Super Savannah to the Rescue!

Yes, Savannah rescued her mom today!

I had just put the girlies down for naps and needed to take out some garbage and since the garbage man hadn't come yet (must have slept in), I had to go to the street. Rather than go through the garage (the girls sleep above it), I went out the front door as I was chatting on the phone with Amy about preschools. To my horror, when I came back, I realized the front door knob was locked!!!!! I was locked out!!! I rang the doorbell, banged the door and yelled through the cracks at Savannah. She's outgrowing naps so she usually comes out after London falls asleep. Nothing. So I went to the backyard - sliding door - locked. Back to the front.

Just when I was about to give up -- it must have been 15-20 minutes of constant ringing the doorbell, banging, and yelling -- I hear Savy's voice. I yell through the door crack for her to come and unlock the door. She comes and -- oops -- locks the deadbolt. Then she can't unlock it. Finally, I realize she can do the sliding door so I tell her to open that and I run around the back. Inside at last! Very traumatic, and very stupid. I can guarantee I learned my lesson on that one.

I'm sure everyone has similar experiences, it's just that not everyone chooses to share them with the whole world! (or maybe I'm just saying that to make myself feel better)

Camping on the Rim

Last weekend we went camping for the first time this year and it was refreshing to get away and into the clean, cool forest air. Not that the 100 degree temperatures have arrived yet, but I’m already bracing myself for them.These are the pictures of the pre-camping excitement and then - hallelujah! - we're there! Yes, the girls are on a tree stump "performing." You would think that I watch American Idol with them, but to be honest, I am one of the only people in the world who doesn't watch that. Sorry, Megan. But that doesn't stop my girls from wanting to create a stage or show off their "talents" wherever they go. But I digress. . . back to the forest. . .



THE FORT: We created a fort for the kids where four trees bunched together and made a perfect canopy of branches for a roof. Jim provided the right wall (blanket), Nate provided the left wall (hammock) and they both were cajoled (by me) into dragging a huge log over for the back wall. The kids had a fort, complete with a "Christmas tree" they decorated with pine needle garland. Grandma Cyndee visited it upon completion and brought fruit as a housewarming gift.


THE HAMMOCK: The hammock brings back many childhood memories of camping. We would play for hours upon hours swinging on a hammock my dad bought in Brazil on his mission. So when I was in a beach town on my mission and saw a similar type hammock, I HAD to get it. So I eyed it for a month and then popped out the credit card my dad sent with me "in case of an emergency" (the only time I used it - besides one incredibly cute pair of heels I took home with me to wear, and still do wear them). So this blue/yellow checked hammock is from Pichilemu, Chile, a gorgeous beach town south of Santiago.

WHAT DO DADDIES DO WHEN CAMPING?

Easy . . . Take kids on nature walks, chop wood for the fire every night (to create coals for the best dutch oven peach cobbler ever . . .a la Nate & Cyndee), or do what daddies do best -- nap -- either alone or with his girlies!

Then here are just a few random pics to remember the trip.

Classic Savannah, flipping the hair out of the face.

Sorry for the overload of pictures, but there were so many good ones that I couldn't decide (I have problems with that - making decisions).

Why Blog????

I have been reading (and enjoying) blogs since my sisters started - Amy and Megan (sorry, JoDee, but you're just not a blogger with six entries in six months). I've also been pestered (in a good way) quite a bit from the most unlikely of corners -- Megan's sister-in-law (Susan), my brother-in-law (Amy's Jim), and of course, my sisters. JoDee even went so far as to say that I was not allowed to comment on her blog unless I had my own. . . I guess rules were made to be broken because I commented on all her posts (maybe that's why she stopped). So, JoDee -- you can now start blogging again so that, with the grand debut of my blog, I can comment on yours and not feel guilty !

Seriously, though, I did resist a little, not wanting to do everything everyone else was doing, but then I realized I was writing my own blog in my head every time I read the others. The only problem was that my mind-blog would go away just as quickly as it came (I have a bad memory - can't remember a movie I saw two years ago bad). Then, a couple weeks ago, I was reading Kelly's blog and it hit me like a ton of bricks the reason why I felt a pulling inside to blog. Here's what she wrote that caused my mini-epiphany (if any epiphany can be called mini).

It was one of those experiences where you just wonder how and why this event was necessary for my further growth and progression as a human being. How is it possible that this much of my life involves unpleasant human biproducts? And why in the world am I writing about it? I'm writing about it so that someday, when my girls are moms and they have a day with an abundance of yuck and cleaning products they can pull out a leather bound volume of Mom's Blog (Ha!) and know that it happens to everyone.

Leather bound volume of mom's blog. The words stuck with me and I realized what I'd been putting off for so long (knowing I would eventually do) was the perfect answer to an elusive gospel principle that I've been trying to get better at ever since getting married: JOURNALING (is that the word?). So whoever chooses to check in on me every once in a while, be prepared for lots of stories about my crazy little girls who say the darnedest things!

Oh, and congratulations Kelly on being the final straw the broke me down!

The last reason I have decided to start blogging is FAMILY. I have siblings who live in Utah and Iowa and it's hard to keep tabs on them and I'm sure they feel the same. So here's my valiant step forward in the communication department (since I'm not much good on the phone calling thing).

Nate also has an amazing family that lives far away and whom we rarely see -- from Denver to South Carolina to Paris, France. I love Gran who lives in South Carolina and want her to be able to keep up on our family. Nate also has two brothers who live in Denver and Paris and who have the cutest kids ever and I rarely get to see them! So, I'm hoping to convince my sisters-in-law to start something similar so that I can get to know my nieces and nephews better and keep up on their lives and feel like I know them a little better next time I see them.

Megan and Staci .... ready....set....go! Save as Draft