Growing Pains

Savanna is officially a toddler! She is at just the right height to run her head into everything...and be as clumsy as ever! She bonked herself pretty good yesterday...

Check out the death stare!

She's a tough little girl...hardly any tears!

*thanks to E for letting her cling to you all day!*

I Heart Snow

We had our first major snow storm of the season last week and so we strapped on a hat and some gloves to see how Savanna would like it.

She rolled around in the snow, ate it, dug in it and LOVED it!

Pure joy! I only wish I could love the snow as much as she does!

One Two Buckle My Shoe

Every girl goes through this phase right? When they're old enough to walk they pull the high-heeled shoes out of mommy's closet and practice walking without breaking an ankle.

So far, no broken ankles.

Expressions of a Toddler

"Mom, stop taking my picture!"

"I'm tired and crabby."

"Well, you're not listening so I may as well have some fun."

"It feels good to be silly."

I love all the expressions this little girl has...in a matter of 60 seconds!

We love you! :)

Yabba Dabba Do!

So, I know were only a week away from Christmas, but if I don't put these Halloween pictures up some (ahem!) certain people might never let me live it down.

It seems the older we get, the more excited we get about dressing up for Halloween...maybe it's just because we have a cute little one to complete the ensemble. We decided to dress up as the Flintstones (Fred, Wilma and Pebbles) this year and we had a blast!

Here's our cute Pebbles all ready for some trick-or-treating.

She loved her costume and would rub her hand against the soft fur.

Fred, Pebbles and Wilma

Savanna had a great time...I think her face says it all!

Happy Halloween!

*Special thanks to Sandy and "Grandma" for all the help in making the costumes!*

Girl Time

Last night my sister-in-law and I got our craft on while the boys escaped us for a couple of hours. Here are the results!

...Landon was our protector for the evening...

Jessie made these pink beauties

Getting two little girls with three-second attention spans to look at the camera?
No such luck!

Such a cheeser!

Oops...sideways camera picture!

She's a (sideways) cutie sporting some simple purple bows.

Cute little Kylee with a not-so-little bow :)

Aw! The girlies all fancied up!

Thanks Jessie and Pat for a wonderful evening...I'm excited to do it again soon!

Happy Happy Birthday

Our little girl turned ONE on Tuesday! Time sure has flown and we can't imagine our crazy life without her! We began the birthday festivities on Saturday with friends, family and LOTS of fun!

...The birthday cupcakes...

(yes, Heather, I did make them)

Uncle Garrett gave Savanna a very cute and cuddly duck
(We've named him Perry the Platy-Duck...the stuffed animal looks like a mix between a platypus and a duck)

...A couple of the party-going grandparents...

...A few from the Hardcastle bunch...

Savanna's only a little excited about this toy, can you tell? It's a cute keyboard and play station. (Thanks to the Fox Grandparents.)

***

Let's take a quick break for the cake...the glorious cake. Savanna wasn't too sure about it in the beginning, but after a few minutes...well, you can see for yourself!

Sticky, messy fingers...a little timid

Insert fist in mouth...tastes pretty good

It tastes really good...check out the chunk she ate!

Frosting and cake on hands, face, hair and belly? Check!

We think she approves!

***

Okay...back to the party! With a fresh change of clothes and a tummy full of sugar, Savanna was ready for another go-around with toys.

She loved playing with the balloons (and the empty boxes) more than anything else!

Here's the Platy-Duck again!

This toy sends plastic balls flying! Savanna has figured out how to play it by herself...giving Mommy and Daddy a breather from chasing the balls around the house! (Thanks Hardcastles!)

She's a mighty spoiled little birthday girl!

Check this out! A HUGE hooded bath towel with Savanna's name embroidered down the side (Thanks, Aunt Sandy!)...we tested it out and she loves it!

Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us! We love you all!

***

On Wednesday Savanna had her 12-month check-up. Yippee!

Here she is getting ready by brushing her own teeth. (She really does try...and it's pretty hilarious.)

Here are the stats:

Height: 31 inches (97th percentile)

Weight: 26 pounds 6 ounces (100th percentile)
She's perfect all around!

Here she is post-check-up. See that Elmo sticker? She got that for being such a brave girl for her FOUR shots! Ouch!

***

Well, as luck would have it, a package arrived for Savanna. Grandma Fox down in Arizona sent up a birthday baby doll just in time to chase away the vaccination blues! Apparently, this particular baby doll has been kid tested (ahem...Hayley) and mother approved (ahem...Mom). Thanks, Mom...she loves it!

She sang to it and played with it all night long.

...and gave it lots of loves too!

***

Her birthday has been a great one and we are so proud to be her parents! She is constantly making us laugh and amazing us around every turn!

We love you, Nanna!

Loving Every Minute

We just can't get enough of this little gal! She is cute, curious and into everything! She definitely keeps us on our toes. We feel so blessed to have her in our lives. Our family would not be the same without her...we love you, Nanna!

...she gets her crazy side from her daddy...

...she always gives mommy the best smiles...

We can't believe she'll be turning one next month! We look forward to the adventures she'll bring!

Two Years

Today makes two years since JI and I started our adventurous life together! It has gone by so fast, we can't even believe it! JI is such a wonderful husband, dad and friend. Just yesterday we celebrated JI's grandma's 80th birthday. While I was talking to her she leaned in and gave me a giant bear hug and said, "JI is good for you; he's different with you. He's always been a good kid, but when he's with you he's all the better...he's in love. I see him look at your precious baby and I see him look at you...and I know there's a lot of love there." There's no better compliment!

I love you babe...for all the fun times we've had so far, and for all the adventures yet to come!

Nine Months

Savanna turned nine months old a couple of weeks ago and we are amazed at how quickly the time has gone by! Here are the stats from her check-up:

Weight: 24 pounds 2 ounces (100th percentile)

Height: 30.5 inches (100th percentile)

This little girl...isn't so little anymore! The doctor said she's your average size 16-month-old. Even though she's an "Amazon Woman" for her age (seriously, the doctor called her that) it's not holding her back!

Some of her most recent developments are:

*waving hello and goodbye

*clapping/giving high 5's

*making elephant noises (mostly just sputtering her lips, but it's super cute!)

*blowing kisses (she hasn't got the "MWAH!" part down yet, she mostly just smacks herself in the mouth...it's a work in progress)

*she pulls the funniest faces when I whip out the camera...sometimes she even gives me a sweet smile

*she has been crawling for three months and definitely keeps us on our toes

*she climbs up stairs and has almost got the hang of going down safely

*she is close to walking on her own, but right now she walks along the furniture...it won't be long now!

...elephant noises don't make the pretties faces, but I get a kick every time she does it!...

...one of her strange expressions she gave me just for the camera!...

Savanna is such a joy to have...we love that she is so good-natured and just goes with the flow! Her smile brightens anyone's day and we're so glad that we can call her ours!

...here's that sweet smile I've been looking for!...

Daddy's First

I know this is really late, but I had to at least document it! We celebrated JI's first Father's Day in style. Savanna made breakfast in bed (with Mommy's help) and we lounged the day away! JI got a fun Mickey Mouse puzzle that from far away looks like a regular puzzle, but up close it's made up of a ton of scenes from different Disney movies. It was addicting, confusing and frustrating all at the same time. Savanna and I both are so blessed to have such a wonderful dad, husband and friend. We look forward to every minute we get to spend with him! Savanna lights up when her daddy gets home from work...it's so cute! We love you and we look forward to spoiling you every Father's Day!

...Out to breakfast on Saturday morning...

...Smiling our cheesiest for the camera on Sunday morning...

We love you!