almost there!

2011-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

You always appreciate things more after waiting a long time, praying and fasting and trying to be patient for it. Well, what I have waited for for so long is finally just around the corner!!!
I GET TO STAY HOME WITH SAVANA!
Geoff got a job in an Exercise Physiologist's office and he has already started part time and as soon as my job will let me I will be done and he will be full time :) He contacted them a while ago since he is going to school to be an Exercise Physiologist and just wanted to see what they were all about. And they emailed and said they had an opening and to come interview! He loves it so far. They are going to work with his school schedule in the fall and.... everything just..... came together :) I'm so happy for him. Its perfect for what Geoff needed and perfect for me and Savana too! Heavenly Father knows our situations and what is best for us. Ever since I found out my heart has been bursting with gratitude. I'm thankful for my little girl, and my AMAZING husband, and that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I'm thankful for our darling little home and friends close by for play dates. I'm grateful that it came at this time so I can really appreciate this blessing.
I am so excited planning my days with Savana I can hardly sleep. I have 2 years of "mommy ideas" overflowing my brain. I love to play with Savana and teach her things. Our first day together we are going to make peanut butter playdough! We are going to bake bread and read and read and read and read! She loves books :) And we are going to get a 7 Peaks pass and go swimming this summer! And go on walks, do yoga, and play "soccer ball" (as she calls soccer)... and play at the park and go to the zoo and the aquarium and play dress up and visit cousins and friends, and do sidewalk chalk and finger paint and blow colored bubbles...
YES COLORED BUBBLES! Shhh. Don't tell Savana that one, I have a feeling the hoppity, soft, fuzzy, adorable Easter Bunny might bring them to her :)
Oh my little mommy heart us just bursting with joy! The other day I was getting ready to take Savana over to her grandma/grandpas house (where she never wants to leave because she has so much fun and is so loved) and she did not want to cooperate and kept saying "No mama, home....home." I told her that soon her mommy was going to stay home with her all the time, everyday, all day long! And she looked at me and stopped wiggling and said in a very serious, unbelieving kind of tone...like when a kid sees Disneyland... "no wayyyyy?" It was so cute.
I love my life :)

Hinkey and Nonah

2011-03-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

This is currently Savana's favorite book. She always wants it read to her before bed and kisses president Hinckley on every page. When the book is over she says "Mo Hinkey! (more Hinckley) It melts my heart.
I'm also pretty proud that she tells me the story of Nonah (Jonah)... in only a few words. She says "Nonah, Go Ninva (Ninevah).. NO! HIDE! Storm... gulp... pray...sorry...spit out.....Nonah happy." Short and sweet. She tells it to me every night after we turn off the lights when we are done with Hinkey :) She is so sweet and I'm so blessed to be her mommy! I can't wait to spend more time with her :)

Epic Dental

2011-03-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day at Epic Dental. Is so crazy. I have loved this place for so long! Best boss and coworkers in the world! My heart will always have a special place for Epic. They have been so good to me and I appreciate it so much. I'm so sad to leave but at the same time I will get to spend so much more time with my little angel and I'm excited and know that it is the right thing to do. Its still just sad to leave the best company ever!
Goodbye 4:39am alarm- you will not be missed!
Goodbye crazy divers on I15... you won't be missed either :)
Goodbye funny work phone calls that crack me up!
Goodbye best job in the world....
Hello morning workout!
Hello morning cartoons while eating cereal on the couch with my baby!
All the projects in my house... better get ready to be attacked... I have time to get to you now!
Husband, you have your wife back get ready to see me a LOT more :)
Savana, you are an angel and your mommy is excited to be with you! Lots of stories, piggie back rides, yoga, crafts and mommy play time are in the near future! I can't wait!

Epic, Thanks for everything. Its very much appreciated and I will miss you.

I felt like there was something wrong with me last night, I got zero sleep because I was crying because I was remembering all the good times at Epic. Lame right? But seriously, Donald Bailey is the best boss ever. He added maternity insurance just so I could have Savana and I will forever be grateful for that! Todd Barfuss is a great manager, Ill miss the "You do good work" reminders I always get... Megan, Alexis, Tandra, Spencer, Kevin, BR, and Whitney Baker have all been a blast to work with!

If anyone wants to get the best dental products in the world check out Epic Dental... they rock :) I will never use a different dental product as long as I live....

Published!

2011-02-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

I have the most amazing husband in the world. Period. End of Story. Hands Down.

Not only is he the most handsome man alive, a fantastic father, college graduate with honors, Straight A student, A soon-to-be BYU Football Intern and Grad student, but he is also PUBLISHED in Training & Conditioning Magazine! What a great man!

Here is the link:

lacrosse article

Monsters

2011-01-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Savana got Monsters Inc. for Christmas and loooooves it. She is talking so much now and she now repeats almost everything she hears. She loves to watch Monsters before bed at night and I sometimes give in just so I can snuggle her :) AND because she sings me a sweet song every time. Here is the link to the song I love to hear her sing to me.

You and me, me and you, both of us together!

She says "You and me, me and you" and I say "Both of us together!" And she smiles and laughs and wants smooches!

She sings it all evening after she hears it and always before bed at night whether she watches the movie or not.

And of course she says "Mike Wasowski" over and over again just like Boo and I love it.

Normally I like doing an activity or reading with her as opposed to watching movies but its hard to pass up her little song... I give in :)

Are you a Latter-day Saint Mommy Blogger??

2011-01-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

I was at work yesterday and had a woman call and ask me where our company was located. I responded, Utah. Then she asked a question..."Are you a Latter-day Saint woman?" I said "Yep I am..." "Do you blog?" she asked. In my head I was thinking how guilty I felt because it has been over a month since my last post but still said "Yes I have a blog, its fun." "Are you a mom?" "Yes, I have a little girl and yes I blog about her" She went off on a funny and entertaining little rant about how she has all these friends that have told her to read Latter Day Saint women's blogs because they are so wonderful and uplifting and she did and then she saw on TV how popular these blogs are getting and people read them and are uplifted and amazed by how fun it is to be a mom and so on..and on and on. I had to laugh. Then I saw this article today on ksl and just find it all so amusing.

Here is the link to the KSL article

Big news!

2010-12-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

My little girl went peepee in the potty! She has liked to sit on the potty for a long time but never actually goes peepee. She went poopoo once a while ago but today was the first time going peepee!
YAY!

A cupcake date!

2010-11-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

Savana and I have been going on mommy-daughter dates every Saturday. I love it. We just go do something fun for her. One week we went to McDonalds just for her to play on the playgound- she loves her happymeals :). Last week we went to Barnes and Noble to read books and I let her pick out a treat at the cafe. She really loves books and we had a lot of fun.

Today we went to Cupcake Chic and I let her pick out a cupcake. When I was pregnant I always called her my little cupcake. It kind of stuck and she has lots of cupcake stuff. She is such a yummy little cupcake :) the sweetest ever! I am pretty obsessed with my little girl. I think most mom's really love their kids but I never understood "a mother's love" until Savana came along. Being a mom is the best and I treasure every second I'm with her. She is the best little girl in the world and I'm so lucky to be her mom. I love my cupcake! And our little fun dates!

Pretty girl.... wearing her mama's necklace and headband.

Yep, we are cougar fans! Her hugs are the best!

Snuggles for dad before bed.

Santa

2010-11-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

I was thinking today how nice it would be if Santa really existed! All you have to do is be nice, not cry or pout and go to bed ontime... and you get free presents. I can be good for free presents :)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Oh! You better watch out,

You better not cry,

You better not pout,

I'm telling you why:

Santa Claus is coming to town!

He's making a list,

He's checking it twice,

He's gonna find out

who's naughty or nice.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

He sees you when you're sleeping,

He knows when you're awake.

He knows when you've been bad or good,

So be good for goodness sake!

So...You better watch out,

You better not cry

You better not pout,

I'm telling you why.

Santa Claus is coming to town.

Little tin horns,

Little toy drums.

Rudy-toot-toot

and rummy tum tums.

Santa Claus is coming to town.

Little toy dolls

that cuddle and coo,

Elephants, boats

and Kiddie cars too.

Santa Claus is coming to town.

The kids in Girl and Boy Land

will have a jubilee.

They're gonna build a toyland town

ll around the Christmas tree.

Oh....You better watch out,

You better not cry.
You better not pout,

I'm telling you why.

Santa Claus is comin'

Santa Claus is comin'
To town.

I'm from Montana and I'm a Griz fan! I live in Utah and I'm a Cougar fan!

2010-11-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

So far it has been a very productive Saturday. Savana woke up at 2:30 am and woke up every time I tried to put her down. She has had a cough and I think she just wanted to sleep upright because of the congestion. Its not all that bad, I would not even consider her sick, but I still got almost no sleep. When we got up for the day we had a good morning watching cartoons! Then we got ready and went to the bank and cleaned the entire house, every crack and cranny. Then we got sprayed for bugs. We have not had a bug problem but after killing 2 seriously gigantic (literally mouse sized!) spiders this week I called a bug guy. Yuck! They are not welcome in my house. Savana then had a good lunch and fell asleep in my arms. I love holding a sleeping baby! Now that she is sleeping I have a little time to....watch the Cat-Griz game! Nothing makes me more homesick than watching Griz football. I love that my husband gets the sports package for TV so even states away I can still watch the Montana Grizzlies! Rival games are the best! Go Griz!

When Savana wakes up we are having a mommy daughter date to Barns & Noble for some fun reading kids books and will get a treat at the cafe. Then its grocery shopping and baking some cake for tomorrow and then Geoff gets home! And probably more football. :) Go Cougars! Raaarrrrr!

The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That

2010-11-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Savana has an OBSESSION with Cat in the Hat. So, thats what she was for Halloween! I love my little Cat in the Hat!

We love home made shakes at our house! We love sharing too!

Triple yuck

2010-10-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Im a huge Taco Bell fan. I think outside the bun.

We just went there and I was SSSOOO excited when I saw they had 2 new sauces! I live for mild sauce so I had to try the new ones! There is a green one and a fire roasted salsa sauce. Both are totally gross. Don't waste your time...or food like I did.... I had to spit it out... it was that bad.

I'm still a mild sauce fan.

FHE

2010-10-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to give our pumpkin a face. So we did it Monday for family night.

Its so fun to play in pumpkin goo!

Yes, she was really this excited.

She cried when we told her that the pumpkin stays outside. She wanted to keep him in the house. She says hi to it every time we go out.

We did a fun little craft and made a little Cat in the Hat hat and put her name on it and hung it on the fridge.

Stolen

2010-10-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

So I toally stole this from one of my friends blogs. It is just perfectly stated and was exactly what I needed to hear. I thought I would pass it along.
Thanks Stephanie!

Hands down-one of the best speeches. Enjoy.

I know some people might criticize my doing this but I am ok with that. When I read this, it hit home with me in inexplicable way. I hope that someone else can benefit from it being posted here. It is patience redefined in a very personal and applicable way. Talk about seeing things in a new, brighter light. Yea, sure, it's long, but be patient while reading in it's entirety.

Patience
NEAL A. MAXWELL
Neal A. Maxwell was a President of the First Quorum of the Seventy
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional
address was given at Brigham Young University on 27 November 1979.
© Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Complete volumes of Speeches are available wherever LDS books are sold.
For further information contact:
Speeches, 218 University Press Building, Provo, Utah 84602.
(801) 422-2299 / E-mail: speeches@byu.edu / Speeches Home Page
Thank you very much, Bob. I appreciate this great privilege each time that it is mine, my brothers and sisters. I am grateful to the choral group today for that last number, the lyrics of which I hope will linger with you somewhat, because I will turn to them as I close my speech.
I have chosen to speak today about a very pedestrian principle: patience, I hope that I do not empty the Marriott Center by that selection. Perhaps the topic was selfishly selected because of my clear and continuing need to develop further this very important attribute. But my interest in patience is not solely personal; for the necessity of having this intriguing attribute is cited several times in the scriptures, including once by King Benjamin who, when clustering the attributes of sainthood, named patience as a charter member of that cluster (Mosiah 3:19; see also Alma 7:23).
Patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much but being willing, nevertheless, to submit to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the "process of time."
Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient we are suggesting that we know what is best--better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. Either way we are questioning the reality of God's omniscience as if, as some seem to believe, God were on some sort of postdoctoral fellowship and were not quite in charge of everything.
Saint Teresa of Avila said that unless we come to know the reality of God, including his omniscience, our mortal existence "will be no more than a night in a second-class hotel" (quoted by Malcolm Muggerridge in "The Great Liberal Death Wish," Imprimis [Hillsdale College, Michigan], May 1979.) Our second estate can be a first-class experience only if you and I develop a patient faith in God and in his unfolding purposes.
We read in Mosiah about how the Lord simultaneously tries the patience of His people even as He tries their faith (Mosiah 23:21). One is not only to endure, but to endure well and gracefully those things which the Lord "seeth fit to inflict upon [us]" (Mosiah 3:19), just as did a group of ancient American saints who were bearing unusual burdens but who submitted "cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:15).
Paul, speaking to the Hebrews, brings us up short by writing that, even after faithful disciples had "done the will of God," they "[had] need of patience" (Hebrews 10:36). How many times have good individuals done the right thing only to break or wear away under subsequent stress, canceling out much of the value of what they had already so painstakingly done? Sometimes that which we are doing is correct enough but simply needs to be persisted in patiently, not for a minute or a moment but sometimes for years. Paul speaks of the marathon of life and of how we must "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). Paul did not select the hundred-meter dash for his analogy!
The Lord has twice said: "And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life" (D&C 101:38, emphasis added; see also Luke 21:19). Could it be, brothers and sisters, that only when our self-control becomes total do we come into the true possession of our souls?
Patience is not only a companion of faith but is also a friend to free agency. Inside our impatience there is sometimes an ugly reality: We are plainly irritated and inconvenienced by the need to make allowance for the free agency of others. In our impatience--which is not the same thing as divine discontent--we would override others, even though it is obvious that our individual differences and preferences are so irretrievably enmeshed with each other that the only resolution which preserves free agency is our patience and long suffering with each other.
The passage of time is not, by itself, an automatic cure for bad choices; but often individuals like the prodigal son can "in process of time" come to their senses. The touching reunion of Jacob and Esau in the desert, so many years after their youthful rivalry, is a classic example of how generosity can replace animosity when truth is mixed with time. When we are unduly impatient, we are, in effect, trying to hasten an outcome when this kind of acceleration would be to abuse agency. Enoch--brilliant, submissive, and spiritual--knew what it meant to see a whole city-culture advance in "process of time." He could tell us much about so many things, including patience. Patience makes possible a personal spiritual symmetry which arises only, brothers and sisters, from prolonged obedience within free agency.
There is also a dimension of patience which links it to a special reverence for life. Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe, rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance. Put another way, too much anxious opening of the oven door and the cake falls instead of rising. So it is with us. If we are always selfishly taking our temperature to see if we are happy, we will not be.
When we are impatient, we are neither reverential nor reflective because we are too self-centered. Whereas faith and patience are companions, so are selfishness and impatience. It is so easy to be confrontive without being informative; so easy to be indignant without being intelligent; so easy to be impulsive without being insightful. It is so easy to command others when we are not in control of ourselves.
I remember as a child going eagerly to the corner store for what we then called an "all-day sucker." It would not have lasted all day under the best usage, but it could last quite awhile. The trick was to resist the temptation to bite into it, to learn to savor rather than to crunch and chew. The same savoring was needed with a precious square of Hershey milk chocolate to make the treat last, especially in depression times.
In life, however, even patiently stretching out sweetness is sometimes not enough; in certain situations, enjoyment must actually be deferred. A patient willingness to defer dividends is a hallmark of individual maturity. It is, parenthetically, a hallmark of free nations that their citizens can discipline themselves today for a better tomorrow. Yet America is in trouble (as are other nations) precisely because a patient persistence in a wise course of public policy is so difficult to attain. Too many impatient politicians buy today's votes with tomorrow's inflation.
But back to the personal relevance of patience which, among many things, permits us to deal more effectively with the unevenness of life's experiences. I recorded the substance of this speech about three months ago while driving to a stake conference in Elko, Nevada, across that rather barren, but beautiful in its own way, stretch of desert. (Incidentally, as soon as most of this speech on patience was dictated my car threw two fan belts!) During that drive, it was brought forcibly to me that the seeming flat periods of life give us a blessed chance to reflect upon what is past as well as to be readied for some rather stirring climbs ahead. Instead of grumbling and murmuring, we should be consolidating and reflecting, which would not be possible if life were an uninterrupted sequence of fantastic scenery, confrontive events, and exhilarating conversation.

Patience helps us to use, rather than to protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time. We should savor even the seemingly ordinary times, for life cannot be made up all of kettledrums and crashing cymbals. There must be some flutes and violins. Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some dynamic contrast.
Clearly, without patience we will learn less in life. We will see less; we will feel less; we will hear less. Ironically, "rush" and "more" usually mean "less." The pressure of "now," time and time again, go against the grain of the gospel with its eternalism.

There is also in patience a greater opportunity for that discernment which sorts out the things that matter most from the things that matter least. The mealtime episode of the Savior in the home of Mary and Martha is an example. Anxious, impatient Martha focused on getting food on the table while Mary wisely chose "the good part"--companionship and conversation instead of calories--a good choice, the Savior said, which would not be taken from her.
In our approach to life, patience also helps us to realize that while we may be ready to move on, having had enough of a particular learning experience, our continued presence is often needed as a part of the learning environment of others. Patience is thus closely connected with two other central attributes of Christianity--love and humility. Paul said to the saints at Thessalonica, "Be patient toward all men"--clearly a part of keeping the second great commandment (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
The patient person assumes that what others have to say is worth listening to. A patient person is not so chronically eager to put forth his or her own ideas. In true humility, we do some waiting upon others. We value them for what they say and what they have to contribute. Patience and humility are special friends.
Since our competition in life, as Elder Boyd K. Packer has perceptively said, is solely with our old self, we ought to be free, you and I, as members of the Church, from the jealousies and anxieties of the world which go with interpersonal competition. Very importantly, it is patience, when combined with love, which permits us "in process of time" to detoxify our disappointments. Patience and love take the radioactivity out of our resentments. These are neither small nor occasional needs in most of our lives.
Further, the patient person can better understand how there are circumstances when, if our hearts are set too much upon the things of this world, they must be broken--but for our sakes, and not merely as a demonstration of divine power. But it takes real patience in such circumstances to wait for the later vindication of our trust in the Lord.
Therefore, if we use the process of time well, it can cradle us as we develop patient humility. Keats tenderly observed: "Time, that aged nurse, /Rock'd me to patience" (John Bartlett, Familiar Quotations, 14th ed. [Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1968], p. 580). Clearly, patience so cradles us when we are in the midst of suffering. Paul, who suffered much, observed in his epistle to the Hebrews: "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11).
Patience permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord when we are tossed about by suffering as if by surf. When the undertow grasps us, we will realize that even as we tumble we are somehow being carried forward; we are actually being helped even as we cry for help.
One of the functions of the tribulations of the righteous is that "tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3). What a vital attribute patience is if tribulation is worth enduring to bring about its development! Patience in turn brings about the needed experience, as noted in the stunning insight the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith: "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7). Perhaps one can be forgiven if, in response to this sobering insight, his soul shivers just a bit. James also stressed the importance of patience when our faith is being tried, because those grueling experiences "[work] patience," and said, in what was almost a sigh of the soul, "Let patience have her perfect work . . ." (James 1:3-4).
To Joseph Smith, the Lord described patience as having a special finishing and concluding quality, for "These things remain to overcome through patience, that such may receive a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (D&C 63:66). A patient disciple, for instance, will not be surprised nor undone when the Church is misrepresented. Peter, being toughminded as well as tender, made the test of our patience even more precise and demanding when he said, "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God" (1 Peter 2:20). The dues of discipleship are high indeed, and how much we can take so often determines how much we can then give. I believe it was George MacDonald who observed that, in the process of life, we are not always the already-tempered and helpful hammer which is shaping and pounding another. Sometimes we are merely the anvil.
Thus, as already indicated, patience is a vital mortal virtue in relation to our faith, our free agency, our attitude toward life, our humility, and our suffering. Moreover, patience will not be an obsolete attribute in the next world.
My brothers and sisters, the longer I examine the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more I understand that the Lord's commitment to free agency is very deep--indeed, much deeper than is our own. The more I live, the more I also sense how exquisite is His perfect love of us. It is, in fact, the very interplay of God's everlasting commitment to free agency and His everlasting and perfect love for us which inevitably places a high premium upon the virtue of patience. There is simply no other way for true growth to occur.
God's attributes of omniscience and omnipotence no doubt made the plan of salvation feasible. But it was His perfect love which made the plan inevitable. And it is His perfect patience which makes it sustainable. Do we not, again and again, get breathtaking glimpses of God's perfect patience in the execution of the plan of salvation, concerning which He has said that his "course is one eternal round" (D&C 3:2)?
Thus it is that patience is to human nature what photosynthesis is to nature. Photosynthesis, the most important single chemical reaction we know, brings together water, light, chlorophyll, and carbon dioxide, processing annually the hundreds of trillions of tons of carbon dioxide and converting them to oxygen as part of the process of making food and fuel. The marvelous process of photosynthesis is crucial to life on this planet, and it is a very constant and patient process. So, too, is an individual's spiritual growth. Neither patience nor photosynthesis are conspicuous processes.
Patience is always involved in the spiritual chemistry of the soul, not only when we try to turn the trials and tribulations--the carbon dioxide, as it were--into joy and growth, but also when we use it to build upon the seemingly ordinary experiences to bring about happy and spiritual outcomes.
Patience is, therefore, clearly not fatalistic, shoulder-shrugging resignation. It is the acceptance of a divine rhythm to life; it is obedience prolonged. Patience stoutly resists pulling up the daisies to see how the roots are doing. Patience is never condescending or exclusive--it is never glad when others are left out. Patience never preens itself; it prefers keeping the window of the soul open.
I have struggled to find adequate words to express these concluding feelings and these thoughts about our need to be patient with ourselves and with our circumstances in this second estate.
Some of us have been momentarily wrenched by the sound of a train whistle spilling into the night air, and we have been inexplicably subdued by the mix of feelings that this evokes. Or perhaps we have been beckoned by a lighted cottage across a snow-covered meadow at dusk. Or we have heard the warm and drawing laughter of children at a nearby playground. Or we have been tugged at by the strains of congregational singing from a nearby church. Or we have encountered a particular fragrance which has awakened memories deep within us of things which once were. In such moments, we have felt a deep yearning, as if we were temporarily outside of something to which we actually belonged and of which we so much wanted again to be a part.
There are spiritual equivalents of these moments. Such seem to occur most often when time touches eternity. In these moments we feel a longing closeness--but we are still separate. The partition which produces this paradox is something we call the veil--a partition the presence of which requires our patience. We define the veil as the border between mortality and eternity; it is also a film of forgetting which covers the memories of earlier experiences. This forgetfulness will be lifted one day, and on that day we will see forever--rather than "through a glass, darkly" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
There are poignant and frequent reminders of the veil, adding to our sense of being close but still outside. In our deepest prayers, when the agency of man encounters the omniscience of God, we sometimes sense, if only momentarily, how very provincial our petitions are; we perceive that there are more good answers than we have good questions; and we realize that we have been taught more than we can tell, for the language used is not that which the tongue can transmit.
We experience this same close separateness when a baby is born, but also as we wait with those who are dying--for then we brush against the veil, as goodbyes and greetings are said almost within earshot of each other. In such moments, this resonance with realities on the other side of the veil is so obvious that it can be explained in only one way!
No wonder the Savior said that His doctrines would be recognized by His sheep, that we would know His voice, that we would follow Him (John 10:14). We do not, therefore, follow strangers. Deep within us, His doctrines do strike the promised chord of familiarity and underscore our true identity. Our sense of belonging grows in spite of our sense of separateness; for His teachings stir our souls, awakening feelings within us which have somehow survived underneath the encrusting experiences of mortality.
This inner serenity which the believer knows as he brushes against the veil is cousin to certitude. The peace it brings surpasses our understanding and certainly our capacity to explain. But it requires a patience which stands in stark contrast to the restlessness of the world in which, said Isaiah, the wicked are like the pounding and troubled sea which cannot rest (Isaiah 57:20).
But mercifully the veil is there. It is fixed by the wisdom of God for our good. It is no use being impatient with the Lord over that reality, for it is clearly a condition to which we agreed so long ago. Even when the veil is parted briefly, it will be on His terms, not ours. Without the veil, we would lose that precious insulation which would constantly interfere with our mortal probation and maturation. Without the veil, our brief mortal walk in a darkening world would lose its meaning--for one would scarcely carry the flashlight of faith at noonday and in the presence of the Light of the World. Without the veil, we could not experience the gospel of work and the sweat of our brow. If we had the security of having already entered into God's rest, certain things would be unneeded; Adam and Eve did not clutch social security cards in the Garden of Eden.

And how could we learn about obedience if we were shielded from the consequences of our disobedience? And how could we learn patience under pressure if we did not experience pressure and waiting? Nor could we choose for ourselves if we were already in His holy presence, for some alternatives do not there exist. Besides, God's Court is filled with those who have patiently overcome--whose company we do not yet deserve.

Fortunately, the veil keeps the first, second, and third estates separate--hence our sense of separateness. The veil avoids having things "compound in one" to our everlasting detriment (2 Nephi 2:11). We are cocooned, as it were, in order that we might truly choose. Once, long ago, we chose to come to this very setting where we could choose. It was an irrevocable choice. And the veil is the guarantor that our ancient choice will be honored.

When the veil which encloses us is no more, time will also be no more (D&C 84:100). Even now, time is clearly not our natural dimension. Thus it is that we are never really at home in time. Alternately, we find ourselves impatiently wishing to hasten the passage of time or to hold back the dawn. We can do neither, of course. Whereas the bird is at home in the air, we are clearly not at home in time--because we belong to eternity. Time, as much as any one thing, whispers to us that we are strangers here. If time were natural to us, why is it that we have so many clocks and wear wristwatches?

Thus the veil stands--not to shut us out forever, but to remind us of God's tutoring and patient love for us. Any brush against the veil produces a feeling of "not yet," but also faint whispers of anticipation of that moment when, in the words of today's choral hymn, "Come, Let Us Anew," those who have prevailed "by the patience and hope and the labor of love" will hear the glorious words," 'Well and faithfully done; / Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne' " (Hymns, number 17).

May each of us live for that special moment patiently and righteously, I pray in the name of Him who is so patient with me as I strive to be an "especial witness" for him in all the world, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

I refuse!

2010-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'm a summertime girl. I always have been. I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer yet. I savor the green trees still left. I long to wear flipflopps and shorts still. I want to go play in the pool with Savana more and lay out during her naps. Most people really love fall, like Geoff (mainly for football haha) but I kind of refuse to like it. I am trying hard to hang onto summertime. I saw these flowers and HAD to buy them! They are so spring and summery! I of course had to have a reason to purchase them...other than to boycott Halloween and fall... :) so I decided to make them my motivation to keep my house clean. For some reason when ever I have something pretty in my house I like it all to be clean so it is all pretty. Dirty dishes and pretty flowers don't look very good together. So far it is working. My house is currently spotless and has been since I bought them.

Summer kitchen towels :) I use them year round! They make me think of summertime and warmth and sunshine...and watermelon! My mom got them for me, what a great mom!

I guess the pretty fall sky is my favorite. Bright blue. This is the view on our front porch. The mountains are a little pretty all orange. I still prefer them to be green.

I caved and bought a pumpkin. Just for Savana to carve :) I will dress her up and take her trick or treating. I'm not a big Halloween fan. Black and orange are not my colors and scary stuff gets to me. I know it is some peoples favorite holiday and that's great I mean no offense its just not for me. Halloween days have always been bad days for some reason, maybe they will be better being a mom, getting all my kids' candy :) Hopefully we get good stuff! Like the good candy bars, not the gross taffy in orange wrappers eew. Savana will be cute all dressed up. I am definitely looking forward to that.

My fav

2010-10-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

After reading over almost all of the conference talks this week I think this one was my favorite, By Richard G. Scott.
I had so much fun going to the 2nd session Saturday with my niece Mary! I love her and miss her too much!

And if you have not seen this or heard this song...you should...it's a feel good song.

Locked in....or locked out?

2010-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today Savana was helping me do laundry and the bathroom is just across the hall from the washer. She decided to go in the bathroom and shut herself in. She likes to open and close doors so this was nothing new. She also likes to open and close drawers. Well when she opened the drawer right by the door it jammed the door shut so I could not open it besides a tiny crack. She would not close the drawer so I could get in. It took Geoff about 10 minutes and about 3 different utensils...a kitchen knife finally worked to poke the side of the drawer to gently slide it a smidgen bit at a time so the door would open. And she was rescued and I was relieved.

Go Cougars!

2010-10-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the BYU San Diego State game. BYU won and we were pretty excited since they just lost 4 games in a row. We will see how they do today against TCU.

My temples

2010-10-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

When we traveled growing up I always wanted to know if there was a temple in the town we were visiting. That way I could watch for it and hopefully be the first to spot it! One of my favorite memories was traveling to the Cardston Alberta temple, we got there and it was dark and I still remember the amazing feeling as I saw the temple all lit up at night. We were on a family trip and got there late and my parents went to a session first thing in the morning and my brothers and sisters and I ate little boxes of cereal in the hotel while we waited for them.

Here are a few pictures of the temples I have been to or been in.

Cardston was my temple growing up.

The Provo temple is my temple now!

Salt Lake is where we were married.

Teaching honesty

2010-10-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know I work for the most amazing company in the world. Epic Dental truly rocks. We sell dental products and we are a pretty small company, but my coworkers and boss are all going straight to heaven for their awesomeness!
Anyway, I talk to doctors and dentists a lot and I got an uplifting call today from a man in Idaho. It went like this:
Man: I would like to buy some gum for my dentist.
Holly: Ok, have you ordered with us before?
Man: No, my dentist buys this gum and I need to buy some for him it is a 1000 piece bag I think....
Holly: (You are seriously buying $70 worth of gum for your dentist....ok crazy!???) K, lets get an account set up for ya...
Man: This may seem like a strange situation to you. But I was at the dentist today and my 9 year old son was waiting for me in the waiting room while I had some work done. On the way out I noticed all of his pockets were full of gum! He emptied their gum machine into his pockets. His mom and I discussed and decided that he needed to buy a bag and take it in to the dentist and say he is sorry. I asked the lady in the office where they get their gum and they said from you. So I need it shipped to me so we can take it to them personally.
Holly: (HAHHAHAHAHAHAHA, I'm gunna die, that's great!!!!) Well, I'll do the order on their account so you can have their price but send it to your house.
I gave him a pretty good discount so the kid might have it paid off before he goes to college :) My heart wanted to send it for free for him being such an awesome parent.

I really wanted to ask if he was LDS, I kind of assume so since he is from Idaho, working in Utah and making his kid be honest like that. It reminds me of the little lessons that I teach my primary kids at church. I love to see parents teaching their kids little life lessons, its so uplifting and made my day!
Props to all the good parents who teach their kids so well.

Cool Pic

2010-09-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

So there was a pretty bad fire here in UT, and this pic of it I thought was pretty amazing. So I thought I would share.

18 months

2010-09-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Happy 18 month Birthday Savana!

It's been the best 18 months ever!

With loooooots of hugs.....

and kisses.......

Being a mom is so much more fun than I ever imagined.

I'm definately happiest when I'm with my girl!

She melts me heart every single day!

Moments to remember

2010-09-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Life has been such an adventure the last few years. I have had so many joyful moments that I am so grateful for. Savana is 18 months!!!!!! Where did time go?????? Seems like I was just preggo with her.

I loved being pregnant. Feeling Savana wiggle and kick was so much fun! Most people really don't like pregnancy, feeling so cruddy so much, but I was constantly amazing by how happy I was, even feeling so fat n all :)

Meeting Savana was priceless, even after such a long hard day. I day dreamed about that moment so many times when I was pregnant.

Nothing melts my heart like Geoff being such a great dad. We were so tired those first few months but on such a "new baby high" we somehow made it through...Funny thing is I thought I would hate waking up at night so much but I was again surprised by how excited I was that she was awake because even in my sleep I missed her and could not wait to see her!!! I treasure those quiet nights up snuggling and feeding my sweet baby.

This is a fun memory, haha! Welcome to earth baby! We gotta check you out! This picture was not planned or posed, we literally were all amazed and entertained by meeting and getting to know her!

I have always loved to watch Savana sleep, one of my very favorite things.

My nephew Riker came to Provo to go into the MTC just a few weeks after Savana was born. I really love my nephew and nieces on my couch and in my house with my baby. Precious moment!

My mom made these cute pjs, with hand cuffs and all! I was so excited to put them on her!!! Getting that package in the mail made my day!

Savana's blessing! I loved having both our families at church with us. Such a sweet day.

Baby noise! I can almost hear Savana's coos in this picture!

I love making my bed with Savana, she loves and by loves I mean is obsessed with pillows!

The morning Savana found the Cheetos on the couch, I still laugh about it every time I see a Cheeto! She was laughing a full blown belly laugh running around with them. Such a silly happy girl.

The mess from finger painting with pudding! Savana's 2 favorite things; eating and making mess! She was sooooooooo excited! I love doing fun random things with her, she gets so excited over the little things and it makes me appreciate them.

My sleeping angel. I could watch her sleep her entire nap and love each minute! So heavenly!

Piggie tails! And walks! I love to teach her where the sky is, what color the sky is! She knows it! She says Blue!!!! Along with what color is our car! And she knows where the mountains, sidewalk, trees and grass are!

I can not believe that my BABY is already 18 months old! She has started nursery and I'll be honest, it was hard on me, I cried. No one ever warned me how fast babies grow!!! I guess I just assumed that since I had a baby she would always be one. She is such a great little girl now...

Weddings, football, hikes, waterfalls and tomatoes!

2010-09-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun weekend! We got to go to the SLC temple for Todd and Allison's wedding! It was so nice, we love them. We then watched all the first college football games! Yay, the cougars won! Too bad Utah did too. Oh well..

On Monday we went on a little hike with the Loomis family.

Savana loves her Papa (grandpa).

The tiny little dot in this pic is Geoff way on top of the waterfall. When we got back from the hike we had a BBQ and made homemade root beer! YUMMMMMY!!

And nothing tastes more like summer than fresh tomatoes from the garden. Props to my in-laws who grow such yummy tomatoes! Growing up my family always had a big/gigantic garden and my dad and grandpa grew the best tomatoes and cucumbers ever. I love going out to a garden and picking fresh stuff. Makes me feel like a kid again :)

Busy busy busy!

2010-08-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Life has been pretty crazy at our little Loomis home. We had so much fun camping a while ago.

Savana got some cool cougar pjs! And we are all anxoiusly awaiting football season!

I turned 24. I had such a cute cake! Thanks Jenny!

Savana is such a little girlie girl!

And a great mommy! Rock a by baby!

We had fun at the parade on the 4th of July!

Savana is such a great little helper! She loves to mop and sweep!

We let Savana get some candy at the mall out of the little machines. She looooved it!

I found her one day with my necklace on and putting on makeup!

She loves to read the scriptures!

Something very exciting happend! Geoff Graduated!

I am so incredibly proud of my sweet husband. He is so smart and wonderful in every way! Congrats Geoff!

I could not be more proud! He is amazing!

I love my primary kids

2010-08-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Geoff and I loooooove our primary class. We teach 5 year olds and every week they make me smile. This week we were going over all the fun stuff each child was going to do. One little kid said they were doing such and such on Thursday and asked what I was doing that day. I thought for a moment and said in a rather serious voice..."I'm turning 24 years old on Thursday!" Their mouths dropped and one very sweet little boy said "Gee Sister Loomis, 24 is like old lady, good thing you look like a teenager!" And one little girl added on,"Yeah you look like my uncle Ben's girlfriend, she is still in highschool!"
I loved it, I'm still laughing at these cute very dramatic little comments. I love my kids!
We are slowly decreasing in numer because our kids keep moving. One little girl that moved a few weeks ago wrote us a sweet good bye note saying that she was going to miss us, found myself crying all that day. I get so attached. They are all great kids. I'm so lucky to be their teacher.

Saturday was a special day!

2010-07-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend at Bear Lake with the family (Geoff's parents, sisters, bro-in-law and niece and nephews). We had so much fun! I have not been camping in forever and loved every minute. Savana was so good the whole time and had so much fun with her cousins.

Its always nice to get home from a trip. Showers after camping are pretty close to heaven! I was getting ready to put Savana in the bath and she really wanted to sit on her little potty, so I took off her diaper and let her sit there and.......

SHE POOPED IN THE POTTY!

Yippi-ti-day-and hi-de-ho its time to celebrate!

She has had such an interest in going potty lately that last week we got her a little one so I don't have to worry about dropping her in the big one, haha. She loves her little potty! Loves loves loves. So I figure if she wants to sit there so bad, heck go for it! I guess the potty training fun is closer than I expected.

A little carried away

2010-07-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

So last week my phone had a little fit and I thought it died...but then it resurrected, I am so grateful it did! I have so many pics and videos of Savana I would die without. Here are a few pics I got a little carried away with the photo shop ap I have....I think they are fun and I wanted to share.

Fun in MT

2010-06-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Giving Huckleberry bear kisses.

She had so much fun playing with this little chair.

We went to the Farmer's Market and Savana got to ride on a pony!!!

She LOOOOVED it!

The guy was so nice he gave us an extra ride for free!

We also went to visit Savana's great great grandma, Grandma Winnie, she is 103 years old. She gets all dressed up every day and wears all sorts of pretty tiaras and her dancing shoes, yep high heels every day! She is doing great and was so excited to see Savana.

Savana was sharing her animal crackers with her. It was so cute and Grandma Winnie loved it! mmmmm animal crackers!!

Our trip to the zoo!

2010-06-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Savana went to the zoo for the first time on Memorial Day and she LOVED it! She is really into animals. She of course makes animal noises and gets so amazed just watching them. She was really good the entire day and was so entertained! We had so much fun and I'm so glad we took her.

GO cougars!

Baby Zuri, the baby elephant, was so cute. Geoff and I went to the zoo when the mama elephant just got pregnant with her about 2 years ago. I can not believe elephants are pregnant for 21 months. Wow.

Mesmerized by Zuri!

Her favorite were the rhinos, yep the big strange gray things. I thought it was funny. Every time we went to walk away she would cry. So we looked at them for quite a while and each time we walked by she insisted on watching them more. We let her get her fill, it was cute that she was so excited. It was also on our zoo trip

that she learned to hiss like a snake.

Our favorite part was when she was roaring at the tigers. Really loud! And every one was wanting to see the kid roaring at them, they thought it was so cute and so did we :)

She always sleeps with her arms up like this. I love it. In her ultrasound she was like that too. So sweet! I love my girl.

And oh the remote.... She loves to steal the remote and point it the TV and press buttons. And still loves to do it even though its a big no no! Little stinker- gosh I love her!

Savana right now

2010-06-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how fast my little baby girl has grown into such a darling little girl. She is always doing something new and exciting that makes me so proud. I normally get a "How is Savana, what does she like to do?" when I talk to people so I decided to make a quick little list.

Here are a few of her favorite things to do:

Blow bubbles
Go on walks and push her own stroller. She is getting very independent now.
Climb on or up onto anything, sturdy or not. She is pretty good in that she has not had very many tumbles. I stay right with her. But gees she is a mountain climber!
Drink from a cup on her own, we both normally end up with soaked shirts but sometimes she does really great. It is one of my favorite things because she gets so excited to drink like a big girl from a cup. She grins and kicks her legs and giggles. I love it!
Reading books! I read to her a lot! She also loves to pretend to read on her own
Cartoons, we love our morning snuggles on the couch watching cartoons. She does a full blown belly laugh when she sees cartoons on tv
Making animal noises. She can growl like a tiger/bear, hiss like a snake, make monkey and elephant noises. Most animals to her make monkey noises.
She says little things like doggie, hi and anything that has to do with dad, hi dad, bye dad, dadddddyyy and mama of course. She also says "abba-dabba-dabba" all the time...mmmm yaba-dabba-doo? abra-cadabra? I don't know what it means yet but it is definitely in her vocab.
She runs. Everywhere all the time. She loves getting open space at a park or in a yard where she can just run. Geoff works in the MTC gym and she looooves running there, where she falls every time because she is not used to the slippery floors and we have a few minutes of drama and gets back up and runs some more. But seriously 2 weeks in a row she slipped right on her face and bit her lip and it bled. I was a wreck, and almost took her to the ER, I'm a pretty antsy mom and hate seeing her cry. It is the only time she has ever bled. And the thought breaks my heart all over again.
Purses. Any purse she finds she is determined to go through and examine each item. I have to keep mine hidden because she now knows how to open it. This is an early apology if she finds, runs off with and goes through your purse :) Take it as a compliment that she thinks your purse is pretty...
Snuggles, she is the best snuggle bear in the world. She used to pinch as a sign of affection and it hurt so bad, she has now stopped that and just pats your back instead, so cute!
Washing her hands. If water is running her hands must be washed, dirty or not :)
Brushing her teeth! Oh it is her favorite time of day, she giggles hysterically and loooooves having her teeth brushed. Multiple times a day.
Anything that opens she is amazed with and will sit forever opening and closing it.
Blowing kisses. If you have ever sat behind us in church I'm sure you have had quite a few kisses blown to you.
She knows most animals and will point to them in a picture if you ask her to.
She knows all her body parts: hair, ears, toes, legs, arms, eyes, nose, chin, mouth and of course her belly button/tickle button that she is pretty obsessed with and I mean this literally. She is constantly playing with her tickle button. Sometimes she plays with it so much it gets all red and I feel bad and try to hide it under a onzie. I'm sure its just a phase. At least its not her nose right?? :) haha!
Getting dressed, she loves her clothes and always has. She will go to her drawers and take something out and run around with it in her hand and play with it and snuggle it.
PILLOWS. She knows her head belongs on a pillow. If you are laying on one and she decides she wants it, she will get it. With all her itty bitty might she will pull until she gets it free and will run off and lay down on it. I laugh every time. She will drag pillows all around the house. When I make my bed in the morning she always helps me put the pillows on, its her favorite part. She loves to plop down on my mountain of pillows and do it over and over again. Its so funny. Sometimes she is laughing so hard she can't get up to plop again.
Dancing. She likes to spin like "Ring Around The Rosie" and dance in a circle.
Pedicures, she loves it when I paint her toes. She will sit and point at her toes and talk to me like "LOOK MOM!! My toes are pink! Cool! I love it!"
Doing chores. I'm really trying to teach her to love chores and so far its working. She helps me mop, seriously she takes the wet mom and rubs it on the floor, I hand her little items from the washer and she puts them in the dryer, anything she can find she will put in the dishwasher as I'm loading the dishes, and she no longer has emotional breakdowns every time I turn on the vacuum cleaner- this is a major accomplishment in our home. She also tries to scrub the toilet with the toilet brush because she sees me doing it so much I always take it from her and say no no right now but give it a few years and she can scrub the toilet all she wants!
Looking outside. We have our couch right in front of the window and she sits on the back and looks out and points to things she sees, birds, toys and the mountains and sky.
Cooking, I give her some sort of utensil and let her help me "cook," mainly its just stirring :) but she loves to watch what I'm doing.
Opening the fridge. She is amazed by all the things that open in our fridge and every time I open it she tries to take something out to play with.
Grocery shopping! Oh boy. She has to investigate each item I put in the cart. She also loves to push the shopping cart! And she loves getting the Smarties from the guy in the produce section of Macey's and the balloon they give her when we check out. Grocery shopping to her means candy and balloons- We love Macey's! It is so fun to watch her look around at things and people in stores.
Smelling flowers, she loves to smell flowers. Thank you to all my neighbors that let us stop and smell your flowers (only the ones right on the sidewalk of course) on our walks.
Scripture reading. After her bath she RUNS over the drawer we keep the scriptures in and gets them out so excited for family scripture time.

It is so fun being this little girls mom. I get so much joy every day from her sweet little personality. I love her all to pieces. She is such a good, obedient, full-of-laughes-and-smiles little girl. She is perfect.

Grilling!

2010-05-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Best part of my week: My husband got our BBQ all hooked up and cleaned and going! I'm so excited! I have pork kabobs in the fridge right now ready to grill tonight. I bought skewers and grilling seasonings and I'm ready to BBQ! Thanks again for the grill dad.

Please spot your tot!!!!

2010-05-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

I was enjoying my morning watching cartoons with Savana when a commercial came on TV that has had me distraught since! It was a picture of a white Chevy Trailblazer and it talked about how you think you have the safest car for your children, basically on the inside, and proceeds to tell a story of a mother accidentally running over her child. Here is a similar story. (since it was in the paper it will only let me post a link so please read this article!!!!!) Every person who has a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, friend with a child, neighbor children PLEASE spot your tot! It is the beginning of nice weather and children will be playing outside more and they always, at every second, need a parent watching, even if they know to "stay out of the street." The one second they get side-tracked or forget to look both ways will be your unluckiest moment of your life!!! Please! I have felt so strongly about this for several weeks now and I have to share my feelings. I want every one's tot to be safe! Here are a few suggestions by the Spot The Tot foundation.
Before you ever put your car into gear make sure you can see your tot! DO NOT assume they went inside or are playing in the grass. Do NOT put your car into gear until you see your child safe with your eyes!
DO NOT leave your child unattended in a car
Make a habit of walking around your vehicle before getting in it, checking for toys and children!
Drivers of trucks and suvs be extra cautious
Teach your children not to play by, in, on or around cars
Supervise children when a driver is going out the door
Rushed or distracted drivers are at the most risk
I have a little one and maybe my feelings on this are a little strong but I can not imagine the heartache that the mother in this story must feel. The sad thing is that this is not the only parent/person that has done this, at least one child a week in Utah is injured or killed in driveway or parking lot back over accidents!!! That is sick! They have TV and radio commercials about it! I keep hearing the radio one and thinking "Wow, there are so many people running over their kids to make a commercial warning!??" This happens and I do not want it to happen to any precious little child!
I hope every one has a really fun spring and summer time, enjoy the lovely weather and don't forget to SPOT YOUR TOT!

Me n my wonderful husband, 3 years!!!

2010-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today Geoff and I were married at 1:00pm in the Salt Lake City temple. I can't help but think of all the blessings I have gained from that wonderful rainy day!

One, my very best friend that I love with all my heart! He is an amazing husband. And I love every second we have together. He always makes me smile and I'm so proud of him for all the wonderful things he does each day.

Two, we have a beautiful little family now with the addition of our little sweetheart Savana. Geoff is such a good daddy! Being a wife and mom is the best thing in the world and I really could not be one smidgen bit happier! I love our life, every minute and each day it only gets better and better.

And three, I gained the best in laws ever! "In laws" sounds a little distant, its more like a gained a really great loving family. We get together each Sunday for dinner and play games and chit chat and have fun. They took me in and made me feel so welcome from the first day we met. I love that we live close enough to get together so often. They love Savana and play and snuggle with her and it is so cute. I'm glad my little girl gets to see her grandma and grandpa, and aunts uncles, and cousins. Our big Loomis family is great!

There are so many blessings in my life. These are just a few I have been thinking about today as we celebrate our amazing 3 years!

Cheetos, sidewalk chalk, bubbles and fingerpaining!!

2010-05-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

We have been having so much fun at the Little Loomis family home! One night we forgot the Cheetos on the couch. And Savana found them first thing in the morning. She loved it!

Yummy, Cheetos for breakfast! Hope she enjoyed it cuz its probably the only morning her whole life I'll allow her to eat them for breakfast...

We had sooooo much fun with sidewalk chalk!

And BUBBLES!

Savana never liked binkies but this Broncos one she loooves~!

SO cool in mama's new sunglasses. Savana really loves accessories, and anything girlie!

Her "Song Baby." It was mine when I was little and I named it Song Baby- because well, it sings.

Savana's cousins came and stayed a night with us! This is little Tessa. Gosh I love these girls!

Havin breakfast with daddy on the couch!

Yummy yummy baked bbq chili! SO good!

Pretty tulips I bought for myselt as a rewared for going an entire week without a single dirty dish in my sink! Not for even one mintute! Still no dishes. I rock! Sometimes its hard to keep up but going on 2 weeks now!

Savana loves drinking out of things! Especially big bottles.

She also likes to put caps back on. She is getting really good at it!

She loves playing in this basket.

FINGERPAINTING! With chocolate pudding! Really nothing is more fun than fingerpaining with chocolate!

Her little snow suit. Its been cold this week :(

The basket!

Go Dazzzz!

2010-04-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

So I think I'm going to claim this as Savana's first word! (besides mama, dada and nana.) We were all snuggled up on the couch last night as we watched the Jazz beat the Nuggets~ Yahoo! I was trying to get Savana to say "Go Jazz" and it was so cute~ she was watching the tv so intently and had her hands in the air in little tight fists and she kept sqealing "DDDDAAAAAAASSSSSSSSssssss" I'm pretty sure she was saying Jazz! I think I have the cutest little Jazz fan in the world!

One, Easter and Fun!!!

2010-04-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

One year ago, our little sunshine Savana joined our little family! I can not believe how fast time has flown by! It seems like she was just my tiny new baby.

Easter at grandmas house!!!

Savana has her 2nd Easter egg hunt! Last year she slept through the whole thing, well she was only 2 weeks old :)

This year she did not quite understand but had some fun despite the fact that she was really sick since she just had all her one year shots :( These are not fun for any one!! Geoff had the flu + Savana was sick from shots=one tired mommy! She had a cute shirt on under her dress with white tights and white shoes but a major poop explosion put an end to the under clothes! Good thing it did not get on her dress or she would have only been in a diaper for Easter pics!

She was not sure what to think of the grass. She just wanted to be held... I really hate the feeling of grass on bare feet and Geoff really loves it. It is just itchy and I can never tell if I'm stepping on a bug or something. I think Savana is on my side :)

I'm still pretty excited about pigtails!

One day we had just gotten home from the store and I found Savana had spilled the entire bottle of puffs all over herself as I carried in groceries. That was fun to clean up!! I had to take a picture and giggle a little bit. She is so cute!

Aunt Heidi helped Savana dye her first Easter egg!

Auntie Amy got Savana this great liitle chair for her birthday! As you can tell Savana is pretty in love with it! She is laughing really hard in this picture. She has a really "silly" laugh where she makes this face and says "Hu Hu Hu!" It's really adorable and I hope you all get a chance to hear her do it.

The easter bunny brought Savana an Elmo cell phone! Yay, now she can call Mommy!

Well life is pretty chill at the Loomis home now that we are feeling better and back to everyday life!

Pig tails and cell phones!

2010-03-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

My little girl has hair long enough for pig tails now! -well kind of :)

The other day she grabbed my phone (which is a no no!) and put it up to her ear and lifted her shoulder, tited her eyes up and said "MAmaaaaa??????!!!!skjdfhkjhdjheuidjfnsmdflku!!"
It was so cute! She was pretending to talk to me on the phone! I loooooove it! How can I take my phone away form her if she is pretending to talk to me?? Oh my little girl melts my heart and makes me smile!

#5

2010-03-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have a little girl who just got her 5th tooth today!!! YAHOO!! I'm not sure if I am the lucky one or if she is, but she never shows the typical signs of teething! No fussing or drooling or anything! Her other teeth came in sets of 2s. The bottom ones came in the same day and the top ones came in the same day. I will check tonight and see if another pops out! :) Gosh it is so fun being a mom. Getting a new tooth is as exciting as getting new shoes or accessory!

Reduced fat? Ooops!

2010-03-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to be an American, I'm pretty much an All American Girl. I gew up playing with American girl dolls, I LOOOOOVE American Idol and yes, I eat Americas favorite cookie! It was a staple in my household growing up (thanks to my dad-thank you dad!!) and continues to be in my shopping cart almost every walmart trip! I went to dive into my new Oreo cookies yesterday and realized something was missing, like half the frosting!! I looked and realized I got REDUCED FAT! Well, it is just what is sounds like, reduced fat= reduced frosting! Dang. They do not sogg up very well in milk either. Prepare to sit for 10 mintues per dunk to sogify your Oreo if you buy Reduced Fat!

All Smiles!

2010-03-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Savana is at such a fun age! She just smiles and babbles all day! She loves pillows! Every time she sees one she goes over and puts her head down on it for a minute, then gets up and gets back to playing! SOO cute! My pile of pillows that go on my bed is her favorite thing! Its a pillow heaven!She smiles soooo big! She was watching TV one day and I was trying her new Valentines day bows on and had to take some pics!She always has her anckles crossed. It is very sweet and lady-like!I really do not like McDonnald's but ended up going there one day just because I was starving and it was convenient...Whenever we have fastfood cups she needs to put the straw in her mouth to feel like a big girl! She does not know how to suck out of them yet but is really proud to think she can~BIG bows are so cute!!

What a girl!

2010-02-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

My sweet sis-in-law Jenny sent me these pics! She was babysitting and as you can see Savana was having fun playing with a purse. How sweet!

Do you clean here too?

2010-02-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

Have you ever looked in the bottom of your toothbrush holder? I guess it depends on the kind you have but it can get really scummy! I noticed it after I actually got a toothbrush holder when we got married. Before you think I'm gross, check yours out! I now clean it every few days when I clean up the bathroom.
The vent on the back of your blow dryer! I swear lint looooves the vent on the back of my blow dryer. I find myself picking it out all the time!
The crack between the stove and counter! I'm constantly cleaning shredded cheese and little vegetables out of the stupid crack. Some day I want a seamless crackless kitchen! :)
If your hair ties seem to disappear really quickly (like mine), look under your bed! Mine always magically end up there some how! I must go to bed with them and put them there in my sleep! Every time I move my bed it is like I won the hair tie lottery!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

Valentines day is one of my favorite holidays! Its right up there with the Super Bowl, Easter, and the 4th of July! Unfortunately my very favorite part of Valentines Day...cheesecake Hershey's Kisses...well, are not anywhere to be found. My heart is quite sad. But our little Loomis family has a few things to be happy about this weekend (besides Valentines Day and no school for Geoff on Monday). Geoff will be graduating in August! YAHOO! So we just found out that he will do his coaching internship with Orem High Lacrosse starting starting Monday! I'm excited for him. I think he will love it! Or at least I will love going to games! It will be good to get out and hopefully spring comes soon so I can love it even more! Savana will be the best little cheerleader at his games. Her vocab right now is MAMA mamamamamaaa and da da dadadada. Very cute. Maybe by the end of the season she will say "Go Tigers!" Sounds like a long shot? Maybe, but I do have a genius baby! :)

Savana can......

2010-02-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

So lots has been going on with the little Loomis family! Is it too late for christmas pictures? HAHA! I have had a lot of requests for christmas pics.
Savana takes ofter her dad, she LOVES french bread! She crawled around with this piece in her mouth for ever! It was so cute!
We have taught our little girl well, she has a new trick, when we say "TOUCHDOWN" she throws her arms up in the air! TOOOO CUTE!
And if ya view the video...you will see Savana hit a major milestone!!! Enjoy all the pics!

My Mail

2010-01-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

I remember when I was little, getting the mail was one of my favorite things! We had a Post Office box in the tiny town of Geraldine, MT because we lived so far out in the boondocks that no mail man ever dared to venture to deliver mail everyday!! I loved getting the key and looking for box 334! It was a little high for a kid so I had to jump up to peek and make sure I got everything! Then I would stop and flip through the mail so see if anything cool came. Like missionary mail, or birthday cards or mmmmm report cards?:0) Normally there was something I was amused by, if not the "funnies" (as I called them, others know them as the comics section of the newspaper) would keep me satisfied.
WHY NOW DO I ONLY GET BILLS AND COUPONS????
Oh, probably because missionaries now write emails, people text "happy birthday" and we read the news online. Thank you techlology for taking away my good mail.
I always wanted a little mail box with a little red flag on it. Maybe someday... if mail still exists!

Savana's first text

2010-01-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

So today at work I got a text from Geoff that said
"Mama this is Savana I love u"
Oh, it made my day! How cute of Geoff to send me a text from Savana!

"Pants on the ground"

2010-01-21T11:37:00.001-08:00

So American Idol fans, have you had this stuck in your head for the last week too?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl_HvEHSlxQ

at work in my office alone:
little bounce in my chair with my head doin a little bob and in my head
"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin like a fool with yo pants on the ground"

at home cooking in the kitchen, with Savana on my hip, dancin and singing pretty much at the top of my lungs:
"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin like a fool with yo pants on the ground"

blow drying my hair, getting ready for work singing and dancing while yet the same song:
"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin like a fool with yo pants on the ground"

I probably would be embarrassed if I walked in on myself!

(please view the link so you know what I'm talking about, even if you are not an American Idol fan it will give ya a good laugh!)

Intruder!

2010-01-19T14:27:00.000-08:00

So on my last post I wrote about opening my patio door right? Well as I shut the door I could not get the stick back in the slide-track-thing and just left it for Geoff, with his big manly muscles to push it back in to secure the door so no body can open it.

Well I forgot to have Geoff fix the stick and he left the next morning at about 5:45am to get to work by 6am. I think the garage door woke Savana up and I was laying there hoping she would quickly fall back asleep so I could relax for a little while before starting my day.

The next thing I know I hear a metalish clicking noise and bigger louder longer noise...like someone pricking a sliding door lock and the door sliding open. I completely had a mental melt down....my baby is still making noises and I swear someone just broke into my house....cold sweat...heart pounding...oh I feel like I'm on a horror movie!

Pray pray pray pray and pray some more....I hate being home alone!!! I have never been so scared! But I must have either prayed the intruder away and he silently left my house closing the door behind him and put the stick back where I put it or I imagined the noise. I guess I will never know.

Spring?

2010-01-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

This morning it looked so nice outside! The sun was shining and the sky all blue. This morning I was cleaning my kitchen I just had this almost instinctive motion to open my patio door and let in some fresh air. Well, those of you who are aware that it is winter are probably thinking I'm crazy since its freezing cold! Yeah, I froze after about ummm 4 seconds. And I hesitatingly shut it just hoping that some miraculous thing would happen and a lovely heat wave would bring fresh air in and for a moment quench my thirst for spring.
Oh springtime where are you?

The Reason

2009-12-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we went to MT. It was a fun trip. I love my family so Stinking much and I love getting to see them! We always draw names in my family for Christmas presents, Sharlo had my name this year and she got us a little nativity set! I love it too much! Savana is constantly holding and/or sucking one one of the little characters. She loves it! I dread Christmas being over because I don't want to take away her sweet toys! I did not set up our Christmas tree* until about a week ago so our little nativity was our only Christmas decoration for quite a while. We had a FHE where we told Savana about all the little people and read the scripture about them, it was great! It really kept the true meaning of Christmas in our home. Thanks Sharlo!!

You may have noticed the * I added by Christmas tree...this is there for a purpose. You know in advertising people use this constantly by words! It kind of bugs me...ok a lot bugs me! Because they want you to get one picture or thought in your mind that is better than what they really have but use it because they don't want to get busted for false advertising!

Anyway, the reason I used it....I say "tree" but the little 1 foot tall (more like a bush) "tree" I have just gets pulled out of a box and plugged in. It is prelit and predecorated. It is great! I have it out every year. It will forever be my little friend. I really love my little tree* :)

However I look forward to next year when I get a real, live, pine-smelling, needle-shedding tree! That needs lights stranded on it and decorations added. Taller than one foot! :)

Butterflies and Sunshine

2009-12-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

So about 12 years ago my dad walked into my bedroom to wake me up in the morning and had a tiny little black kitten is his arms. She was my nephew, Riker's cat's kitten ;) and she was a little barn cat on our farm in Geraldine MT. We got her all bathed and checked at the vet and she became my little black sweetheart. She slept by me at night and kept me company and was always waiting for me to get home to her. She kept my dad company in his big empty house after I graduated and moved so far away. My grandma, who never liked ANY pet, was in love with Hannah. She was always asking how she was and would even let her sit on her lap and give her snuggles! She was a sweet little kitty. I loved her sosososoo much. She started having seizures 2 days before Savana was born and she probably put me into labor with all my crying!! But she lived 9 more months, until Monday morning when she had to be put to sleep. :( I sure loved my little kitty and I know she is in heaven with lots of butterflies and sunshine!

Good bye hat, good bye cheesecake

2009-11-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Oh what a beau-ti-ful mor-ning, oh what a beau-ti-ful day! I’ve got a won-der-ful feel-ing…everything’s going my way!!!!

AH, this morning went perfect!

Or so I thought....

It is amazing how fast things can change! One minute I was home putting away groceries and dancing with my angel child in the kitchen after a perfect morning, and the next, I realized she lost her DARLING new hat at Wal-Mart (I’m totally heartbroken!!!!!) And while I frantically ran through the house trying to find the long-gone-lost hat, my angel child got into the cheesecake and had mashed/smeared it all over the floor and had massive fist fulls of it! Luckily, I think I got it before she got any in her mouth. I could kind of tell she had not eaten any yet because she was so close and threw the biggest fit of her 8 month long life. I felt a little bit bad, she really wanted some cheesecake. She is desperately looking forward to her first birthday cake!
I don't know if/when I will ever get over the lost hat! It was so cute and matched all her clothes! So warm, and she was just so adorable with it! Good bye cute hat! I will miss you! I hope you did not get swept up in the produce section of Wal-Mart and end up in the garbage. I hope no crazy weird child found you and took you home to make a mess with, I hope you know that you were loved in our peaceful sweet home. I will miss you!!

Thank you

2009-11-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

Thank you ice scraper for being lost when I need you. Thank you pancake flipper for filling in while my ice scraper is still on summer vacation somewhere in my garage.

Dear car

2009-11-04T13:56:00.001-08:00

The other day I was feeding Savana and just playing I cocked my head to the right and noticed she did the same thing...so I turned my head to the left... and she did the same thing again. It has turned into a fun game she plays now. It is really adorable. I guess it is just proof that kids copy thier parents. Note to self: be a good example.

Savana is such a good little helper with the laundry!

I have had many requests to see my new car! So...here it is. My pretty bright blue car! I love it! I look forward to many trips together!

Funny poem:

my dear sweet blue car

how beautiful you are

a long time may we be together

may you never end up in a ditch

may you run strong and run forever

or just until I get rich

and my husband buys me an Audi!!!!

lol

Lets play catch up!

2009-11-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since my last post! October was a busy month.
We love our new place, Geoff is doing excellent in school. WE GOT A CAR!!! AT LAST!!! I now drive a Saturn Vue, it is bright blue and I LOOOOVE it. We have really enjoyed fall this year. I made all sorts of Halloween treats and had so much fun doing it. And after a grueling search I finally found Savana her Halloween costume!
My adorable little girl was a pink googlie monster for Halloween!

She had so much fun playing with the candy! Even though I would not give her any.

We had a surprise Birthday party for my mom and it was a Blast! Geoff and I went separate ways that weekend, he went south to sunny Vegas for a football game and I headed north to the snow of Montana! We both had really great trips!

My mom!

Sisters! Gosh I love them! Karen, Amy and Sharlo!

Savanas great great grandma!

My sister Karen.

My sweet cousin Tammy!

I wish I was that cute of a cook! This is my sister Amy!

My cousin Wendy had little Porter the same day that I had Savana! They were so cute together! They were holding (and trying to suck on) each others hands. Cousins are amazing!

My mom was so surprised to see me and Savana. She sure loves her grand baby!

Pretty girl!

TOOTH!

2009-09-30T11:56:00.001-07:00

My little girl got a tooth yesterday! She was not fussy or anything. No teething signs at all!

Oh she is growing up too fast! What a great little girl she is. She now crawls all over! She loves exploring and getting into things and seeing what this world is all about. I give her so many huggs and kisses I'm so proud of her and proud to me her mommy! She has such a great daddy! Geoff gets her laughing when he gets home from work in the evening and it is the cutest thing ever!!!!!!

She went to the BYU game this week and was so good. She loved watching all the people. I must say she was the best cheerleader at the game. Everyone around her was playing and laughing with her.

She also experienced her first shopping cart ride! I usually leave her in her carseat but the last time I went I had to stop every 3 steps and pick up the toys she was dropping on the floor and she wanted out and I was trying to hold a baby and push a cart full of stuff and trying to shop...it was a little hard. So I put her in the cart and she was laughing the entire time! The easiest shopping trip in months! She was smiling at people and gosh I love her and want to squeeze her!

We are now all settled in our new place! I invite all to come vist!!!! It is so cute and I'm so happy!

Conference is this weekend! I'm so excited. I love listening to conference! It is so relaxing to listen to the speakers. Plus I can watch in my PJs! Ah! I can't wait!

CRAWL!!!

2009-09-18T13:04:00.001-07:00

MY BABY CAN CRAWL!

I was watching the Finale of America's Got Talent, waiting anxiously to hear the winner be announced ( I love anticipation!) and in the back of my mind I thought "nothing could take my attention from the next few seconds, my eyes and attention are glued to the tv!" And out of the corner of my eye I saw my baby scoot across the blanket on the floor and hearing the winner be announced completely left my mind and all I thought was get my phone and record this NOW! So I flug my hands around to get my phone and started recording my little baby crawl! I will post it up on Utube soon so you all can see! I'm the most proud mommy in the world!

Car update: still no car. The bank has the check ready for us we just need the previous owner of the car to give the dealer the title so he can get it to the bank so I can finally get my car! Hopefully this is the end of the car drama! UGHH! I hope I hope I hope!

Like mother like daughter

2009-09-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

So my little girl is officially a cheerleader! She got a little uniform for the game yesterday and looked too stinking cute! We had a great pary at our house to cheer on the cougars. Subs and fruit salad (with a smiley face on top made from orange circles and strawberries!) and delish potato salad and no recipe cookies (that were actually really good!)

So these "delish no recipe cookies" were kind of a last minute creation! The "day before Savana was born cookies" (previously blogged about) were on my mind but I have made them several times this month and refused to make them again but needed something easy and fast!

So the recipe I half way created is as follows:

2 white cake mixes

4 eggs

2/3 c oil

Hersheys Huggs

Wrap dough around the hug and roll the dough ball in sugar

bake 350 for 10 minutes

=DELISH!!! SUPER EASY

MUST TRY!!!

The only differences for the "day before Savana was born" cookie is you use 2 Chololate cake mixes and rollos!

Photo fun! And Christmas is postponed again...and again and again.

2009-08-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

I love having a cute baby I can take pics of! She really is such a great little girl! She is learning so much now! She rolls over so well! If she is on the floor and I just get up for even a minute (for example: take a diaper to the garbage) she will have rolled across the living room! Little speedster...
She now reaches for things she wants (my phone and her wipe container are her favorites). It is so cute! Her eyes get all focused and sometimes she will grunt in frustration. She can reach for, grab and hold onto a toy...and get it to her mouth of course! She is quite the talker. She talks and coos and babbles all day now. She had squash for the first time this week. I don't think she is too crazy about it. She opens her mouth great for rice cereal but as soon as the orange colored stuff comes at her, her mouth locks shut. This week we will try peas I think....(Geoff''s least favorite food. Lets hope its not genetic!)
She has had a really rough few days. As you know we are moving...well I have had a parade of people coming to look at our place all week. And every person that comes (after I say, Hey my baby is asleep please just peek into the bedroom) storms in and wakes her up. RUDE! It makes a long day with a cranky sleepy baby! So hopefully the parade stops soon and she can enjoy uninterrupted naps. OH that will be bliss! And not too long and she will have her very own room! YAHOO!!!!
So, we still have not gotten a car yet! I have kind of changed my mind and want a Hyundai Santa Fe now....we will see though. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve...waiting for Christmas day and oh wait....Christmas is postponed...every day! I'm really impatient and at the same time love the anticipation! What the heck kind of car am I going to get? ....mmmm.
Hopefully the next post is " A CAR AT LAST"

Peak experiences

2009-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

When I was in HS I took psychology for several years, and loved it. One thing I really remember is learning about peak experiences and having to figure out what they are in our life. It is a sudden feeling of intense happiness and well-being. Here are some of mine!
The intense feeling of that fist jump in the pool-burr!
Haircut day, the second you see the finished do in the mirror for the first time
Payday!
Getting Savana to laugh
Feeling the sun tingle on my skin, ah a good tan
Kisses!
Roller coasters
Fireworks, the loud ones that you can feel
Climbing into crisp clean sheets
Seeing Ma (my grandma! Gosh she is amazing!)
Sunday naps
My car fresh out of the car wash! ( though I don't have one yet! HA!)
The perfect fitting jeans
Pedicures....ahhhh
HOT, HOT, HOT, deep, bubble baths!
Hearing my fav song! And (in the privacy of my own home) rockin out to it! HAHA! Are you getting a mental picture?
The burn of a good workout
Movie night, at home in my pjs
My team winning
Falling asleep on the couch by my sweetie
The beep of a new text
Putting on brand new socks! All tight and new
A full night's sleep!!!!

I know I have a lot more. Sometimes making a list of things you love just makes you happy!

I can roll!

2009-08-21T07:29:00.001-07:00

So my little girl can roll over now! I cant believe it. When she is on her tummy she can scoot a little bit but she puts her face in the ground...as soon as she realizes she moves forward with her head up she will be crawling! Maybe more like army crawling but it still makes me proud (and a little scared, now I have to baby proof my house!)

Moving and bye bye Taurus

2009-08-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yep...the 3rd move since we have been married! I guess we just can't settle down. Or maybe we were just waiting for the place we are going to! It is too cute for words and will be absolutely perfect for us! One of the best parts is Savana will get her own room! And I get the pleasure of setting up a real nursery! Every mom's big dream right?
The only bad part is that our #1 mover, Brian (Geoff's little bro) is on his mission in New Zealand...so I guess that means we have to actually get help this time! I made Geoff promise it will be the last time til he buys me a house! But we will see! I think I will be totally content living in our new place for a long time! So cute and new! It has a garage for...my new car that I don't have yet! But hopefully will soon! The other day I said good bye to the good, faithful, reliable Taurus. I had an oz of sadness. I'm just sentimental. But it means I get a new car! So I'm pretty excited! A new one that our family can grow into! (I love that saying)

Birthday pics and Savana

2009-08-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

I went with Katie and Jenny to get pedicures on my Birthday! So much fun!

I love Savana in her little diaper! She is so soft!

Thanks for the cute cake Jenny! The frosting has sparkles!

Oh I LOVE it!

Katie's sunglasses!

Heidi's sunglasses!

Savana desperately trying to suck on her toe!

Our First Date

2009-08-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

I remember details, about everything. I remember where I was driving while I had certain phone conversations, outfits I wore on certain days and what I ate on such-and-such a day way back when. I also remember dates of events really well. 3 years ago last night was our first date! Aug 7 2006! On Aug 6, I was sitting in my kitchen making a cheese tortilla for a snack before work and I had my cell phone on the table when I got the text from Geoff saying that we never had an official first date and asking me to go the SLC Bees game with him and his friend (Jake). I thought it was so sweet and we went and had a great time! He wore this hat he got in Mexico! I love it. He wanted to try on my sunglasses, I thought..."Mmmm, this will make a great pic!" So I took one on my phone and sent it to my email so I could treasure it forever!
I also remember that last year today, 08-08-08 I was watching the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics and I was attempting to cut my first watermelon and sliced my finger open really bad and now I have a great scar I call my "08-08-08 scar."

Birthday memories

2009-08-05T07:37:00.001-07:00

Do you remember all your birthdays? What you got? What you wore? Who came to your party? What are some of your favorite Birthday memories?

Here are a few of mine.

My 4th Birthday. It was a Sunday and my dad's best friend (we called him Uncle Gary) had a limo and drove me home from church in his limo! I thought it was the greatest thing ever! But I was really tired and fell asleep- I guess church wore me out!

My 5th Birthday I got a kitten! Well not really as a present but I really wanted one and I prayed for one and well...one was born in the back of our van that night and we kept him alive. Oh the faith of a child! He was the coolest cat ever! Good old Garth! I still miss him.

My 8th Birthday. I was baptized on my birthday! I loved it. My mom did my hair really cute and I had pretty white shoes I was obsessed with forever!

My mom always made me a great breakfast! I miss it today I'm starving!

My family went to Holter Lake a lot to go tubing and I loved to do that on my birthdays! One year we lit my birthday candles on my cake in the boat and I thought it was so cool.

I love having Dairy Queen ice cream cakes! I had one every year I could!

The summer I met Geoff, my room mates had a birthday party for me and it was really fun but my cd player got jammed and Geoff came back over to fix it for me! He is too sweet! And we danced under the falling down streamers and white lights...It was "a moment."

Last year my sister in law, Jenny, made me the cutest Lady Bug cake! Adorable! This year it was a butterfly cupcake cake! Thanks for the great cakes Jenny! And I had horrible morning sickness last year! But it was definately worth it because this year I have my little Savana! And my amazing husband got me an iPhone! I love you honey!

And today I'm going swimming and watching Tori and Dean with my friend Jessica and then I'm getting a pedicure with Geoff's adorable sisters (Thanks to my great mother in law!) Yahoo!

Love at first sight?

2009-07-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

This week 3 years ago Geoff and I went to Mexico and met and well…that’s when we began our trip to Happily Ever After! Ha!
For those who may not know the Love Story of our life. Here it goes!
We both had friends who were going to Mexico on a service trip to help orphans. We both got talked into going. There were some meetings before the trip to get all the groups organized. So we went to this one meeting when we met!
I remember the very first second I saw Geoff. I never really believed in love at first sight but I sure liked what I saw!
I was sitting on the grass with my ankles crossed and my hands behind me. The friend (Deanna) I went with left for a minute to talk to some people and I was just looking around when….well I saw the most beautiful legs ever! My eyes worked their way up to see the face of my husband! Oh! Little did I know then! The thought “Man I’m glad I’m going to Mexico” crossed my mind! He sat on the other side of the sidewalk facing me and I kept embarrassing myself getting busted staring at him. Oops! Ha!
We got in the same service group. Went to Mexico, camped on the beach, and played with orphans. We went on a little excursion to find a bathroom and I caught a frog. I took it back to show the kids and one orphan said he wanted to put it in the oven and eat it! Sad. So I said adios to the froggy so it would not become a snack.
Geoff and I talked all night,
and all the next day,
and all the next night,
and texted all the way back to UT,
and hung out all the next week,
and all the way til now!

Dreams, dreams but maybe reality!

2009-07-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to do was look at floor plans with my mom. I would look through books and magazines all day! Now, grown up…the hobby (I guess you could call it) continues! I love watching HGTV! Seeing how people decorate and find homes and things to watch out for when I do SOMEDAY get a house!
Our new Sunday thing is….Geoff looks up houses for sale online and gets the addresses and we drive around and check them out. We peek in windows of vacant ones and scope out the neighbor hoods and get fliers. We love it and call it our FHE. It is so fun to talk about it and we have found some homes we were pretty crazy about and I would daydream about living in them!
The other night after our little House Hunting we saw this thing on TV about housing in Provo. There is this amazing plan that has my hopes up of getting a house sooner than I ever dreamed! It is called the Rural Housing Development Corporation! Look it up! It is plan where you build your own house! Well, yours and about 7 others. They get a huge plot and build a little community on it. All the families work together and build each other’s houses! No one moves in until all the houses are built! The government gives huge credits for doing it lowering the cost of your home a ton! Your down payment is only $500! Mortgages are about $800. Making my dream (HOPEFULLY) a soon to be reality!
Since you have to have 35 hours a week to build, over a course of about 6 months, we won’t be able to do it until Geoff finishes school. But they will not be building in Orem until then anyway so it works out perfect. We hope. Check out the plans for my dream home!

Oh I can just picture little Savana with her backpack on, on the front porch with a big smile on her first day of school! (in 5 years) Im such a dreamer!

Toes, Rice Cereal and Good Bye Brian

2009-07-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Savana found and loves her toes! This is how she is the majority of the day now!

First rice cereal!

Soccer game! Maybe she will be a soccer player! She loves watching it!

She sucks her thumb! So cute!

Bye bye Brian! He leaves the MTC for New Zealand tomorrow!

He already misses Savana!

I kicked everyones butt on Boxing on the Wii! I never play video games but everyone was playing with Brian before he left and no body could beat me in Boxing! Brian was the only one I did not knock out the first round (he took me to round 3 and I finally beat him!)

Just so you all know I'm not into video games (mainly because I humiliate myself because I'm so horrible) or boxing...It was just a good bye Brian thing.

And just for an update! I still have not peeked at my present! I'm so strong! But man I want to!

Daily Gem

2009-07-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

I get daily thoughts from the church website called "Daily Gems." They are great! I recommend signing up to get them. They are pretty short and just give you a little lift. I thought I would share today's Gem!
"If we choose the right way, we are sustained in our actions by the principles of righteousness, in the which there is power from the heavens. If we choose the wrong way and act on that choice, there is no such heavenly promise or power, and we are alone and are destined to fail."
William R. Bradford, "Righteousness, Ensign," Nov. 1999, 85

What's in it?

2009-07-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

My Birthday is coming up and Geoff is really on the ball and already got my present. It is currently sitting in a paper bag on our mantle, clearly open so I can peek if I wish. Oh boy am I impatient and the anxiety is killing me! I want to look so bad. But I'm still a kid at heart and I get sad if I don't get a surprise on my birthday. So I want to wait. OH but it is just sitting there! I can do it. It will be hard but I must wait!
Geoff is the best present giver! He always gets me great stuff. He thinks about it and plans just perfect! Last year for my B-day he played a pretty funny trick on me. I had wanted this pair of ear rings for quite a while. So I went a head and got them and told Geoff he could wrap them up and give them to me.
So we were at his parents and it was present time... I opened the rest of my presents and then Geoff handed me the bag that had my ear rings in it (or so I thought seeing as how I put them in it myself). He clearly announced to everyone that this was a present I got myself making me feel retarded. Who buys themselves a present and openes it in front of people??? I refused to open it and set it aside, but Geoff forced it back into my arms. So I emabarrassingly reached in the bag to get out my ear rings and mmmmm....no earrings. Geoff took them out and gave me an empty bag??? WHAT THE HECK? So I had to look in it and.....no ear rings.....BUT BYU FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS!!!! Yahoo! Geoff is the best! We had so much fun last year going to the games! It was a great present.

Fish baby

2009-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

I love summer! And one of my favorite summer things to do is swim! Savana has some really cute swimming suits! And she loves to be in the water! I call her my little fish baby. It is so nice having a pool we can use right across the street. It makes these HOT summer days so much more fun.

Parade

2009-07-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

We took our little princess to see the parade this morning. She loved all the noises and colors and festivities. Geoff is not big into parades but now that we have Savana I talked him into it!

Cosmo and the Cougar Athletes were her favorite :)

Happy Fourth of July!

Savana to Montana

2009-07-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

"Montana, Montana, Glory of the West, Of all the states from coast to coast you're easily the best. Montana, Montana, where skies are always blue, M-O-N-T-A-N-A, Montana, I love you." This is the montana state song that I whispered/sang to Savana as we crossed the state line.

Savana made her first venture out of the state of Utah for her Aunt Amy's wedding in Great Falls, MT. For being 3 months old she handled the 10 and a half hour car ride pretty well!

On our trip she FINALLY got to meet her Great Grandma!! Ma, is my grandma and a very influential person in my life. We have been so close and living so far away from her has been pretty hard. She was so SO ecstatic to get to meet our little sweetheart.

A family tradition we have is that all the kids, grand kids and now great grand kids get a bath in Ma's kitchen sink.

Needless to say Savana LOVED every minute!

So did Ma!

They had a fun game of tug-of-war with the wash cloth!

After her bath she had a great nap in Pa's chair with her Daddy!

Angelyn! Gosh I love this little girl! She is my niece that has a crush on Geoff! Can you tell she is blushing as he puts his arm around her for a pic??

We got the great pleasure of staying at my sister Sharlo's house and man does she make good pizza!

The wedding! Everything was so BEAUTIFUL! My sister, the setting, the dinner, the weather, everything!

Outdoor log chapel

Tessa! Another cute niece! She is one and a half! What a doll.

Ian, Geoff's little pal!

Cute girls!

My new bro-in-law, Chuck, escorted my mom and my great grandma (Savana's great great grandma) down the isle. He is such a great guy and I'm glad he is now part of our family!

Angelyn was one of the flower girls.

My 2 brothers walked Amy down the isle.

The happy couple! May they live happily ever after too!

It was such a fun trip!

Grumpy people

2009-07-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

One thing I hate worse than anything is rude people. I was at Walmart yesterday and went to the shortest line for check out (as all people do) and this lady in front of me was being an absolute beast! She was complaining how her cucumber was $0.10 more than she thought it was marked and her onion was $0.12 more and on and on and ON! Every time an item was scanned and beeped she threw another fit and yelled at the poor cashier. "I will march you back there and show you what it is marked. You get your manager here right now! You are doing this all wrong!" I wanted to just tell her to stop being rude and to give the girl a break-its not her fault and honestly its a matter of cents! I don't like being taken advantage of but seriousy folks...is it worth the hastle? And you can at least be nice about it if you do find a problem. I waited and waited and waited in line and finally went to another (longer) line and when I was done she was still there being a nightmare! Just a reminder, treat people how you want to be treated.

Fist...yummm

2009-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Savana found her hands, with her eyes. She would stare at them and move them and think it was just great. Now she has found her hands with her mouth! And she tries to devour her entire fist! It is so funny. Geoff always tries to wrap her arms up so they can’t get to her mouth but it only takes a few minutes to wiggle out her little hands and get a delicious taste of all five knuckles.

Super Dads

2009-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

With Father's Day tomorrow I have been thinking a lot about the "Dads" in my life.
First off my husband. WOW! What a great dad! He is so patient and loves every second with our little girl. It melts my heart to see them play or her sleep in his arms. He never gets frustrated and he is just so full of love! I am so lucky to have him be the father of my little girl. We talk about going to Savana's games and supporting her in what activities she wants to do. Geoff says basketball I say cheerleading, like her mommy! She would be the best cheerleader! She stays so tight when she stands up-great form for stunting! And she can yell quite loud and she is oober doober cute! But we will see. He used to talk to my stomach before Savana was born and tell her to come out and play with him! It was so cute! He would try to tickle her- which basically just tickeled me. He would try to wake her up to feel her kick and he was just ecstatic when it worked. Now she is here and he just can't get enough "Savana Loves." He has such a built in daddy gift! He is such a wonderful husband and now... father!
Another great dad in my life is my Father-in-law. He gives our little family all the support and help when we need it. Geoff really looks up to and admires his dad, kind of like a little boy with superman. He is always there to listen and his medical advise is great to have -especially with a little baby! We have called him at all hours of the night aking questions. He adores his little grandkids! He gives Savana her "lessons" each time he sees her. In these "lessons" he sings her the alphabet and counts. She just stares up at him and smiles. I can see her little mind growning and loving it so much. He is such a great grandpa!
And dad, My dad. Wow, words can not say how much love my dad has. He would give anything to see his kids happy. He always told me if he won the lottery he would buy me a Porche first thing-before getting anything for himself. We have so many fun memories. My parents are divorced and I am the youngest child so I had a lot of one on one time with each of my parents. My favorite thing when I was little was a daddy daugher date to Wendy's to get chicken nuggets and to ride in his blue Pontiac convertible. I would go to church really early on Sunday mornings with him and wait for him while he had meetings. During the summer we would get Hot Fudge Boston Sundaes at the "Freeze" in Fort Benton. My dad and I would travel all over for his work. I was his little "navigator" and would make sure we did not get lost. I learned to drive in his big Dodge truck. Breakfast at my dad's house was always the best- french toast and hashbrowns and eggs! Yummy! My dad's kids are the lights of his life- along with his 13 (almost 14) grandkids! My dad could play with his little grand children everyday all day long his whole life and still want more. My dad has always been such a big support to me. He was at all my soccer, basketball, and volleyball games and cheerleading competitions. Yelling for me so loud, I could always hear him over everyone else. It is such a comfort to know that even though Im "all grown up" my dad will always be there.
I feel so blessed to have such "Super Dads" in my life. Happy Father's Day!

Smells Like heaven!

2009-06-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I went my first Scentsy party. I smelled so many little things that smelled SO SO good that my smeller is pretty warn out! But in about 2 weeks when I get my cute little warmer (I got this black one-so cute with little flowers!) my house will smell like heaven! Actually like blueberry cheesecake, or sugar or fresh cut cantelope! YUMMMM! Or Orange dream or clementine tea...Oh I just can't wait!

Our new place is an older house and it smells like...well old house. So I want to freshen it up a bit! I think its time for, well...a smell makeover!

I murdered Benjamin

2009-06-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I got one of those emails that is a bunch of questions a friend has answered and you are supposed to answer them for yourself and send it out. As I was reading it one of the questions reminded me of a tragic memory! The question was if you ever had a fish.

Well, my sister HAD a fish. I killed it. I really did not mean to. I was really really little, and have almost no memory of the fish except being told I killed it. I thought it was super hungry and over fed it, and it died. I remembered Benjamin the fish as I read my friend's answer of never having one because she did not like fish. Well, I think I would be better off if my sister had never won the stupid fish because I feel like a murderer!

Cable at last

2009-06-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

We just moved and the people before us did not have cable set up. UGH! So in the last 3 weeks I have gotten so tired of watching Hoda and Cathy Lee drink their cocktails on the Today show and have heard too may people fight over money on Judge Judy and I now know the names of most of the actors on soaps...
Thank heavens for cable! I'm back to learning how to cook, fix houses and I get all the good celebrity gossip again!
OH and TORI AND DEAN! My fav show ever! The 2nd season just started the day we moved and I have missed it so much! Unfortunately it will not be on until Tuesday night but I at least have the chance to get caught up on a marathon! I love marathons on TV! My Boys, House, The Hills! They are great!

2009-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

"Day before Savana was born cookies"

2009-06-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

So a few days before Savana was born I was on the phone with my sister and she was making some cookies and they sounded divine! Chocolate cookies with a Rollo in the middle! Delish right? And super easy! So as a preggo lady I could not get the thought of the cookies off my mind and I got all the stuff at the store! I decided that I needed to do something really fun to keep me occupied on my due date (March 19th) so I did not just sit at home and stare at my belly and tell may baby to pop out! -So I made them with a friend! I told everyone at work that I was making these great cookies and they all got so excited. Well the next morning (March 20th) we went to the hospital and the cookies never made it to my coworkers! Every now and then I got the reminder "Hey Holly remember when you said you were going to bring us some delish cookies and you decided to have a baby and take 3 weeks off instead...." haha! They are great!
So after having a baby- I did not feel like spending any extra time in the kitchen. Then we went on a little vacation and moved and it has taken me 3 weeks to finally get all situated in our new place! So last night I finally had a few minutes to make some "night before Savana was born cookies!"
My coworkers are very happy that they got cookies this morning!

Finally!

2009-06-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

So we finally have a blog!! Yahoo! Now you can stay updated! Geoff and I are pretty boring, but we now have a little girl you may be interested in looking at and watching her grow! She is pretty darn cute!

It is so crazy how small she was! She has grown so much! She smiles and makes talking noises and well....besides eating and sleeping thats pretty much it. But she is so much fun! I love being her mommy!

I could not have gotten any luckier because Geoff is such a great dad! He stays home with her in the morning while I work, so they get some pretty great daddy daughter time! The last few weeks she has been his little study buddy while he gets ready for a big test he has to take tomorrow morning! I know he will do great, he is SO smart!!