nine years

I can't believe I have been married to this amazing man for nine years!  Time goes by so fast.  I am so grateful for everything Jeff does for us.  He is such an amazing father and husband in every way.  I am so lucky to call him mine!

pioneer days

 This last week was so much fun around here.  The 24th of July isn't a state holiday here of course, but our town goes all out to honor our pioneer ancestors.  We were out late almost every night, but it was totally worth it.  On Wednesday night there was a talent show.  Heidi was wondering when it was her turn to sing in the microphone and started belting out "I am a child of God" half way through.  It was adorable and everyone around us thought so too.

 Thursday night was a junior rodeo.  Heidi loved it, Savanna tolerated half of it.  Jeff's parents came into town Friday afternoon.  We were so glad they came up to enjoy and help us with all the events.  We went on a little picnic Friday afternoon and then Jeff and his dad started getting things ready for the triathlon.  Jeff was in charge of heading up the triathlon.  Saturday morning was the triathlon.  Jeff did an awesome job putting it on!  Since Jeff's parents were there to help with the girls I got to participate in the triathlon.  I did it on a team.  My friend did the bike, her dad did the swim, and I did the run.  There was a fun run for the kids afterwards.

After the triathlon there was a parade and Heidi made out with loads of candy.  After the parade we headed to the town bbq.  That night we went to the ranch rodeo.  It was such a fun day and we were so glad Jeff's parents came to enjoy all the festivities.  We are already excited and counting down to next year!

"camping"

 Heidi has been begging to go camping.  She plays camping multiple times a day.  It's surprising that we haven't found a weekend to go since we live so close.  First we had to get the yard in and then every weekend since has been filled with something else.  We were planning on going this last weekend with Jeff's parents but Jeff had an outage at work, which meant long nights and no chance of taking a vacation day.

 Jeff got home at his regular time on Friday and Heidi was begging yet again to go camping.  So we set the tent up in the backyard and promised that after triathlon is over next weekend we would go every Friday night in August (except the week my parents are in town)...that's our hope anyway.

 I am not sure I have ever seen Heidi quite so excited about something.  She was racing all around to get her sleeping bag and kept saying, "Should we sleep in the tent tonight? Let's go camping tonight, okay?  I'll sleep in my sleeping bag.  Should we go to sleep right now?  Don't worry, dad won't snore in the tent."

Once the tent was set up we had a hard time getting her out and she wanted to go to sleep at 6:30.  We convinced her to roast some marshmallows with us and she loved s'mores.  Once it was actually time to go to bed she of course couldn't fall asleep.  We read for a long time, then she wanted Jeff to tell her stories about when he was a little boy.  Then she got the giggles.  Then she wanted to tell us stories...oh my word, we were dying laughing.  She would get so excited and then say something like, "One time, we went camping in a tent!  Is that funny?  Then there were lights outside, but they weren't really lights."  Then she would laugh hysterically, and of course so were we.  I think she fell asleep around 11pm.

Savanna was part of most of the night....she stayed awake long enough to roast marshmallows and then we put her to bed in her own bed.  Once Heidi fell asleep, I went back inside.  It worked out quite nicely.  I thought Heidi would sleep in, but who was I kidding?  I heard her giddy little voice bouncing in the house around 6:30 telling me the crane birds woke her up and how she slept in the tent and how she loves camping and she can't wait to "camp" again.  Next time we'll camp for real Heidi Bug, but I'm glad you finally got to sleep in a tent!

After putting Savanna down for her morning nap today, I went for my run.  Jeff and Heidi were going to take the tent down while I was gone.  When I got back the tent was still up so I went in the backyard to see if they were there.  I heard Heidi's cute little voice in the tent.  I peeked in and saw her laying next to Jeff reading him books...he was asleep and she was reading away.  When she saw me she said, "Oh, hi mom.  I'm reading to dad.  He can listen with his eyes closed."  Please stop growing up, Heidi.  This whole parenthood thing is going way too fast!

the letter h

If you have come to our house in the last two months, you have seen Heidi's art on the front porch.  Her absolute favorite thing to draw is the letter H.  I find it everywhere, in every color, on every paper in the house, and all over the porch, patio, and driveway.  It makes me happy.  I sure do love that little Heidi and all the reminders telling me she is in my home.  I can't imagine a life without that sweet little thing.

army crawl

 Savanna is becoming more and more mobile every day.  She has been rolling all over the place for a few weeks and has been trying to scoot.  She tries to pull herself up onto everything.  Heidi has been trying to teach her to crawl for quite sometime.  She hasn't quite figured out her legs so she mostly does an army crawl.

 Watching Savanna try to crawl is just about the cutest thing.  She has to be totally motivated to get  something like puffs, binkys, or something she really should have, like scissors.  Then she scoots about two times and rolls half way over.  She gets a looks on her face like, "Wait a second, that didn't work."  Then she gets back on her belly and scoots with her arms, dragging her whole body along with her.

Once she reaches her destination she is happy as can be and starts rolling all around.  We are all having a blast watching her discover how her body works!

beatin' the heat

 The day after all of our Fourth of July festivities, Heidi decided she didn't need a nap.  What the?  It was very odd.  I think she was still excited and thinking about her adventures.  So I decided to put the girls in the car and head to the splash park in GR.  Five minutes into the drive Heidi fell fast asleep.  How did I know that would happen?

 We picked Jeff up from work and we met some friends at the splash park.  It's always so much fun to visit with old friends and Heidi loves new friends to play with.  Despite it getting close to Savanna's bedtime schedule, she was a champ.

Heidi wasn't sure about getting wet and thought the water was a bit chilly, but once she got going, she had a blast.  I wish we had a splash park here in town, but at least at gives me an excuse to visit my Green River friends!

land of the free

 Please excuse the picture overload...it was just too hard to pick a few!  We feel so blessed to live in America.  We loved having a day to celebrate our country and it really couldn't have been more fun.  Our little town did an awesome job making a fun and very memorable day for our little family!

 We started off the day by running the 5K.  What a great way to start the day!  Heidi was whining for half of it because she wanted to get out and run.  She didn't understand why her dad wouldn't stop the stroller.  Savanna is a hoot during the races.  She talks and squeals at all the people she sees and then after about ten minutes crashes until the race it over. Heidi loves it when Savanna is awake because she has someone to visit with.  It's when Savanna falls asleep that Heidi starts whining.

Hooray for Jeff pushing the stroller!  We love our double jogging stroller, but running with a stroller is no easy task--no matter how nice it is.  We could have someone watch the girls at the park while we race, but the truth is we love having our girls with us so I am glad Jeff is willing to do the hard work!  It was quite windy and Jeff said the stroller was like a parachute...even though it was windy, we were SO happy the race started earlier than our last one and the cool breeze felt really nice (when we weren't running straight into it, that is).  

 Heidi has really always been good with Savanna, but as Savanna gets more and more interactive, Heidi is completely smitten with her sister.  It is the most precious thing to watch.  They absolutely adore each other.  Heidi loves to make her giggle and has even gotten to the point where she gives Savanna her favorite toys so she can have a turn.  One day I walked with the girls to the library and Savanna started to fuss so I took her out for a minute.  Heidi said, "Please, please, please don't take my best friend!  I need my friend back!"  It was very sweet.

 Heidi had a great time at the parade.  The wind had stopped and it was a little toasty by the time it started, but Heidi didn't care.  She was dancing in the street to the music, waving at everything that passed, running to pick up candy, and laughing with all her friends.  We think Heidi is so hilarious...of course we do.  We're her parents.  Now that she is starting to get less shy and yap at anyone who will listen, we get other people telling us what a cute, funny little ham she is.  She was telling everyone around us, "That's my mom, that's my dad, that's my Savanna, and I'm Heidi."  Then she was instructing all the kids on how to get the best jump--"First you bend way down like this.  Watch me.  Then you just jump way up like this.  Wow, that was a good one.  Did you see that?"

 We walked over to the Fort Bridger site after the parade.  They had a free day and all sorts of fun activities for the kids.  We didn't stay a super long time because we were all tired and hungry and the girls needed naps if they were going to make it to see the fireworks.  Heidi saw kids playing in the river and she insisted on getting her feet wet too.

 The town firework show was right across the street from us.  We invited some of our friends over for a bbq and to watch the show.  Have I mentioned how much we love our new town?  We love it a lot.  We have made so many amazing friends so quickly.  We have felt so welcomed into the community and absolutely love the people we have met.  Heidi has so much fun with all these girls.  She especially likes the older girls and has been known to tell them what and how to play.  It's quite funny to watch.  During the fireworks they were all standing and holding hands at one point.  It was precious.  Heidi was very

disappointed when she realized everyone wasn't sleeping at her house.  I love that she is at the age where she likes to play with other kids.

Oh, and did I mention that the weather was absolutely PERFECT?  We have the most amazing summers because we don't usually get TOO hot and the evenings are just like I would expect it feels like in heaven.

 I think sparklers might have been Heidi's favorite activity.  I couldn't believe how well Savanna did!  She managed to stay up for the whole show and wasn't even scared of the loud noises.  She just snuggled into me and watched the show.  I love that little trooper of mine.  Everyone should have a baby like her.

Jeff was doing fireworks for the kids before the town show (he was having just as much fun as the kids).  The kids would move around to wherever they could get the best view.  This is one of my favorite pictures.  

We couldn't have asked for a better, more perfect day!

We are so blessed to live in a free country.

Can't wait to celebrate again next year.

eight months

 Oh my goodness.  We are so in love with our sweet little Savanna!  It is pretty much impossible not to adore her from the second you lay eyes on her.  I can't imagine any baby being as happy and sweet as this little one.

*Rolling, rolling, rolling all over the place to get whatever she wants.  She gets on her hands and knees from time to time from a sitting position, but hasn't quite figured out the crawl yet.
*When people meet her they comment on one of three things: her blue eyes, her small size, or how happy she is.
*So incredibly grabby!!  She is so fast about it that it is hard to avoid major messes.
*Pats everything.
*Takes 2 naps--one at 9am and one at 1pm.  Generally sleeps an hour in the morning and about 2 hours in the afternoon.
*Night sleep is still pretty inconsistent, but she is generally only up once...unless she's not in her bed.  Then she is up ALL night.  I don't know how she even knows!
*Will now eat just about anything I give her.  She really loves sweet potatoes and carrots.
*Out of nowhere she has decided bottles and formula are fine.  I'm pretty thrilled about that one!
*Loves to stand up.  We even caught her trying to pull herself up on Heidi's bed.
*Absolutely adores being outside.
*Most of the sounds we hear include mamama, dadad, bababa, and rarara.
*Starting to show a little separation anxiety, but really not too bad yet. If I set her down and she actually sees me leave the room she isn't happy.  If she doesn't see me, she's fine.
*Gives big open mouth kisses and pulls your face right into hers.
*Still not a major cuddle bug....so sad!  She prefers to be down on the floor most of the time, but I have been getting her to give a few more cuddles lately.
*She is still really laid back and will go with pretty much whatever we are doing.
*Loves peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, and swinging in the baby swings.
 *Kicks her legs like crazy when she's excited--usually the second she sees anyone, when you come to get her from her crib, and in the swings.  It is pretty much the cutest, most adorable thing ever.
*We often call her Vanny Vans, Savanna Banana, Vanners, and Little Miss Happy Pants

We are so lucky to have such a sweet baby in our home!

We love you, Vanners!