A little Savannah in your life

I realized it's been a while since I had a good Savannah picture post, so here's my best shot at it for today.  We've been kind of busy with potty training and crawling out of our crib and some of the usual "holiday" type things people do - like baking - so I haven't been taking too many pictures.  But here ya go.  Keep reading below if you're REALLY interested in what's been going on with Savannah.  Otherwise, enjoy the pictures!

We made our own pizzas for lunch today on left over buns with Turkey pepperoni.  

These pictures are from Tumble Bugs - the "gymnastics" class we've been going to on Wednesdays.  She does stretches, then some log rolling, then some balance beam, and if we're lucky, she hangs on a bar. Advanced stuff. 

It's kind of freezing out now.  We don't really go outside ever - mostly because I hate it.  Savannah's not thrilled with cold either.  Almost every time her butt hits the car seat she squeals "mommy!  I cold!"  But some neighbors of ours have some Santa decorations in their yard and she just learned to recognize santa.  She has no idea still who he is, but she knows how to point him out in a crowd. 

In other exciting news: Yes!  We've begun potty training. It's going okay.  She's a super star when we're at home or at Grandma's house.  She wears underwear almost all the time except during naps and night time.  During those times she wears a diaper or pull up.  And if I know we're going to be out for a while, or at church she wears a pull up.  Today she wore underwear to Tumble bugs and the play gym and she peed her pants 3 times.  Luckily I had brought extra clothes and a plastic bag, but I guess we're not ready for THAT much time away from home in underwear.  She gets disney princess stickers to put on this white piece of paper we taped to the bath room wall every time she sits on the potty.  Then if she goes pee pee she gets two candies (yogurt covered raisins).  If she were to ever go poo poo, she'd get a bowl of ice cream - but we're not there yet either.

As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, little miss has learned to crawl out of her crib as well.  Usually in the morning I lay in bed and read and pray until I hear her calling me "MOMMY!!!!!" and then I go get her. Today the first thing I heard was the sound of her door opening, followed by creaking on the stairs.  When I got up I could see her shadow from around the corner on the stairs.  I said her name 3 times and she just stood there silent and still.  Then I went down to her and she whispered to me "Shhhh.  I'm going down stairs."  So, today I lowered the bottom of her crib as low as it will go and gave her a lecture about what happens if she gets out on her own (Spank!).

I'm outta here! And a xmas wish.

Today I heard Savannah wake up from her afternoon nap and finished up what I was doing before I went up to her room to get her out of her crib.  I went upstairs and did not find her in her crib, but rather, in MY room.  She looked at me stunned and I looked at her stunned.  Then she said "ummm.... Yah Yah got out of crib. "  I asked her what she'd been doing since she got up and she said "playing".  So we talked about how she needs to wait for mommy to help her out, but that talking to will only last so long.  Once she's learned how to do it, there's no going back.  We're working on potty training now, so this is probably some what timely.  If it was up to me I'd keep her in the crib till she was 5.
In light of that new accomplishment, Savannah is asking for a special night light for Christmas this year.  I don't usually put things that I want up on my blog like this, but I am asking, please, someone get Savannah this night light for Christmas!

You set a timer on it so that it shows the sun during the day and the moon at night.  Then you tell your kiddo that they can't get out of bed until the sun comes out.  Savannah's pretty smart so I think this will work with her.  We might have to work on what happens if you get out of bed before the sun comes out a few times, but she'll get it :)

Eye on the Ball

Gracias Dia

How do we like to celebrate Thanksgiving?  

Start Wednesday with a Thanksgiving meal for 15, including 5 new international friends that joined us.  

 We have hosted Thanksgiving dinners for international students for the last few years, but this was the biggest and most fun yet.  We invited some of our other friends over to to join in the fun so it ended up being a pretty big task.  Jasey and I cooked most of the afternoon - made my first whole Turkey.  But even with 15 people, we still ended up with TONS of left overs.  My favorite parts were when one of the guys said something about his home country (North Korea) he's thankful for was "Korean Girls" and also when a few of the guys took turns performing songs for us.  

 I dont have any pictures of actual Thanksgiving day because well, it wasn't all that picture worthy - which made it awesome!  We hung around our house all morning, then went and laid around my parents house and played Wii, then went to my uncles house and stuffed ourselves, then came home and watched TV.  Love it. 

Friday we did some family pictures of us with my parents for my mom's Birthday gift.  She wanted something nice to send out in a Christmas Card so we asked our friend Chris (who has an awesome camera) to meet us at Rieman Gardens for a few pics.  It was actually a pretty fun time. However, would not be worth paying the $8 per person admission to get in - luckily my mom had some free passes she won somewhere.  

 Friday night we went down to Kansas City to meet up with Greg and his family. They had a wedding down there on Saturday so we thought it would be a good half way place for us all to meet and spend the weekend together at a Hotel.  It was good for the girls to play and for the bros to get some qt together before they move to India in the spring. 

 Savannah didn't do so hot in the Hotel.  She cried almost all of Friday night until we finally took her to the car to drive around and sleep at 4am. Welcome back to having an infant!  Geez.  The three of us slept in the car from 4am - 8am.  Then we had a pretty fun day just hanging out.  Saturday night when I went to put her to bed and she screamed, jumped, shook and banged the wall for 45 minutes we decided to cut our losses and head home.  Travis came back a little early from watching the OU/OSU football game and we left KC at 10pm.  It only took us about 3 hours to get home and Sav slept most of the way.  It sure did feel good to wake up in my own bed vs waking up in the car!

I told Travis last night, she may not have done great sleeping at the Hotel, but she sleeps sooo awesome at home that I'd trade it any day.  We slept in today until 9am, and Savannah is in the middle of what I'm hoping is a 4 hour nap.  Chances are good that she'll sleep tonight from 8:30pm - 7am tomrrow. I'll take it. 

Cold weather blues....

I noticed it's been a while since I put up any pictures of Savannah, and we all know that's what you want. 

Savannah has gotten really good at playing the blues lately.  It's really nice [and by nice, i mean annoying] to listen to all the time!  But she looks cute doin it!

 She is seriously getting to be sooo much fun.  Today we went to Travis' school for Thanksgiving lunch and before we left she walked around and told all Travis' co-workers that she'd met "I go home now.  I go in car, then go to bed.  Bye bye."

This picture cracks me up because Brisco looks like a giant dog.  Trick photography at it's finest!

And yeah, she's still using a pacifier.  Mostly at naps and bed time.  But also when she's been playing really hard and just needs to wind down and watch a movie for a while.  We should probably give it up soon.  Just like we should potty train soon.  And move to a big girl bed.  And start eating breakfast and lunch at the table. Eh.  I'm ok with it. For now. 

Overcome with Fear

The Book of Luke.  Chapter 8. Verses 26 thru 39. 

Jesus and his disciples have just finished teaching and performing miracles to countless crowds when Jesus decides to head across the lake to an area where he was not known.  Upon reaching the shore, he encounters a man who is full of demons.  The man has been possessed by all kinds of evil for probably all of his life.  He is a danger to himself and to the community and is therefore kept in chains (around his hands and his feet) and under the watch of guards.  Who knows what kind of harm he could do to the women and children of the community.  He is naked most of the time.  When the demons can no longer handle being bound up, they give him strength to break free.  Once free, the man runs into the dessert where he then finds himself alone, scared, and unclothed.  His life is literally held captive by man, and by spirits.  Jesus speaks to the demons in him, finds out he is called "Legion" because there are so many of them inside him.  Although they plead with him to save themselves from the torture of hell, Jesus casts the demons into some pigs (who drown themselves)  and deals with the man. He is healed.  His life is new!  No more chains.  No more danger.  No more nakedness.  Freedom, peace, and purpose are now in his future! [I know this is a long one from me, but keep reading.]

The people from the community come out to see what Jesus has done.  He's healed the crazy man!  The man is sitting as Jesus' feet.  "Clothed and in his right mind" and the towns people were

OVERCOME

WITH

FEAR. 

So much fear, that they pleaded with Jesus to leave.  They didn't want what he had to offer. They'd seen his work in the healing of the man that they knew how to deal with and they couldn't take it.  They knew  how to manage, hide, bind, and protect the evil that was inside the man.  Now there was something about this change that they couldn't take!  Although it was seemingly better, it was change, and they didn't like it.  The change caused them to be OVERCOME WITH FEAR.  

As I read this story a few weeks ago, I though it was odd that the people were so afraid.  I mean, Jesus had made things better, right?  Who wants a crazy guy running around naked hurting people?  But what the people were afraid of was change, and power.  They knew that if Jesus stuck around, things would never be the same because he had GREAT POWER!  That is often how I deal with Jesus too.  I say I want him to change things [soften my heart for instance] but then when he does [like when I start to tear up in church or care deeply about someone's pain] I get scared.  I pull back.  I wipe my face off, suck it in, and try my hardest to remain the same.  Because I know, just as the people in the village did, that Jesus comes with GREAT POWER and if you let him in, even a little bit, life will never be the same again.  Please Jesus, give my heart courage to change. 

I'm on to you.

I just set up a sitemeter at the bottom of my page.  Yea. That's right.
I just thought it would be interesting to know how many people look into our little lives every week.  Don't worry, it doesn't tell me WHO exactly is looking.  Just how many.  So if you've been secretly stalking my blog, you may continue.  Just know, you'll be counted.