Savannah's Birthday
Already, one year ago...
"So, with everything (and everyone) we needed in the car, we started our long drive home. It wasn’t easy, but taking turns behind the wheel every two hours, and the excitement of what was waiting for us at home, made it possible. While we were driving, we got a text message from Sam telling us that the baby had been born and it was a beautiful, healthy baby girl.
...A girl? Okay. For the past eight months we’d just assumed it would be a boy. We had boy stuff in our basement. But it turned out to be a girl, and we couldn’t be happier. So, what would we name her? None of our preselected girl names seemed right. Then, literally out of nowhere, the name Savannah popped into my head and it wouldn’t go away. I told Brooke and she liked it too. Then I wondered if Tanzania was in the African savanna. I called my mom and asked her to find it on a map. Tanzania is south of Kenya and includes part of the savanna. When a name is that inspired, it’s hard to choose anything else."
Savannah is 1! And she can even tell you so:
To celebrate her birthday, we had all kinds of fun: grandpas, grandmas, uncles, friends, food, and of course, cake and ice cream.
Her birthday celebrations began with a visit from Grandpa Pyrah (or Grandpa Py as Todd has nicknamed him). His visit included a stop at the Liberty Jail, the Money Museum, and all-you-can-eat Chinese at Hyvee. Yum!
When Grandma and the three Uncles on the Pyrah side got here, one of the pre-birthday highlights was going to Jazz, a Louisiana Kitchen Restaurant. It was delicious! And super fun with a live band. Savannah just loved the music:
That was on Thursday. As we pulled into the driveway on Thursday night, there was a car in our driveway, and inside...Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds! They had flown in from Salt Lake as a complete surprise for Savannah's birthday! So fun!
On Savannah's actual birthday, we went to the art museum where we opened presents, had a visit in the afternoon from Imma, and then later swam and ate at the Elder's Quorum pool party. Following which, Savannah got her first tastes of frozen yogurt ice cream at Orange Leaf. Up until now, she always had to watch us eat it, with just a few bites of some fruit.
On Saturday, Savannah got all ready to go on Safari. Todd and the expert field guides (my brothers, Bryce & Brady) went ahead early to prepare the Safari. When my Mom, Savannah, and I all arrived, as well as Grandma & Grandpa Reynolds and some friends, the kids had a great time looking for all the animals with their hats, whistles, and checklists. After they had located all the animals, they got a special prize. Lunch, presents, and of course, the ceremonial first cake and ice cream, tuckered Savannah right out.
Zebra, cheetah, and giraffe cupcakes!
After her nap that day, Savannah went to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds at their hotel while we took Bryce and Brady to see Harry Potter.
On Sunday, we all headed to church, and as an added bonus, Todd was speaking.
Now that Savannah is 1, she knows how to do all kinds of things: walk across a room on her own, point to different body parts (hair, toes, belly, tongue), do sign language (please, thank you, more, eat, all done), clap, dance, throw tantrums, and best of all...drink whole milk instead of formula!
Happy Birthday Savannah!! We love you!
Go to the board!
"So, with everything (and everyone) we needed in the car, we started our long drive home. It wasn’t easy, but taking turns behind the wheel every two hours, and the excitement of what was waiting for us at home, made it possible. While we were driving, we got a text message from Sam telling us that the baby had been born and it was a beautiful, healthy baby girl.
...A girl? Okay. For the past eight months we’d just assumed it would be a boy. We had boy stuff in our basement. But it turned out to be a girl, and we couldn’t be happier. So, what would we name her? None of our preselected girl names seemed right. Then, literally out of nowhere, the name Savannah popped into my head and it wouldn’t go away. I told Brooke and she liked it too. Then I wondered if Tanzania was in the African savanna. I called my mom and asked her to find it on a map. Tanzania is south of Kenya and includes part of the savanna. When a name is that inspired, it’s hard to choose anything else."
Savannah is 1! And she can even tell you so:
To celebrate her birthday, we had all kinds of fun: grandpas, grandmas, uncles, friends, food, and of course, cake and ice cream.
Her birthday celebrations began with a visit from Grandpa Pyrah (or Grandpa Py as Todd has nicknamed him). His visit included a stop at the Liberty Jail, the Money Museum, and all-you-can-eat Chinese at Hyvee. Yum!
When Grandma and the three Uncles on the Pyrah side got here, one of the pre-birthday highlights was going to Jazz, a Louisiana Kitchen Restaurant. It was delicious! And super fun with a live band. Savannah just loved the music:
That was on Thursday. As we pulled into the driveway on Thursday night, there was a car in our driveway, and inside...Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds! They had flown in from Salt Lake as a complete surprise for Savannah's birthday! So fun!
On Savannah's actual birthday, we went to the art museum where we opened presents, had a visit in the afternoon from Imma, and then later swam and ate at the Elder's Quorum pool party. Following which, Savannah got her first tastes of frozen yogurt ice cream at Orange Leaf. Up until now, she always had to watch us eat it, with just a few bites of some fruit.
On Saturday, Savannah got all ready to go on Safari. Todd and the expert field guides (my brothers, Bryce & Brady) went ahead early to prepare the Safari. When my Mom, Savannah, and I all arrived, as well as Grandma & Grandpa Reynolds and some friends, the kids had a great time looking for all the animals with their hats, whistles, and checklists. After they had located all the animals, they got a special prize. Lunch, presents, and of course, the ceremonial first cake and ice cream, tuckered Savannah right out.
Zebra, cheetah, and giraffe cupcakes!
After her nap that day, Savannah went to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds at their hotel while we took Bryce and Brady to see Harry Potter.
On Sunday, we all headed to church, and as an added bonus, Todd was speaking.
Now that Savannah is 1, she knows how to do all kinds of things: walk across a room on her own, point to different body parts (hair, toes, belly, tongue), do sign language (please, thank you, more, eat, all done), clap, dance, throw tantrums, and best of all...drink whole milk instead of formula!
Happy Birthday Savannah!! We love you!
Go to the board!
Thank you for making all your blogs so meaningful! I am grateful I could be there for that wonderful occasion of Savannah turning 1. Your family is so beautiful, and when you post blogs and photos, the memories are replayed in my mind. Thank you!
ReplyDelete