June 30, 2007

First Temple Trip

The weather was nice yesterday, so I took the kids up to visit the grounds of the Dallas Temple. Savannah was really excited & I was quite impressed with her high level of interest & with all of her questions.
After a reverent walk through the waiting area (Savannah practiced folding her arms tightly!), the kids spent a lot of time playing on (and, in Will's case, eating!) the outside grass.

June 27, 2007

A Couple of Crazies

Will & Savannah REALLY enjoy playing together, and Rod & I are always so impressed with how well they get along.
Savannah was so excited today when she heard Will waking up from his nap. She ran into his room and, about 2 minutes later, I ran into the room to remind Savannah that the crib is not a bounce house!
They were laughing like crazy & Will had completely pulled himself up to a standing position. It's so fun to see him follow her lead!


Pump It Up!

Yesterday I took Will, Savannah, and her friend, Ella to play time at "Pump It Up".
For 2 solid hours, the kids & I jumped, slid, ran, laughed, and wore ourselves out! Will is quite the impressive crawler, and I was surprised to see how much fun a 7-month-old can have in a bounce house.
Needless to say, both kids took BIG afternoon naps (3 hours!) & I actually got a chance to sleep & to relax with a good book!

We were the only attendees for the first 30 minutes! Savannah, Ella & I tore it up on the slide while Will enjoyed exclusive rights to the floor:

I didn't pose Will for these--he just had such a fun time rolling/bouncing around with this ball!

Tennis + Family = Fun

We just had the best Family Home Evening!
Rod played in a big tennis tournament over the weekend, and the final match was scheduled for Monday night.
So, we decided to make a party out of it. We invited our good friends, the Elliotts, out to spectate. Our kids completely adore their three children--Savannah & Will get so much love & attention when they are with them. We had a great view of the match, we enjoyed munching on pizza, the kids had a blast running around, and Rod crushed his opponent in just two sets! (Impressive, considering his not-so-etiquette-filled fans!!) Good work, Rod!

Savannah enjoying her own "Center Court":
Getting a good workout:
The victor, at the After-Match Party with some of his biggest fans:

June 17, 2007

Super Dad!

We had such a Happy Father's Day!
The morning was quiet, thanks to two very sleepy kids.
We gave Rod a digital photo frame, which was a big hit. We also made a special video of Savannah singing "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home" complete with arm motions & serious enthusiasm. Unbelievably cute.
Afternoon church was followed by Rod's requested meal--chicken curry. It was my first attempt & it turned out delicious!
We rested & then headed out for a nice walk with our new double stroller (see previous post!)
This evening, we gathered with friends at our house for dessert & had a wonderful time.
Before bed, Rod wore the kids out with some VERY fun play time.
Will loves being with his Daddy:

Savannah could hardly stand to wait her turn to do some Daddy tricks:

Savannah wanted to make sure Daddy got a turn too--she did her best to lift him up high!

Rod deserves huge accolades for all he does as a father. He truly is a wonderful, fabulous, super dad. He is attentive, loving, patient, a good teacher, an excellent example, and more. I love him for loving our children so much & I am grateful that our children are blessed to have him as their daddy. We love you, Rod!!!!

So Big!

Look at our little cutie! 7 months has gone by so quickly. Will is so strong--crawling, sitting, jumping, etc. He is just an unbelievably pleasant little person. He sleeps 12 hours at night & is always happy to go down for his naps. I think all of his fabulous sleeping keeps him chipper & so stinkin' cute! We love our Baby Will!!!

The Double BOB

Yesterday I went to REI and made an incredible purchase--the 2007 BOB Revolution Duallie Stroller.
It's been just 24 hours, but I already feel my life changing! It's so amazing--great suspension system, rotating front wheel, incredible canopy, I could go on & on...
Just look at these satisfied customers!!

June 13, 2007

Lazy Days of Summer

So, we're officially enjoying long, lazy (but busy!) days of summer.
Savannah has started swimming lessons, ballet classes, and gymnastics, and we've been spending much of our "off" time at the neighborhood pool. (More pictures to come!)
One of Savannah's favorite friends, Hailey Helms, invited us over to her house the other day to play on her waterslide. The girls had so much fun, I thought I would never be able to tear Savannah away. Luckily, Hailey's mom, Tracy, let Will borrow her "guest crib" so he could get a good rest while Savannah wore herself out. Thanks, Tracy & Hailey, for such a fun afternoon!



June 05, 2007

Dinner Disaster!!!

Several days ago, we made plans to have our very wonderful friends, Bill & Stacey, over for dinner. In an effort to keep things simple, I bought a roast the night before, chopped up some vegetables & threw it all in the crockpot. 12 hours later, I expected to have a delicious meal, ready to go for our company.

Shortly before Bill & Stacey arrived, I realized that the circuit breaker switch to the kitchen plugs was turned off. (It was turned off because our dishwasher is broken, which is another tragedy in itself!) So, the meal was completely uncooked. I had also set some rolls out to thaw which, for whatever reason, never took off. I put them in the oven and, at one point, Savannah peaked in and asked, "Mommy, are the little rocks done cooking?" I did bake a cake, which I expected to be the saving part of the meal. After stacking the 2 layers, however, the top layer started breaking & sliding. SUCH a disaster! So, when Bill & Stacey arrived, I just let it all out, and they were completely understanding.

We unanimously decided to pack everyone up & head to the nearby Cafe Express. It was such a relief to get out of the house & the kids had an amazingly fun time with Bill & Stacey. Savannah has developed quite the crush on Bill & just loved showing off for him. Will enjoyed staring & laughing at Stacey, who gave him some serious attention.

We did return to our house for dessert and the cake really tasted great! Hooray! And, after a little circuit breaker adjustment, I have to admit it was nice to already have dinner prepared for the next evening.

Thank you, Bill & Stacey, for turning my disaster into such a fun night!!

Day at the Lake

On Saturday, the Lewis family invited us to spend the day at their lake house in Cedar Creek, about an hour outside of Dallas.
We know the Lewis family through Savannah's preschool, and we just had such a great time with them! They have a little girl, Harper, who is one month older than Savannah, and a little boy, Will, who is one month older than our Will. We loved relaxing at the lake house, going on a long boat ride, enjoying a wonderful barbecue dinner, and just hanging out with good company.

Our family, at the end of a great day:

Savannah wearing Harper's collection of patriotic leis. She sure didn't want to share :)

Hours of entertainment in the baby pool: