Merry Christmas!

Savannah's Prayer

We recently started being more dedicated about family home evening. Eric will usually read a story from the friend and we will sing a song. Eric says he loves the solo practice. We always start the event out with a prayer. Usually for family prayer, Eric and I take turns. The kids really dont want to... so we were suprised with Savannah volunteered to say the prayer. Eric and I couldn't stop laughing after she said it. So cute and so sweet!
Here is the prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thanks you so much for family home evening. We love it so much. We wish it was everynight. We believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and (there was something else...) In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love the part about the tooth fairy, since we havent had a visit yet!

Savannah as Kit

Savannah as Kit!

I had decided that Savannah needed a haircut. I checked to the Locks of Love website to see what the length is that she would need to be able to donate it. She would need 10 inches. I just wasn't sure about it. I asked her how she would feel about cutting all her hair off to donate to a sick kid so that they could have hair. Her first response was no. I left it at that. I figure she is old enough to make her own decisions. I did tell her that she was getting a hair cut no matter what. So I started thinking 4 or 5 inches. She woke up this morning and said that she wanted hair like Kit's. Kit Kitridge the American girl doll. WOW!! I am not sure that I could handle that. I am not a short hair person. I had short hair all through college and well, I really don't like doing thick short hair. So we went to Monica's and she did it. She put her hair in 2 ponies and cut. It was crazy! Savannah is so excited about it. She is telling everyone to look at her new hair do. She is way sassy! She also looks so much older. I will miss ponytails and buns in her hair but if she is anything like me, her hair will grow back. And it will do it fast!!

Dinner Conversations

Last night, while eric was frying the taco shells for dinner. (It is Taco Tuesday and he prefers the way that he frys them.) The girls were getting crazy and antsy. They love tacos and couldnt wait for dinner. We decided to play I Spy. It was a great diversion and the girls loved it.

While they were eating this conversation took place:

Savannah: "What's your name?"
Me: "Matilda Jane Finkweiler"
Olivia: "Noooo, you are mom!" She was very emphatic about this.
S: "No you are natalie"
Eric: "I am Bob"
Natalie: " We are Bob and Matilda Jane Finkweiler."
Both Girls: " No, you are Eric and Natalie."

It is really fun for Olivia to be learning our names and being so expressive in the things she believes. Savannah is just sassy. Plain and Simple.

Shock Of Her Life!

I know it has been a few months....9 to be exact but who's counting?

I was told the funniest story this past weekend and had to share. Eric's Grandma Zoe is 94 (or something) years old. She lived in a care center the past year until Alan and April (Eric's brother and sister in law) fixed up their basement for her. It is a really nice basement apartment complete with elevator. They are awesome to take her in. Grandma Zoe has been cranky for the past 5 years. Everyone has had a hard time being with her. She complains and is grouchy unless she has her "magic" pill. So Grandma has been living with Alan and April. She has been in a great mood but she is just a little crazy and says funny things. This is her recent funny thing.

April's kids have sewing and cooking lessons on Fridays, so she has a family member come into feed Grandma lunch and make sure she takes her afternoon pill. (This is a necessity!!) So last Friday it was Molly's turn to go and be with Grandma. Her daughter Marie was playing with a picture of Savannah as a baby. Grandma was shocked that it was her picture, but that got her talking about our last visit when my girls were playng with Alan on the floor. She said how Alan is not a very big guy and either is Eric, but Darren (Eric's Twin) is a big guy. Molly replied how funny it was since Eric and Darren were twins that they were so different. A few minutes later, Grandma said wait... Eric and Darren are twins. She goes on to say how they have kept this a secret from her for 40 years and why would they do this to me. How could they not tell me, on and on..... Molly left and April came home and Grandma told April that she had the "Shock of a Lifetime!" Eric and Darren are twins!! When Alan came home from work that night, he set her straight that she probably just forgot. She told me all about it yesterday as well. How they kept this a secret from her and how she tended the kids all the time and never told her. Funny Grandma!!!! I just couldn't imagine how they kept this a secret from Grandma for 33 years. Did they just show up with 2 babies and say that maybe one is the neighbors or was left on the doorstep!!! We all had a good laugh at this one!!!
I did tell Laurel (eric's mom) about this and she was flabbergasted. She said that when they told Grandma, she was expecting twins, Grandma said this was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. Getting old is rough. I am just happy that Grandma is so much more enjoyable to be around.

My Quirky Savannah

There are a few things that Savannah does that makes me laugh. She is just so particular sometimes that I try to hold in the laughter and then I just can't.

• Going down the stairs, she will not step on the third stair. She says it is on fire. Watching her reach her little legs from step 2 to 4 makes me laugh. Or get me mad when I am behind her and just want to get down the stairs


• We have 16" slate floor in our kitchen. She will only step on certain tile because of alligators. She gets mad at me when I step on the alligators or she fears my life. Haven't quite figured that out.


• She calls crayons, coloring crayons.


• She thinks her middle name is Pumpernickel. For real. Ask her but don't laugh. I think it is cute and don't want her to give it up.


• She calls Ayden McRae her boyfriend. Not sure why they only play together once in a while. And then they don't really play together.


• She also calls her cousin Jamison her boyfriend. Can't figure that one out either.


• She just tried to give duck away to her friend Ellie. I stopped that, (mean mom!) duck was second child to me for too long to have me watch him go to another family and I don't think Cami needs him.


• She thinks her birthday is soon. And she will be all grown up at 5.


• She asks for cereal with milk since I usually give it to her in a bag. I hate the spilled milk.


• She handed me an apple as I was walking out the door last night and told me that apples are healthy snacks.


• I asked her how she got so smart and she told me her teachers at school.


• She calls my mom Grandma Andi. She is the only grandkid to do that. It started because my dad was calling my mom by her name and Savannah corrected him. She told him her name was Grandma. After that it stuck.
• When she asks for chips and cheese, I know she is talking about nachos. She gets really mad when I order and call them nachos. She corrects me every time. But she loves them. Oh and she prefers them from Taco Bell, not del taco. (Thanks Sara!)

There are more and I will add them as I remember them.

Cleaning the Draper Temple!

Yesterday was our Stake's Day to volunteer at the Draper Temple. Eric was an usher in the morning. From 7 am to 11 am. He was the man who would great you after coming out of the tunnel into the Stake Center. It wasn't real busy for him so it was kind of boring. Our assignment was to clean the temple from 10 pm to Midnight. At first, I have to admit I was a little sad. I wanted a cool usher job or something else. I got over that real fast. I loved our job! It was so much fun to be in the temple and just be able to wander around. We were assigned our job last. We got to empty all the little garbage cans in the whole temple. We basically had to search out all the little garbage cans. And there are a lot of them! and they hide!!

I am really excited about the Draper Temple. It will be our temple and I cant wait to go to it after it is dedicated. The Celestial Room is so beautiful. If though it is not dedicated you can feel the spirit and know what a special place that it is. The most fun part of the night was that we got to wear jeans! In the temple! This was definitely an experience. We are so blessed to have a temple so close to us and just for us!

This also brought back a memory for me when we first moved into the Crescent 17th ward, we had the opportunity to clean the Jordan River Temple. It was a lot more work being just a busy temple. You had to have a recommend and we had to change our clothes into white clothing. I remember this as a time I got to know more people in a new ward. We met the Wells and the McRae's that night. I remember being so jealous of Charlene's hearing aids. We were using the beater brush on the vacuum to clean upholstery and it was so loud!! She just turn off her "hearing" and went on her way.