Savana - 6 Months

Savana turned 6 months today! Still such a cute and easy going baby. She smiles at almost everyone she sees and only really fusses when she want to be in her bed or is hungry. How lucky are we to have such a cute little girl in our family. She doesn't really have any new tricks right now. We don't leave her on the floor long enough to let her practice anything. We are afraid of her getting run over by her lightning fast brother who is currently into racing around the house at top speed. She loves to watch him though, I think she is just as entertained as we are.

Watch Us Dance

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5 Months and Getting Cuter . . .

Savana turned 5 months this week. Wow - I can't believe it. It's funny, it seemed Canon took forever to get to this point. We were just waiting for him to grow. Savana is just growing right before our eyes. Kind of ironic, because really Canon grew a lot faster. She can actually still wear an outfit that Canon wore when he was 6 weeks old. (Don't worry, I don't dress her in Canon's clothes too often, this is just a generic light blue Gap onsie outfit that we accessorize with a pink jacket.) She has decided that sitting up is much better than laying down or even reclining. She doesn't sit up totally on her own - but she is pretty close. She is always trying to sit up while she is in her car seat. She is so much fun.

First Snow

Well - it happened. We had our first snow in Michigan. Canon couldn't wait to get outside and touch the snow. I put on his coat and work boots and gloves thinking that would be sufficient clothing for going out on the deck. But I forgot that he is a two year old and his trucks were out there. I should have put on his snow pants too. He came in wet of course, but I learned my lesson. He wanted to go out on the deck again today, and this time we bundled him from head to toe. This time he just came in with cold hands. He played right in the slushy cold water than was pooling in the sandbox. How do kids not care about having their hands in water that cold!

Cereal Sandcastle

"Mom - hungry" are probably Canon's favorite two words. I seriously spend 90% of my day in the kitchen feeding Canon and then cleaning up the mess. If I am not quick enough, Canon will take it upon himself to get food for himself. This weekend we left the cereal box within his reach. I was feeding Savana and didn't respond quick enough to his request for more cereal. Next thing we hear is the sound of a lot of cereal coming out of the box and then "uh-oh, mess!" Today he referred to the incident as a "cereal sandcastle." Good description Canon!

Our Future Missionary

Church is always a challenge. Canon is usually going crazy and then really goes crazy if I have to leave and go feed Savana. Today was the Primary Program. Canon was actually pretty entertained and listened to the kids sing. Then when they sang "Called to Serve", Canon was on the bench marching and doing his little Canon dance - a little bounce mixed with an occasional sway from side to side. Then at the end of the song - in the climatic silence that followed - Canon gave a big "Yea!!!" and clapped. I was just grateful that he didn't get mad when everyone in the congregation laughed.

Halloween

I love all the alternatives there are for "Trick or Treating." This year we went to the ward Truck or Treat - which turned out to be a very wet party, and then we went Trick or Treating in downtown Ann Arbor at all the local business. It was a lot of fun. Canon could barely get out of the door he was Trick or Treating at before the candy was half eaten or in his mouth. He ate half an eye ball candy - including the tin foil and a lot of suckers.
The Trunk or Treat was a scary experience for Canon. He was pretty scared of everyone's costumes. He was trying so hard to be brave. His brave, I'm trying no to cry face, was so cute. He did spend most of the party with his head buried in my lap, asking for his blankie, until it was finally time to go Trunk or Treating. Then he had a ball. The fun part for us in all this is that Canon doesn't take inventory of his candy. To be honest, I don't think he really even cares about it. He would rather have a cookie or cracker.

A Brothers's Love

When Savana was born, we feared for her safety . . . her big brother Canon was not too thrilled with her arrival. She has endured many smacks on the face, head butts and bites on the hands. She will be a tough little girl.

But we are finally see evidence that Canon likes having a little sister. I think he has figured out that people like her. The first thing he says to people when he meets them is "Baby sister - tute (cute)". Last month I found her buried under a mound of Canon's toys - he is now always trying to share with her - whether she likes it or not. And that white powdery mess on her face in the picture at the top? - kisses from her big brother who had just enjoyed a powdered donut.

Fall was made for Michigan

I've decided that no matter how cold the winter might get, the fall here just might make up for it. It seems that the Fall season was made for Michigan. Apple orchards, cider mills, hay rides and pumpkin patches. Today Canon, Savana, Jessica (our new friend in Michigan) and I went to an apple orchard and cider mill. There are a hundred of them around here. Some of them let you go and pick your own apples, others just have all the yummy results for sale. Apple slush, apple cider, apple butter, apple bread, caramel apples and fresh donuts to go with it all. You can even watch them making the apples into cider. This orchard also had a little zoo farm. Canon's favorite animals, or birds, of all things were the chickens. We went on a trailer ride behind a tractor and of course had donuts and apple cider. Seth spent his Saturday at the Michigan vs Toledo game in Ann Arbor with the Elder Quorum.

Hay Day

It was Hay Day last night at the city park. They had a hay ride, marshmallow & hot dog roast and pumpkin decorating. Canon had his first roasted marshmallow. I think he was slightly disappointed - only because his first bite was a little overcooked, but he still wanted more, so it couldn't have been too bad. The next surprise was the sticky mess the marshmallows created on his fingers. That became an even bigger mess when mixed with grass and dirt. Oh well. It was apparently someone else's first experience with roasting marshmallows as well. We had a couple come up to us with their plate of graham crackers and chocolate and ask what they were supposed to do with it. I thought they mean't that they didn't know what to do with their extra, but Seth caught on and we explained to them how to make a s'more. Imagine just being handed a paper plate with graham crakers, chocolate and marshmallows on it - not ever having had a s'more before. Kind of funny.

Next stop was the "pumpkin patch". Canon picked out his little pumpkin and held it on his lap the whole way home. When we got home he wanted me to peel it so he could eat it like an orange. I told him that you don't peel them, so he decided he would take it into the bath tub with him. He still likes his pumpkin, but I'm sure he is still wondering what he should do with it. When it gets closer to Halloween, maybe we'll make a Jack'O'Lantern.

It was sisters weekend in Chicago last week. Kelli flew from Salt Lake, Carla from Phoenix and Seth and I drove over from Michigan. We missed you Robyn. We went to the Chicago Museum of Art and saw this great painting. I loved it just because I feel like this is what I am doing so often. I also thought that maybe it meant moms were appreciated, and somebody maybe realized what it was like to be a mom of babies and toddlers, back when this was painted - until I realized that this painting was meant to be an allegory. I personally feel like this is literally what I am doing all day long - oh well. Allegory or not - I still like the painting. (If anyone wants to read about the painting, you can click on the picture and it will make it big enough to read the explanation that was next to the painting.)

Our Michigan Dwelling - There is still room for visitors!

This is my favorite part of our apartment. The master bedroom that is big enough for our log bed and my rocking chair. There is also a small room off the master bedroom that we've made into Savana's room. So we still have an extra bedroom for visitors. (and storage :) )

Our Michigan Dwelling - Where I spend most of my day.

This is where I spend most of my time. It's amazing how much time it takes to make and clean up breakfast lunch and dinner. There is definitely a common theme in all the rooms of this apartment. WHITE, WHITE WHITE. That is a big change for us coming from our cute little house. I have decided that our next house will not have smooth white tile in the kitchen. I can mop and mop and mop and it still shows every last streak or crumb that I missed.

Our Michigan Dwelling - Family Room

I finally had a chance this week to take pictures of our apartment. Of course our house is always this clean - I just didn't have time to take the camera out of the camera bag!? Truth be known, I had to clean one room at a time and hurry and take a picture, but that really isn't a big surprise to anyone, right? Anyway - here is our humble abode. Sorry there are no people, Canon wasn't in the mood to model.

A Great Day to be a Ute!

Today was the Utah Michigan Game! Yea Utes. It was a good day to be a Utah Fan in Michigan, final score was 23-25. Here are some pictures of us at the tailgate party. Seth's brother Josh came from Chicago with his two sons and then we met Seth's brother-in-law and his friend at the tailgate party. I got to drive home, in the Infiniti M45 Seth was test driving for the weekend, with the kids. For those who aren't car people, like myself - it's a NICE car. It was a good thing it had a navigation system or I probably would have ended up in Canada or Ohio. I'm still used to knowing what direction I am headed in by where the mountain are. There are no mountain here, and trees everywhere that block the view of everything.

Savana - 2 months

Because Savana usually sleeps during all our great outings, I thought she needed a little time in the spotlight as well. Here are her two month pictures. What a cutie she is. We lay her in her bed at 9:00 p.m. and put her little blanket up to her nose and she just starts sucking away on her pacifier and goes to sleep. She usually then sleeps until 6:30 a.m. How great is that?

Oh - this is why we came to Michigan!

This weekend was our first weekend we have had a chance to explore a little bit of Michigan. LuAnn and Jeff came for the weekend and helped us check it out. On Saturday we had our first hot and humid day since we have been here. It was a good thing we had decided to go to Kensington Park - a lake with water slides and a splash pad next to it. Seth wished he had had his windsurfer with him, LuAnn was wishing she had brought her swimsuit and I wished I had brought my large sun umbrella. Fortunately we found a tree to camp out under while we took turns wading in the water and playing on the splash pad with Canon and Simon. I'm sure we will be back there soon with a wind surfer and a sun umbrella.

Sunday was then the 20th Anniversary Celebration for Nissan's Technical Center in North America (this is where Seth works). We got to tour the facility and see all the cool stuff they do the the cars to test them and design them. There were chambers that got really hot, really cold, simulated rain storms and super bumpy roads. Walking through there I could see what Seth gets so excited about. We then walked around and looked at all the new cars that Seth looks at everyday in the parking lot. No wonder our 97 Honda Accord just isn't looking so pretty anymore. And Carla, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the cracked windshield.


I think the car I'm sitting in for this picture is the car Seth is going to have next weekend when he and his brother go to the Utah Michigan game . Go Utes!

Our New Home - Some Pictures

Here are some pictures of our new home in Michigan. Two are of our morning walk route and then Canon is posing for a view of our front door. Canon is very good at making friends with the neighbors. He will just walk up to them and start talking to them in his two year old dialect. They struggle sometimes knowing what he is saying, but he is a good ice breaker. He also likes to chase the older boys around our circle while they ride their bikes.

We will post some interior pictures when I feel a little more put together inside.

Our New Home

We are now in week two of our life in Michigan. I will get some pictures posted this week, but just wanted to update everyone on how things are going. It is actually a beautiful area. Our morning walking route is lined with huge trees and the side walk curves around huge bunches of trees. The humidity really isn't that bad and the weather has been great.

Our apartment is three bedrooms but it has still been a squeeze moving into 1400 sq feet after living in 2600 sq feet. We are still playing tetras trying to fit everything in. But we are determined to do it and still have an extra bedroom for all our friends and family who are going to come and visit. :) There is even a small office off the master bedroom that we have turned into a baby room for Savana. So everyone has their own small space.

The apartment complex has an outdoor and indoor swimming pool and a hot tub. All which will come in handy while trying to stay active during the winter. We've been down to the swimming pool several times in an effort to work out some of Canon's energy that he can't burn up running around Mom's yard anymore.

Canon is very happy to be in his new home. While we were living at my mom's house he kept asking to go home. Mom's house was great - especially the backyard and the sandbox, but he knew it wasn't his home. I think because Daddy was not there. He has been a very happy kid since we got here. It even seemed like his vocabulary jumped up a notch the first week we were here. He has also had one success in the toilet. We are not full blown toilet training yet, but he is very aware and getting close to being ready.

Seth is in car heaven. He is convinced that we own the oldest cars in Farmington Hills, and determined to change that as soon as possible. It seems like everyone drives nice new cars around here. A bonus with his new job at Nissan is the requirement that he test drive all kinds of new vehicles overnight and sometimes over the weekend. Over Labor Day weekend he will have a Nissan Z. For all you non-car people, that is a small two seater sports car. Yes, Seth is truly in car heaven.

As for me, I don't know what my heaven would be. Maybe getting everything put away in our apartment, having someone else cook our dinners for a week or maybe . . . who knows.

Our First Week

Canon, Savana and I have now been in Michigan for a week. First impressions: So far, so good. It is actually pretty late right now, so I'm not going to go into details tonight. But this week we will take pictures of our new home and let you know how it is going.

Good Night to our friends and family in Utah.

Firsts

The Latest on the House

So we officially sold our house two weeks ago and moved out last week, just in time for Seth to pack up and drive 30 hours to Michigan. He started his new job today. He is pretty excited about it and impressed the new boss when he mentioned that he likes to sail. So when anyone is ready to come to Michigan and go sailing on the Great Lakes, it looks like we'll be doing that as soon as possible. \

I'm still here in Utah. Seth will come back and make that lovely trip one more time with a moving truck and our other car. Probably towards the end of the month or beginning of August. Canon and I would love to play with anyone who wants to get together at least one more time before we move. So give us a call.

Cute Kids

Just some pictures of our cute kids.

A New Mom

We knew that having a sibling would be an adjustment for Canon. Today he tried to trade me in. Our friend Katie from up the street was swinging her daughter in the front yard. Canon decided to give her a try to see if she would live up to his expectations, since I am obviously not. She asked for her hand and pulled her in the house and then asked her to turn on his tractor video. I asked if I could do it and he pointed to the door and told me to go the "oway", which usually means "the other way". I asked and again and he just kept pulling Katie in and pointing me towards the door. She put the video on for him and then he let me stay in the house. I guess I get a second chance.

Savana Elise Grant

Savana Elise Grant was born June 11, 2008. She was 6 lbs 10 oz. Just a little peanut of a baby. Canon apparently thought she looked like she could use some food, as he is trying to feed her a piece of lettuce.

The delivery went very well and very quickly. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. with contractions. We left for the hospital at about 10:30 a.m. when my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. Just before we reached the hospital they slowed down to about 8 minutes apart. I was afraid of them sending me home so we drove around Seth's old neighborhood for about 20 minutes. Then my contractions jumped to about 3 or 4 minutes apart. We decided we had better get to the hospital quick. We checked in at 12:05 p.m. and Savana was born at 12:58 p.m.

Canon is adjusting to life with a sibling. He brought the teddy bear that has been in his crib and put it in Savana's crib. I wish I could say that all his actions toward her were that loving, but we are working on it. He fortunately hasn't had to deal too much with her yet just because she mostly sleeps during the day, but it is an adjustment none the less.

Comparison

Here is a comparison of
our little ones when they came home from the hospital. Savana (above) came home June 13th 08 and Canon (below) came home April 15th '06

Our House

So as many of you may or may not know, we are trying to sell our cute little house as we get ready to head east. They say Michigan is in the Midwest, but I have yet to see why. It is very much east, even in the eastern time zone. Not really anything west about it. But I just say that because if feels so very far from where we are right now.

As of today our house is under contract for the third time. They say the third time is the charm, let's hope that holds true in this case. Our realtor told me that in the five years he has been doing this he has only had one other home go under contract three times before selling. Lucky us. The first time the buyer didn't end up qualifying for a loan - in fact they had a foreclosure three months ago! The broker they were using was trying to overlook that major detail and qualify them anyway. I guess he hasn't been watching the news lately and is somehow unaware of the mortgage industry and the trouble that just such practices have caused lately. Crazy. The second offer was actually two offers. So our realtor told both offers to give us their best and highest. One came back higher and the other went and found another house. Two days after it was under contract they people decided the commute was too far. Yes, we wish they had thought of that before they made an offer and chased off our other buyers. So today - offer number three happened. Hopefully this is it.

Today's the Day

Well, today was the day. Our baby was officially due today. But I'm actually giving her another week. Which according to my calculations should be more accurate. But I guess she'll come when she wants no matter what I or the doctors say. The crazy thing is that I went in for my doctor's appointment last Friday and found out that my doctor has passed away. So now we are with a new doctor. This is the doctor that shared an office with my doctor. I didn't figure I had time to really go find someone else. Really that little bit of craziness kind of just fits into our life right now.

Born into Existence

I've been told that we don't exist in 2008 if we don't have a blog site, so here it is. We officially exist as a family. I figured this was a good time to set up our site, since so much will be changing in our lives in the next few months.

I guess for today, I will write a little about our family. Canon - the cutest two year old ever, as far as we are concerned, is also a very busy two year old. It is very hard to get anything done with him on the loose. For starters, every time I try and vacuum, Canon decides that is his job. Of course he can't reach the handle and so he pulls it down to his level, which elevates the vacuum end. Not very effective. So when I wouldn't let him vacuum yesterday, he decided it looked like a very good riding machine instead. So he sat on the vacuum with his feet elevated while I tried to push this 34 lb two year old on the vacuum. Again, less effective. So I've decided that the time to vacuum is right before I would like him to wake up from his nap. He is still confined in his crib until I get him out, but I'm not waking him up in the middle of his peaceful sleep.

The biggest change for me this week is my hair. I've chopped it again and donated it to Locks of Love. Sorry, no pictures. Maybe we'll be better with that when we have a digital camera. I decided now was a good time before it all fell out after I have my baby in a month.

Seth is playing soccer tonight. We finally have good weather and that brought enough neighbors and friends out to play the Thursday night soccer game.

That is it for tonight. Robyn - it is finally done. We are official.