My Savannah Banana

Sometimes I find myself talking about Savannah in a way that makes her sound like she is just a full time pistol. That's not the case. I am beyond blessed to have Savannah and I wouldn't change her for the world. The thing that has been hard for me, is getting over my own ego. That sounds terrible too, so let me explain. Before I became a mom, I was a "perfect mom". I thought I had everything figured out. I knew exactly how I was going to raise my kids. Well, Savannah was and is a game changer. She knows exactly what she wants, when she wants it. Any time I try to address an issue the way I had always imagined I would, it is unsuccessful and I feel often as though I am failing her. I want her to be and behave a certain way when in reality, she is right now, exactly who she is meant to be. I need to learn to focus all her energy in the right direction so she can be successful rather then trying to navigate her life into a direction that wasn't meant for her. I know Savannah will grow up to be one extremely powerful, successful woman regardless of what she decides to do. Whenever I see this quote I think of her. 

She can and will move mountains. She is smart, she is sweet, she is my motivation, she is one of my teachers and I am blessed. Here is a small list of things I adore about Savannah. 

1) I love how she gets out of bed in the morning and immediately RUNS to my room. She is so eager to start everyday and learn and do new things. 

2) I love the way her eyes squint when she smiles at me. She smiles with every inch of her face.

3) I love the way she purses her lips and looks down out of the corner of her eye when she asks for something she thinks she can't have or has done something I asked her not to do. 

4) I love when she sings because that is a passion her and I share and I so see myself as a little girl singing loud and annoying all my siblings. It also turns out that annoying voice is now one of my greatest gifts and I know it will be one of hers too.

5) I love watching her dance around the kitchen with her eyes closed to Taylor Swift. Every time I get teary eyed because I know these days are fleeting and I know how bad I will miss them. 

6) I love how eager she is to help me with anything that involves Aubree. She has been the best big sister since day 1 and has done nothing to Aubree except completely adore her.

7) I love the random quiet moments when Savannah just wants to hold me. She wraps her long arms around my neck and I can feel her heart beating against mine and I can run my hands thru her silky fine hair. 

8) I love when she talks to baby Aubree and she is mimicking me. It's nice to know that as much as I can lose my cool and get frustrated that she hears the sweet part of my voice. 

9) I love her energy! It tuckers me out but she truly loves tackling every adventure. 

10) I love how she teaches me. She is teaching me on a daily basis to be flexible, humble, forgiving and patient.

I love my Savannah Banana with all my heart and pray that I can be everything she needs and deserves. I want to do right by her and provide her with the environment she needs to grow. I hope she never loses her curiosity. I hope I can learn to speed up instead of trying to slow her down and I pray that she will stay strong and fearless. Most of all I pray that I can be become the mother I need to be and let go of the idea of what I was "suppose to be". 

My big girl!

Ok....so I have not written a post in a very long time but I have a great deal on my mind today so I wanna put it all out there. I have a gorgeous, smart, funny, strong willed, independent, stubborn daughter. I wouldn't change her for the world. I feel so blessed every single day that Heavenly Father chose me to be her mommy. I can't believe that in ten weeks or less I will have two babies to love this much. Today Savannah was suppose to be napping and of course she was struggling with the idea. It's been a new phase and an adjustment because Cory and I have been so spoiled with her and her sleep schedule since she was 2 months old. But this afternoon I put her back to bed and she fell fast asleep and around 2:30 all I wanted to do was go in and cuddle my big girl, my baby. So I quietly opened her door thinking she would already be awake and she wasn't. She was sleeping with the most peaceful look on her face. I turned to go out the door and she woke up and with the biggest smile said "Hi my mommy! What chu doin?" I walked over and climbed into bed with her and she opened her arms to wrap them around me. I laid my head on her chest and she stroked my head like some little lady. Then she said "your a berry good mommy." It melted me. You have no idea how often I worry about if I am being the best mommy I can be for her. I want to be someone she can always rely on and I hope to earn the privilege of being someone that she looks up to. Having Savannah as a first child has been incredible. There are so many things I cherish and appreciate but I will only name a few because I could honestly write about her all day long. 

1. She is soooooo girly. 

2. She loves to sing like I do and she really gets a kick out of singing with me. 

3. She is fearless. This has been a great learning experience for me because I am a scardy cat and constantly worry about her getting hurt. Luckily Cory is adventurous and a little more fun then I am lol. I am thankful he has many qualities that I don't because my hope for Savannah is that she does it all. I would love for her to be into performing arts and wake boarding and all different sports. I want her to choose what she would like to do but I want her to know that she has zero limitations. She can do it all! 

4. She is independent, strong willed and can throw some pretty nice tantrums. This has been challenging and entertaining all at the same time but I am thankful I am experiencing this all with my first right out the gate. She is teaching me patience and understanding and how to be a loving parent who can teach her right from wrong. I came across this quote and it totally made me cry because it is so true. I try to keep this in mind on the rough days. 

5. She is FUNNY! Anyone who knows my brother Taylor knows he is naturally hillarious and his comedic timing is on point. Savannah is this way too and has been since she was teeny tiny. She cracks us up on a daily basis.

6. She is smart! She loves to read and learn and I love learning fun new ways to teach her new things. We read almost every single book she has every day and she likes to "read to me". 

7. This is what I cherish most. She begs on a daily basis to go to church. Teaching her about the Gospel and how to be reverent and pray has been a very very special thing for me. I am so thankful for the Gospel and the difference it has made in my life and hope Savannah continues to love it for herself and that she gains a strong testimony and can be a good example for Aubree and future siblings. 

I have loved these last couple years of enjoying just Savannah and taking in every little thing that she does. She is an exceptional girl and I love her with all my heart. I am enjoying these last few weeks with just her and can't wait to see her in the role of big sister. I know she is going to be great! 

Thankful

   After hearing of the shooting this morning in Connecticut, I just had to post about how thankful I am for my family, their safety and their health. I love my family with all my heart and cant imagine how awful it must have been to be a parent of a student who attended that school this morning. Who knows how long they had to wait to see if their sweet baby was going to run out into their arms safely. My heart just aches for all of them. What a tragic event! It is a scary world we live in today and I am just thankful for each new day I get with my husband and our gorgeous daughter. I am going to hold Savannah and Cory extra close today and be sure to tell them constantly how blessed I feel to have them and how much I love them.
  
Here are some just some of the personality traits Cory has that I admire and that I am thankful for:

• he is selfless
• he is loving
• he is honest
• he is smart
• he is SO funny
• he is patient
• he is courageous
• he is genuine
• he is sacrificial
• he is loyal
• he is generous
• he is punctual
• he is tolerant
• he is empathetic
• he is compassionate
• he is protective
• he is understanding

Some of my favorite things I love about Cory are:

• his eyes
• his hands
• his laugh
• I love when we cuddle on the couch
• I love how he always holds my hand while we are driving in the car
• I love when he sings in the car and doesn't know all the words (Sorry honey)
• I love how he always kisses me on the forehead at night before we go to bed and in the morning when he wakes up.
• I love that we say "I love you" over ten times a day
• I love when we are just goofs together
• I love what a great example he is to me everyday
• I love when he plays with Savannah

Here are some of the things about Savannah that I love:

• her smile
• her sweet eyes
• her little nose
• her feet
• her hands and how she holds mine
• her pretty lips
• her laugh
• her cute little fanny( SORRY SAVANNAH)
• I love how she mimics Cory and I
• I love when I go to get her in the morning and she is so excited to see me
• I love her big open mouth kisses
• I love when she "talks"
• I love when she pretends to talk on the phone
• I love when we read books together
• I love bath time
• I love peeking at her when she sleeps, she looks like sleeping beauty
• I love when she walks as we hold her hands
• I LOVE when she plays hide and seek
• I adore when she "sings"
• I even love when she is frustrated and has a little tantrum

These are just some of the things I came up with on the spot but the list could go on forever. I am thankful for everyday that I get to enjoy these moments with the two people I love most. They are my world and my joy and I will cherish them with all of my heart for time and all eternity.

Growing too fast!

Ok! So everyone told me to cherish every moment because they grow up too fast and boy they were right. Thank heavens I have enjoyed and cherished every moment we have had with Miss Savannah so far. She is the sweetest and funniest girl and I feel so blessed to have her. Right now, she is pulling up on everything, and today she walked along the furniture. She loves getting to eat new things and she thank heavens, is not a binky baby. Glad I don't have to pry those away from her. One of her new favorite things to say is "ya!". I was teaching her "no and yes" one day and she gets they are opposites lol. She will always crawl over to where the DVDs are and she tries to pull them out. Cory, in a deep voice will say "Savannah no." Then Savannah, in a deep voice, will say "ya." O my, we are in trouble. She LOVES to dance and she loves to copy everything we do. She is smart too. If we play a beat on the table, she can do the exact same thing back to us. Its pretty cool watching her learn and grow up, but I do so miss when she would just cuddle up in my arms all day. She is the greatest blessing and I love her to the moon and back. I miss things from the past but I have a lifetime of memories to come with her.

Life Changing? Absolutely!

I recently posted on my facebook that I am a health coach for a fantastic program and that it has changed my life. I know when you hear things like this it is easy to think what a bunch of crap!  I have struggled with my weight going up and down since the 8th grade and I know it is a miserable feeling. I could never figure out how to get weight off and maintain it and after a few years I turned to not eating. I figured I rather not eat and lose weight then try to eat and keep fluctuating. I was barely surviving. But hey, at least I was skinny right?? No, that is not right. I eventually started eating again after much concern from my best friend and family members and when I did all the weight came back and then some. I never knew how to eat properly.  It wasn't until after I gave birth to Savannah and gained a lot of weight with my pregnancy that I was motivated to make a change. I didn't want a quick fix, I wanted to gain healthy eating habits for life and I wanted to be a good example to my daughter of how a healthy woman fuels her body and takes care of herself.  I had a few relatives who started this program and they just looked fabulous. There skin was glowing and they were extremely healthy. I decided to look into the program for myself and I fell in love with it within the first week. In just seven weeks I have lost 18lbs in a healthy manner and have lost 4 inches off my waist and 4 inches off my hips. More then the weight and the measurements, I feel healthy, energized, I sleep better and I feel like I have a glow. I have not been this passionate about something in so long that I had to payback this amazing program and become a coach. I know I can help people successfully drop 2 to 5 pounds per week and gain optimal health. Please contact me with any questions you have.

After 7 weeks on the program

O how time flies!

The past nine months have hands down been the most exciting of my life. Savannah is just the sweetest girl and brings so much joy to our lives. The past few weeks have been huge for her, she has started to "crawl, just today she started to pull up on things and SHE GOT HER FIRST TOOTH. The reason I say "crawl", is because she doesn't have it down 100% but she can get around with her army crawl/scooting, believe me. I am really in for it when she decides to finally take off.

 It really does get more fun the older your children get, but I still LOVE the baby stage. I miss when I was able to just cuddle her whenever. Nowadays she just wants to play so sitting still is rough lol. Savannah is starting to have favorites and it is so cute. Out of all the toys she has her two baby dolls are her favorite. She has one that is wearing a little cow costume and her face just lights up when I hand it to her. She also LOVES fruit, she always has but now is even more vocal about it,when she eats she goes "mmmmmmhhhmmmmm" . She is starting to get more interested in books which is very exciting, and sad for me, she is starting to get less interested in bows. It takes about five seconds for her to take one off after I put it on. Her absolute FAVORITE thing to do right now hands down, is sitting up. I put her on her belly and by the time I sit down, she is sitting up like a big girl. Now I think it is the cutest thing in the world but it has led to some hilarious nap times. I lay her down and she sits right up and sometimes we go back and forth at this for a while.

Just recently we had to take down her beloved swing because she decided she wanted to be an acrobat and she would hang her upper half off the side, so we switched it out with a jumperoo. My mom was able to find a nice lightly used one for her and as she says " its a lallapalooza of a toy!" That it is, I don't think I have ever seen so many things to look at on one toy and Savannah loves it.

 I cannot believe my little girl is going to be one in just a few short months. I am so thankful Cory and I have cherished her babyhood as much as we have because time goes by so fast. It has been a blast!

Our recent and upcoming adventures

   I have not been able to write a post until now because we have been extremely busy here at the Johnson home. Life has never been  better, but we have been SO busy. A little over a month ago we moved into our very first home in Provo, Utah and we adore it. There is something about having a home and knowing it is yours. Here are a list of things I love about this house.
- having a washer and dryer
- having a fenced in yard
- having two bathrooms
- having tons of storage
- having a cast iron wood burning stove
- AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE A DOG!!!!
   Anyone who knows me knows I am absolutely an animal lover but especially a dog lover and we recently added a super cute puppy to our family. I was searching on KSL one evening and saw his picture and knew he was my puppy. He stole my heart and I had to have him. We named him Bear and his dad is a pure bread golden retriever and his mom is a black lab. He is such a good puppy!!! He is four months old and is already potty trained and he knows how to sit and lay down. Now when you hear four months old you would never expect him to be as huge as he is but he is easily already like 50 pounds. Here is a picture so you get the idea.

   Now I cant wait till we make some progress on getting are yard looking pretty because it is an amazing huge yard. Our home is on a third of an acre so we fenced in a portion so I would have a place to take the kiddos out to play and then you walk out of the fenced in yard to a park lol. Its not really a park, but it certainly could be. It is huge! Now, here is the shocker. I never pictured myself having lots of animals but when we purchased this home it came equipped with chicken coops, so you can imagine where I am going with this. Now we have CHICKENS! They are a little dirty but pretty cute. I just told Cory we could have them but I will NOT eat them. YUCK! Once we got the chickens, I decided I wanted a goat, so now that will be our next adventure. As we make progress I will post some photos but right now we need to give our lawn some tender lovin care, so no pictures yet ;).

NOW FOR OUR EXCITING NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS

   Ok so next week we head to California where we will be for less then 24hours before heading to Miami to take a cruise with my sweet mother and father-in-law, Tawnie and Jordan Jensen, Kyle, Kodey and Tyler. We are going on a Caribbean Cruise and I am soooooooo EXCITED!!!!! I have not been on a vacation like this in years and it is going to be SO relaxing and fun. I cant wait to take Savannah in the water. I know that might sound silly but she loves bath time so I am thinking she is just going to be way to cute in the pool and at the beaches. We have so missed having family close so we are ecstatic for the opportunity we have to spend a week together in paradise. After the cruise we get to spend a few days with my side of the family too so we are anxious as can be. I miss them all like crazy.

   AS if life couldn't get more exciting.......IT DOES!!!! Cory's parents will be moving to Utah at the end of June!!!!! We are so happy that Savannah is going to have grandparents and uncles so close. And Mr Tyler will be living with us for a while when they are waiting for their home to be finished. YAY!!!! 

   We are so thankful to Mom and Pops for their generosity in taking us on this upcoming trip and are so excited for the quality time we are going to be able to spend together. Nothing is better then spending time with the ones that you love.