Season's Greetings...

Wishing you many blessings this holiday season and a joyful year to come!

The Tanner Family

Skyler, Shannah, Savannah & Baby SMT (June 4, 2012)

Life these days...

I haven't ditched the blog world completely, but I have been an incredible slacker on our blog. Things in life have been crazy and wonderful and we are starting to feel settled and adjusted to our new lives. Skyler loves his work and I am feeling great as the second trimester is in full swing and Savannah is a complete joy!

Here is a ridiculously quick and incomplete update for a packed few months.

September:

• Skyler accepted the job with Lane Powell in Portland, OR
• positive pregnancy test (Sept 23rd)
• packed and loaded by Sept 28th
• Tayler (Sky's brother) returned from his mission Sept 30th
• we said our goodbyes and headed to Oregon Sept 30th
  

October:

• made it to my mom's house Oct 1st
• Skyler's first day at Lane Powell Oct 3rd
• moved into our townhome Oct 5th
• flew to Utah for Tanner family celebrations Oct 21-23
• stayed in Seattle for Skyler to work on a closing deal Oct 23-Oct 31
• when willing to eat I craved a ridiculous amount of seafood; good, fresh, and amazing seafood.

November:

• celebrated my 27th birthday with a quiet dinner date and a movie
• spent weekend in Seattle
• dad married Krystiahna Nov. 11th
• first doctor appointment and ultrasound Nov. 17th at 12 weeks (could finally let myself be excited about this pregnancy)
• celebrated Thanksgiving in our home with my mom--the two of us are quite the chefs together ;)
• started the fun with Christmas shopping
• girl time with my mom to see Breaking Dawn Nov. 26th
• when willing to eat I craved a ridiculous amount of seafood; good, fresh, and amazing seafood

December:

• Christmas preparations and festivities
• Tayler visited Dec 6th-13th went to Tillamook Cheese Factory, Cape Lookout, Multnomah Falls, Zoo Lights and lots more
• Lane Powell Christmas Party Dec 10th
• Savvy went to "school" for the first time--music camp Dec. 15th
• second doctor appointment and ultrasound at 16 weeks Dec. 21st
• visited Tanner family in Orangeville Dec 21st-Dec 27th--a wonderful Christmas
• still craving a ridiculous amount of seafood; good, fresh, and amazing seafood

8 weeks...

Yesterday (Oct 29th) wasn't one of those relaxing Saturday mornings that makes weekends the best. Instead, Savvy woke at 7:30 and was in our bed with us. Skyler was trying to sleep and ignore the fact that he was going to have to go to work in an hour or so despite having worked until after 1 am on a Friday night. And to top it off I was laying in bed with a cold rag on my head feeling especially sick. I was contemplating whether or not it was worth it to get up and vomit or just take deep breaths in bed. It wasn't a pretty picture, no words were exchanged, but it was quite obvious that we were not welcoming the new day.

I was trying to find my happy place and count my blessings that I have been feeling sick and will likely get to carry this baby to term (miscarried in April), but it was taking some serious effort. Then my sweet Savannah reminded me why motherhood is the best job in the world. Despite the dark hotel room she could see that I wasn't feeling well and without a word she began to stroke my head and back. She just brushed her gentle hands along my face and brushed through my hair with her fingers and even rubbed my ears. After a few minutes she gave me a sweet eskimo kiss and pressed her face to mine as she said "Alright, Mama." I shed a few tears at the sweet reminder that my babies are completely worth any discomfort. Our Savannah is truly a choice child and has been the greatest blessing to our home. We will be overjoyed to welcome another baby to our family and see Savvy blossom as a big sister. So here is to more days and nights of nausea and many more nights of poor sleep just so I can love these little babies forever and ever. I am one lucky lady.

(this will not post until we are celebrating the second trimester)

Savvy-sue...

Our baby is suddenly a big girl. I know I say this all the time but I just can't believe how much she is learning and how capable she is to do anything she sets her mind to. And she's only two. What will I do when she heads to kindergarten, junior high, college...I don't even want to think about it!

Here's a bit of the latest:

Savvy-sue is still an awesome little helper. She wants to be by my side at all times when there is a project happening. She especially loves baking, making the bed, and sweeping.

She sings and dances all the time. She even plays her little piano and sings simultaneously.

She talks non-stop. Seriously. She can say anything and I usually understand her. However, there are moments when Sky and I look at each other and laugh with looks on our faces cause she is so serious and focused and we have to play the question game to figure out what she means. This usually happens when she uses a new word that we haven't heard her say before.

She loves Word World. Loves it! She gets up and dances each time they "build a word" I still struggle with guilt when she wants to watch TV, but there are worse things, right?

She LOVES to hop.

She loves to be outside. We took her for her first camping trip in August. She is always thrilled to go for a walk or hike.

She understands the concept of buying things. She wanted to read a gorilla book after we heard one at the library. When I told her we don't have one she replied, "buy illa book!" Yup. We are in trouble. She especially loves to buy shoes.

Savvy is still our sweet tender heart. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She gets so worried when other children cry or are in trouble.

She has made loads of friends. She loves her friends from our ward here. She even got to go on a couple play dates with Macie while she was in town. For a few days after Macie left Savvy said "Oh no, nice Macie fly this way Savvy!"

She has to make sure everyone has a portion of each thing being used. We all need ranch on our plates or shoes on our feet.

Savvy loves to paint with watercolors and color with crayons. She likes to do swirls and then exclaims "S! For Savvy."

She is no longer afraid of the swings or slide!

She has learned to pray. She repeats words after us, but has even started to interject her own ideas. She is very good to always say "bess daddy be s-afe" Translation: bless daddy be safe. Last night as Skyler left for a meeting she said "-ight back, afe daddy" (Right back, safe Daddy).

I held the newborn baby of a friend yesterday and couldn't believe how big my own baby was when I came home. My baby girl used to be that little and now she is big enough to do her own thing, but luckily not too big to know I'm not really the coolest person in the world. Oh how I love our sweet daughter. She makes motherhood the best job in the world!

Good Fortune...

Let me begin by saying that I am not superstitious. I'm not. And that's the truth.

Now to the story...

On June 4, 2011 we decided to go to dinner at an Asian restaurant and use a free Groupon I received. It was nothing special, but I didn't feel like making dinner and I didn't want to break the bank just because I was feeling lazy. Skyler and I were both feeling a bit discouraged about the status of our lives at the time. We weren't getting anywhere amazing with job leads and a New York firm, which will remain nameless unless you ask us and then we will freely tell you, had just been punks and retracted an offer to interview Skyler because he was too qualified and therefore too expensive. Pooh-on-you! We don't want NYC anways! Anyway, you get the idea. It wasn't a total pity-party, but close. Okay, it probably was a pity party.

We spent the meal discussing what in the world this all meant. We want NYC. Skyler is incredibly qualified and has a ton to offer to a firm, especially one known for their bankruptcy work. And if NYC isn't right, what is right? The firms we have been interested in weren't moving forward and we were running out of patience. Oh yeah, and my biggest question, "Why in the world are we in SLC?!" Not that I don't like it here, but 3 years previously we had turned it down because NYC was right. So what's up?

Then we opened our fortune cookies.

Mine reads, "You will discover the truth in time."

::BOOM::

Okay, I'm listening. I joke and say, "My next one will say 'In two weeks time...'' and I open my next cookie

"You will discover the truth in time."

Fine, don't give me a timeline.

Skyler proceeds to open his, "Remember three months from this date! Your lucky star is shining."

We laugh.

I open my third cookie (the waitress was generous).

"Don't underestimate yourself. Your social skills are needed by others at this time."

Wow. Okay. I get it. I'll stop wondering what is in it for me.

Skyler opens his next cookie.

"You will soon be crossing desert sands for fun vacation."

Pretty typical fortune, but I like trips.

Then Sky's last cookie.

"Your next business venture will be very profitable."

Awesome! We like the sound of that.

Now I know fortune cookies are a pretty random place to look for guidance, but this struck me for some reason. We both had a good laugh and it helped change my mood for a few weeks. I stressed a little less about what to do next in our lives and enjoyed what we have a little more. I also came home and taped the fortunes to a piece of paper as a reminder and to see if anything happened in three months time. Here is a recap:

First of July Skyler gets a job interview in Seattle with a firm that we love. The kind of firm we wanted after 3-5 years in NYC. The kind of firm where he can make partner and I would be sane by the end of it all. We are super excited as this is his second interview with this firm, the first being one year previous in their Portland office. A few firms get wind that Skyler will be coming to Seattle and schedule to interview him during his visit. The SLC firms we have liked start to get back to us and schedule interviews. Things are finally moving!!!

Life starts to get busy and interviews seem to be happening regularly, but firms are never as quick to respond as I would like. Some firms come back with "no-go" responses. It is getting down to the wire when Skyler needs to renew at the court or not.

The first of August, the firm we love contacts Skyler and sets up a third interview, this time back in Portland. This is looking good. But what about the other firms we are still waiting to get word from? Should we live in PDX or SLC?

September 1st Skyler gets the offer we want. The next week we get word from the other firms that they want Sky but can't move forward because work is too slow for their other attorneys. We have our answer. We accepted the offer September 7th.

Remember the fortune cookies? Yeah, that was June 4th. September 1st we get the offer we wanted and by a few days later we know we will be accepting the job with the firm we love. Isn't it great when life comes together?

We are thrilled to be moving to Portland to join Lane Powell and that we will be making a home where we know the Lord wants us to be. This has been a crazy ride. Skyler has worked incredibly hard to get to this point. And I am so grateful that the Lord has heard our many prayers over the years and hasn't left us wondering why, irrespective of what our fortune cookies may say.

Education Week...

Skyler and Savvy bought me a pass for BYU Education Week as my Mother's Day gift this year. While I was at BYU for my undergrad my roommates and I used to always scheme that we would go to Education Week together someday. Though this year didn't work for everyone I hope we can all go soon. It was absolutely worth the time and money in every way.

I loved BYU as a student and hope all of our children decide to attend BYU for their undergraduate degrees as well. We are starting early, Sky sings the fight song to Savvy and I have taught Savvy to do the "cheerleader" B-Y-U. I believe education is incredibly important and that understanding and building a testimony of one's religion is paramount, but combining the two is absolutely invaluable. When I went to the Y I had an idea of what I wanted my life to look like but it is there that I decided who I wanted to be when I grow up. And though I have faults and want to be better in many ways, I don't think I've had a terribly rough start.

I came back from each day of education week (I'm too new at motherhood to leave my baby for a week, yes, I know, she is two-years-old) thrilled with who I am and the roles I fill as a wife and mother. I am also determined to change a few things in my life. For example, I will still read, but I won't just read quick books to entertain, I will increase my knowledge by reading more classics and studying more academic books. I will try to step out of my comfort zone and share my talents a bit more (this one will take a bit of time). I am an educated woman and I can be of service to a lot of people in more ways than babysitting alone. And most of all, I will listen more carefully for the voice of the Spirit. It is amazing what I can be told when I take time to listen and how it always impacts my family for the better.

So, ladies (non-exclusive to BYU friends), save your money and let's go soon!

Mayhem...

You know the Allstate Mayhem commercial where the tree falls on the car? Yeah, that's pretty much what happened to the Mazda.

We woke to a phone call at 6:30 in the morning on Monday August 15th. All I could hear was Skyler's side of the conversation which sounded something like this "Wow"..."WOW!" Needless to say I was quite curious. Our landlord had called to say that it was dark when he left for work but he could see that a tree had fallen on our car. We rushed outside to see the damage. All we could do was laugh and repeat Skyler's words from the phone call. Savvy said it best when she saw it, "Uh oh, tree!"

Luckily our insurance company, GEICO, was very helpful and generous so we were able to get the damage assessed and the settlement money quickly enough to buy a car on Friday. Thank you GEICO, we will continue to laugh and love your commercials!

Goodbye dear Mazda. We appreciated your gracious service to us and Skyler still misses you ;)

Seattle...

July 6th-11th we spent time in Washington for Skyler to do some job interviews in Seattle. We had a blast playing along the waterfront and soaking in the sea air. I'm quite certain I belong along the water and Savvy's love of it all made it all the more clear that she is my girl.

The firm spoiled us with a night at a fancy hotel. I must admit that hotels are one of my favorite things when it comes to traveling. Savvy loved the leopard print robes and called them "ah, ah, ah obes." Translation: monkey robes. It was hilarious! We couldn't stop laughing. She insisted on wearing the robe all evening and morning. It was no bother at all the the robe was an adult XL size. Love our silly girl!

It is always fun when the hotel staff are sweet!

The gal at the front desk gave Savvy a stuffed animal as well.

Savvy sure is a lovable little girl.

Savvy rode the merry-go-round for the first time ever because she was so excited to see the horses. Turns out she only likes to see them. She was mortified and wouldn't get on until Skyler sat down with her on his lap and even then she wasn't terribly thrilled.

Savvy at the end of the ride laughing at the whole idea of sitting on a horse.

I had recently read the book "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" so I took advantage of the opportunity to go and see the Panama Hotel. The book is fabulous and seeing some of the sites was interesting. I wish our society didn't shun from learning from recent history. There have been horrible things in the world, but maybe if we didn't hide our mistakes so readily we would be able to teach our children how to learn from them and thus allow our children to avoid making the same mistakes on their own.

Present for Savvy...

We try to find one big gift for Savvy from us for her birthday and this year we settled on a table and chairs. We worked through a lot of ideas and then luckily I found a cheap set being sold by a gal on craigslist, so I quickly got to work. Best of all, I love giving her something that I have spent some of my own time working on and hope she will appreciate it for the effort as she gets older.

I love a great refinishing project! Someday in the future I hope to have my own project shed...far far in the future. :) This time I just had fun buying my own tarp and some sanding tools.

Birthday Girl...

Savvy is officially two years old! To start the day off right, Skyler and I went into her room when she woke and said "Happy Birthday" and quickly asked her how old she is...she was thrilled to answer "TWO" and show us her two fingers crossed. She had a huge grin on her face, framed by her adorable, crazy, morning curls. We all quickly ran to the living room and watched her open her gifts and discover her new toys. Savannah received lots of gifts and love from all of her family and friends. We really appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who were a part of celebrating her special day.

Savannah's birthday party was a story hour at the library hosted special for her. As the library story hour is one of her favorite things in the world, it seemed only fitting. Her birthday story hour was extra fun because Savannah had all of her friends at the library and she was right in her element. I played the role of the librarian and quickly jumped into "teacher mode." I loved watching her glowing face the entire time. The kids all seemed to have a blast with the songs and stories and, of course, their favorites were the balloons and bubbles!

It seems impossible to express how much we love our Savannah Madelyn. The last two years with her in our home have been wonderful as we watch her learn and grow and as she becomes a beautiful little lady.

June...

June went by in a flash! I don't want to forget about our fun so here are a few videos and photos to get a glimpse of our month.

2 June: walking at a park to take photos

7 June: Temple Square Family Home Evening

18 June: Hike Ensign Peak

(time at the top was short, but Savvy was introduced to going potty in the woods ;) )

19 June: Father's Day, Savvy's card to Daddy

We gave Skyler a globe from Pottery Barn for his office

25 June: SLC Arts Festival

Celebrations...

April 24th we celebrated Easter. It was great to be with some of the Tanner and Hinkins family in Orangeville. Savannah loved the egg hunt at Great Grandma Elda's.

April 28th we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. We went to dinner at Tucci's (absolutely delicious) and spent the night chatting about how wonderful the last years have been and how much we can look forward to in the years to come.

May 3rd we celebrated Skyler's 28th birthday. Love that man with all my heart and it was great to celebrate his special day with many of our friends here.

May 5th we celebrated the marriage of Skyler's cousin, Tanner, to his beautiful bride, Allie. Their sealing ceremony was very touching and the wedding festivities were gorgeous.

May 8th we celebrated mothers on a fabulous Mother's Day. Skyler and Savvy treated me to a day of extra giggles and pampering. Motherhood is a tremendous blessing in my life.

note to self: Skyler will be the photographer on Mother's Day so don't change out of Sunday dress quite so quickly :)

More celebrations seem to be right around the corner . . . can you believe Savvy will be two in July?!

Today...

Today has been a long day full of exhaustion and wondering if I really am patient enough to care for children. Savvy had a rough night last night, and we are spoiled so those are few and far between around here, but it was a record breaking night. We slept for 3 hours and that was not consecutive. She wasn't crying constantly or seemingly uncomfortable, she just wanted to be with us in our bed or in her rocking chair and make sure we were comfortable by checking our eyes and noses and the like all throughout the night. When we would put her back to bed she would cry intensely as if something was wrong and knowing that she is on the verge of cutting another tooth and that she has had a tight stomach we didn't know how to react. Because she is my own baby girl I was still overcome by her sweetness in the middle of the night and how wonderful she can be as she cuddles me closely. I was able to snuggle her to sleep for the "night" at 5:30 am. I babysit a 22-month-old and a 3-month old at 6:30 am until 12:15 pm.

3 hours of sleep and 3 children under the age of two aren't the best combination. Especially when the 3-month-old was screaming and was so congested she couldn't take her bottle. The trick is her normal cry is much stronger than Savannah's blood-curdling I-just-hit-my-head-on-the-tile-scream. Needless to say I was praying for patience a lot today and inspiration. The patience came in waves and I finally found the inspiration. After the third time of holding the baby while she cried for an hour+ and the older brother waking her for the third time I finally fell on my knees and rocked the screaming baby while holding her little face with my hands and "shhhing" her softly in her ear. It seemed so extreme to me because I never would have had to do that with Savvy, but I have seen clips from "Happiest Baby on the Block" and thought I might as well give it a whirl. It worked. She stopped screaming. I cried a bit. She fell asleep.

Mothering is not for the faint in heart. I love my baby girl and I love the children I care for in other capacities. And you bet I am learning a lot about myself along the way.

Savannah Madelyn, 8 April

The bob...

I frequently miss having my hair styled in a bob. Today is one of those days.

Do I go back?!?!