Summer

Compared to many, I've thoroughly enjoyed the long winter we've been having. I've loved that the snow has stayed stuck to the ground for the majority of the winter months and just when you thought it was warming up, more snow was on the horizon. I've loved the gloomy days that make it acceptable somehow to stay inside and be lazy. And until now, I've shuddered at the very thought of yard work and the sound of lawnmowers humming early on Saturday mornings. However, today I've decided that I wouldn't mind if summer arrived. I'm actually getting excited for capris and my American Eagle flip flops. I'm anxiously anticipating the taste of grilled chicken and steak and watching the amazing sunsets from my parent's deck overlooking the valley. I'm ready to retire my beloved turtle necks (shocking I know) and enjoy the sunshine! Yes, summer, I give you permission to show your face. I'm officially ready.

before and after

So, I LOVE pictures of my family. If I had more room in my house, I would have COUNTLESS pictures of my family on display. These two pictures of Benjamin and Savannah are displayed in our front room on a table that Tom's sister, Anne made for us several years ago. One of my obsessive compulsive behaviors is to keep my pictures arranged in a very specific way(see picture above). One of Savannah's behaviors is to rearrange my pictures in a way that she likes(see picture below). At first I thought it was a little irritating that I would have to "undo" Savannah's interior decorating all throughout the day until I realized exactly what she was doing. She was moving the pictures so that she and Benjamin were facing each other. Now, how could I be upset with that?

just because

How long have you been married? 9 years

How long did you date? Umm..if you include engagement time it was a grand total of 5 months

Who eats more sweets? me, definitely me

Who said I love you first? I think he did...but he can correct me if I'm wrong

How old is he? 31

How old are you? 31

Who is taller? do you really have to ask?

Who is smarter? depends, I would say Tom is more book smart, I have a higher "emotional I.Q."

Who can sing better? I'm in the ward choir does that count?

Who does the laundry? me

Who pays the bills? tom

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, or which ever side is furthest from the door

Who mows the lawn? tom, but I have mowed it on a couple of occasions if that counts!

Who drives? tom, always tom!

Who is more stubborn? depends on the day, we are pretty equally matched in this area..ha-ha

Who kissed who first? it was mutual - one wet, slippery kiss in the middle of Lake Powell!

Who asked who out? tom asked me out...one of the best days of my life

Who proposed? tom, on a mountain top overlooking a lake, just as the sun was rising...could it get any better than that?

Who has more siblings? tom's got me beat by one. he has six siblings, i have five

Who does the dishes? usually tom, he's a great helper in the kitchen!

hair cut: part 2

Turns out, Benjamin wanted his hair cut too!! I've actually cut his hair countless times since he's been born, but I thought this one was especially cute and deserved a blog entry of its own. Instead of using scissors, I actually broke out the clippers this time! I'm surprised that he'll sit still long enough for me to do a decent job. He's such a good little man.

cut and color

It's about time...this one's for you Lisa girl!

b-day flowers

Tom never fails to bring me beautiful flowers on my birthday. I just wish this picture did these flowers justice because they are gor-ge-ous! On another note, I thought that turning 30 would have been hard, but I think 31 was a lot harder. Maybe someday I will get to the point where I'm not so self-absorbed and just enjoy the wisdom and confidence that comes with age...at least that's what my mother keeps telling me! happy birthday to me!

let the fun begin

Savannah: Watcha doin' Grandma?

Grandma: I'm going potty, Savannah.

Savannah: Oh, are you potty trained?

Do ya think it's time?

The adventures of Savvy..there's more where this came from

So we're at Target (I'm beginning to see a trend here), and I'm pushing Benjamin in my cart while Holly has her two children plus Savvy in her cart. We separated for awhile to do our individual shopping and I found this little blue dress and thought it would be darling on Savannah, so I decided to locate Holly and see if Savannah liked the dress. Well, it would be an understatement to say that she liked it. Upon showing her the dress, Savannah wanted to hold it right away, so I gave it to her and parted company once more to grab a couple more items. Five minutes hadn't passed when I got a phone call from Holly that went something like this:

Holly: Uh, I thought you should know that your child has taken off all of her clothes and is standing naked (with nothing but a diaper) in my cart. I turned around for two seconds and I heard a little girl saying(while pointing to Savannah), "Mommy, that little girl doesn't have her shirt on!" as the little girl's mother tried to shush her.

Me (giggling): I'm coming. Where are you?

Holly(with notable embarrassment): I'm by the Valentine's candy. You better get here soon.

By the time I found the foursome, Savannah was no longer naked. She had managed to put on the little blue sundress and was proudly standing in Holly's cart. Luckily, we were able to take the dress off just long enough for the cashier to scan the tag and return it to its rightful owner. However that didn't happen without a fair amount of high pitched screaming that caused my blood pressure to sky rocket and confirmed my belief that unless you've actually been the parent to the screaming, out of control child, you cannot, and must not judge them. Whew, I have a feeling this is only the beginning.

Ahh, Rexburg!

It's been a long, cold, winter. So, what did we decide to do when the weather finally started to warm up? We headed north to where it was even colder. Our destination? Rexburg, Idaho. Now, Rexburg holds a very special place in my heart. It is the home of BYU-Idaho which used to be called Ricks college way back in the day when I was a youngster. And even though it has changed a lot since I lived there, it will always be my college town. This trip was to celebrate Mindy's 21st birthday. It was a quick trip, but if you've ever been to Rexburg you know that all you really need is a day to see it all. I actually felt like we ate it all as we frequented almost every food establishment that held any type of nostalgia for us Rick's college goers. For those of you who are familiar with Rexburg, I have three words for you Craigos - Pizza - Bomb!! Viva La Rexburg!!

It's not a road trip unless you are crammed in the back of a minivan with three children and two more adults. I'm sure Savannah was happy that she got to ride with Grandma and GrandpaVan!

I actually got into a bathing suit (thanks Mindy for letting me borrow yours!) to enjoy the indoor pool and jacuzzi! Savannah had a blast!

Just me and Savvy

The pizza BOMB

This dinner was actually a lot of fun. Tom and Jeremy thought they were so hilarious making "bomb" noises when the server brought the pizza bombs to our table. Not to mention all of reminiscing about our "college days".

Isn't this temple beautiful? It was even more magnificant in person because of how tall it was.

Havin' a little Mongolian Grill on the way out of town.

Who needs pants when you got Grandma's boots?

Seriously, I really think Savannah finds much joy and satisfaction in trying on shoes. Not just trying them on, but mastering the ability to walk around in shoes that she may never be able to fit into in her lifetime. She's a funny one, that Savannah.

And while we're on the topic of shoes, the other day we went to Nordstrom so Grandma could buy Max a pair of Crocs for his 1st b-day. Once again, I naively stepped into the trap of bringing Miss Savannah into the shoe department with us. Well, we hadn't been there five minutes when Savannah insisted on trying on a pair of the most sparkly, colorful, jewel incrusted shoes I have EVER seen(see picture below). Grandma hadn't quite finished her business so I thought instead of doing the sensible thing and remove Savannah from the temptation, I would take the easier route and give in. Bad decision. When it was time to leave, Savannah began to put up a valiant battle to keep those beautiful shoes on her feet, as any shoe-lover would. Except this time, I didn't see it appropriate to break out my wallet and fork over $65 for the sake of "Savannah's happiness". Instead, I will go to Payless, buy a pair of $10 canvas shoes, and decorate them myself with jewels and lovely goodies and Savannah will never be the wiser.

He Will Be Missed...

So I told myself that I wouldn't blog again until I had something worth blogging about. Well here I am, several hours after watching Gordon B. Hinckley's funeral, and I just had to say something. I was overcome with emotion at so many different moments during the service. I felt so much love and gratitude for this man whom I never personally met but whose influence I felt time and time again as I watched him, heard him speak, and felt the love that he had for me. He was the first prophet that I remembered where I was when I knew that he was a prophet of God. He was the first prophet that I truly felt could be my grandpa, and how grateful I am that his family shared him with the world. He will be so deeply missed. Thank you, Gordon B. Hinckley. Thank you for a life of service and a legacy that will live on for many, many, generations to come.