The Johnsons

Utah Trip

2013-12-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

This October we took a trip out to Utah because my parents were going to be in town from Brasil for some mission training and my sister, Jenna, was also going to be in town. It was so much fun because the trip was over conference weekend. Conference weekend is always when I get the most homesick for my family because we always had the tradition of going down to Wales over conference and spending the weekend together as a family. I haven't been home over conference in years and it was so much fun to relive some of those memories with my family!

Here we are getting on the plane to go to Utah! We were a little worried that Savannah would be bad because, even though this was her fourth trip flying, this was her first time flying while mobile! Although she didn't sleep the entire way and was a little antsy overall she was really good!

So excited!

We spent the first night at the "Wilkins' Hotel." My sister and her family had formed towels into swans and left mints on our pillows. Our room had a key card and we even had a concierge list of things to do while visiting. It was so adorable. Her family always has great ideas and are always willing to have us come stay!

The next morning we woke up and drove down to Wales for conference. On the way we saw a lot of fields that looked like the one below. The sprinklers had been left on in the field and overnight the water had frozen. It was really amazing to see!

During conference Savannah was able to spend some time with grandma and grandpa. my favorite part of our visit was seeing her interact with them and get to spend time with them!

Savannah also enjoyed stealing her cousins swing for a little while.

Between sessions we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit and then David took Savannah on her first four-wheeler ride!

That night the husbands all left for the priesthood session. We stayed with the kids and decorated pumpkins and had a great time!

Once back from Wales we had a fast and furious week seeing people and doing other fun things! One day we went the Peppermint Place, a candy making factory. Savannah loved the window where you could watch the candy being made. She stood there and watched almost the whole time we were there!

David and I also had a nice day trip to Salt Lake City.

At Temple Square we went up to see the Christus and without being prompted Savannah said "Jesus!" It was such a sweet moment and a reminder that she knows him better than I do!

While in Salt Lake we also went to the Planetarium. Savannah's favorite parts were the huge machine that dropped balls from one floor to the next and the wind machine.

We also traveled to Mars and the Moon!!!

Later that night we went to see our friends, Jake and Danielle. They were so sweet and made us dinner and yummy dessert. We loved being able to see them. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures though! Afterwards Savannah was very tired!

Here's some other fun pictures of our Utah trip.

Wishing Aunt Kimber a Happy Birthday!

Trying on the pumpkin head.

Matching at Arctic Circle!

Girls day at The Chocolate for Kimber's birthday. This was one of my favorite things we did the whole time we were home. I love my mom and sisters!

Savannah trying her first sucker (from Brick Oven).

Lounging at Uncle Doug's and Aunt Joanna's.

With Grandma and Grandpa Wilkins

One morning we went to David's cousin's house and had breakfast. These two cute cousins were hilarious together! Here they are having fun in the mirror!

Sweet Lewis

Lewis and Savannah, the current two youngest grandkids.

The last night there my parents set up their projector and we all watched a movie as a family. This is a pretty cute pic of all of the grandkids!

Princess Savannah!

Picture Overload and Things I Want to Remember

2013-12-01T20:19:00.003-05:00

Here are just some fun pictures of Savannah from this past summer and fall. We love her lots!

Learning all about stickers.

Being naughty! I came into her room one morning to find she had pulled all of the things off of the table next to her crib. She seemed pretty happy about it!

Cute in her overalls!

Crazy hair!

Such a happy girl.

Being an Ewok for Halloween.

Playing in the leaves

Fun at the zoo with cousins!

Being naughty! I heard a noise in the kitchen the other day and when I went to investigate Savannah had pulled a stale doughnut out of the garbage and was eating it.

Success! I stole the doughnut!

Play date with Penelope!

Pretty in pink.

Things I Want to Remember:

The first time you used your imagination was on the flight home from Utah in October. You would pretend to pick up a piece of food and eat it. You thought it was hilarious when mommy and daddy started to play along.
You love doing laundry with mommy. You sit in the middle of the bed and get buried in the clothes!

You started walking in August 2013. You had taken a few steps here and there but the first time you really walked by yourself neither mommy or daddy were paying attention. We were both doing something and suddenly realized you had walked from the coffee table over to the TV where mommy was all by yourself. We were so sad to miss those first steps but were excited about everything you could now do!

After you turned one your learning rate was exponential. Daddy and I were amazed with how fast you began learning how to do things like a fist-bump, using a fork, drinking out of a straw (the first time was at PF Chang's when we forgot a sippy cup--good thing you decided to figure out how to use a straw!), and climbing up the stairs (in Utah from the basement to the main floor).
You LOVE juice. If we give you juice you will literally drink the entire sippy cup full in a matter of minutes!
You always have to have something in each hand whether that be treatsies, pots and pans, or empty milk jugs.

Your language skills have increased so much since you turned one. By seventeen months you would repeat most things mommy and daddy would say and you would say other things on your own. Your favorite words were Jesus, juice, ball (bok), bottle (bo-ok), hot (ot...you would push away your bottle and say "ot! ot!" even if it was cold), George (from Curious George), animal noises for animals such as sheep, squirrels :), and monkeys. Mommy's favorite was when you learned to say "No, no, no." You would pucker your lips and your little voice was so cute!
You are obsessed with mommy's jewelry. You love to put on necklaces and to carry around jewelry throughout the house.

You got all four of your molars at the same time during October. It was not a very happy experience.
You love the park and playing on the playground. After becoming mobile you were able to not only swing but to also walk around the play set and slide down the slide. The first time mommy let you free on the playground you were so scared but soon you warmed up to it and it became one of your favorite things to do!

Virginia Beach

2013-12-01T19:45:00.002-05:00

David's dad just moved to Virginia Beach for a new job so in October we went up to visit him. He and his wife, Dianne, were kind enough to open their home to us even though they had literally moved in to their new house the morning we arrived! Wow! They are truly amazing!

We didn't do too many things but did get to enjoy some family time which is always the best. Here's Savannah hanging with her cousin Bracey and Dugan the dog!

Here's a picture of all the grandkids and great-grandkids on David's dad's side of the family...not a horrible picture considering most of the kids were unhappy to be there!

One night we went to Olive Garden to eat. Savannah's favorite part was the take-out box.

We also stopped by the Neptune festival they were having on the beach that weekend. Look at that cool statue of Neptune!

Zoo Trip

2013-09-26T15:46:00.001-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend we took Savannah to the zoo for the first time. I had been looking forward to doing this for so long but we wanted to wait until Savannah would actually understand what we were doing and recognize the animals. Although she seemed to enjoy herself she was still a little too young to fully comprehend what was going on all the time.

She did enjoy the tram ride though!

In front of the giraffes

Definitely her favorite part was the carousel. We were very lucky to be able to each ride it once with her. Originally we had just bought one ticket so David could ride with her but then ended up getting a free ticket when a random guy ran into our stroller with his own stroller. He felt so bad about it he gave us one of their tickets that they weren't going to use so both David and I got to ride with her once. Savannah was very happy as you can tell from the pictures.

Catching Up

2013-09-21T13:58:00.003-04:00

In going through our pictures I found a lot of fun and random shots I thought I'd post. Enjoy!

At the ward pool party

Eating sting cheese. Yum!

Picnic at the park

First time brushing her teeth. It was a success!

Trying out curlers for the first time...not very successful.

Playing video games with daddy

Being naughty. I came into her room one morning and she had pulled a basket into her crib and was playing with everything inside of it. She was very proud of herself if you couldn't tell.

So tired after church

Things I want to remember:

Savannah started walking in August when she was around thirteen months old. David and I missed her first steps because she took them while I was cleaning something and daddy was on the computer. She walked from the coffee table to the TV where I was at and only then did David point out that she had walked over. I know, we're awesome parents ;)
Savannah's favorite thing to do right now is to lay down anywhere she's at and just relax.
The last few months Savannah has been getting her molars. It's been a rough process and included her having her first cold during the same time. At fourteen months she now has ten teeth, five on the bottom and five on the top.
She has started folding her arms at prayer time. Her doing this has amazed me and made me realize how much children really do pick up just by watching us because we never taught her to do this she just saw us do it and started doing it too.
She will hug and kiss and blow kisses if asked and she will dance to music as well.

Savannah's First Birthday

2013-08-03T16:30:00.001-04:00

A few Saturdays ago we had Savannah's first birthday party. We did a duckie theme because Savannah loves ducks. We were very blessed to have so many family and friends attend her party. My parents were even able to skype from Brazil and see Savannah with her smash cake! We're so grateful to have such a wonderful support system for our beautiful little girl.

Here's her adorable party invite.

We originally were planning on having everything outside but two hours before the party was supposed to start it began raining like crazy. We had to move everything back inside which was a little stressful but it all worked out.

Here's a picture of the food table. We had fried chicken, pasta salad, fruit salad, and lemonade. The centerpieces were rubber duckies floating in blue tinted bubble solution.

The adorable cakes Aunt Courtney made. The yellow one was Savannah's smash cake.

Playing with friends! Whit was born a day before Savannah so it was fun to have him at her party and watch them play together!

Opening presents with daddy.

Smash cake success! David had to smoosh her hands into the cake to get her started but once she realized what she was doing she really enjoyed herself!

After the smash cake Savannah got a bath and changed into some pj's. I then realized I'd forgotten to put her party hat on so after-the-fact we took a picture in her "first birthday" hat.

Happy birthday to our dear, sweet, happy, perfect baby girl! We love you so much! Also, happy birthday to my amazing mother who's birthday it is today. I love you, mom! This post was for you!

2013 Beach Trip with the Lakefield Boys

2013-07-19T11:12:00.001-04:00

This year for our family vacation we took an amazing trip with David's group of best friends from his ward when he was growing up. This trip was about a year in the making and we were so glad to have been able to see David's friends and to have such a great time. It was especially fun because we all have new babies (Savannah is the oldest) and they are all girls. Watching them interact was really special.

We rented a beach house on the Holden Beach island. This little island was perfect because it isn't touristy and the beach wasn't crowded at all. Now if only the weather could have been better....

Here's our little cutie playing in the front seat of the car during one of the bathroom breaks along the road.

The first day there we packed up everything and walked down to the beach. People kept staring at us because of how many strollers and children we had! It was pretty hilarious! I'm so glad I took this picture because during the first night there one of our friends little girls got sick and they had to leave. This is the only picture we got of the whole group so I'm grateful I took it!

At Holden Beach with daddy!

David hung Savannah upside down and stuck the top of her head in the water. She thought it was great!

I think this is my favorite picture from the whole trip. Savannah looks so, so happy...and look at those chunky legs!

The boys digging for crabs.

The next day it was raining so we decided to drive to Wilmington for the day. We ate a yummy dinner and then got some amazingly good ice cream from Kilwins.

We were trying to teach Savannah to lick the ice cream. She was...okay at it.

Jake and Chris decided to do handstands in the water. Jake was definitely better than Chris was. (shhh, don't tell Chris I said that!)

The cute mommies with their girls, Hadley and Kenedee.

Little Kenedee makes the silliest faces!

One day we came home to find a very long and very "fresh" snake skin hanging out of the dryer vent into the car port below. It kind of freaked us out. We were grateful when we found the (very large but thankfully not poisonous) snake outside on the pipe. He would sit there whenever we had the dryer on because he didn't like it and then he would slither back into the vent when the dryer was off. Needless to say we kept the dryer on a lot while there!

Here's the house we stayed in. It was perfect for us!

The next day we went to a family friend's house for dinner. Matt Case and his family who had left the first night at the beach house because of sickness came too so we were able to see them one last time before they headed back to Tennessee. Here's the three oldest girls, Pippa, Savannah, and Hadley. Obviously Savannah was stuffed from Anne's yummy dinner and just wanted to lounge a little.

It's That Time Again...

2013-06-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

Super Double Coupons!

My couponing trip this time around was pretty great. I was able to get a lot of things we really needed like meat, BBQ sauce, ziploc bags, etc. Maybe because of that this couponing trip left me feeling extremely grateful for the ability to provide food and groceries for my family at a minimal cost. Even though food prices keep rising couponing gives us the ability to keep our food budget relatively low and to still be able to add to our food storage in case of an emergency. It may take a lot of time and effort but in the end couponing really has been worth it for me and my family!

So here's what I got on my (first) super doubles trip this month:

Baking Cups

7 Bottles of BBQ Sauce

4 Boxes Hefty Ziploc Bags

Huggies Baby Wipes

2 Boxes Wheat Thins

Bottle Hellmanns Mayo

Bag of Rice

2 Boxes Rice Pilaf

Box of Spaghetti Noodles

Dishwasher Detergent

Colgate Mouthwash

Pita Pockets

Bag of Chicken Bites

2 Bottles of Simply Lemonade (for Savannah's upcoming first birthday party!)

Gallon of Milk

2 Meat and Cheese Wraps

Huge Bag of Lunch Meat

10 lbs Ground Beef

Package of Chicken Breasts

Total Spent:$46.59 Total Saved:$88.39

Baby Shower and Easter Fun

2013-05-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

I've been a little remiss in posting so now I'm playing catch-up. In March I had the opportunity to help with one of my good friend's baby showers. Rachel is married to Chris Dixon who was one of David's best friends growing up and they are about to have their first baby, a little girl named Kenedee.

The theme for the baby shower was "So Sweet" so all of the food was sweet themed: sweet potato pie, sweet and sour chicken, sweet and spicy bbq sandwiches. It turned out really cute.

Here are the cupcakes Courtney made for the shower. Aren't they amazing?!

Here's the momma-to-be. She's so beautiful!

Here's another beautiful girl who crashed the party! By chance, David and I had a house showing at the same time as the shower so David brought Savannah and hung out at the shower with us until the showing was over. Savannah was sitting on the kitchen island playing with a clementine and we looked down and realized she'd bitten a chunk of the skin off. After that we peeled it for her and let her go at it. She'd never had anything really citrusy before but she seemed to enjoy it!

A couple of weekends later was our nephew Jackson's birthday. He wanted to go to the Atlanta Aquarium and since David's aunt lives in Atlanta we took a quick trip down there. David's dad came up from Florida and met us at the aquarium. Here he is with Savannah before the dolphin show.

Savannah didn't really get what was going on most of the time but we still had fun!

We attended a 3-D show...

Savannah definitely didn't like it so we waited in the hallway until it was finished.

Our Fatty Munchkins

At David's aunt's house we were sleeping in the living room. Aunt Kimmie was teasing Heather because she made David's bed and even turned down the covers. Kimmie left and came back with a mint for his pillow. Such service!

Swinging on the porch with her favorite cousin Caroline.

On the way home David and I stopped in Greenville, SC which is a very nice city that has had a lot of restoration done in the older sections of the town. There is a beautiful park in the middle of the city with a huge bridge.

David took a picture of this plaque for you, mom. Historical Marker!

We got back from Atlanta Saturday night and had Easter at our house on Sunday. We only really got one picture of Savannah in her Easter dress. It's a dress my mom gave us for her before she was born. It is beautiful!

Date Night, a Cousins' Lunch Date, and a Birthday Party

2013-03-16T20:33:00.002-04:00

This past week David and I had an amazing date night. Thankfully our wonderful friends, Chris and Rachel, were willing to watch Savannah while we were away. We are so grateful to them, especially since Rachel is almost eight months pregnant!

We started our date at Natty Greene's, a well-known pub and restaurant in downtown Greensboro. It's named after General Nathaniel Greene from whom Greensboro gets its name. The food was yummy and I love that the restaurant is in a revitalized old brick building. The atmosphere is definitely part of the fun.

After dinner we walked across the street to the historical Carolina Theater. The Theater opened in 1926 and has been completely restored. It now shows theater productions, hosts events, and plays old, classic movies. I had to go when I saw they were showing the movie "Singing in the Rain." David had never seen it and what better way to introduce him to this classic than at a theater that was around when the movie originally debuted?! I can't express how fun it was!

(Sorry for the bad photo quality. We only had our cell phones.)

A few days later, Savannah and I went to lunch with David and our niece/cousin Caroline. Whenever they are together it is very apparent that Savannah adores Caroline! Caroline can always make Savannah laugh and smile. Here's a picture of Caroline reading Savannah a book in Chik-Fil-A. Don't you love Savannah's excited face? :)

Today we went to Rachel and Chris' apartment for a surprise birthday party for Chris. Our friend Priscilla was there with her daughter, Penelope. Penelope is three months younger than Savannah and she looks so small next to her. She is so cute! These two are going to be friends!

Bonus Pic: I painted Savannah's toes for the first time this week. The results were a little blotchy but not horrible for our first try.

Our Fatty Munchkins!

2013-02-28T15:18:00.002-05:00

On Valentine's Day we had the opportunity to spend the day with cousins who were visiting from Oregan. They were staying in Atlanta so Courtney, Heather, the kids, and I drove down to South Carolina and met them half-way. We met at a McDonalds and had a wonderful time just talking and playing together. It was also exciting because Savannah fed herself for the first time while we were there! Yay!

Here are a few extras of our "fatty munchkins". (That's what I call Savannah....because I'm just that kind of supportive mother!)

Bathtime! She loves her rubber duckies.

The first time with her hair up. I pulled it up especially for Aunt Courtney because we were going to visit her in the hospital while she had Bracey.

Super Doubles!

2013-02-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted any of my coupon trips for a while but I decided my trip today was pretty great so I thought I'd share. Thankfully they had a lot of items on sale that will help with David's lunches!

Here's what I got:

2 Hefty Slider Bags
Package of Juicy Juice Drink Boxes
3 Hormel Compleats Microwave Meals
2 Yakisoba Microwave Meals
2 Uncle Bens Rice Cups
Speed Stick Deoderant
Children's Tylenol
1 Bottle of Hairspray
Bag of Hot Pockets Snackers
2 Packages of Pillsbury Cookie Dough
2 1/2 Gallons of Milk
1 Package of Butterball Sandwich Meat
3 Hormel Mashed Potatoes
1 Package of Meatballs
1 Package Perdue Chicken Fingers
1 Package Lloyds BBQ Meat

I spent $9.72 + Tax .94 = $10.66
I saved $67.93

Just a quick picture

2013-02-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

This Sunday Savannah wore one of her cousin, Caroline's, old dresses. She looked so pretty so I had to take a picture of the occassion.

December Part 3

2013-01-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, David's mom took us on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was such a relaxing getaway! We had a great time. Thank you again, Heather, for taking us!

The hotel we stayed in had about ten different pools and several waterslides. Savannah loved playing in the water with her dad.

She got pretty tired after so much swimming!

On Saturday night we went to a fun Christmas show put on at the Alabama Theater. It was a really cute show and, as you can tell, Savannah loved it!

Just hanging out in the hotel room.

On Christmas Eve David and I went over to Heather's for dinner. She had bought Christmas poppers that have little crowns inside of them. Here's Savannah in hers.

Christmas Day was a special one since it was Savannah's first Christmas. We piled into our bed and read Luke 2, just like my family always did when I was growing up. Then we took the annual Christmas morning picture on the stairs. Afterwards we opened presents. Savannah's favorite part was definitely the wrapping paper. It was so fun to start our family traditions with her!

On Christmas Day Savannah got her first haircut from Aunt Courtney. My parents skyped so they could watch it too. Savannah was so good. She didn't cry at all.

Here's some bonus pictures of Savannah. What a chunk!

She's also started eating baby food. Carrots were the first type she tried and she seems to like them pretty well. We've also tried banana which took her a while to get used to.

What a mess!

December Part 2

2013-01-04T11:16:00.002-05:00

During the middle of December, Savannah and I flew to Utah to visit family and friends. While Savannah had already flown multiple times this was the first time I was flying with her by myself. I was a little nervous but she was so good the entire time. Even the people on the plane couldn't believe how good she was!

We stayed with my sister, Kimber, and her family. The kids were so good with Savannah. They played with her and fed her. Here they are watching tv together.

On Saturday we attended the annual Ivins family Christmas party. It was so nice to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I miss being with my family and it was such a blessing to be able to be with them for a few hours and to have them meet Savannah.

Here are the angels during the nativity.

Savannah was baby Jesus because she was the youngest baby there. She did pretty well, especially while everyone sang Away in a Manger which is the song I sing to put her to bed every night. However, once that song was over she wasn't too happy and I had to hold her.

Gracie was one of the wise men. I love the beard!

I love this picture of Jackson and Savannah with their hands in their mouths!

Her first time meeting Santa was less then memorable since she slept the whole time. As we often say, "Savannah was unimpressed!"

Sorry this picture is sideways. It turned out so cute of JD's family on the stairs of their new home. I was so glad I got a tour of the house they were building while I was there!

Savannah also got to experience her first snow while we were in Utah. I put her in one of McKenna's old snow suits and took her outside.

I also got to see my friend's new baby girl,Camilla. She was so tiny and cute!

My last night in Utah we went up to Temple Square with my brothers and their families. The below picture was taken by my super artistic niece, Sophie. Didn't she do a great job!

Watching the nativity. At the end of the nativity's narration there is a quote by President Thomas S. Monsen. I asked my nephew, Bridger, if he knew who was speaking and he said it was the prophet. I thought it was so neat that he could tell the prophet was speaking just by hearing his voice!

In front of the candy windows at Macy's. The huge decoration you see behind the kids is made entirely of candy!

Getting ready to go home! She looked pretty warm and cozy in Aunt Joanna's scarf.

Thank you everyone who took the time to visit with us. A BIG thank you to Kimber for allowing us to stay at her house and for feeding us. We had such a wonderful time and can't thank you enough!

December Part 1

2013-01-03T13:58:00.001-05:00

December was a month full of vacations, family, and holiday fun, so much so that I'm going to have to break this up into multiple posts.

At the beginning of December we headed to Virginia to see David's grandparents and his Aunt. Before we left we picked out Savannah's first Christmas tree. It was so fun to include her in our holiday tradition!

Here is a bonus pick of Savannah at our hotel in Virginia. She loves to play with her feet and hates wearing socks. It is one of David's favorite things to watch her fold her body in half and grab her little toes.

Drooling? Who me? No way.

She was so good the entire weekend and loved seeing Papa and Grandma again and meeting her Uncle Dave and Aunt Kelly and her cousins.

She also got her first tooth while we were there!

Makes Me Cry Everytime!

2012-12-04T09:23:00.002-05:00

I'm so grateful little Savannah is mine!

Selling Our Home

2012-11-27T09:26:00.002-05:00

David and I have decided to sale our home. It's a bittersweet feeling because we have LOVED this house, our first house. We've put so much work into it and have so many memories here. However, we knew we couldn't stay here forever and with a new baby and interests rates so low we think it's time for a new home. Our house was listed yesterday so we'll see if it will sale. We hope someone will buy it who will love it as much as we have!

Random Pictures of Savannah

2012-11-01T21:07:00.002-04:00

Here are some random pictures of Savannah that I found on our camera.

Looking at some pictures from her cousins-Thanks Gracelyn, McKenna, and Brian Dean!

Good times with daddy!

Sleeping

I made a cake for her three month birthday. She was really excited, can't you tell?

She's voting for Romney!

First time on a swing. She liked it!

Look how good she is doing at tummy time. She is so strong!

Her first Halloween. She was a ballerina.

Some other things I don't want to forget:
-Her favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She especially likes the yellow duck page.
-She loves talking after she takes a bath.
-Her favorite songs are the Hokey Pokey (I sing it to her while I put on her clothes so she can learn right from left), Chim-Chiminy from Mary Poppins, and Here We Go A-Caroling.
-Currently, her favorite toy is her butterfly rattle. It rattles and the wings make a crinkly noise.
-She LOVES when you play with her mouth.
-She's starting to laugh when you play peek-a-boo with her.
-She has started sleeping through the night and goes to bed without any problem. She usually sleeps for 13 hours straight (mommy is so happy!).

Disneyworld

2012-10-16T11:36:00.001-04:00

David recently got a new job. Before he started his new job he had a week off so we decided to visit David's dad in Florida and to go to Disneyworld. We were so grateful to be able to save some money staying with David's dad and are grateful to them for their hospitality. We had a wonderful time!

(Sorry some of these pictures are sideways. Savannah is currently taking a nap so I'm trying to upload everything before she wakes up.)

Savannah in her cute tutu outfit when we arrived

The first day we were there Savannah stayed home with grandad while David and I headed out for Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom.

Shooting Zurg on the Toy Story ride. David totally beat me, hence he is a Galatic Hero while I'm merely a Space Cadet.

At the electrical parade

While we are on Pirates of the Caribbean it stalled so here we are waiting for it to start again. I do have to say that Pirates at Disneyland is so much better than the one in Disneyworld...even David said so!

The next day we drove out to the Kennedy Space Center. We didn't go in and couldn't get to close to the actual space center because it was only open to authorized personel but it was still amazing to be so close and see where the space shuttles lift off. This was probably one of my favorite things we did the entire trip!

The following day we braved the heat and took Savannah with us to the Animal Kingdom and to the Magic Kingdom. She was so good the entire time.

See the big tree behind us? That's call the Tree of Life. It's a huge fake tree that kids can play on in the middle of the Animal Kingdom park.

Savannah with her "1st Visit" pin...she was a little tuckered out obviously.

Savannah on her first ride, "It's a Small World" of course! She did great but, as you can tell from the picture, she was a little unsure what was going on.

Crazy hair after bathtime.

On our last day at the park we decided to take the time to meet Mickey and Minnie. We almost didn't do it because Savannah won't remember this and we felt a little stupid meeting them with just a two month old baby. I'm so glad we did though. I really think this was my favorite thing we did because it's not the rides you go on but the experiences that you have that are the most memorable!

On the teacups

On David's favorite ride, Peter Pan!

They decorated for Halloween while we were there. Isn't this cute!?

Savannah also went swimming for the first time while we were there. We couldn't find any swimmer diapers in her size so we ended up putting two pairs on her of the larger size. Needless to say they were a little huge.

Swimming with daddy!

I have a couple of videos that aren't uploading for some reason so I'll have to put those on later.

How do you get David to eat vegetables?

2012-10-06T16:23:00.001-04:00

Wrap them in bacon, of course!

Baby Blessing

2012-10-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend we blessed our beautiful little girl. The weekend of the blessing was full of fun family time. Almost my entire family was able to come out from Utah. I had looked forward to having everyone there for months and I'm so grateful that my family came across the country to participate in this special moment.

Over the weekend we received some gifts from friends. One was a hat made by my old roommate Shaliese. Isn't it (and Savannah) adorable?!

Me with two of my siblings just having a good time.

Doug and Jo had never been to Greensboro so we took them for a tour of the city which ended with lunch at Yum-Yums, a hot dog and ice cream shop. They loved it!

The night before the blessing David and I served the family a Southern BBQ dinner. Here we are afterwards.

The kids were out catching fireflies.

Savannah was blessed in the same dress I was blessed in. She looked beautiful!

She wasn't sure if she liked all the pictures or the long skirt hanging over her feet.

Me with the siblings who were able to attend. Don't mind Doug...

Four generations

Things I Want to Remember

2012-10-02T10:07:00.002-04:00

I can't believe Savannah is now nearly three months old! The time has flown by and the harder I try to hold on to these precious moments with my baby the quicker they seem to pass. As things change and Savannah grows there are so many things I don't want to forget.

The way her little body wraps perfectly around mine, her tiny toes brushing against my skin as I nurse her.

The perfect smile she makes while she sleeps.
How she stares at us the whole time we give her a bath, unsure but trusting.
Smiling at something only she can see (I always say she is just talking to Grandma Ivins).
The way she used to stare at my temple nightlight while I would feed her during the night.
How she never sleeps on her back and immediately turns on her side.
Her toothless grin and laughter when she first wakes up.

How she sometimes bobs her head when she's trying to eat.
Realizing for the first time that an outfit that used to be too large is now too small.
The way her eyes get big and she'll hold perfectly still when she fills her diaper, as if by not moving we won't be able to see (or hear) what she is doing.
Falling asleep with her mouth still puckered for a binkie.

Her fake cries when she knows we are near and just wants our attention.
The bow of her legs when she was born and how her eyes would cross when trying to see objects far away.
Sticking her tongue out when she's happy.
Always having her hands around her face.

Oh, how we love this little girl the Lord has sent us!

Maine Trip

2012-09-04T12:28:00.003-04:00

Every few years David's mother's family has a family reunion in Maine, near where David's grandparents live. So, just three weeks after Savannah was born, we got on a plane and headed to Maine. Here are some pictures from our wonderful vacation.

Here is Savannah taking her first plane trip. She slept the entire time.

Savannah getting a nice bath from her Nanny.

All cuddled up after bathtime!

All the cousins together in their blueberry outfits.

Little Addison had her first birthday while we were there. Isn't she a cutie!

Isn't he a cutie too?!

And she's definitely a cutie!

In her swimsuit ready for the water!

Doing what we do best...eating!

Sweet baby

All of the cousins together

Matching mommy and daughter in Camden, Maine

With Great-Grandma Marma

With Great-Grandpa Barn

Four generations

Isn't this a beautiful picture of Savannah with her Aunt Courtney?

This picture is out of order and sideways, but here is Savannah out on the paddle-boat. She really enjoyed it....she slept the entire time.

There were fresh blueberry bushes on an island out in the lake near our vacation home. We went and picked them one day. They were yummy!

The cousins in their lobster outfits

A panoramic picture of the Maine beach

Family picture!

Sleeping baby

We flew in and out of Boston and went to church there on our last day of our trip. I was so grateful that we were able to go to church with my good friend Claire. It was so fun to see her and her family. I'm so happy they were able to take the time to spend some of the day with us!

On our way home...Fragile, Handle With Care!

Trip to Wilmington

2012-08-21T16:05:00.000-04:00

The week after Savannah was born one of David's best friends got married. Scott and Kathleen Hunter were married in the Raliegh Temple and then had a reception that night in Eden. The next day they had another reception in Wilmington. Since David was the best man we wanted to make sure we made it to all the festivities. It was definitely an experience trying to figure out how to travel with a one-week old baby but thankfully Savannah was very good throughout all of our travels and we were able to enjoy this wonderful couple's sealing and their receptions.

The weekend of the wedding required a lot of traveling. We drove to Raliegh for the sealing where Kathleen's former roommate was nice enough to watch Savannah for us (Thank you Amy!). We then traveled back to Greensboro to pack and head to Eden. After the reception in Eden we drove to Raliegh to stay at a hotel for the night. The next day we headed out for Wilmington. We were very grateful that Savannah slept through almost all of these long drives.

When we got to Wilmington we decided to just have David go to the reception. This was a good decision since Savannah threw up twice while he was away and dirtied all of her clothes. We ended up just letting her sleep in her diaper. Isn't she a cute naky baby?

Before we left Wilmington we made sure to stop by the beach. I wanted to take pictures of Savannah's first trip to the ocean at just nine-days old!

By the end of the weekend Savannah was a little tuckered out.