Problem....

Savannah came home from her playgroup yesterday and I greeted her, "Hi Savannah! How was playgroup?"

She sat down beside me and said, "It was fine, but there was a problem."

"Really? What happened?" I was curious.

She began, "Well, I started it," and then with some exasperation, "but NO ONE ended it!"

Can you believe it!? We might have to find a new playgroup.

p.s. I'm s.l.o.w.l.y. updating and catching up on my blog. I post additions with the actual dates of the events. (I have to since this is like a family journal.) I think I'm all caught up to March of '09. Sad.

In the middle of the night...

Many of you know that Russ and I both served as missionaries in the Philippines. Eleven years later we finally got to go back. Pictures and details will be coming, I just want to share one quick experience.

At 2:30 a.m. I woke up to someone coming into our dark room. I had been in a very deep sleep and when I heard this person talk, I didn’t know who she was or where I was. She approached Russ on his side of the bed and with the little light coming from our bedroom window I could only discern that she had long hair. She was short and I thought perhaps she had a form of dwarfism. What she was saying didn’t make sense, something about a noise and that she was worried. Her words were all jumbled. Russ spoke to her and said, “Wala ‘ko kadungog.” (Meaning, “I didn’t hear anything.”) I was glad he spoke to her in Visayan, because her English was so confusing and I was sure that we would better be able to understand this Filipina if we just spoke in Visayan. However, this only upset her and she couldn't understand.

Finally it came to me that this was our daughter! I just didn’t know which one and I was relieved when Russ identified her as Savannah. With a weak voice I called her over to me. She came and I was just about to let her climb into bed with me when I realized that we were home and instead of the hard floors in the Philippines there was carpet and she could bring her bedding into our room and sleep next to us. When I suggested that Russ protested. I knew what he was thinking and explained, “There’s carpet on the floor,” and he replied, “Oh, we’re home.” After she got settled, I laid awake and reviewed the event in my mind, the parallel thought processes between husband and wife, and my dwarfism assumption. I laughed off and on for almost ten minutes, for some reason things are even funnier to me in the middle of the night. Russ did not laugh, he was trying to go back to sleep.

Favorite Things From This Winter

1. Yoga (December and January)

Yoga amazes me. It's good for strengthening, balancing, flexibility and I think it's perfect for those who need some peaceful-getaway-productive time. Pictured above is the "Pigeon Pose." It's a nice stretch that eases the tension in the hip joint. It's my favorite and I'm always sad when the instructor moves on to the next pose.

2. Birthdays (January and February)

When it's cold out and the days are shorter, family birthday gatherings seem to be even more pleasant. Here are a couple birthday celebrations without their own blog entry...

Daryl's Birthday
&
Addy's Birthday

3. Ugly-Sweater-Cousin-Curry Fest (January 16, 2009)


80's-cool-cousins with sweet sweaters and Masamen curry - does an evening get better than this?

4. First Black President (January 20, 2009)

America has come a long way! Four decades after the civil rights movement we have an African American holding the highest office in the land. That is something worth celebrating whether of not one agrees with his policies.


5. The Theater (February 7, 2009)

Hurray for the fine arts! And hurray for a nearby university with great performances. We took the kids to see a theatrical production of "Go, Dog! Go!" Camen, Naomi and Savannah are familiar with the book and laughed and laughed at the creator's interpretation.


6. Volleyball (February and March)

I should begin with a little history on this subject. I went out for the volleyball team in 7th grade and 8th grade and I didn't make the team. Who gets rejected at such an early age? Well... um... me. I played intermurals instead and secretly hoped that the coach would referee one of my games and then my impressive skill would earn me a spot. It never happened. Then I moved out of state and never tried out again. I think I was partially afraid of rejection and part of it was that I moved to a gargantuan school in Texas where students were strongly encouraged to pick one only sport or activity and excel at it. I choose basketball. I've always enjoyed volleyball and never miss an opportunity to play. One summer, at BYU, my roommate Charis and I played several times a week and I loved it!

This winter I signed up to play in a women's league. Not knowing anyone who was interested I signed up by myself. The same was true for my teammates, and since we were the only team that didn't register together we dubbed ourselves the "Eclecticats." My teammates had all played in high school and one played in college. Wow! It is so cool to play with that kind of skill! Nice sets, killer hits, steady serves and the just the right amount of a competitive drive. We did pretty well in most of our games and they helped me grow with some nice pointers and a little coaching. (Thankfully, they were patient with my unreliable serve.)

We entered the final tournament in the top tier. We played at 5:30 and lost, we played at 7:45 and won, we played again at 8:50 and won, by 10:00 p.m. we were exhausted but very excited to begin play in the championship game. The better (and younger) team won. We didn't get the championship t-shirt, but 2nd place and a few extra hours of fun on the court was a great consolation prize.


7. Family Bike Rides (February 21, 2009)

Utah winters can chill you to the bone, and then two weeks later the snow can all nearly melt and you can go for a bike ride in a light weight jacket. So we did.


8. Girl's Gymnastics! (January, February, March and April)

Naomi and Savannah had an encouraging teacher, new friends, games, mats, beams, and trampolines to look forward to once a week. It's a great way to burn energy when the wind is blowing and the ground is covered with snow.

We had one unregistered participant that also had a great time.


The teacher insisted that I allow Mason to play on the apparatus. I guess she knew that I wasn't going to be able to keep him on a chair in the corner. Savannah was put into a class with kids two years older than her and she needed (or wanted) a lot of help. I got a great workout running back and forth between chasing Mason and keeping him out of the other kid's way and helping Savannah do her cartwheels, somersaults and handstands.

9. New Haircut (March)

I have been ready for a new haircut for about four years. Finally my little sister, Kristina, helped me out. Ahh, something different!


10. Snow (March 10, 2009)

February Birthdays!

Naomi and her cousin Gavin (James and Jennifer's boy) share birthdays. Savannah's birthday is only ten days earlier, so we celebrated them all together in one smashing occasion. Ages 2, 4 and 6 they make a cute bunch.

Sweet Savannah is Four!

Happy Birthday Savannah! Our sweet angel is four. We celebrated by "blendering" a birthday cake in the morning and had a simple family birthday party in the evening. She loved her cake and presents.


Just look at this enthusiasm...

This fun energy is just part of who she is. Savannah is so happy with life and anxious to share her joy with those around her.

To finish the evening we watched a slideshow of Savannah's first four years.


We love her and are so thankful for the sweet sunshine she brings into our home.

Sorry Guys

Savannah and I sat down yesterday afternoon and looked through a Utah Valley magazine. There was an advertisement for prom dresses on the back and she wanted to know when I was going to get a dress like that. I tried to explain that those dresses are for girls in high school and that when she gets older she could go on a date with a boy and wear a pretty dress, pretty earrings and do her hair like the models in the advertisement. I just knew that my three year old, who loves dressing up and reading fairy tales would get excited about a real life ball.


Her response was, "I'm going to be busy."

"Oh," I said, "you're going to be busy?"

"Yes. I'm going to be busy... shopping." Then another pause. "I just want to go shopping."

So there you have it boys. Don't ask this princess, she's not interested.